Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. Ephesians 1:9
A relative of mine is almost losing her mind in frantic fear that global warming will destroy the world. Why aren’t we worried about that too? Because we know it won’t – and can’t – happen. How do we know that? Because God has revealed in His Word what will happen in the future, and it does not include any destruction of the world by global warming. But what if the Bible is wrong about that? The Bible has not been wrong about anything that has happened in several thousand years. Not one mistake, not one error has it made in all that it has unfolded about what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. Up to this point, every prophecy has come to pass with pinpoint precision. We would be utter fools to think it is wrong about what lies ahead of us now. While my Bible-rejecting relative cowers in fear and pleads for carbon cuts, you and I can relax in appreciation that God has made known unto us things concerning the future, along with other mysteries of His will. It’s all part of the great package of spiritual blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus.
In the Scriptures, the word ‘mystery’ refers to something that was hidden but is now being revealed. Our text speaks of the mystery of God’s will. In other words, God is revealing to us what His plans are. In the Old Testament, there were times when God revealed His will. For example, He warned Noah to prepare for the flood (Genesis 6:13-18). And He shared with Abraham His plans for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: ‘And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?’ (Genesis 18:17) Throughout the Old Testament, God gave prophets, judges, and kings special insight into His purposes. For example, to Daniel He unveiled the timing of the coming of the Messiah, along with a panorama of world empires and events that are still unfolding and will unfold in a coming age. But in the New Testament, we see a new approach to making known the mystery of God’s will. Instead of a tiny few being told, God has opened up the mystery to all who will read His Word and who are indwelt by His Holy Spirit.
The Word of God, in its completed form, contains the details of God’s plan for the future. This is very exciting as we examine the events and trends of our time and see how very near must be the coming of the Lord. But the Word also reveals God’s purposes for us as individuals and as Assemblies of His people. This includes the behaviour that is expected of us as His ambassadors, the zeal that we are to display in reaching the world with the Gospel, or how we are to conduct ourselves in relation to each other. It’s all there in the Book. And the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to guide us into an understanding of these things.
The world can’t understand the mysteries of the Word because the world is without the Holy Spirit. But to those with whom He resides, He makes known unto us the mystery of His will. -Jim MacIntosh