Ephesians 1:4

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. . .

A Believer wrote this about the teaching:  The Three Earths And The Three Heavens

There is no way that there was a pre-existing earth before Genesis 1:2. Romans tells us that death came through sin. There was no sin before Genesis 3, so no death. No other creation, no other deaths, nothing other than what God has revealed. It is unsafe to make up stories, details, and incidences based on a gap theory when the so-called "gap" has absolutely no proof or details to support the theory. It's all just a theory. However, the Bible is clear on all its other teachings. We are to teach only what God has made clear, not supposed "theories."

Interesting read, but only as fiction.
A Believer

Dear Believer,
God bless you, and thank you for writing. We want to thank you for being concerned enough to share your opinion about the teaching you call a theory. We believe that the ONLY place to look is the Scriptures, not at what men may say about the Scriptures, and to search out and find the true meaning of the words used and thus be instructed by The Holy Spirit in the Truth of God's Word.

There is something so unique in Ephesians 1:4 that, once perceived, makes the calling of The Church of The One Body completely separate from any other company spoken of in The Scriptures. The peculiarity of this calling does not rest on the word 'foundation;' whatever that word shall ultimately prove to be, it rests on the word 'before;' this is the unique feature.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Here is why:

Foundation

All other callings are related to a choice and a purpose dated "from or since" the foundation of the world; this calling of Ephesians alone is related to a choice and a purpose that goes back to before that era. As a certain amount of doctrine must be built upon these two prepositions before and from, some acquaintance with them seems called for.

The Greek Pro, translated as "before," is a preposition that indicates time, place, or preference.

1. Before in respect of place:  The Judge standeth before the door (Jas. 5:9).

2. Before in respect of time:  Judge nothing before the time (1 Cor. 4:5).

3. Before in respect of preference:  He is before all things (Col. 1:17).

The Greek Apo, translated as "from," is a preposition that indicates separation or origin. The primary use of apo is with reference to place, but by a recognized transition, it can be employed of the distance of time of the temporal terminus from which:

• • From that time Jesus began to preach (Matt. 4:17).
    
    
  • From two years old and under (Matt. 2:16).
    
    
  • From the beginning of the world (Eph. 3:9).

The two expressions from the foundation of the world and before the foundation of the world occur as follows:

FROM THE FOUNDATION

1. With reference to the use of parables, in speaking of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world (Matt. 13:35).

2. With reference to the separation of the nations at the second coming of Christ: Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34).

3. With reference to the character of those who killed the prophets sent to them: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation (Luke 11:50).

4. With reference to the typical character of the Sabbath: As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb. 4:3).

5. With reference to the character of the offering of Christ: Nor yet that He should offer Himself often ... for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world (Heb. 9:25-26).

6. Everyone whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain (Rev. 13:8, R.V. margin). They whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8, R.V.).

BEFORE THE FOUNDATION

• • With reference to Christ alone:  Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).
    
    
  • As of a lamb without blemish and without spot:  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-20).
    
    
  • With reference to the Redeemed:  Chosen us In Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4).

Commenting upon the most obvious difference between these two sets of passages is unnecessary. However, let us not miss one precious item of doctrine revealed by comparing the three references "before the foundation" together. In John 17:24, Christ was "loved" - agapao; in 1 Peter 1:19-20, He was without "blemish" and without spot. amomos. In Ephesians 1:4, the believer is said to have been chosen before the foundation of the world in "love" agape, to be "blameless" amomos. Here, those chosen in Christ were looked upon as being so closely identified with Him that the same terms are used. No wonder, as we proceed, we read of further identification with The Beloved, which speaks of being crucified with Christ, raised together, seated together, and ultimately manifested with Him in Glory. These two sets of terms before and since indicate two distinct time periods. Further studies will show that before and since the age times is a somewhat similar set of terms, but before this, we must understand the meaning of the word foundation.

Our thoughts naturally turn to passages such as Job 38:4 and Isaiah 48:13, where the Lord speaks of laying the earth's foundation. Now, happily, we have a New Testament quotation in Hebrews 1:10, where the word foundation is expressed by the Greek word themelion, but when we turn to any of the passages where the words before or from the foundation of the world occur, themelion is not found, but instead, the word katabole is employed. It is impossible to argue that Paul, for some peculiar reason, would not and did not employ the word themelion, for it occurs as the translation of the word "foundation" of a temple in Ephesians 2:20-21, the "foundation" of the apostles and prophets, and again in 1 Corinthians 3:10 and 2 Timothy 2:19. There must be, therefore, some good reason for choosing so different a word as katabole.

This word has entered into our own language as a biological term - metabolism, being the name given to the process in an organism or a living cell by which nutritive material is built up into living matter, and this process is divided into (1) constructive metabolism, which is called anabolism, by which protoplasm is broken down into simpler substances to perform special functions; and (2) destructive metabolism, which is called katabolism. In its biological use, katabole indicates destruction.

It is strange, if the word means to place upon a foundation that scientists should have adopted it to indicate disruption. The verb kataballo is used three times in the New Testament.

Heaven

Heaven. There are five words employed in the Hebrew O.T. translated as "heaven" and one Greek word so translated in the N.T. Of the Hebrew words, galgal (Psa. 77:18) refers to the "rolling clouds," the word galgal being elsewhere rendered "wheel" and "rolling thing." Shachaq, used in Psalm 89:6 and Psalm 89:37, means a "thin cloud" and is elsewhere translated as "cloud," "sky," and "small dust." It may be accidental, but it is nevertheless interesting that the blue color, and hence the visibility of the "sky," is owing to the refraction of blue rays of light and that "it is to the vapoury and the earthy particles in the atmosphere that the refraction is due; but for these, there would be total darkness till the instant of sunrise." As the imagery of the O.T. has been seized upon to "prove" the unscientific character of these ancient writings, the inclusion of the above note may not be without justification. Arabah "mixed" (Psa. 68:4) and ariphim "dropping" (Isa. 5:30) complete the references that refer to the clouds under the covering figure of heaven.

Shamayim. This Hebrew word is the one that is translated as "heaven" or "heavens" in the O.T. except in those portions where the Chaldee equivalent shemayin is used (Ezra, Daniel, and Jeremiah 10:11). The Hebrew shamayim occurs in the O.T. 419 times, of these, twenty-one occurrences are translated "air," as in Genesis 1:26. In the N.T. only one word, ouranos, is translated "heaven." This Greek word occurs over 280 times, of which "air" accounts for ten occurrences and "sky" for five. "The name "heaven" in our own language has been explained, according to its etymology, as that which is heaved or lifted up, and a similar origin has been assigned to the Greek ouranos and the Hebrew shamayim. The nature of the temporary "heaven" stretched out like a tent over the earth during the ages of Redemption. In this article, we deal with heaven itself. Whether the translation reads "heaven" or "heavens," the word is always plural in the original. This no more indicates a plurality of "heavens" than the plural Elohim "God" indicates a plurality of gods. There is a use of the plural in the Hebrew language known as "The Plural of Majesty" as, for example, "the sacrifices of God" in Psalm 51:17, which means "the Great Sacrifice."

Creation is divided into two parts, "heaven and earth" (Gen. 1:1), which in Colossians 1:16 is expanded to mean "all things visible and invisible," and the term "heaven" may include thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, as well as physical sun, moon, and stars. Heaven is often used as a symbol of authority, for example, when Nebuchadnezzar learned "that the heavens do rule" (Dan. 4:26). The superiority of the heavens to the earth is expressed in the words "on high" (Luke 1:78, Heb. 1:3), "height" (Isa. 7:11, Psa. 148:1, Prov. 25:3). It is possible that, after Genesis 1:1, there are but nine or ten references to "heaven itself," i.e., The Heaven of Genesis 1:1, in the whole of the O.T. This can be put to the test by reading the Book of Genesis, and noting every allusion to "heaven." We read of the waters that are under heaven, lights in the firmament of heaven, fowl that fly in the "air," the windows of heaven opened at the deluge, Abraham directed to look toward heaven, to the countless number of the stars, but no passage demands that the term "heaven" should be interpreted of the heaven of Genesis 1:1. We cannot print here the 419 references to heaven, but we can print the nine or ten references that look beyond the present limited firmament.

"Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God" (Deut. 10:14).

Here Moses draws attention to the firmament which is "called" heaven, and the Heaven of heavens, the Heavens in the highest degree that were created long before the six days of Genesis 1:3-2:1. No further reference is made to the Heavens themselves, until the days of David and Solomon, where in Psalm 8:1, Psa. 57:5, Psa. 57:11, Psa. 108:5, Psa. 113:4, Psa. 115:16 and Psa. 148:4, we have six references to a Glory that is above the present limited heavens, making, with Deuteronomy 10:14, seven in all, the perfect number; in all other places, the heavens referred to are put into correspondence with the firmament (Psa. 19:1) either by the actual statement or by implication. Five hundred years after Moses, Solomon recognized that neither the present heavens nor the Heaven of heavens could "contain" God (1 Kings 8:27), and the last reference to the Heaven of heavens, in contrast with the firmament, is found in the Levites' prayer (Neh. 9:6).

Even when we bring these passages forward, they only emphasize the fact that "the heaven" of the O.T. was the "firmament" of Genesis 1:8, stretched out like a curtain or a tent for God to dwell in (Isa. 40:22) and any reference in Psalm or Prophecy that speaks of heaven as God's "dwelling place" refers to this tabernacle formed by the firmament. When we open the N.T., it is pardonable if we expect to find a great advance upon this limitation of the term "heaven." Twelve times do we read in Matthew of the "Father which is in heaven," but we also read that the heavens were opened at the baptism of the Lord, that the heavens are to pass away, and unless it is a matter beyond dispute that "angels" inhabit the Heaven of heavens, we shall find no instance in The Gospel of Matthew of a reference to any other "heaven" than the firmament of Genesis 1:8.

We have to wait until we reach The Gospel of John for any explicit reference to the highest heavens, and there the Saviour speaks of ascending up to Heaven to where He was before (John 3:13, John 6:62), to The Glory that He had "before the world was" (John 17:5). In these few references is contained practically all that is said of the "Heavens" of Genesis 1:1 in The Four Gospels. The only Calling and company, Hope, and Sphere of Blessing that pierces the present firmament above us and ascends to where Christ sits at the right hand of God is The Church of The Mystery. Christ is set forth, in Ephesians 4:10, as having ascended "Far above all heavens" yet revealed as seated at the right hand of God "in The Heavenly Places." These Heavenly Places, therefore, must be above the limitations of the outstretched heavens. This is not invalidated by the fact that the selfsame sphere is called in Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians "Heaven," for we must not allow ourselves to rob "Heaven itself" of its true title simply because we have used it so often of the limited firmament. In connection with this same calling, Christ can be said to be both "Far above all the heavens" yet "in Heaven" at the right hand of God.

There are eleven references to "heaven" in the Epistle to the Hebrews; one only speaks of "Heaven itself," and the others refer to the lesser and lower heavens. For the heavens created as recorded in Hebrews 1:10 are to "perish," but this can never be said of "Heaven itself," Christ is said to have "passed through the heavens," dierchomai (Heb. 4:14) and as being made "Higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26), without involving any contradiction in the saying that He Who passed through the heavens and was made higher than the heavens, was at the selfsame time depicted as entering "Heaven itself" (Heb. 9:24). The contradiction only exists in our minds if we fail to distinguish the Heaven of the beginning, Genesis 1:1 from the heaven of the ages, Genesis 1:8. The only references to the heavens of Genesis 1:1 that are found in the remainder of the N.T. are those of Peter and of the Revelation, which speaks of a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1).

The new heavens and the new earth spoken of by Isaiah are related to Jerusalem (Isa. 65:17-18). Where we read in Revelation 21 of a "first heaven" and a "first earth," the word translated "first," protos, is rendered in Rev. 21:4 as "the former things," and we should possibly translate Revelation 21:1, "the former heaven and the former earth," the reference to "no more sea" being an evident allusion to Genesis 1:2. In connection with the subject before us, let us turn to the words of Paul as found in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4. In direct connection with the visions and revelations he had received, he refers to an extraordinary experience. Whether he was "in the body or whether out of the body," he could not tell, but he did know that he had been caught up to the third heaven . . . caught up into paradise.

First, we must be clear as to the meaning of the term "caught up." The word "up" in this passage has no equivalent in Greek, and to attempt to make it have any bearing upon the subject betrays as much ignorance of the original as would be betrayed by anyone seeking to extract the idea of direction upward, from such idiomatic phrases of the English language as "shut up," "wash up," "lock up" and the like. We can omit the word "up" for the Greek word arpazo is translated as "take by force," "catch away," "pluck," "caught away," and "pull." The phrase "in the body" translates as en somati, which is very like the phrase en pneumati "in spirit" used on the occasion when John was translated to "The Day of the Lord" (Rev. 1:10). The closest parallel is that of the experience of Philip, who was "caught away" by The Spirit of The Lord and was "found at Azotus," some miles away.

Evidently, the third heaven to which Paul was "caught away" was Paradise. Otherwise, his reiteration would need a deal of explanation. Paradise has been located in different regions by different teachers, mainly in accordance with their peculiar beliefs concerning the intermediate state. If we keep close to the Scriptural meaning of Paradise, we shall know that it is derived from the Hebrew pardes (Neh. 2:8, Song. 4:13) and means "a garden or orchard," and when we meet the word in the Book of Revelation, it has no connection whatever with an intermediate state but is still a garden and orchard, it is indeed the garden of Eden restored and extended.

In what way, we may ask, can this Paradise at the end of the age be in any way related to the "third" heaven? If we count the third heaven as being like the third story of a building, it will certainly appear incongruous. But Revelation 21 has already spoken of "a new earth" and a "former earth," consequently it would be true to say, even as Peter in 2 Peter 3 has indicated, that there was a first heaven in the beginning (Gen. 1:1); a second heaven, at the making of the earth ready for mankind (Gen. 1:8); a third heaven, at the end when redemption shall be finished (Rev. 21:1). It was to this "heaven" and this "paradise" that Paul was caught away, and as he stresses more than any other writer in the N.T. the blessings of the New Creation, it is quite understandable that he should associate this great goal of the ages with the visions and revelation he had received in connection with his apostleship.

The great lesson that forces itself upon our attention, however, is the fact that, apart from Paul's ministry, and especially his prison ministry, there is scarcely any reference in the Scriptures, either Old or New, to The Heaven of Genesis 1:1. The Hope of The Mystery alone pierces the intervening firmament and places the believer "Far above all" even where Christ sits at the right hand of God. We must now consider the special term "Heavenly Places," but we will devote separate studies to this.

All God's Blessings,
The Believers

Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ:

Lauri wrote:

This is the first time I have read any teaching on the New Earth I have never even considered that we won't go to Heaven when we die. How is it that this has been so misconstrued in the Christian faith? I would like to study this more to discern the Truth of the matter.

Lauri

Heavenly Places

This subdivision of the great term "heaven" is justified by reason of its dispensational importance, and the words play a great part in setting forth the distinctive character of The Mystery. These "Heavenly Places" were known at least in part in other age times. The expression "the Heaven, and the Heaven of heavens" suggests that such a superior sphere was known, but no prophet, evangelist, or apostle ever dreamed that a redeemed company would find their sphere of blessing there, least of all a company made up of alien Gentiles. First, let us examine the word itself.

Epouranios

This word is composed of epi "upon" and ouranios "heavenly," the adjective form of ouranos "heaven." Epouranios occurs in the N.T. twenty times. It is translated as follows: celestial, heavenly, in heaven, heavenly places, heavenly things, high places, and they that are heavenly. It is attached to several nouns such as "heavenly Father," "celestial bodies," "heavenly kingdom," "heavenly calling," "heavenly gift," and "heavenly Jerusalem." Whether each and everyone thus defined is not only "heavenly" but at the same time "in heaven," the context must decide. For example, the Hebrews had tasted The Heavenly Gift and the power of the age to come (Heb. 6:4), but no one seriously believes that these Hebrews were in heaven when they were said to have tasted this gift. The heavenly Jerusalem will descend from God out of heaven and come down either to the earth itself or near to it; it will be heavenly in character but not be in heaven itself.

