What happened to the mystery that Paul calls the secret hidden from ages and generations?
The mystery, called the secret hidden from ages and generations, has now been made manifest. It was held in the mind of God, never conceived by Israel or the Twelve, but God revealed these secrets to Paul, the former Saul of Tarsus, saved by grace, giving him authority to write the Pauline epistles.
Les explains that in Colossians 1:25-26, Paul is made a minister according to the dispensation of God given to him to fulfill the Word of God, even the mystery—the secret hidden from ages and generations—which is now made manifest. Les emphasizes that all these Pauline truths were held in the mind of God; Israel never had a concept of them, and the Twelve had no concept of them. But God saved Saul of Tarsus by grace and revealed the secrets, the mysteries, to him. That is why Paul was given authority to pin these epistles, which become the central part of our Scriptures. Les repeats verse 26: the mystery hidden from ages and generations is now made manifest. He then moves to Colossians 2:2, where Paul speaks of believers' hearts being comforted, knit together in love, and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding and acknowledgement.
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
What does Colossians 1:26 say about the mystery that was hidden?
Scripture states the mystery, or secret, had been hidden from ages and generations and is now made manifest. These Pauline truths were held in God's mind; Israel and the Twelve had no concept of them, but God revealed the mysteries to Saul of Tarsus.
When was the mystery hidden?
The mystery was hidden from ages and generations, concealed throughout past ages and generations. It was not revealed in former times, but now, as Paul writes, it is made manifest to the saints. So the hiding belonged to the ages and generations before the present revelation.