In the Church Age we live in the Age of Mystery until the Mystery of God is Finished

Today we live in the age of mystery, and when the seventh trumpet is about to sound, the present age of mystery will be closed and the mystery of God is finished; today we enjoy God and partake of what He is in spirit, in a mysterious and hidden way, but one day this will be all be displayed in the open! Praise the Lord!

We believers in Christ are mysterious people worshipping a mysterious and hidden God, and we enjoy and experience someone we have never seen with our eyes or heard with our ears, yet we love Him and exult in Him with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.

This is truly mysterious. The New Testament speaks of the age of mystery, and in Rev. 10:7 we see that the mystery of God is finished; today we live in the mystery of God, where everything related to God is mysterious, in spirit.

This is why we believers in Christ live not merely in our mind or according to our knowledge but in our spirit and according to our mingled spirit. We are spiritual people, people who have been regenerated with the life of God in their spirit, and we are one spirit with the Lord.

We can now sense things from the Lord, we can read the Bible and know God more deeply, and we can pray-read the word of God to be infused with what God is. Our Christian life depends on our constant fellowship with the Lord. We can fellowship with the Lord because we are joined to Him as one spirit.

Sometimes, however, we may want an outward sign, something to confirm that God exists and that He is with us; the Lord may give us such a sign or He may not, but in our spirit, we sense the Lord being real as He is with us.

We need to be strengthened by the Father through the Spirit into our inner man so that Christ may make His home in our heart and we would apprehend the mystery of Christ.

For us to see the revelation of the mystery, the hidden mystery, we need to be strengthened into our inner man, our regenerated spirit, as we see in Eph. 3:14-17. Oh Lord Jesus, strengthen us into our inner man!

When we read the Bible and see more of the mystery of God – Christ – and the mystery of Christ – the church, we simply need to respond in prayer and ask the Lord to make Himself real to us and bring us fully in the vision of His eternal economy.

God has an eternal economy according to which He became man, and then He became an all-inclusive life-giving Spirit to dispense Himself into us and make us not just men of God but God-men, those who are regenerated with God’s life, renewed, transformed, conformed, and glorified to be the same as Christ to be part of His corporate expression, the Body of Christ!

May we see this mystery and may we live in this mystery today!

The Seventh Trumpet will Close the Present Age of Mystery, “The Mystery of God is Finished” (Rev. 10:7)

If we read the Old Testament, it seems quite clear that God was with His people; He chose a particular people and did many things for them and among them, and it was quite obvious when they were under God’s blessing and when God was disciplining them.

In the dispensations from Adam to Moses and from Moses to Christ, everything was unveiled and manifested; there was no mystery.

It will be the same in the dispensation of the millennial kingdom and in the new heaven and new earth – everything will be unveiled, and there will be no more mystery.

However, in this age we are in today, the age of grace, the age of faith, and the age of mystery, everything is a mystery.

For example, the incarnation of Christ, as the beginning of this dispensation of mystery, is a mystery (1 Tim. 3:16). God didn’t just come to do things outwardly among men or for men; He came into man in a mysterious, hidden way, and He does things in man, even in the depths of man’s being.

Furthermore, Christ Himself (Col. 2:2), the church (Eph. 3:4-6), the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 13:11), the gospel (Eph. 6:19), and the indwelling of Christ (Col. 1:26-27) are all mysteries that were hidden in the times of the ages (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26).

Similarly, the coming resurrection and transfiguration of the saints as the end of this dispensation of mystery (1 Cor. 15:51-52) is a mystery.

How can you explain to your friends and relatives that Christ lives in you? How can you tell them about the kingdom of the heavens and the fact that we are being transfigured to be in the same image as Christ?

These things make no sense to the natural man, the unregenerated man, but they are real to us in spirit. When we exercise our spirit today, we live in the present age of mystery, and we participate in the mystery of God.

However, one day all these mysteries will be over, completed, and finished – at the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet. As we see in Rev. 10:7, in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he is about to trumpet, then the mystery of God is finished.

Daniel 9:24 speaks of sealing up the vision and prophet, which refers to the closing of the age of mystery, that is, the finishing of the mystery of God (Rev. 10:7; 1 Tim. 3:9). All these mysteries will be completed, finished, and will be over at the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet.