The word epouranios occurs in Matthew, John, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, 2 Timothy, and Hebrews, and this wide distribution has given the unthinking reader a reason to reject the peculiar claim of The Church of The Mystery to these Heavenly Places as their sphere of blessing. A concordance is a useful and valuable Tool, but even valuable tools can do great damage if handled carelessly. Something more is needed than a quick glance at a list of occurrences in concordance before judgment can be pronounced upon the meaning of any particular reference.

Upon examining the Epistle to the Ephesians, we discover that the word epouranios is there used in a form that occurs nowhere else and that this form occurs in five passages in the Epistle. (The form en tois epouraniois, which is in question, does not occur in the LXX: we have made no slip up here as the comment of a recent writer would lead his hearers to believe.) These occurrences we will indicate before passing on to their peculiar grammatical form.

Epouranios In Ephesians

A Eph. 1:3    Spiritual blessings

B Eph. 1:20    Far above principalities and powers.

C Eph. 2:6    Raised and seated together

B Eph.3:10    A witness to principalities and powers

A Eph. 6:12    Spiritual wickednesses.

The form in which these five references to heavenly places occur is unique. It is found in no other part of the N.T. Where the remaining fifteen occurrences use the word epouranios simply, the Epistle to the Ephesians uses it in the phrase en tois epouraniois, "in the heavenly (places, things, sphere)" and never merely to define something as heavenly in character. When Paul addressed this Epistle to the saints, which are AT Ephesus, the words en Epheso do not mean that they were "Ephesian" in character but that they were living somewhere. They were actually residing "IN Ephesus." When the Apostle reminded the Ephesian masters that they also had a Master IN heaven, there could be no two thoughts about the fact that this Master was not only heavenly in character but in position. He was there. The word "where" indicative of place is used for the present position of Christ: "Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1). This is said to be "Heaven Itself" (Heb. 9:24) and in "Heavenly Places" (Eph. 1:20).

While en followed by a plural can mean "among" (Col. 1:27), it can also mean "in," for no one supposes that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob dwelt "among" tabernacles, they had enough common sense to dwell "in" them. The strange expression "upon the heavens" loses its strangeness when we realize that the firmament is stretched out under the original heaven of Genesis 1:1.

The Apostle has not only given these five references, which indicate the exalted and peculiar position of Christ and His church, but he has assisted us further by giving an explicit statement in Ephesians 4:10 concerning the Ascension. There, Christ is said to have "ascended far above all heavens," the word translated "Far above" being huperano. This position is so Far above all heavens that by ascending to this sphere, Christ is said to have Filled All Things.

Many words used in the English language are derived either from Latin or Greek. Some words are derived from both tongues and are employed severally as the genius of the language dictates. Thus the Greek huper becomes the Latin super, and while we retain the Greek in such terms as hyperbolic, we often favor the Latin equivalent super and say super-abundance, not huper-abundance; super-annuate, not huperannuate; super-impose, not huper-impose.

Consequently, with Ephesians 4:10 plainly written, we are at liberty to speak of the super-heavens as a definition of the peculiar sphere of The Church of the Mystery, conscious that we are not adding a word to the inspired testimony but are honestly giving in this compact form the combined intention of the two sets of expressions en tois epouraniois and huperano panton ton ouranon.

"The only calling or revelation that has pierced the present contemporary heaven and touched that which can be spoken of as eternal is that Dispensation of The Grace of God which has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the super-heavenlies far above all. This shows the unique character of The Church of The One Body. It is connected both by time and place with that which begins before the present heavens were made and goes on when the present heavens shall be no more. The Church of The Mystery is the only link during this age between the time before sin entered and the time when sin shall be no more. All other purposes are 'under the heavens.' This one alone places those blessed under its terms 'above the heavens.' If these things are so, it would be very surprising if the doctrine and practice of this peculiar people were not different from all others." 

The nature and extent of this analysis make it impossible for us to take note of every difference of opinion that is current, but in one or two cases, silence may be misinterpreted, and damage is done to the cause of Truth. Therefore, we make an appendix to "Heavenly Places" to examine a point of view expressed soberly by a believer and teacher who has stood for the principle of Right Division and for Acts 28:28 for a great number of years. We quote: 

"The Earth, not Heaven, is the Future Home of God's redeemed. 

"This is what I believe. It is a belief that is not based upon tradition, upon emotion, or upon wishful thinking. It is not a conclusion that I have arrived at hurriedly." 

There is, therefore, in the following comments, no thought of impugning the veracity, honesty, and conviction of the brother who has abandoned the idea that "Heavenly Places" is the future sphere of blessing for The Church of The Mystery, for that is the focal point both of his teaching and our examination.

We readily admit, in common with many commentators, that the words "in Heavenly Places" as found in Ephesians 1:3 are not necessarily the translation of the Greek en tois epouraniois, the word "places" being understood and supplied, and not found in the original, but the same criticism could be leveled at the translation "High places" in Proverbs 8:2, Ezekiel 16:24 and Numbers 23:3, for neither of the Hebrew words so translated as the word for "place" attached to it. It would be possible to object to the insertion of the word "place" in Numbers 23:3, the word there translated as "a high place" is the Hebrew word shephi, yet Balak had no difficulty in suggesting to Balaam that he go to "another place" (Num. 23:13) where the Hebrew word for "place," maqom, is inserted. We introduce these examples simply to show that we must beware of sweeping statements, for by proving too much, we prove nothing. Ephesians 1:3 may mean "among heavenly beings," but it can mean "in heavenly places," for if the addition of "beings" be legitimate, so also can the addition of the word "places." It is evident that if Ephesians 1:3 is the only passage to which we can turn, we reach a position of stalemate. God, however, has not left the members of this high calling in the dark; the phrase en tois epouraniois occurs again in Ephesians 1:20. There, the reference is to the Ascension, which, as Ephesians 4:10 affirms, was "far above all heavens, that He might fill all things," even as Ephesians 1:20-23 reveals that Christ our Head is seated at the right hand of God, far above all principality and power, the church thus associated with Him there being "the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." The place seems to be indicated here. Colossians 3:1-4 uses the adverb "where" (Greek hou), indicating that the Saviour is in a "place" and that place is "the right hand of God." Now, it is not denied that Christ is there, but it is taught that where we read in Ephesians 1:20, "and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places," we should interpret the later phrase "among heavenly beings," bringing the passage into line with the translation already offered of Ephesians 1:3. Let us examine the context.

Wherever Christ is conceived of as sitting now is not among heavenly beings but far above them. "Far above all," huperanos, a word which is repeated in Ephesians 4:10 ''Jar above all heavens". Hebrews 4:14 teaches us that the ascended Christ "passed through the heavens," dierchomai (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1, 1 Cor. 16:5), but not only so, in Hebrews 7:26 Christ is said to be "higher than the heavens." Again, the Apostle goes out of his way to enumerate the orders of "heavenly beings" which are beneath the exalted position of the Saviour. "All (not some) principalities and powers and might, and dominion" and then, as in Romans 8:39 where he adds "nor any other creature," so, here, to ensure that the entire universe is conceived of, he continues, "and every name that is named"-and yet further, every name that is named "not only in this age but also in that which is to come."

How is it possible, in view of these explicit statements, to teach that "where Christ sits" is "among" heavenly beings? But this is not all. Paul quotes from Psalm 8, "And hath put all things under His feet." Now, did this quotation stand alone? we should admit that it does not add anything more to that already seen, but the fact is, Paul, had quoted this passage on two other occasions and has given them such a peculiar exposition as to render further discussion unnecessary. Here are his own words and his own peculiar deduction:

"Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put ALL in subjection under Him, He left NOTHING that is not put under Him" (Heb. 2:8). 

"But when He saith, ALL things are put under Him, it is manifest that HE IS EXCEPTED, which did put all things under Him" (1 Cor. 15:27). 

When, therefore, Paul added the quotation from Psalm eight, he clinched the interpretation "in heavenly places," for it is impossible after seeing this isolated and exalted position to believe that it is, after all, "among heavenly beings."

We are indebted to Mr. Alexander Thomson, in an article published in The Differentiator, for a clarifying word on Philippians 3:20.

