Paul's 'mystery' is a sacred secret previously hidden in God's mind, now revealed through him.
The Greek word musterion simply means 'secret.' Paul uses it to reveal truths that had never before been made known until God unveiled them to him. This revelation includes the whole of grace doctrine, including the uniting of Jew and Gentile in the Body of Christ.
Romans 16:25 — Paul explicitly calls his gospel the 'revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,' directly showing the significance of the term.
The Bible connects the word 'mystery' with things that have been kept secret in the mind of God until He chooses to reveal them. Deuteronomy 29:29 states: 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.' Paul uses this same concept when he speaks of a mystery, showing that he is revealing truth that was formerly hidden. In Romans 16:25, Paul speaks of 'the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.' In 1 Corinthians 15:51, he announces, 'Behold, I shew you a mystery,' revealing a truth that had not been made known before. In Ephesians 3, Paul explains this mystery was 'not made known unto the sons of men' until it was revealed to him by revelation. His message is God's wisdom hidden in a mystery.
Les Feldick teaches that throughout Paul's letters, the Greek word musterion is used interchangeably with 'secret.' It refers to truth God kept hidden in His own mind until He chose to reveal it to the Apostle Paul. According to Les, this revelation included the whole body of grace doctrine, including the Church, the Body of Christ, and the Rapture. These truths are not found in the Old Testament, the Gospels, or Peter's ministry in Acts. They were a 'whole new revelation.' Les points to Deuteronomy 29:29 as the foundational verse that Paul constantly uses to explain this secret. Les emphasizes that God has the prerogative to keep things hidden until the time for them to be revealed. He shows that Paul received these mysteries through private revelation from God, saying that God 'revealed to Paul the mysteries' that became 'that whole sphere of grace doctrine.' Les also highlights that Paul said he was making known something 'which was kept secret since the world began.' This secret was 'hid in the mind of God' for ages, and was only unveiled through the Apostle Paul.
The Greek word is musterion. Les Feldick teaches that it simply means 'a secret.' The same truth can be called a mystery or a secret. A secret is a mystery, and a mystery is a secret. Paul uses these words interchangeably throughout his letters.
Les teaches that the whole sphere of grace doctrine was kept secret until revealed to Paul. This includes truths about the Church, the Body of Christ, and the Rapture. They are not in the Old Testament, not in Christ's ministry, and not in Peter's activity in Acts. Paul's gospel to Jew and Gentile alike was a new revelation, although it builds on everything that went before.
Les references Romans 16:25, where Paul speaks of 'the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.' He notes that this word 'mystery' is translated 'secret' in the same verse, confirming the meaning. This is the same mystery Paul reveals in 1 Corinthians 15:51: 'Behold, I shew you a mystery.'
Les explains that it is one of God's prerogatives to keep things secret and hidden until it is time to reveal them. He points back to Deuteronomy 29:29: 'The secret things belong unto the LORD our God.' He also mentions Genesis, where God at the time of Abraham was the God who could hide things.
Wisdom of God in a Mystery
Les connects Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 2:7 about speaking 'the wisdom of God in a mystery' with Deuteronomy 29, where the Greek word for mystery is also translated 'secret.'
Musterion Means Secret
Les teaches that the Greek word musterion means 'secret,' and Paul does not want believers to be ignorant of a secret God kept in His own mind until revealing it to Paul.
Behold, I Shew You a Mystery
Les explains that in 1 Corinthians 15:51, Paul's phrase 'I shew you a mystery' means 'I show you a secret,' and that the term was intrinsic to Paul's writings.
Mystery Revealed to Paul
Les shows from Ephesians 3 that the mystery was not made known in other ages and was now revealed to Paul, making Gentiles fellow heirs in the Gospel.
Mysteries Revealed to Paul
Les teaches that God revealed the mysteries to Paul during his time in Arabia, and these became the whole sphere of grace doctrine, not found in the Old Testament or the Gospels.
A Pauline Revelation
Les notes that the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul doctrines and truths that no one else ever dreamed would happen, a new revelation that builds on everything before it.
Kept Secret Since the World Began
Les reads Romans 16:25 and emphasizes that the mystery was 'kept secret since the world began,' recalling Deuteronomy 29:29.
God's Prerogative to Keep Secrets
Les explains that God has the prerogative to keep things hidden until it is time to reveal them, and all these doctrines were kept secret until revealed to Paul.
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.
Les uses this verse as the foundational Old Testament text showing that God keeps secrets until He reveals them.
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:
This verse directly presents the gospel as a wisdom hidden in a mystery, which Paul calls a secret.
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,
Paul explicitly calls his gospel 'the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began.'
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
Paul uses 'mystery' to introduce the secret truth of the Rapture of believers.
Ephesians 3:3: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
This verse identifies Paul as the recipient of the mystery by direct revelation from God.
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;
This reveals that the mystery was not made known to previous generations as it was to Paul.
No. In Paul's letters, the Greek word musterion simply means a secret. It refers to something God had kept hidden in His mind until the time came to reveal it. It is not something forever unknowable, but something now revealed to Paul and through his writings.
According to Les Feldick, the mystery was not found in the Old Testament or the Gospels. It was a new revelation given to the Apostle Paul. The truths of the Church and the Body of Christ were kept secret until revealed to Paul.
Paul is saying 'Behold, I show you a secret.' He is revealing a truth that had never before been disclosed: not all believers will die, but all will be changed at the Rapture. It is a previously hidden truth now made known.
Watch the Teaching: The Hidden Wisdom of God — 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 Explained