The revelation of the mystery is God's unveiling of truths He had kept secret since the world began, made known through the apostle Paul.
In Romans 16:25 Paul connects his gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ to 'the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.' In Ephesians 3:3 he says God made the mystery known to him by revelation, and Ephesians 3:5 says it was not made known in other ages but is now revealed to God's holy apostles and prophets.
Romans 16:25 — Paul directly names 'the revelation of the mystery' and says it was kept secret since the world began.
Ephesians 3:3-5 — Paul explains that the mystery was made known to him by revelation and was hidden in other ages.
Romans 16:25 says, 'Now to him that is of power to stablish 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.' Ephesians 3:3-5 says, '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.' Deuteronomy 29:29 says, 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.'
Les teaches that God is sovereign and has every right to keep things secret as long as He wants, and He reveals them when He is ready. He points to Deuteronomy 29:29 and says the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New. Les explains that the Greek word mysterion is translated 'secret,' and Paul's use of 'mystery' means a revealing of something that had never been revealed before. In Romans 16:25, Paul's gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ are tied to the revelation of the secret which was kept since the world began. Les stresses from Ephesians 3:3-5 that the mystery was not made known in other ages, but was now revealed to Paul and the holy apostles and prophets. He emphasizes that these truths were not in the Old Testament, not in Christ's earthly ministry, and not in Peter's activity in Acts; they were kept secret in the mind of God until revealed to the apostle Paul. Yet they build on everything that came before. Les calls the whole body of truth revealed through Paul 'the Mystery' and says the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51 is one part of that unveiled body of truth.
Scripture declares in Deuteronomy 29:29, 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God.' Les teaches that because God is sovereign—holy, righteous, and absolute—He has every right to keep things secret as long as He wants and reveal them when He is ready. The same God who held those secrets is the God who later revealed them to Paul.
Paul says in Ephesians 3:3, 'How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery.' Les emphasizes Paul did not learn this in a seminary or from a theologian—it came by direct revelation from God. In Romans 16:25 it is called the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began.
Les says all the doctrines and revelations that came through Paul were for the most part kept secret in the mind of God until revealed to him. This whole revealed body of truth is what Paul refers to as 'the Mystery.' It includes the secret revealed in 1 Corinthians 15—the mystery of the rapture—and it builds on everything that went before, though it was never prophesied.
Les explains the word revelation means an unveiling—something kept under wraps is suddenly unveiled. Paul's writings reveal a whole new body of truth that no one else ever dreamed would happen. That is why Paul ties his gospel to 'the revelation of the mystery' in Romans 16:25.
God's Right to Keep Secrets
Les uses Deuteronomy 29:29 to show God is sovereign, absolute, and holy, and He has every right to keep things secret until He reveals them—the same God as in the New Testament.
Defining Mystery as Secret
Les explains that the Greek word mysterion is translated 'secret,' and Romans 16:25 ties Paul's gospel to the revelation of the mystery kept secret.
Mystery Not Made Known in Other Ages
Les reads Ephesians 3:3-5 to show the mystery was not made known in other ages but was now revealed to Paul and the apostles.
Secrets Revealed to Paul
Les says everything in the whole sphere of doctrines and revelations came through Paul and was kept secret in God's mind until revealed to him, including the secret of 1 Corinthians 15.
Part of the Body of Truth Called the Mystery
Les shows that the revelation of the mystery is not a flippant phrase—Paul uses it throughout his writings, revealing truths not in the Old Testament, Christ's ministry, or Acts.
Revelation, Not Human Learning
Les stresses that the mystery was made known to Paul by revelation, not by seminary or theologians, and was hidden from earlier generations but now revealed.
Kept Secret Since the World Began
Les repeats that this secret was kept since the world began and was never prophesied, but it comes out of everything that went before.
Revelation Means Unveiling
Les defines revelation as an unveiling of something previously hidden, showing the mystery of Christ was not made known in other ages.
Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.
This verse establishes the biblical principle that God keeps some things secret and reveals others at His chosen time.
Romans 16:25: Now to him that is of power to stablish 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,
This is the key verse where Paul names 'the revelation of the mystery' and connects it to his gospel.
Ephesians 3:3: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
Paul says the mystery was made known to him personally by divine revelation.
Ephesians 3:4: Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
Paul tells readers they can understand his knowledge of the mystery of Christ.
Ephesians 3:5: 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;
Scripture states clearly that the mystery was hidden in previous ages and has now been revealed.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Paul unveils a specific mystery—the change that happens at the rapture—which Les identifies as part of the larger revelation.
In Greek it is mysterion, which Paul uses as a secret—something that had never been revealed before. Les shows that Paul's mystery is not a puzzle to be solved but a truth God had kept hidden and then revealed at His appointed time.
God is sovereign, and Deuteronomy 29:29 says secret things belong to Him. He has every right to keep something secret as long as He wants and reveal it when He is ready. Les stresses this is the same sovereign God who later revealed the mystery to Paul.
Yes. Les points to 1 Corinthians 15:51, where Paul reveals a secret, and he describes it as part of the whole revealed body of truth Paul calls the Mystery.
Watch the Teaching: The Rapture Is a Mystery — What Paul Revealed That No One Else Did