"Let me quote from the Revised Standard Version: 'But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour.' FROM IT, from what? It is out of our commonwealth or homeland that we are ardently awaiting Him. The Greek makes it very clear when it reads ex hou and not ex hon, that is to say, 'out of which' (singular), not 'out of which' (plural). The word heaven is plural, while politeuma is in the singular.

"Now it is absurd to say that our Lord is to appear out of our 'Manner of life.' He is ardently awaited out of our politeuma. Therefore our politeuma is a country. Yes, it is our real HOMELAND. . . . If the church of God is to spend its future existence on earth, we must see much stronger evidence than . . . has yet produced." 

"The word of God is powerful when it comes to casting down imaginations."

All God's Blessings,
The Believers

Paul wrote:

I have read several of your teachings which do not appear to define what is meant by Mystery or Dispensation. Could you point me to a definition of these terms?

Regards
Paul

Dear Paul,
God Bless you, and thank you for writing. Here are a couple of teachings on Dispensation and Mystery.

Dispensation

The word dispensation is the translation of the Greek oikonomia, a word that has become well known in the Anglicized form of Economy. Crabb discriminates between economy and management thus:

"Economy has a more comprehensive meaning than management: for it includes the system and science of legislation as well as that of domestic arrangements, as the economy of agriculture ... political, civil, or religious economy".

It is a secondary and derived meaning of the word that uses it as a synonym of frugality, for a truly economical use of money, sometimes may mean very lavish spending. We can speak of the "economy of nature" and, by so doing, refer to the operations of nature in generation, nutrition, preservation, and distribution of plants and animals. Macaulay, writing of David Hume, said: "David Hume, undoubtedly one of the most profound political economists of his time."

The Greek oikonomia is made up of the word oikos, "house" and nemo, "to administer," "to deal out," and "to distribute." The word oikonomia is employed by Plato for the management of a household, and oikonomia and oikonomo and oikonomeo are found in the LXX. In Isaiah 22:19, Isa. 22:21, where the A.V. reads "station," "government," the LXX reads oikonomia, "stewardship." Oikonomos translates the Hebrew Al ha Beth "over the house" in 1 Kings 4:6, 1 Kings 16:9, 1 Kings 18:3 and in four other places. We have gone thus far afield in order that the reader may have first-hand information concerning the use of the term from ancient to modern times. We now give a concordance of the three words that are found in the Greek New Testament.

Oikonomeo

Luke 16:2. Thou mayest be no longer steward.

Oikonomia

Luke 16:2. Give an account of thy stewardship.
Luke 16:3. Taketh away from me the stewardship.
Luke 16:4. When I am put out of the stewardship.
1 Cor. 9:17. A dispensation (of the gospel).
Eph. 1:10. That in the dispensation of the fulness.
Eph. 3:2. The dispensation of the grace of God.
Eph. 3:9. The dispensation of the mystery (R.V.).
Col. 1:25. According to the dispensation of God.
1 Tim. 1:4. A dispensation of God which is in faith (R.V.).

Oikonomos

Luke 12:42. That faithful and wise steward.
Luke 16:1. Rich man, which had a steward.
Luke 16:3. The steward said within himself.
Luke 16:8. Commended the unjust steward.
Rom. 16:23. Erastus, the chamberlain of the city.
1 Cor. 4:1. Stewards of the mysteries of God.
1 Cor. 4:2. It is required in stewards ... found faithful.
Gal. 4:2 Is under tutors and governors.
Tit. 1:7. Blameless, as the steward of God.
1 Pet. 4:10. Good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

"The Greek word rendered dispensation is oikonomia and refers to the act of administering. By the figure Metonymy, the act of administering is transferred to the time during which that administering is carried on".

How many "dispensations" are indicated in the Scriptures? This is a question that is more easily asked than answered. Every single believer who has been entrusted with the stewardship of Truth adds to the number of "dispensations," but this aspect of the matter is, of course, not intended by the question. When we refer to the different "dispensations," we refer to those subdivisions of the ages in which the revealed will of God, carrying differing obligations, has been made known and put into force, and in practically every case, the administration or stewardship of these separate and differing administrations, are found to have been entrusted to some chosen servant of the Lord. Moses, for example, is inseparable from the dispensation of law, and "Moses verily was faithful in all his house" (Heb. 3:5).

The following subdivision of the Purpose of the Ages does not claim to be perfect or complete, but no real distinction in administration has been ignored, though some may have been merged (as, for example, the special stewardship of John the Baptist, the period under Saul before the accession of David and others, which would swell the list unduly).

Outstanding Dispensations

(Some may overlap, and more than one can run together at the same time).

(1) Innocence. Adam unfallen. Paradise enjoyed.
(2) Adam to Noah. The Fall to the Flood.
(3) Noah to Babel. N.B. - Some features of Genesis 9 remain unchanged.
(4) Babel to Abraham. The Nations and the Nation.
(5) Abraham to Egypt. The Exodus marks a critical change.
(6) Exodus to Sinai. The covenant is 430 years after the promise.
(7) Sinai to Jericho. The forty years wandering.
(8) Jericho to Saul. The land entered.
(9) David to Christ. Here, there are subdivisions which we have not noted.
(10) The Earthly Ministry of Christ, His Birth, Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension.
(11) Pentecost to Peter in Prison, Acts 2 to 11.
(12) Paul"s First Ministry. The Gentile is a wild olive contrary to nature.
(13) Paul"s Prison Ministry. The dispensation of the Grace of God and the dispensation of The Mystery.
(14) The Resumption of Pentecost. The seven churches of Revelation 2,3.
(15) The Day of the Lord. The Apocalypse.
(16) The Millennial Kingdom and Revelation 20.
(17) The Period between the end of the Millennium and the Great White Throne.
(18) The End. The goal reached. God, All in all.

No significance must be attached to the numbers that stand before any one dispensation. Paul's Prison Ministry happens to be No. 13 in this list, but the very questionable period from Sinai to Jericho is No. 7. Anyone is at liberty to add further subdivisions as the study of the Word makes such dispensations, administration, or stewardships clear.

A word perhaps is called for in connection with the subheading that suggests that two dispensations may run together. If a dispensation is but another name for an age, it is clear that two "ages" cannot run together, but in any one period of time, there may be more than one stewardship in exercise. Galatians 2:7-9 makes it clear that Paul had an apostleship and a stewardship that differed from that of Peter, but which was exercised during the self-same period. Or again, Romans 1:18 to 2:29 and Acts 17:25-28 make it clear that at the same period that Israel had the law, the covenants, and the service of the tabernacle with all its rich typical teaching, the nations of the earth were under a dispensation of conscience and the witness of the works of creation.

John's Gospel, with its insistence upon the Giver of life, is addressed to those who did not know the meaning of the Hebrew word Rabboni and so could not be Jews. It was written after the whole of Paul's ministry had ceased, and it can be preached today without invading the smaller circle of faith encompassed by the Prison Epistles. It will be seen that a mere list of dispensations cannot set forth the whole truth of the matter and must be used with discrimination. The office of Dispensational Truth is to decide whether any particular doctrine be it command, promise, calling, or prophecy - does or does not pertain to any particular individual or company, and the recognition of these varying dispensations is, therefore, essential if we would walk worthy of our calling, and preach The Truth for the present time.

Before attempting to explain or expound any particular portion of Scripture, the following interrogation, which is but the recognition of the fact that there are a succession of dispensations observable in the Bible, will prove a valuable guide.

Is the verse in question in the Old Testament or in the New Testament?

If in the Old Testament, is it in the Law or the Prophets, before or after Abraham, before or after David, etc.?

If in the New Testament, is it in The Gospels, and if so, which, for each Gospel, has its own peculiar viewpoint?

If in the Acts, is it in the period covered by Pentecost (Acts 2 to 12) by the early ministry of Paul (Acts 13 to 19), by the interval (Acts 20 to 28), or by The Prison Ministry of Paul?

Most objections to the teaching of The Mystery, and most of the confusion that is so evident, are the result of continually harking back to Epistles before Acts 28:28, as, for example, a believer may appear to be following and endorsing your teaching concerning the constitution of The Church of The One Body in Ephesians, only to betray confusion by quoting Galatians 3:27-29.

