Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery [sacred secret], which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

This is the “Great Mystery [sacred secret]” that the Father wants His children to know, understand, and deeply believe. But this Great Secret may still be a mystery to many who are already believers saved unto “eternal life.” There is much more potential than “eternal life” for saved saints.

The following explanation is not to teach what the Mystery is, as that would be useless by itself. We cannot teach that which must come by revelation from The Holy Spirit… as it came to Paul. Similarly, we note in Matt. 13 the Lord Jesus was sharing out “the mysteries of the kingdom with His Disciples. It was for His earthly disciples to know these things. Jesus said, to others it was given in parables, for it was not for all to know. Not every promise is to and for all men. Why else would both Jesus in Matt 24 and Paul in Colossians refer to “the elect,” addressing two different callings.

Near the end of this study, I will share the Eight Points in which the Church of the Dispensation of “the Mystery” is different from all other hopes and callings found in Scripture.

The “Great Secret” of the Post-Acts 28:28 “Mystery [Gk. musterion. “secret”] has to do with a “chosen” people. They were “chosen” for this particular place in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). These people are known as the nation’s i.e., Gentiles. The reason for this designation is that there is no difference in the flesh or in any respect in this fellowship.

The “fellowship of The Mystery” (Eph. 3:9) has to do with a certain sphere or realm of blessing. That sphere is not the earth, but in “the Heaven above all heavens.” All other dealings before the revelation of the fellowship of The Mystery had to do with an earthly sphere and an earthly people, that is, a people that had the hope of future life on the earth. Also, their sphere of service was in connection with the peoples of the earth. Not so with “the fellowship of The Mystery.” The sphere of service is to make known the manifold wisdom of God to principalities and powers in The Heavenlies. It is also in that sphere that those who are called will also reign with Him (2Tim. 2:12).

In the earthly program of Israel, not only was there an obvious division and a difference in the flesh between Jews and the Gentiles, but there was also warfare in the flesh, whereby the Canaanites were to be exterminated. Not so with “the fellowship of The Mystery.” There is no warfare or wrestling with flesh and blood. But there is a conflict in the spiritual realm, with spiritual wickedness. No carnal weapons are to be used here.

In the earth sphere, Christ will be known as “the King of kings and Lord of lords.” He came as the Messiah of Israel. He will be a Savior to the nations of them that are saved in the new earth. But in relation to “the fellowship of The Mystery,” He is differently referred to as “the Head of the Church, which is His Body.”

Today’s ”fellowship of The Mystery” has no rituals to perform, Sabbaths to keep, or covenants of promise. It has no fathers. It has no law. It has no prescribed place of worship. Not being an earthly people, there are no divisions in “The Church, which is His Body”; no one is set above or over another, but all are equal.

So, it is impossible for it to have such an earthly organization. Rather, the “fellowship of The Mystery” is an organism, a Living Body, which has no authority delegated to it. All authority rests in Him. It cannot open or close its doors to anybody. The members are adopted and placed as sons. No one can join it. No one can boast of his membership, for he did nothing to get it. We are His workmanship.

No trumpets, no shouts, marked the beginning of “the fellowship of The Mystery.” Just the simple statement., “The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles.” (Acts 28:28)

Because its chosen members cannot point back to some historical landmark, many are inclined to doubt these words in the Word. They cannot believe that such an important event could just happen without some eruption in nature or a great battle of world forces, or some such landmark to point out a great change.

There is no evidence that the end of “the fellowship of the mystery” will be any more spectacular than its beginning. It is likely that it will never make the headlines in the papers as its members simply “appear with Him in [heaven’s] glory” (Col. 3:4).

It has been going on so secretly and silently during all these centuries since Paul spoke those words in Rome that the great bulk of Christendom does not know anything about it. It is still a secret, made known only to such as are “the saints and the faithful” (Eph. 1:1). It is not realized by a study of the Bible as a Book among other books. No amount of worldly learning or degrees can search out its secret. One must receive the gift of the spirit of wisdom and knowledge of Him as he is today. This understanding must be enlightened by the Holy Spirit.

There are those who talk about the mystery, but that is no guarantee that they know it. Many know that there was a dispensational boundary at the end of Acts, yet know nothing of what lies beyond. This is especially true of some sects which have agreed with the teaching that there is a change of dispensation so that they might catch some unawares. But they are unable to define the mystery. You get absolutely no light on the subject from their writings. this is a good thing to keep in mind when examining anything new.

