Friday Morning Manna April 5, 2019
Nathaniel Fajardo email: [email protected]
The Mysteries of God that are Finished in the Seventh Trumpet
In the Bible (K.J.V., N.K.J.V, etc.) the words “mystery” (mentioned five times) and “mysteries” (mentioned twenty times) may only be found in the New Testament. Of the four synoptic gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the first three mention these words in the gospels bearing their names while John the beloved uses them, not in his Gospel neither in his three short epistles but only in the last prophetic book of the Bible, Revelation.
Of the 25 total times “mysteries” and “mystery” are used, the overwhelming majority, 21, are by apostle Paul in his epistles. He may have not been numbered among the first Twelve who founded the church with Jesus Christ—not Peter—as its Rock/Foundation/Cornerstone. But Paul was the appointed apostle to the Gentiles whose unnumbered converts then, and now, continue to build up the true church, now in its seventh and last Laodicean yet remnant stage.
Epistle is a rendering of the Greek epistole, “letter,” originally used to designate the epistles of Paul (Rom. 16: 22; Col. 4: 16; cf. 2 Pet. 3: 16), the epistles of Peter (2 Pet. 3: 1) and other letters (Acts 15: 30; 23: 33). Today the term “epistles” is used for any of the 21 books from Romans to Jude, inclusive. It appears that Paul’s epistles were generally written by amanuensis, or scribe (see Rom. 16: 22). However, the apostle apparently preferred to affix his own signature (2 Thess. 3: 17; cf. 1 Cor. 16: 21). This was probably to prove that the letters were his own, and to discourage forgeries, which appear in once case at least to have been circulating under his name (see 2 Thess. 2: 2). Not all of Paul’s epistles have been included in the canon (1 Cor. 5: 9). Three of them—1 and 2 Timothy and Titus—are generally referred to as Pastoral Epistles. (Extracted from the SDA Bible Dictionary, Commentary Reference Series, Vol. 8)
By the revealed power, wisdom and order first demonstrated at Creation, we must accept that this unique distribution follows a divine order and serves a specific purpose and cannot be arbitrary on the part of the Giver of all knowledge and truth, with their initial mysteries but are revealed in their time through His appointed prophets and messengers. This is in keeping with the principle at work in the giving of talents—He divides severally as He wills.
Both singular and plural forms of mystery are translated from the same Greek musterion: “A secret or ‘mystery’ (through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites.” The latest Merriam Webster Dictionary has several definitions. The one closest to the Bible meaning as contextually determined, is: “A religious truth that one can know only by revelation and cannot fully understand.”
We will now cite all these verses of Scripture divided as follows: “Mysteries”: Matt. 13: 11; Luke 8: 10; 1 Cor. 4: 1; 1 Cor. 13: 2; 1 Cor. 14: 2. “Mystery” : Mark 4: 11; Rom. 11: 25; 16: 25; 1 Cor. 2: 6; 15: 51; Eph.1: 9; 3: 3: 4; 3: 9; 5: 32; 6:19; Col. 1: 26, 27; Col. 2: 2; 4: 3; 2 Thess. 2: 7; 1 Tim. 3: 9, 16; Rev. 1: 20, 10: 7; 17: 5, 7.
MYSTERIES
Matt. 13: 10, 11: Parable of the Sower. “And the disciples came and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know themysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
Luke 8: 9, 10: Parable of the Sower. “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?’ And He said. To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that in ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ [repeating the prophecy of Isa. 6:9].”
1 Cor. 4: 1: “let a man consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”
1 Cor. 13: 2 (the “love” chapter). “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
1 Cor. 14: 1, 2 (of Prophecy and Tongues). “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”
MYSTERY
Mark 4: 11, 12. Parable of the Sower. “And He said to them, ‘To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things come in parables [Isa. 6: 9, 10 quoted].”
Rom. 11: 25: “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should not be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in.”
Rom. 16: 25, 26: “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all nations, according the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith.”
1 Cor. 2: 6, 7: “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in amystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
1 Cor. 15: 50-53: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Eph. 1: 9: “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.”
Eph. 3: 3-5: “How that by revelation He made know to me the mystery (as I wrote before in a few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by His Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets.”
Eph. 3: 8-10: “To me, who man less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all people see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifest wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
Eph. 5: 31, 32: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh [Gen. 2: 24]. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Eph. 6: 19. 20: “And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it [chained] I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Col. 1: 25-28: “Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning very man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
Col. 2: 1-3: “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Col. 4: 2, 3: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”
2 Thess. 2: 7-12: “For the mystery of lawlessness [iniquity] is already at work; only He who now restrains, will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan [not of Christ] with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
1 Tim. 3: 8, 9: Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.”
1 Tim. 3: 16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”
Rev. 1: 20: “The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The sevens stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.”
Rev. 17: 4-7: “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornications. And on her forehead a name was written; MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. But the angel said to me, ‘Why did you marvel? I will tell you themystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Rev. 10: 7: “But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”
The world entered the period of the sounding of the seventh trumpet by the seventh angel since after 1844. As God declared to His servants the prophets, apostles, and His chosen messenger for the last days, all the mysteries of: the kingdom of God, and heaven, Christ, His will, the gospel, parables, prophecies, godliness, faith, fellowship, the mystery of the lawless one and the mystery of iniquity; the seven stars and lampstands–all the mysteries that had been withheld for ages and from all the past generations, will have been revealed and finished at this last remnant of time until the final loud cry of the fourth angel of Rev. 18.
Q. How much have we studied and already understood of these mysteries at this late hour?
(Continued next week)