Mystery

Mystery. The Greek word musterion occurs twenty-seven times in the N.T. and is translated as "mystery" throughout. The word is distributed as follows:

Gospels. Three references. No occurrence in John"s Gospel.
Epistles. Eight occurrences in Paul's pre-prison Epistles (Rom., 1 Cor., 2 Thess.).
Ten occurrences in Paul's Prison Epistles (Eph., Col.).
Two occurrences in Interim Epistles (1 Tim.).
Four occurrences in the Revelation.

The word does not occur in Hebrews nor in any of the circumcision Epistles. The LXX contains eight references, all of them in the Book of Daniel. In addition, there are twelve occurrences in the Apocrypha, which indicate by the way the word is employed, something of the meaning it must have attached to it when it is found in the N.T.

As this word occupies such an important place in Dispensational Truth, we must waive our rule of not giving a concordance of more than ten occurrences of any word and set out a complete concordance both in the O.T. and in the N.T.

Musterion in the New Testament

Gospels:

Matt. 13:11
The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 4:11
The mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Luke 8:10
The mysteries of the kingdom of God.

Pre-prison epistles:
Rom. 11:25
Not... be ignorant of this mystery.

Rom. 16:25
The mystery, which was kept secret.

1 Cor. 2:7
The wisdom of God in a mystery.

1 Cor. 4:1
Stewards of the mysteries of God.

1 Cor. 13:2
Though I . . . understand all mysteries.

1 Cor. 14:2
In the spirit he speaketh mysteries.

1 Cor. 15:51
Behold, I show you a mystery.

2 Thess. 2:7
The mystery of iniquity doth already work.

Prison epistles:

Eph. 1:9
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will.

Eph. 3:3
He made known unto me the mystery.

Eph. 3:4
My knowledge in the mystery of Christ.

Eph. 3:9
The fellowship of the mystery.

Eph. 5:32
This is a great mystery.

Eph. 6:19
To make known the mystery of the gospel.

Eph. 3:3
The mystery which hath been hid.

Eph. 3:27
This mystery among the Gentiles.

Eph. 2:2
The mystery of God.

Eph. 4:3
To speak the mystery of Christ.

Interim epistles:

1 Tim. 3:9
Holding the mystery of the faith.

1 Tim 3:16
Great is the mystery of godliness.

Revelation:

Rev. 1:20
The mystery of the seven stars.

Rev. 10:7
The mystery of God should be finished.

Rev. 17:5
Mystery, Babylon the great.

Rev.17:7
The mystery of the woman.

Musterion O.T. (LXX)

Dan. 2:18
Mercies. . . concerning this secret.

Dan. 2:19
Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel.

Dan. 2:27
The secret which the king hath demanded.

Dan. 2:28
There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets.

Dan. 2:29
He that revealeth secrets.

Dan. 2:30
The secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom.

Dan. 2:47
Lord of kings and a revealer of secrets.
Seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.

Dan. 4:9
No secret troubleth thee, tell me.

The Greek Christian "fathers" used the word of any such sign, whether of words or actions. They spoke of the offering of Isaac as a musterion, i.e., a sign or a symbol of the secret purpose of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. And they used it interchangeably with the words tupos type, sumbolon symbol, and parabole parable.

So far, we have been concerned with the material that we are to use. We must now inquire into the term's essential meaning, and we shall gather (1) from its etymology and (2) from its usage. Etymology used alone is an unsafe guide, for language is living, and the folk who use it are not necessarily students; it is, therefore, wise to balance etymology with usage. This we will do.

* Muo does not occur in the N.T. but is the basic word from which musterion is derived. It means "to close," especially the lips or the eyes. Muzo, which likewise does not occur in the N.T., means "to murmur with closed lips, to mutter." It will be observed that in the English words murmur, mutter, mumble, and mute, this meaning persists.

* Mueo. To initiate into the mysteries, this is not only found in classical Greek but is used by the Apostle in Philippians 4:12, "I am instructed", better, "I am initiated." Moffatt translates the passage, "I have been initiated into the secret," Rotherham renders the word, "I have been let into the secret."

* Muopazo ("myopia" in English) 2 Peter 1:9, "cannot see afar off."

* Kammuo (derived from kata muo) "to shut, especially the eyes" (Matt. 13:15, Acts 28:27).

The etymology, therefore, of the word musterion suggests something "hidden," a secret, something that requires initiation, something not discoverable by ordinary methods. It is an unsafe analogy to argue from the use of the word "mystery" as employed in the articles of the indenture, and referring to the mysteries of a trade, for this word should really be spelled "mistery" coming as it does from the French mestier, or metier which in its turn is derived from the Latin ministerium. It will not do, therefore, to teach that there is no more "mystery" about the mysteries of the Bible than there is about trade secrets, for this approach to the subject omits the presence and influence of the pagan mysteries that will eventually come to a head in "the mystery of iniquity," even as the mysteries of the Scriptures come to a head in "the mystery of godliness."

Is there anyone who knows all that there is to know concerning either the mystery of iniquity or the mystery of godliness? Are there not "depths of Satan" and "the deep things of God"? Are there not "unspeakable words, which it is not lawful (or possible) for a man to utter" (2 Cor. 12:4)? And is there not in the same Epistle the offering of thanks to God for His "unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15)? From very early times there were vast and widespread institutions in the pagan world known as mysteries, celebrated for their profound secrecy, admission to which was only by initiation. The Greek, Egyptian and Persian mysteries can be traced back to a common source, namely Chaldea, and constitute one of the travesties of truth that is so characteristic of Babylonianism. Babylon is represented as bearing a golden cup, and to drink of "mysterious beverages," says Salverte, was indispensable on the part of all who sought initiation into these mysteries.

"To musterion". This is not the only term borrowed from the ancient mysteries that St. Paul employs to describe the teaching of the deeper truths of the Word. The word teleion (Col. 1:28 "perfect") seems to be an extension of the same metaphor. Philippians 4:12, we have already noted, and in Ephesians 1:13, sphragizesthai ("sealed") is perhaps an image derived from the same source. So, too, the Ephesians are addressed as Paulou "fellow initiates of Paul" in Ignatius" epistle, and the Christian teacher is thus regarded as a heirophantes (see Epict. 3.21, 13 seq.), who "initiates his disciples into the rites" (Bishop Lightfoot).

It becomes very clear that no knowledge of the mysteries was obtainable apart from initiation, and this fact must be borne in mind when we approach the mysteries of Scripture. No mere instruction or quoting of verses of Scripture, not even the most lucid presentation of Dispensational Truth, will ever "convince" anyone apart from the gracious enlightening that God alone can give.

It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given . . . many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them (Matt. 13:11, Matt. 13:17).

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matt. 13:9).

The recognition of this great fact of initiation would save the believer many hours of fruitless anxiety on the part of others. The Truth of The Mystery is not to be made known by the organizing of campaigns. It will never be a subject of popular appeal. Our attitude must be a readiness at all times to help and guide wherever we see a desire to know and follow on, being assured that none will come to see The Mystery apart from The Lord's own illuminating; we ourselves can, at best be but the earthen vessels that He stoops to use in this most wondrous work. When it comes to usage, there are several avenues of approach.

(1) The Pagan mysteries and (2) the references in the Apocrypha. These two give an idea of what the word mystery stood for in the great outside world; (3) the usage of the word in the LXX Book of Daniel, and (4) its usage in the N.T.; these show how it was used in Holy Scripture. We can say little to profit from the Pagan mysteries. The Greek mysteries, which were prevalent in the days of the Apostles, were derived from Egypt, which in its turn received them from Chaldea, and so in them we have the mystery of iniquity in germ. A search into the annals of the past would bring to light some of the horrible doctrines and corresponding practices associated with the mysteries, but the attitude of the Apostle must be ours:

It is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret (Eph. 5:12),

and pass on to positive teaching.

In the Apocrypha, the word "musterion" rarely rises above the idea of a secret, either of a king or a friend. Twice, it refers to secret rites and ceremonies, but nothing more. The fact that the LXX did not use musterion until translating the Book of Daniel may be accounted for by many natural explanations, but when all is said, there must still be room left for the exercise of Divine Providence. Some lexicographers say that the Greek musterion is derived from the Hebrew mister, which is translated "secret" a number of times, yet the Greek translators never use musterion for that or its cognate sether. The only word translated musterion in the Greek O.T. is the Chaldee raz, which is used constantly throughout Daniel 2, and as this word does not occur anywhere else in the O.T., we have no means of comparison.