The term “mystery,” at the time Paul was writing his epistles, was a word used among the heathen. It was the degrees or steps by which they were gradually led into the secrets of the idol worship; a mystery then was something revealed to an initiate.

The mystery is something revealed to the initiate in the things of God. But very few seek to know. Few go on unto any perfection at all. Mere Christian professors then cannot be expected to understand the mystery.

There is little likelihood of anyone having a part in or reaping benefits from something he does not know about. He cannot receive anything by faith till he has heard about it. That is where many are deceived. They try to make the mystery a part of the kingdom. They think they can be meek and inherit the earth and get Heaven too. So, they mix up the dispensations and say that the dispensation of the mystery will end with a shout, the voice of an archangel, and a trumpeting. They do not know the mystery.

Our mission today is “...to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery [sacred secret]” (Eph. 3:9). But we are very limited in that mission. Many do not wish to see it. Like Demas, they love the world. Many are entangled in religion so deeply that they cannot escape.

Up to the great divorce of Israel seen in Acts 28:25-28 as prophesied in Hosea 1:9, both the spiritual and material blessings had to do with the earth, the land as was promised to Abraham, and to his descendants. Even “the New Jerusalem” is to come down to the earth to be inhabited by a chosen people. Among those will be Abraham and those who are children of the promise made to Abraham.

But abruptly, after in Acts 28:25-28, we read announcement in Ephesians 1:3-4, that a different specially chosen people will enjoy “ALL spiritual blessings in The Heavenlies Places in Christ.” This is a part of “a Great Mystery [Secret]” (Eph. 5:32) revealed in Ephesians, that was “hidden in God for ages and generations.” This must have been a great surprise to the believers of that time. Not even a hint of such a thing had ever before been uttered. It was never revealed in any earlier Scripture.

Ephesians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath [already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: ⁴According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

We wonder what the Galatians thought of such an announcement! The Gentile believers of that district were told that by faith, they had become children of Abraham and so could partake of the promises, but apart from keeping the law and circumcision. But they were under grace. The Roman church was told that they had partaken in the spiritual blessings of Israel. This Galatian church was mainly Gentiles. So, all these Gentile believers would go to the synagogues or assemblies every Sabbath (Saturday) and hear Moses and the prophets and all about the material and spiritual blessings that were theirs by virtue of being a wild olive branch grafted into the true olive tree, Israel. Those blessings were earthly, not heavenly.

Suddenly Israel is cut off as seen in Acts 28:26-28. It would appear that there then is no source anymore for blessings for the Gentiles that believe in the God of heaven. But…  then comes the good news from a Roman prison that by a special revelation to the Apostle Paul, the scene of God’s operations has shifted for the time being from the earth to the heavenlies; there came a turn in the purpose and plan of redemption that also includes a “Far Above” realm of “principalities and powers far above the earth.” No man had ever imagined such a thing?

On the earth today are multitudes that have believed according to John 3:16 and have the promised hope of resurrection to “everlasting life” “the new earth.” That resurrection pertains to “the last day” and the earth as its destiny. Many of these believers may want to know how one can obtain membership in the little band that is “blessed with all spiritual blessings in The Heavenlies.” But this is something that is beyond the simple will of man. ‘Everlasting life’ and a ‘heavenly’ destiny are two different things. ‘Everlasting life’ does not join one to the ‘invisible Church’ of the “One body” and its heavenly destiny. The fact that a man may desire this membership shows that he may be in some spiritual relationship in some way, even if only to destine him to Israel’s earthly kingdom on earth. God does the “choosing” and the “adopting” of those that belong to the chosen heaven bound people of today’s Spiritual Gentile church of “the Mystery.” That is no different from the case of His chosen people, Israel, of yesterday, even if unto a different calling and destiny… on the earth The fact is that as soon as any person takes an interest in these spiritual blessings and wants to know how to obtain them, we feel assured that they have been chosen from before the overthrow (Heb., katabole of Gen 1:2) and predestinated to the adoption. If they take no interest, then God must have foreknown it, and they have not been chosen. Simple, is it not?

