The 'mystery' is God's secret—hidden in past ages and revealed through Paul—which Les identifies as the age of grace, or the church age.
In Paul's letters, the Greek word mysterion simply means 'secret.' Paul says this secret was not made known in other ages but was revealed to him by revelation (Ephesians 3:3-5). Les Feldick connects this secret to the present church age, a period with no stated time limit that prophecy never mentioned.
Ephesians 3:3-5 — Paul identifies the mystery as something made known by revelation and hidden in other ages.
1 Corinthians 15:51 — Paul uses the word 'mystery' when revealing a truth previously unknown.
1 Corinthians 2:7 — Paul calls the gospel message the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery.
Paul's letters identify a 'mystery' as something he calls a secret, revealed to him directly by God. Ephesians 3:3-5 is the central passage: Paul says it was made known to him by revelation and had not been made known to the sons of men in other ages. He uses the same word in 1 Corinthians 2:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:51 when speaking of hidden wisdom and a new revelation. The Bible presents the mystery as a secret now made public through the apostles and prophets.
Les Feldick teaches that the mystery is the church age, or age of grace. He points out that Israel's history followed revealed timetables, but the present church age was completely silent in prophecy and has no time element. He emphasizes that Paul's Greek word mysterion simply means 'secret,' and that God kept this secret in His own mind until He revealed it to Paul. For Les, the mystery includes Paul's whole sphere of doctrine, including the gospel of the grace of God that the Old Testament and the Gospels did not know.
Paul's Greek word is mysterion, which simply means 'secret.' In his letters the words are used interchangeably, so when Paul writes 'mystery' he is revealing a secret. A clear example is 1 Corinthians 15:51, where Paul uses the word to introduce a previously unrevealed truth.
Yes. Ephesians 3:5 says it was not made known to the sons of men in other ages, but is now revealed to the apostles and prophets. Les adds that God kept it secret in His own mind until the time came to reveal it through Paul.
For Les, the mystery is the church age, or age of grace. Israel's history was laid out on specific timetables, such as 430 years and 490 years, but the church age is not on any such timetable. It was unmentioned in prophecy and is an undetermined period.
Paul describes the mystery as something made known to him by revelation (Ephesians 3:3). Les stresses that this was not from a seminary or theologian; it was a direct disclosure from God of something previously hidden.
In this passage Paul introduces the secret of the resurrection with the word 'mystery.' The mystery here is the truth that believers will not all sleep but will be changed, illustrating Paul's pattern of revealing previously hidden secrets.
Israel's timetables vs. the unmentioned church age
is dealing with Israel, there is something that's never mentioned. Who knows what it is? The church age. Not a word about the age of grace. Not a word about Him going to Gentiles to call out that multitude of people for His name. Totally silent. Now, in that period of time, and I didn't leave myself enough room, I can see that.
Mysterion means 'secret' — kept in God's mind, revealed to Paul
And I've stressed that over the years, that this word is one that Paul uses so often, and in the Greek the word is mysterion, and it simply means secret. It can be translated either way, a mystery or a secret. A secret is a mystery, and a mystery is a secret.
1 Corinthians 15:51 — Paul reveals a mystery
Now it's interesting as we come to verse 51, that Paul uses that word that is so intrinsic to his writings, and that is the word mystery. Yep, you're already seeing it. Behold, he says in verse 51, I show you a mystery. Now for those of you who are unacquainted with the Greek, or have not been a real Bible student, always remember that this word mystery comes from the Greek word mysterion, which s…
Ephesians 3:1-5 — the mystery revealed by revelation
Ephesians 3.1 "...I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given to me to you were, how that by revelation made known unto me the mystery." See how this word just keeps popping up? Well what's this particular mystery? Let's read on down. Ephesians 3.1 "...
Hidden wisdom — Old Testament and Gospels did not know this secret
The Old Testament knew nothing of what we call the Gospel of the grace of God. The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John know nothing of Paul's Gospel which went out to Jew and Gentile alike. And so Paul uses the word over and over, behold I show you a secret or a mystery. I would not have you ignorant. I'm going to reveal another secret.
Ephesians 3:3-5 — revealed by revelation, not seminary
All right? Verse 3. How that by revelation, see? Not by going to a seminary. Not by going to some theologian. But by revelation. He made known unto me the what? The mystery, the secret. How that by revelation, he made known unto me the mystery, the secret, as I wrote before in a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand my knowledge, the apostle says.
God keeps secrets until He chooses to reveal them
Because that's one of the prerogatives that God has, is to keep things secret, and to keep them hidden until it's time to reveal it. All right, now then as you come back to 1 Corinthians 15 for probably just a minute or so, Paul now says that he is going to reveal a secret, or a mystery, which means it has never been revealed before. Now I cannot emphasize this enough.
Ephesians 3:1-3 — the secret of Christ revealed to Paul
And so he says, for this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, if you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, now watch how it came, which was given to me to you were. Now there was the process. How that, verse 3, how that by revelation, there's that word again, by a revealing of something that had never been revealed before.
Ephesians 3:3-5: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
This is the key passage Paul uses to explain that the mystery was hidden in other ages and then revealed to him.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Paul uses the word 'mystery' when introducing the secret of the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 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:
Paul calls the gospel wisdom a hidden mystery.
In Paul's letters, mysterion simply means 'secret.' The words mystery and secret are used interchangeably, so when Paul says 'mystery' he is revealing something that had been hidden.
No. Ephesians 3:5 says it was not made known to the sons of men in other ages. Les explains that God kept it in His own mind until He revealed it to the Apostle Paul.
Les Feldick teaches that it does. He identifies the mystery as the church age, or age of grace, which was never mentioned in prophecy and has no time element, unlike Israel's prophesied timetables.
No. Paul received it by revelation directly from God (Ephesians 3:3). Les points out that this was not from seminary or theologians but from a direct disclosure of a previously hidden secret.
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