While the Chaldee word raz stands alone, we are not left entirely without help, for on one occasion, Daniel uses the Chaldee form of the Hebrew word sether, a word translated as "secret" and "secret place" in many passages. This provides us with the link that we felt we needed, teaching us that in the Chaldee raz, we have the equivalent word. In the passage in Daniel 2:22, "He revealeth the deep and secret things," the LXX renders "bathea kai apokrupha," reserving apparently the use of the musterion for the Gentile term. Its usage is confined to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar and in two ways. Nebuchadnezzar had either actually forgotten the substance of his dream or, as a matter of policy, withheld it to ensure that the interpretation should be something more than a clever human invention (Dan. 2:8-11).

When Daniel went into the presence of the king, he did not concentrate his attention on the substance of the dream, but on its interpretation (Dan. 2:16), but of course, as the substance of the dream had to be known before the interpretation could be given, both dream and interpretation were included in the "secret" concerning which Daniel and his fellows prayed (Dan. 2:18-19). When Daniel went in before the king, Nebuchadnezzar asked him, "art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?" (Dan. 2:26). One cannot avoid the feeling that there is a Divine overruling in the choice of this word musterion here, and for this reason. We discover that when Israel began to make it manifest that they were going to reject the Saviour (Matt. 11-12), the word "mystery" entered into the N.T. (Matt. 13:11), and whereas the Apostles had been commanded earlier "go not into the way of the Gentiles" (Matt. 10:5), a change is indicated by the quotation of Isaiah 42, "in His name shall the Gentiles trust" (Matt. 12:21). Again at Acts 28:28, when Israel was set aside, Paul the prisoner commits to writing The Epistles which reveal The Dispensation of The Mystery.

WHAT WAS THE SECRET?

When examining Romans 5:12-8:39, we see that it constitutes a unique section of the teaching of the Epistle. It goes back to a period before there was a Jew and before Abraham to Adam. No one can read Genesis 3 without being conscious that there is much unexplained. Solomon, writing in Ecclesiastes 3, says, "To everything, there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven," and in enumerating them, he says, "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccles. 3:1, Eccles. 3:7). The word translated in the A.V., "kept secret," is sigao, translated elsewhere in the N.T., "keep silence" and "hold one"s peace." Much important truth latent in Genesis 1-11 was "hushed" until the "time to speak" had arrived, and that was when Paul was inspired to write the Epistle to the Romans.

The study of Genesis 1-11 in the light of Romans 5:12-8:39 is, therefore, of the utmost importance to the believer who would realize the peculiar character of his calling. From Genesis twelve until the end of the Acts, one nation holds the pre-eminent place, and that part of the O.T. which deals with Israel knows no salvation apart from that chosen race or from the covenants made with Abraham.

If Israel should fail and fall, the prophets had nothing to tell us of how God would cope with the resulting problem. It is, accordingly, the purpose of the central section of Romans to reveal the relationship of man, as such (i.e., as neither Jew nor Gentile), to Adam and to Christ, irrespective both of promises made to "the fathers," and the failure or success of "the chosen people." But this is not the theme of the O.T. prophecy in general. The period covered by the Scriptures from Genesis 12 to Matthew 1 is as long as that covered by Genesis 1:3 to Genesis chapter 11. In that same space of eleven chapters is written all that can be known of the first 2,000 years of this present creation. What is written is pregnant with truth, but it must await its appointed time, and just as the Gospel itself revealed teaching hidden in O.T. Scriptures (as we have already seen in Habakkuk 2:3-4), so these early chapters of Genesis hold much basic teaching, throwing light on the position of the believer who is saved and justified without reference to the law of Moses.

Volumes have been written to associate the obedience of Christ with the law of Moses, whereas this law was but transient; it was "added because of transgressions," it was "found fault with," and passed away (Heb. 8:7). This secret has been hushed in aionian (age) times. We read of some part of God"s purpose as being related to a period "before aionian times" (Tit. 1:2, 2 Tim. 1:9), and in 1I Corinthians, we read of "the wisdom of God in a mystery," which has been "hidden," and which God "foreordained before the ages" (1 Cor. 2:7). The Mystery of the Prison Epistles was "hidden from the ages, and from the generations" (Col. 1:26). These hidden subjects had "their own seasons" of manifestation, which manifestations were through the medium of "preaching," and "according to" a "commandment" (Tit. 1:3).

The mystery of Romans 16 is not said to be related to a period "before age times" but silenced in or during age times. This secret is the theme of the central section of Romans, and its subject is Adam, not Abraham, man, not Israel or Gentile; the law of sin, not the law of Sinai.

What are the "prophetic writings" that Paul refers to? The words translated in the A.V., "the scriptures of the prophets", are not exactly the same as those used in Romans 1:2. In Romans 1:2, the original reads: dia ton propheton autou en graphais hagiais, whereas Romans 16:26 reads: dia te graphon prophetikon. The suggestion is made by some that not only a difference of expression is intended here, but a real difference, and that the reference in Romans 1:2 is to O.T. prophets, whereas that in Romans 16 is to N.T. prophets. It may be so, but the reader should be aware that nothing in the language used constitutes proof of this. Prophetikos is to prophetes, what pneumatikos is to pneuma, simply the adjectival form. As the only other occurrence of the word will show, every one of the O.T. prophecies is "prophetic writings" (2 Pet. 1:21). It was when the Apostle received the commandment to make this early truth known that the prophetic writings which had for generations held their secret began to speak.

The fact that what was made known both in Romans 1 and 16 was "for the obedience of faith to all nations" establishes the unity of purpose that links the whole of Romans together as an indivisible whole. There is no need to adopt the suggestion of Lightfoot that the doxology was added some years after. The ascription of praise is to the only wise God, and wisdom is associated with the Unfolding Purpose of The Ages (Rom. 11:33; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:8-9; Eph. 3:10). On this high note the Epistle ends.

Acts 28 forms a dispensational boundary, having on the one side Abrahamic covenants and promises and having on the other an entirely new dispensation. The terms of the Abrahamic covenant cannot operate here, for Galatians 3:13-14 makes it clear that the blessings of Abraham to the Gentiles and the redemption of Israel go together, and Israel went into their Lo-ammi condition at Acts 28. If, therefore, the Gentile is to be saved, and not only saved but called to a height of glory that transcends all revelation hitherto given, then God must put into operation some new way of dealing with men; in other words, a new dispensation must begin, and did begin, at Acts 28:28. It is to the demonstration of the fact that this new dispensation is The Dispensation of The Mystery, that we now ask the reader"s attention.

The Mysteries In Ephesians, Colossians, And 1 Timothy

There are four epistles that bear the marks of Paul's imprisonment, and two of them deal very fully with the subject of The Mystery. These Epistles are Ephesians and Colossians. Let us note the references to the subject:

"The mystery of His Will" (Eph. 1:9).
"The mystery" (Eph. 3:3).
"The mystery of Christ" (Eph. 3:4).
"The dispensation of the mystery" (Eph. 3:9 R.V.).
"The great mystery" (Eph. 5:32).
"The mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:19).
"The mystery" (Col. 1:26).
"The mystery among the Gentiles" (Col. 1:27).
"The mystery of God" (Col. 2:2).
"The mystery of Christ" (Col. 4:3).

The first epistle to Timothy is not a "prison" epistle, but it bears marks of having been written after Paul had been liberated and so describes the newly-formed Church as it was at the beginning. There, we have two more references to the Mystery, which we will add for the sake of completeness:

"The mystery of the faith" (1 Tim. 3:9).
"The mystery of godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16).

This makes a total of twelve references to the subject after Acts twenty-eight, and an examination of these, together with their contexts, should, under God, prove a means of help and blessing in the appreciation of the high and holy calling of the Church of the One Body.

The Mystery In Ephesians

Let us observe the use of the word mystery in Ephesians. We find that the six references fall into two sections of three each, the second section supplementing and explaining more fully the first:

A Eph. 1:9, 10 The Mystery of His Will . . . a dispensation

B Eph. 3:3 The Mystery

C Eph. 3:4 The Mystery of Christ

A Eph. 3:9 (R.V.) The Dispensation of The Mystery

B Eph.5:32 The Great Mystery. Christ and His Church

C Eph.6:19 The Mystery of the gospel.