We have been reading some religious material lately in which false unbiblical speculation runs from the possibility of salvation after the resurrection to the idea that members of the Mystery Body have a resurrection immediately upon death and go to be with the Lord. But all too often, man’s speculation precedes a ransacking of the Scriptures to find what they have to say about it.

In Eph. 1:14, we do have a pledge given that guarantees the redemption of Christ’s purchased possession… His body. What else but resurrection could this redemption refer to? In Romans 13:11, Paul refers to another resurrection, the apostle says, “Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Each day is a step nearer to The Resurrection expected in that day during Acts.

In Eph. 1:19, Paul not only looks back to the redemption by blood, but also forward to redemption by the power at the end, and up to the Ascended Christ far above all, seeing Him there, The Head over all things to “the Church, which is His Body,” the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.

In Colossians 3;4, we learn that the life of the believer is hidden with Christ in God and that when Christ appears (epiphaneia), the members will appear with Him (cf. Col. 3:4). If there is to be a resurrection some great time before the Manifestation (our appearing with Christ in the heavenly places.), where and for what purpose will it be?

In Phil. 3:11 we read again about resurrection. “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” The question comes up here as to how there could be the possibility of an earlier resurrection if all are resurrected immediately upon death.  So, the question comes up again as to the time of resurrection for each group of believers. Will any group be resurrected before… the place they are to occupy is prepared and made ready? Why does any group have to wait? We read in Phil. 3:20 that some have a homestead citizenship in The Heavenlies.

In Paul’s last epistle (2 Tim. 2:18), he warns against those who say that the resurrection is past already, “overthrowing the faith of some.” And he adds in 2 Tim. 4:1 that the judging of the dead and living believers is at His appearing, not sometime earlier, and just five verses in 4:6 later, he speaks of the time of his death (return to dust in the grave) as being at hand. From these two verses we can see that when Paul spoke of “departing and being with the Lord” in Phil. 1:23, he had in mind sleep in the grave before his resurrection.

And since 2 Tim. 4:8 speaks of a crown being given at His appearing, does this mean that the resurrection and the appearing are at about the same time, or is there a long wait and suspense between resurrection and the judgment of the believers? How about other groups of believers; do they have to wait a period after resurrection till they are judged?

The “All Men (i.e. Gentile)” Church of the Dispensation of “the Mystery” is different from all other callings in these several respects.

1. This Church consist of a “chosen out” people without regard to any fleshly or national distinctions (Eph. 1:4). And they are “chosen in Christ.” They are believers chosen out of the great mass of believers for a special purpose. Remember that although Israel was a “chosen nation,” they were not the only ones who were believers, there were some Gentile believers during the Acts period partaking the Israel’s blessings… while not under the Law.

2. The people of “the Mystery” are the only people whose sphere of blessing is anywhere other than this earth, (Eph. 1:3). They are blessed in Christ (not Abraham) in heavenly places (not the earth). Therefore, they do not have a part in the Millennial Kingdom or the New Jerusalem.

3. The time of the choosing and the purpose of this group is unique. It is from before the overthrow (Eph. 1:4). No other family of God has this time factor. This puts The Church in line to partake of a promise of eternal life made in Christ before the ages began (Eph. 3:6; 2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:2).

4. It is a people that are placed as sons (adoption) according to predestination (Eph. 1:5). Not all the children of God are placed as sons. And this position is by Jesus Christ. Again, there are no fleshly or national distinctions in this matter as was with Israel.

5. A family distinction that is used of none other. This is “a Body” of which Christ is “the Head” (Eph. 1;23). No other body has this distinction. This is a closer relationship with the risen Lord than is revealed elsewhere.

6. These people have an identification that transcends that of any other. They have been quickened, raised, and seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6). And the prospect is to be manifested with Him. Up to this time, believers had been only dead, buried, and raised with Him.

7. It is a Fellowship, a Dispensation, or a Household of God which had not been revealed to the prophets, but was hidden in God from ages and generations. And it has a unique commission in that it is to proclaim to all men the Dispensation of The Mystery (Eph. 3:9 R.V.).

8. In the other families of God, particularly with Israel, there has been delegated authority, a difference in the position of the various believers. But in today’s “Church, which is The Body of Christ,” there is a joint relationship in all aspects (Eph. 3:6). No member is above another. There is no priesthood. There are no judges, kings, or authorities. All are equal. Even the evangelists and pastors-teachers of Ephesians have no more authority than you or I. This is a foretaste of when God will be all and in all.

