The Mystery of God

This is the greatest love story that mankind will ever know: that God humbled Himself by taking on the form of a Man and gave Himself as a ransom for sinful mankind, went back to His heavenly abode, and will return to be joined the Bride to the Bridegroom. This is the greatest love story and mystery mankind will ever know! Praise God! This ransom has been paid; Jesus declared this with His last breath from the Cross “It is Finished”. Yet the coming of the Bridegroom to claim His Bride –The Church, has not been finished. This chapter is about that Mystery what is the significance of this and when it will be finished!
Let’s look at Psalms 1.1- "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, who stands not in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. His delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water which brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither. And whatsoever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." This is one of the earliest references of a separate gathering and judgment of the godly and the ungodly.
Jesus speaking to His disciples in Mark 4:11: "And He said unto them, "Unto you it is given to know the Mystery of the kingdom, but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables." In Romans 11:25: Paul says "For I would not, brethren, that you would be ignorant of this Mystery, unless you be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part has happened to Israel till the fullness of the Gentiles come in." I Corinth 2:7: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a Mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory."
I Corinth 15:51: "Behold, I show you a Mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trump will sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed." Ephesians 1:10: "Having made known to us the Mystery of His will according of His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself that in the dispensation of the fullness of time He might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are on earth." Ephesians 3:3,4,5,6,9,10: "How the Mystery was made known to me by revelation as I have written briefly when you read this, you can perceive my insight into the Mystery which was not made known to the sons of men and other generations which has now been revealed the Spirit of God's holy apostles and prophets. This Mystery is that through the Gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body and sharers together with the promise in Christ Jesus. I am become a servant of this Gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me, preached to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to make plain to everyone my administration of this Mystery, which for ages past, was kept hidden in God Who created all things." Ciaphas prophesied of what this was to accomplish by Jesus' atoning death in that which was revealed to Paul concerning the Mystery. John 11:9-52: "And one of them named Ciaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up saying, "You know nothing at all, not realizing it is necessary for you that one die for the people than that the whole nation perish. He did not say this on his own but as high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation and not for only that nation but also for the scattered children of God to bring them together and make them one." Colossians 2:2,3: "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and guided in love that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the Mystery of God, namely, Christ in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 4:2,3: "devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Pray for us, too, that God may open a door of our message so that we may proclaim the Mystery of Christ for which I am in chains." Here Paul equates the preaching of the Gospel with the preaching the Mystery! And in I Tim. 3: 8,9: " Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for gain, that they may hold the Mystery of the faith with a clear conscience." Isn't that something, Deacons are to keep themselves from these ungodly traits in order to "hold the Mystery of the Faith with a clear conscience". This is significant! We've kepted ourselves from these ungodly traits but it seems we've lost sight that we are doing this to hold forth the Mystery of the Faith and this is of course ultimately for God and man! That one would have integrity with God and man. Again integrity is brought out in verse 15 of I Timothy in connection with the Mystery of Godliness. I Tim 3: 15, 16: " But if I tarry long that thou mayest how I oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth. And without controversy, great is the Mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory." Rev. verse 20: "The Mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand in the seven golden candlesticks, the seven stars are the seven angels, and angels are the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." This Mystery has to do with the churches, collectively! The term ***churches*** is used several times in the Letters to the Seven Churches and is intended as scriptural exhortations to the Church at large!!! Now let this sink deep into your spirit and be enlightened and shocked---In Rev.10:7;11:15,18: " But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when He shall begin to sound, The Mystery of God shall be Finished as He has declared to his servants, the prophets." Verse 15,18 of chapter 11: "And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of the world are become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and forever. And the nations were angry and Thy wrath is come, the time of the dead that they should be judged and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants, the prophets, and unto the saints, even to them that fear Thy name small and great and should destroy them which destroy the earth."