The Dispensation Of The Mystery

The first mystery mentioned in Ephesians is "the Mystery of His will," which has in view a "dispensation of the fulness of the seasons" when Christ is to head up all things, "both which are in heaven and which are on earth." We have already seen that the corresponding reference to this is Ephesians 3:9, which we here quote from the R.V.: "and to make all men see what is the dispensation of the Mystery, which from all ages hath been hid in God Who created all things". We have quoted the R.V. because it recognizes the reading "dispensation" instead of "fellowship." The expression "all ages" is a free rendering as the "all" is not to be taken as though it existed in the original. Paul uses the word oikonomia, "dispensation," five times. It may be as well to see the references together. We give Conybeare and Howson"s translation, which, though it is a little free, seems to convey the intention of the Apostle:

"For although I proclaim the glad tidings, yet this gives me no ground of boasting; for I am compelled to do so by order of my Master. Yea, woe is me if I proclaim it not. For were my service of my own free choice, I might claim wages to reward my labour; but since I serve by compulsion, I am a slave entrusted with a stewardship (dispensation)" (1 Cor. 9:16-17).

To this selfsame "bond-slave of Jesus Christ," a further dispensation or stewardship was granted upon the failure of Israel at Acts 28:28:

For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation He made known unto me the Mystery (Eph. 3:1-3).

Here we have a series of statements that put the new dispensation in a clear light:

1. It was given to Paul as "the prisoner of Jesus Christ".
2. It was given to Paul "for you Gentiles," "to you-ward."
3. It had an immediate relation to "the Mystery."
4. Which was received by "revelation."

A parallel passage in Colossians 1 makes Ephesians 3 even more clear and emphatic:

His body. . . the church, where of I am made a minister: according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to complete the word of God-the Mystery which hath been hid from the ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints (Col. 1:24-26).

Additional items that give further light are the following:

1. The Church, which is His Body, is intimately associated with this new dispensation.
2. This new dispensation completes the word of God, and
3. Finds its expression in a Mystery which had never been made known before it was entrusted to the Apostle Paul.

We can now go back to Ephesians one and read again the first reference to this dispensation:

Unto a dispensation of the fulness of the seasons, to unite all things under one head, in union with Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth (Eph. 1:10).

Where Colossians tells us that this dispensation of the Mystery "completes" the word of God, Ephesians tells us that this dispensation of the mystery of His will is "the fulness of the seasons." There is a contrast in Ephesians 2:12-19:

At that season ye were without Christ . . . aliens . . . strangers . . . now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints . . .

The "now" of Eph. 2:19 is the present season in contrast with "that season" when the Gentile was an alien. A new creation intervenes between Eph. 2:12 and 19. "The both" have been "made one"; this deals with the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile. Ephesians 1:10 speaks not of the Jew and the Gentile but of the things in heaven and on earth being made one under the headship of Christ.

This is the reconciliation spoken of in Colossians 1:20. Now, all this is absolutely new. Nowhere else in the whole range of the Scriptures can such things be discovered as are made known by the Apostle in these Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. Lest we be misunderstood, it is evident, we trust, that we speak of the "dispensational" revelations. Such blessed doctrines as redemption and forgiveness in Ephesians 1:7 have already been revealed and explained in earlier Scriptures.

To complete our references, we quote 1 Timothy 1:4 R.V.:

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, the which minister questionings, rather than a dispensation of God which is in faith.

This has more to do with the faithful exercise of ministry, whatever it may be, than the revelation of any new truth, and, while including The Dispensation of The Mystery so far as Timothy shared it with Paul, does not actually deal with it. We trust it is clear that the dispensational standing of The Church, the calling of the Gentile, and the revelation of The Mystery after Acts 28:28 constitute a unique revelation and stewardship.

It is essential that the reader should distinguish "The Mystery" of Ephesians 3:3, which had been hidden in God until it was revealed to Paul, and The Mystery of Christ, which has been the subject of revelation right down the ages.

Ephesians 3 speaks not only of The Mystery as it relates to the new dispensational dealings of God with the Gentiles but also with the Mystery of Christ. Now, this Mystery must not be read as meaning simply the fulfillment of prophecy. While many in Israel saw the teaching of their Scriptures as to the coming of the Messiah in Glory and Dominion, few saw the Mystery of the Messiah which related to His Coming in lowliness, rejection, and suffering. Christ said, speaking of the mysteries of The Kingdom of Heaven, "many prophets and righteous men have desired to see these things . . . but have not seen them" (Matt. 13:17), and into the Mystery of Christ, "angels desired to look" (1 Peter 1:12). Mystery necessitates revelation. It is something that cannot be inferred or arrived at by study.

First, we will set out the structure of Ephesians 3:1-13, where the two mysteries occur:

Eph. 3:1-13 The Prisoner of Christ Jesus

A  Prisoner for you (huper humon)

B  Dispensation of the Grace of God
    Revelation of the Mystery

a  Eph. 3:2 Dispensation given

b  Eph. 3:2 T0 you-ward

b  Eph. 3:2 To me

a   Eph. 3:3 Mystery revealed

C  Two Mysteries and two ministries

d  Eph. 3:4 Mystery of Christ

e  Eph. 3:5 Apostles and prophets (plural)

f  Eph. 3:5-6 The Mystery

g  In Spirit

h  Joint-heirs

h  Joint-body 

h  Joint partakers

g  In Christ

e  Eph. 3:7 Paul alone (singular)

d  Eph. 3:8 Unsearchable riches of Christ

B  Dispensation of the Mystery Making known the wisdom of God

a  Eph. 3:9 Dispensaiton hidden since the ages

b  Eph. 3:9 By God Who created through Christ

c  Eph. 3:10 Knowledge through the church

a  Eph. 3:11 Purpose of the ages

b  Eph. 3:11 Which He made in Christ

c  Eph. 3:12 Access through the faith of Christ

A  Eph. 3:13 Afflictions for you (huper humon).

We draw attention to the ending of this passage, which indicates that Eph. 3:4-7 are a parenthesis and that Eph. 3:3-8 reads on together. We have, therefore, the means of a clearer view of the theme before the Apostle by leaving the parenthesis out for a time and observing his teaching concerning the wondrous Dispensation that he had received.

     The Mystery; Its Special Characteristics (Eph. 3)

(1) A special minister,                      Paul, as prisoner (Eph. 3:1).
                                                            Me (Eph. 3:2-3, Eph. 3:8).
                                                            I (Eph. 3:8).

(2) A special ministry                      For you Gentiles (Eph. 3:1).
                                                           To you-ward (Eph. 3:2).
                                                           Among the Gentiles (Eph. 3:8).

(3) A special communication         Made known by revelation (Eph. 3:3).

(4) A special theme                         Unsearchable (Eph. 3:8).
                                                           Mystery (Eph. 3:3, Eph. 3:9).
                                                           Hid Eph. 3:(9).

(5) A special period                         The dispensation of the grace of God (Eph. 3:2).
                                                           The dispensation of the Mystery (Eph. 3:9).
                                                           Now (Eph. 3:10).

(6) A special witness                       Unto principalities (Eph. 3:10).
                                                           Manifold wisdom (Eph. 3:10).

(7) A special purpose                     According to the purpose of the Ages (Eph. 3:11).

Such is the theme of Eph. 3:1-11, omitting the parenthesis. Coming to Eph. 3:4-7 we learn more concerning this Mystery by way of contrast. The Mystery of Eph. 3:1-3 and Eph. 3:8-11 is contrasted with the Mystery of Christ. Let us again seek an analysis.

The Mystery Of Christ

1. Not exclusive to this dispensation. It was made known in other generations (5).
2. Not exclusive to the Apostle Paul. It was revealed unto prophets and apostles (5).

The Mystery

1. It was exclusive to the Apostle Paul. Eph. 3:1-2, Eph. 3:3, Eph. 3:8-9 already considered, and Eph. 3:7, "whereof I was made a minister," the words defining the Gospel intended in Eph. 3:6.
2. It was peculiar in its composition. It gives a threefold equality to the Gentile believer never before known or enjoyed (Eph. 3:6). 