God has set forth these 8 points in His Word. They are what He has said. Look at the verses for yourself. If you take exception and cannot believe, take it up with God. We are not responsible for what God has written. But our responsibility is to believe God and His Word and let it rest there. So, take your Bible and search to see if these 8 points are so, And if you find them to be True, then the next step is yours to take.

Comments

From: Ashitano Ame

Those who don’t have any clue about the present dispensation of the grace of God and about the Church of the Mystery which is Christ’s body and of which he is the head, those who don’t mind and don’t even want to hear, but who nevertheless do believe in God and in Christ according as they read in the New Testament writings of the time of Acts, where do they fit in?

Namely, those who it seems are not among those that God has chosen in him before the foundation of the world, since obviously no spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him is given to them so that their understanding might be enlightened. What is their hope, since we know that there now is but one hope? And what will become of them? Will they nevertheless be granted a place in the super heavenlies, or be added in the New Jerusalem and have their future life in Christ’s kingdom on the earth.

How could they be still hung on the former hope of those who sometime were grafted in the good olive tree since Israel has been put aside with those promises related to Abraham and to a land on this earth ever since Acts 28?

• Since the law is now abolished with its commandments contained in ordinances?
• Since the middle wall of partition is no more, that used to set Israel apart before God?
• Since God doesn’t regard Israel anymore for the time being as a peculiar people?

Our reply,
This is a difficult question and an even more complex answer. We are to:

1Pe 3:15 . . . be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 

The Scriptures tell us not everyone is called, and that many, when called, do not answer and even turn away. See the verses below that confirm this were written Post-Acts by Paul.

2Ti 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 
2Ti 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. 
2Ti 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; …2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

This answers the question of those who believed during Acts and were faithful, all the while putting themselves at great risk but then refused the revelation of The Mystery of The One Body.

Those today who likewise refuse the calling do not inherit the Hope revealed in the Book of Thessalonians as the gathering together in Christ but sadly enjoin with other unbelieving believers throughout time and are in the group of those having been granted everlasting life… But Have No Reward For Faithfulness to the calling in the Coming Millennial Kingdom:

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.

They will sleep in Christ until after the thousand years are finished, but to them, it will seem like a moment like when awaking after a long sleep. But their sphere of blessing is not that of The One Body, and their inheritance is not that of the Heavenly Jerusalem, for theirs will be to inherit a place in one of the kingdoms of men on the new earth while Israel co-reigns with Christ as God’s agent on earth

We hope this answer, although hard to hear, helps with your search for His All Truth, - The Believers

Another reply re the ‘super-heavenlies”.
Of no other company of believers is it said that their sphere of blessing is “In the super-heavenlies”. That special sphere of blessing that belongs alone to the Church of the One Body is mentioned five times in Ephesians, and a study of these occurrences will supply us with valuable information.

First of all, we translate the word “super-heavenlies” in recognition of the presence of the little particle “epi” with which the word begins. It is not simply ouranios, which is the usual word, but epi-ouranios.

Secondly, because the word is found in Ephesians 4:10, where “far above all heavens” is huperano panton ton ouranon, and

Thirdly, because the information supplied by the five references demands some such translation. Passing, therefore, to the second reference, we find, in Eph. 1:20-21, that this sphere of blessing is: (a) At the Father’s right hand. (b) Far above all, principality and power. That this tremendous height is the destined sphere of the Church of the Mystery Ephesians 2:6 declares. There, the believer is associated with the risen Christ, “made to sit together in the super-heavenlies in Christ Jesus”. Christ the Head and the Church His Body are blessed together There.

The next two references (Eph. 3:10 and 6:12) show the super-heavenlies as the abode of principalities, powers, and rulers. Be it noted that angels are not mentioned. Angels are heaven’s messengers. The Church of the One Body is blessed even above heaven’s nobility. Dominions and thrones are beneath it in its super-heavenly sphere ... While epouranios is used outside Ephesians, no other company of believers is blessed In these exalted regions as their sphere. The blessings of the Church of the One Body are not only “heavenly”, but “in heaven,”

Ephesians 3:9-11 Shows how God, in His manifold wisdom, is making His Perfect Plan known to the heavenly principalities and powers by the witness of The Church of The One Body.

• Portions Adapted from Believer.com