This is when God rewards His Church not at some secret coming at a secret rapture.The seventh trumpet is the Last trumpet. The very trumpet that is in Matthew 24.29-31

Ephesians 1:9,10: "Having made known unto us the Mystery of His will according of His good pleasure which He has proposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ , both which are in heaven and which are on earth." This gathering together into one is at the End of the Age, at the Last Day!!! Eph. 5.31-32 "For this reason a man will his father and mother and will be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh, this is a profound [Great - says the K.J.V.] Mystery but I am talking about Christ and the Church." In Gal. 4.26 "But the Jerusalem that is above is free and She is our Mother." The K.J.V. says "But Jerusalem that is above is the Mother of us all." Ephesians 6:19: "Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the Mystery of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it [ the Mystery of the Gospel ] fearlessly as I should." Colossians 1:24-27: "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's sufferings for the sake of His Body which is the Church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fullness--the Mystery that has been kept hidden for Ages and generations but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen [has willed] to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this Mystery which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." There are a few things we need to be reminded of: The saints comprise or make-up the Body of Christ which is the Church. Individually we are called saints, collectively we are called the Church, also called the Bride of Christ. Here I want you to notice The Mystery has been hidden for Ages and generations but now has been revealed to His saints. It is God's will according to verse 27 to know the Mystery. The scripture says that this is Christ in you the hope of glory!!! To be united with Christ, this is the Mystery fulfilled!!!
In contrast to the Mystery of Godliness which is awesome and beautiful and full of light, understanding and love ,in contrast is the Mystery of Iniquity, which is mentioned only one time by that title in the book of second Thessalonians "...that is already at work..." Most Theologians would agree that this has been going on since the Fall of man and even when Lucifer had iniquity rise up from within him and brought about the rebellion in heaven. Here is something to consider, when the Devil was in heaven before the fall at the inception of the first rebellion, he must have deceived the angels that sided with him, and he must have caused them believe that he, Lucifer would be able to pull off what he had contrived!!! The Mystery of Iniquity in contrast is dark, void of understanding. It is apparent that the Mystery of Iniquity is the other side of the coin, so to speak. The one, the Mystery of Godliness is of faith, of belief, of love, of life and a sure destiny!!! While the other, the Mystery of Iniquity is of unbelief, of doubt, of willfulness, of hate, of apathy, sinful and of an unsure destiny to those who don't believe!!! One of the great facets of the Mystery of Iniquity is that those who lives of sin believe not only their going to continue in it but that they are going to go unpunished! These have chosen not to keep God in their knowledge or acknowledge God as Lord and Creator!!! In contrast to the Mystery of Godliness that will unite God and His creatures, Christ and the Church, the Bridegroom with the Bride, the Mystery of Iniquity, unbelieving mankind, unbelievers will be separated permanently from God, forever! This separation means, away from everything good that man now understands in his everyday life. Like the old Christian saying " For the Christian this life is the most hell he'll ever have to experience but for unbeliever this is the most heaven he'll ever experience " The greatest single aspect of The Mystery of Godliness regarding God's people is that they will be joined to Him never to be separated again!!! And the Mystery of Iniquity is that sinful and rebellious mankind will be forever separated from God. Many say that when the Last Gentile is saved or converted to the that the Church is raptured! Then the Great Tribulation begins and all hell breaks loose; but that can't happen until the Church is raptured! Romans 11.25 is quoted as proof of this along with 2.6,7! And that God's dealings with Israel will only begin after the Church is raptured! Romans 11.25 says "For I do not desire, brethren that you should be ignorant of this Mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion [K.J.V. says -conceits] that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in!" Yet if you turn to Luke 21.24 the time of the Gentiles is still going on during the Great Tribulation and will wrapped-up at Christ's Glorious Second Coming!!! In Ephesians 1.7,8,9,10 -verse 10"...make known to us the Mystery, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ , both which are in heaven and which are on earth -- in Him." N.K.J.V. Dear fellow Christians: Pastors, Teachers, Elders, Theologians and Laypeople, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, Christ will gather all those together both in Heaven and on Earth, God will gather the fullness of His People, this happens when the Mystery of God is Finished! Nowhere else is The Mystery exemplified [or personified or illustrated] better than in Christian Marriage!!! The Husband leaves His Father and Mother and is joined to His Bride! And the ones who understand this Mystery the clearest are Christian married couples that love the Lord having been filled with the Holy Spirit and are in love and committed to the Lord and each other! Signal Christians also can greatly understand The Mystery in that they are espoused or married to Christ! But I myself being married shall speak a little bias, and please pardon my bias here, "that Christian earthly marriage is the closest relationship to Christ and the Church on earth during the Millennium." A time of Heaven on Earth. The Marriage [The joining together, nuptial- union] is the joining point, the New Beginning in time that starts the rest of their joyful lives, eternity!