When the seventh trumpet is trumpeting, not only God’s judgment of wrath upon the earth but also the mystery of God are finished, and the age of mystery is finished and completed.

When the judgment of this world is completed, Christ will come back to take full possession of the earth (see Rev. 10:1-7; 18:1). The whole earth will belong to Christ and to no one else.

Today, many leaders and nations fight to increase their territory and expand their kingdom, but their fighting is in vain, for when Christ comes, He will take possession of the whole earth. Praise the Lord!

When He comes to the earth to take possession of it, Christ will be like another Angel; this another Angel is mentioned repeatedly in the book of Revelation (7:2; 8:3; 10:1; 18:1).

Christ is another Angel, for He is God’s Administrator and as such, He behaves like an angel.

In the Old Testament, we see the Angel of Jehovah, who was Christ (Gen. 22:11-12; Exo. 3:2-6), for He was sent by God to carry out God’s commission.

And when He comes to take over the earth, after the completion of His judgment of the world, Christ will be another Angel with great authority and will come in His glory (Rev. 18:1). Hallelujah!

He will place His right foot on the sea and the left on the land (10:2), indicating that He will tread upon the sea and the land, that is, He will take possession of them (Deut. 11:24; Josh. 1:3).

Just as the children of Israel took possession of every piece of land they set their foot on, so Christ will take possession of the whole earth when He returns. Hallelujah!

After He possesses the earth, Christ will finish the mystery of God, and the age of mystery will be completed.

Today we are in the age of mystery, and everything related to God and His economy is a mystery; one day, however, this age of mystery will be completed, the mystery of God will be finished, and we will see all things clearly.

One day it will no longer be a mystery but an open secret, and we all will see the wisdom of God displayed in His economy. Praise the Lord!

Lord Jesus, cause us to see that we today live in the age of mystery. Thank You, Lord, for coming into us in a mysterious way to regenerate us and make Your home in us. Hallelujah, today we believers in Christ have Christ indwelling us and we learn to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens in the church life, the mystery of God. Amen, Lord, unveil us to see the hidden mystery in God. May we enjoy Christ as the mystery of God so that we may be in reality the church as the mystery of Christ. Praise the Lord, one day we will be resurrected and transfigured to be the same as Christ, having a glorious body! Amen, Lord, may we be those who live in our spirit today and every day so that we may be part of the mystery of God, the corporate expression of God. Oh Lord, we are looking forward to the day of the trumpeting of the seventh trumpet, when the mystery of God is finished and we will see all things clearly! Amen, come Lord Jesus! Come with Your judgment and Your reward. Come to possess the earth and end the age of mystery!

In the Church Age Everything is a Mystery: the Incarnation of Christ is a Mystery!

As we live in the church age, the age of mystery, we realise that everything today related to God and His economy is a mystery. In the dispensation from the incarnation of Christ to the millennial kingdom – the church age, the age of grace – everything is a mystery.

The beginning of the age of mystery – the incarnation of Christ – is a mystery. Great is the mystery of godliness – God is manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16).

As we read the Bible, we may enjoy what it says, but we realise that it is all a mystery. The Old Testament seems to be a bit more straightforward, for there is the history of God’s people, there is some poetry by many of God-fearing and God-seeking people, and there are some prophecies by some who sought after God and spoke the word of God.

But in the New Testament, especially with the incarnation of Christ, we realise that the age of mystery starts.

How did the Son of God become incarnated to be a human being? We see Mary, who was about to get married to Joseph, but before they got married, the Holy Spirit came in and she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Before she was about to marry Joseph and have a married life with him, the Lord decided to bring His Son through incarnation to the earth. This is truly mysterious from the human point of view, for a virgin conceived and bore a son (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23).

The infinite God became a finite man. The almighty Creator of all things was incarnated to be a limited, finite, human being, and He was born as a baby in a manger. Wow!

The incarnation of Christ is a mystery; through His incarnation, Christ brought in the age of mystery, in which we live today.

In Colossians, we see that Christ is the embodiment of the Triune God. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).

How can the fullness of the Godhead dwell in a man? This is mysterious, for the God who created the universe and who cannot be contained by the universe one day became a man, and His fullness was pleased to dwell in a human being.

