This Is Appendix 193 From The Companion Bible. The English word "mystery" is a
transliteration of the Greek word musterion, 1 which means
a sacred secret.
It occurs in the Septuagint Version (280 B.C.) nine
times as the equivalent for the Chaldee raz in the Chaldee
portion of "Daniel", which means to conceal;
hence, something concealed that can be revealed, viz. in
Daniel 2: It occurs frequently in the Apocryphal books; which,
though of no use for establishing doctrine, are of great value in
determining the meaning of Biblical usage of Greek words. In these books
musterion always means the secret of friends,
or of a king, etc. By the end of the second century A.D. it was used
interchangeably with tupos (= type), sumbolon
(= symbol), and parabole (= parable).
When we find the Greek word musterion
rendered sacramentum in Latin Vulgate of Ephesians
5: It is evident to all that God has made known His will
"at sundry times and in divers manners" (Hebrews
1:
2. In Romans 11 it is used in connection with the
duration of Israel's blindness. That blindness itself was not a secret,
for it had been foretold in Isaiah 6: 3. It was used of a fact connected with
resurrection, which had never before been made known to the sons of men.
The Lord had spoken of it to Martha (John
11: The Thessalonians who "received the
word" were not left in ignorance of it ( But in
5. But "the great secret" which
concerns us to-day was not revealed until after the close of that
dispensation covered by "Acts". (See Acts 28: Paul was not commissioned to put in writing the "purpose" of God which was "before the overthrow of the World" (Appendix 146), until that dispensation was ended. What this "great secret" was can only
be learned fully from the Prison Epistles. There alone can we find the
things which had been concealed and kept secret "since the world
began" (Romans16:25); "which in
other ages was not made known unto the sons of men" (Ephesians
3:5); "which
from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God" (Ephesians
3:9); "which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made
manifest" (Colossians 1:26), where
"now" (Greek; nun) with the preterit = just
now, recently.
The special Scriptures which describe this secret are
the postscript of Romans 16: The mention of "the mystery" in Romans
16: Hence it has been suggested that the Epistle
originally ended at Romans 16: In any case while there is no doubt about the general
order of the Epistles, the actual dates are conjectural, and rest only
upon individual opinions as to the internal evidence (Appendix 180). And,
after all, Romans 16: As to the great secret itself, it is certain that it
cannot refer to the blessing of Gentiles in connection with Israel. This
is perfectly clear from the fact that that was never a
secret. Both blessings were made known at the very same time
(Genesis 12: But the secret revealed in the Prison Epistles was
never the subject of previous revelation.
In Ephesians 3: It concerns the Gentiles; and it was "revealed
unto His holy apostles We cannot know the whole purpose of God in keeping
this concealed all through the ages; but one thing we can clearly see,
videlicet that had God made it known before, Israel would of necessity
have had an excuse for rejecting the Messiah and His Kingdom.
As to ourselves, the question of "Who is in
the secret?" does not arise. For we are not to suppose that all who
do not know of it are "lost".
One thing we know, and that is: it is made known for
"the obedience of faith", or for
"faith-obedience" (Romans 16: It is a subsequent revelation; and the
question is, do we believe it and obey it by acting according to it?
Abraham had several Divine revelations made to him.
From this call in Genesis 11 he was a "righteous" man. In
chapter 12 he believed God concerning His promises of the future. In
chapter 13 he believed God concerning the promise of the Land. But in
chapter 15 God made a further revelation concerning the seed which He
would give him; and it is written, "Abraham believed in the Lord,
and it was counted (or imputed) unto him for righteousness".
Even so with ourselves and the subsequent revelation
of the mystery in the Prison Epistles. Let us believe it, and we may be
sure it will be counted unto us for something, for some blessing, which
those who refuse to believe it will lose.
NOTES: 1 It is from mueo = to initiate or admit to secrets; and mustes was used of the person so initiated. 2 In subsequent Revision of the Septuagint Theodotion (A.D. 160) uses it for the Hebrew sod (Job 15:8. Psalms 25:14. Proverbs 20:19). See Notes in loc. 3 In Judith 2:2 it is boule (Appendix 102. 4), while in Ephesians 1:9 it is thelema (Appendix 102. 2). 4 These were not those of the Old Testament dispensation, but were the subjects of a promise by the Lord Himself in Matthew 23:34. Luke 11:49. which was fulfilled in Ephesians 4:8,11. See the notes on these passages and Appendix 189. 5 Greek sussomos, a remarkable word occurring only here in the New Testament. |