The entire Triune God is embodied in Christ; all the fullness of the Godhead – the fullness of the Triune God – dwells in Christ bodily.

This is mysterious; Christ’s incarnation was the beginning of the age of mystery, and today we are in this age, for we are part of the mystery of God.

Eph. 3:11 speaks of Christ as God’s embodiment; He is the embodiment of the Triune God.

We may look at Christ’s incarnation and we may be amazed at this critical universal event; however, we need to realise that we today are part of the mystery of God, for God is incarnated in us.

Just as God was incarnated in Christ to be expressed on the earth, so Christ came into us to make us God-men, men filled with God’s life, men in whom God lives and is expressed.

Just as Christ is the incarnation of God, so we as believers in Christ are the incarnation and continuation of Christ, for the church is the Body of Christ.

We live in the age of mystery; when others see us, they see a regular human being with nothing out of the ordinary, but within us we have God who lives in us and is manifested through us.

We are the continuation of Christ, the continuation and enlargement of the incarnation of God in the flesh; we are part of the enlarged mystery of God for His corporate expression.

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your incarnation. Hallelujah, one day God stepped out of eternity and into time to be incarnated into a human being! What a mystery, that God and man should mingled and joined be! Praise the Lord for His incarnation to be a man! Hallelujah, the infinite God became a finite man and the Creator became a creature! Wow, Lord, may we see that the incarnation of Christ is a mystery, and this incarnation began the age of mystery! We praise You, Lord, and we worship You for Your incarnation! Thank You for being willing to be limited and constrained in humanity. Hallelujah, we today are the continuation of Christ to be the manifestation of God in the flesh! Amen, Lord, live in us today. Be expressed through us. Manifest Yourself in us. Make us the corporate expression of God so that the mystery of God may be seen. Oh, what a mystery that we and God can be joined, mingled, blended, and fully one! Amen, Lord, we praise You!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ron Kangas in the message for this week, and portions from, The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 189, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (2) (2024 December Training), week 21 (msg. 9), The Mystery of the Church.
• Similar articles on this topic:
  – The seventh trumpet, a portion from, Life-Study of Revelation, Chapter 28.
  – Israel In God’s Economy (4) – Israel and God’s Economy in the Present Age, via, Shepherding Words.
  – Revelation Program 28: The Seventh Trumpet, via, LSM – Life-study of the Bible.
  – Truth Challenge: The Mystery of Human Life, via, Living to Him.
  – The negative contents of the seventh trumpet, a portion from, The Prophecy of the Four ‘Sevens’ in the Bible, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
  – Colossians (Program #17) – To Walk In Christ-The Mystery Of God, via, Bible study radio.
  – The principle of the harvest, a portion from, The Kingdom, Chapter 40, by Witness Lee.
  – The Deep Significance of the Birth of Jesus Christ, via, Bibles for America blog.
  – The word of righteousness – the rapture of the saints (3), article in, Affirmation and Critique.
  – The Mystery of God is Finished, via, New Jerusalem blog.
  – What is the Significance of Incarnation? More via, The hearing of faith.
  – The Consummation of the Age—the Age of Mystery, outline via, Church in Plano.
  – Are You Living in the Mystery? More via, Holding to Truth in Love.
  – The Mystery of the Human Life, a gospel tract.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – When the Lord descends from heaven, and God’s trumpet sound we hear, / Those who sleep will rise, and death will swallowed be. / When the Lord descends from heaven, raptured we will be who live, / And our bodies be transformed in liberty. / When the Lord will come in glory / We will see His glorious body; / When the Lord will come in glory, / To transfigure all His sons, we’ll have a share. (Hymns #1354 stanza 1 and chorus)
  – O what a mystery, the Savior / With me is one! / O what a marvelous salvation / God gives me in His Son! / Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Glorious mystery! / Nothing in heav’n or earth can sever / Jesus my Lord from me! (Hymns #1074)
  – Christ is the mystery of God; / God is invisible, unshown, / His image man hath never seen, / But Christ the Son hath made Him known. / Christ is the very Word of God, / He is God’s explanation true; / God’s full embodiment is He / And God’s own image brings to view. (Hymns #818 stanzas 1-2)