Eph. 3:6 in the A.V. reads on from Eph. 3:5, being connected by the word "that." The R.V. makes the connection closer by adding in italics the words "to wit." Any literal translation, however, is obliged to render einai as a statement of fact, and no word or construction necessitates "that" or "to wit." Instead of connection, contrast is intended. Instead of the threefold fellowship of the Gentiles being the Mystery revealed to the Apostles and prophets and before them to the sons of men in other generations, it is entirely associated "with that gospel" where Paul was made a minister, who in that capacity received the commission to enlighten all as to The Dispensation of The Mystery, which instead of being revealed in other ages, or at the time to many prophets and apostles, had never been revealed at all, but had been hidden from the ages in God and revealed only to the one chosen Apostle, Paul when the time for its publication had arrived. Instead, therefore, of linking verse 6 with 5, we should link Eph. 3:6-7.

We do not arrive at the truth if we stop at the word Gospel in verse 6. Scripture speaks of a series of sets of good news or "gospels," and to ascertain The Truth, we must know that the gospel under consideration was that which the Apostle Paul preached according to The Gift of the Grace of God, which had given him The Dispensation of this Secret to administer. The parenthesis of Eph. 3:4-7 stands therefore thus:

The Mystery Of Christ

Made known in other ages.
Revealed now to apostles and prophets, including Paul.

The Mystery

The threefold fellowship of the Gentiles.
Revealed in the special gospel of Paul.
Given to him to the exclusion of others.

Isaiah, when he penned the fifty-third chapter of his prophecy, entered in some degree into the "Mystery of Christ" and shared with Paul, Peter, and others that blessed truth. David, too, when he wrote Psalm 22, perceived the sacred secret of Christ's rejection. But neither Isaiah, David, nor Peter had any knowledge of the terms of the Mystery as revealed in Ephesians 3:6. God hid that in Himself. It constituted a part of the purpose of the ages but was a part pertaining to the heavenly section, which had never been made known. It is difficult to decide between the A.V. rendering of Ephesians 3:5, which joins the words en pneumati (by the spirit) to the Apostles and prophets, thereby declaring the source of their inspiration, and the alternative rendering, which makes the words "in spirit" commence the statement as to the threefold fellowship of the Gentiles.

Matthew 22:43 supplies an instance where en pneumati is used for inspiration. "How then doth David in spirit call him Lord?" Rom. 8:9 supplies an instance where the words are used not of inspiring apostles and prophets but to indicate a sphere of blessing. "You are not in flesh, but in spirit". The general trend of the context and the recognition of the canon that the Apostle's style allows for no superfluous words causes every sentence to be pregnant with meaning. No item can be eliminated without injury to the sense and teaching. The question of inspiration is not in view. Whatever had been made known of the subject under discussion, either to Paul or the other Apostles, had been "revealed," which carries with it the thought of inspiration.

On the other hand, a change of sphere is a feature that the Apostle emphasizes in this epistle. its blessings are "in the heavenlies" as well as "in Christ." Its practical outworkings are "in the Lord," and the special feature with which Ephesians 3:6 is in direct contrast is given in Ephesians 2:11, en sarki "in flesh." In Eph. 2:12, another sphere is mentioned, "in the world."

In the world     is contrasted with     in the heavenlies.
In flesh             is set over against     in spirit.

With the addition of the word "one" the change is found indicated in Eph. 2:18, "access to the Father in One Spirit," and again in Eph. 2:22, "an habitation of God in spirit". In chapter three the Apostle pursues the theme of the change of dispensation. The inspiration of Scripture or of apostles is extraneous to the subject. Consequently, as we are free to choose, we feel that Eph. 3:6 must commence with the words "in spirit." This is the essential condition of blessing in this dispensation. The blessings themselves are "all spiritual" and can only be received by those who are "in spirit."

In the next place, we pause to note the class who are spoken of as being thus blessed in spirit. It is usual for the words to be added, at least mentally, to make the verse read, "that the Gentiles together with the Jews should be fellow-heirs, etc." but this idea is unwarranted. If, for the moment, we concede that the Jew is in view, the teaching then must be accepted as a veritable revelation of a hitherto hidden mystery, for where, since the call of Abraham to the writing of the Epistle to the Romans (where the Apostle says "the Jew first," etc.) has the Gentile ever received the threefold equality revealed here?

Millennial blessings, which fulfill the promises to Israel, necessarily give the blessed Gentile a secondary place; they who were once aliens to the commonwealth of Israel but who are finally blessed under the covenant of promise are nevertheless "tail" and not "head," and their national distinctions remain. Here, in The Dispensation of The Mystery, the sphere is "in spirit," and the equality is concerning the Gentiles. The only place that a Jew can have in The Dispensation of The Mystery is to lose his nationality and enter this equal calling as a sinner saved by grace, even as the Gentile does.

The threefold equality of this new sphere must now be noted:

Sunkleronoma     Sussoma     Summetocha

In each case, the word commences with su, which means "with." The best word in English to fit the three statements is the word "joint." We can say "joint heirs," a "joint body," and "joint partakers."

In Hebrews 11:9, we read of Isaac and Jacob, who sojourned with Abraham as "heirs with him of the same promise." God does not call Himself merely the God of Abraham or the God of Abraham and Isaac. His full title in this connection is "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob". They were co-heirs. In 1 Peter 3:7, the husband, though recognizing his wife as a "weaker vessel," is nevertheless enjoined to remember that they were both "heirs together of the grace of life." The equality among all believers in The Dispensation of The Mystery is expressed in similar terms, namely co-heirs. This inheritance is the subject of Ephesians 1:11, Eph. 1:18, and Colossians 1:12. It is a predestinated allotment; it is "in the light".

The "joint body" (sussoma) is as unique as the word used to express it. The word occurs nowhere else in the N.T. or in the LXX. Words arise in response to needs, and never before in all the varied ways of God with man had there been the necessity for such a term. Kingdom, Firstborn, Church, Bride, Wife, Flock, these and other terms had been necessitated by the unfolding of The Purpose of The Ages, but not until the revelation of The Mystery was there the necessity to use such an expression as "joint body." The equality in the Body is opened up in Ephesians 4:16. There is but One Head and the rest of The Body are members of one another on these equal terms.

The third item is "joint partakers," but such an expression does not convey the truth until the statement is completed:

"Joint-partakers" of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the gospel of which I became minister.

The better readings omit the words "of Him" and give the title "Christ Jesus." ("His promise" in the A.V.) "The promise in Christ Jesus." Paul, when writing to Timothy his last "prison epistle," calls himself:

"An apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 1:1).

Writing to Titus between the two imprisonments, he speaks of the:

". . . hope of aionian life, which God, that cannot tie, promised before age times, but hath in due times (or, its own peculiar seasons) manifested His word, through a proclamation with which I (ego) was entrusted" (Titus 1:2,3).

The Gentiles, here called and blessed, may indeed have been "strangers from the covenants of promise" while "in flesh," but "in spirit," they are "joint partakers" of a promise that goes back before the age times and before the overthrow of the world. Such is the sphere and character of the unity created by the Lord during this time of Israel's blindness.

We rejoice at the testimony of "All Scripture" to the joys and blessings that are stored up for all Israel, the nations, the groaning creation, and The Church of God. Nevertheless, according to His promise, we look for higher things than Abraham hoped or the Prophets dreamed.

"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory" (1 Cor. 15:41).

All God's Blessings,
The Believers

Michael wrote:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Eph. 3:9. The Dispensation of the Mystery (R.V.). This has to do with a  household, and that is not the household of Israel as such. It is a  program for the heavens, not the earth. It was not made known till the earthly program was rejected by the chosen people in Acts 28:28. The light of this gospel almost flickered out in past centuries. Even today, there is just a small remnant that is included in this great household of God, which is in the heavenlies.

I am so grateful for your wise words concerning scripture. I feel confused and tried to understand and pray for an answer to the above paragraph.

The last part about small remnant leaves me wondering if:

a. small remnant already part of Christ's Body
b. small remnant remaining today, which is part of Christ's Body
c. small remnant left still to realize their part in Christ's Body
d. All of the above

If you are already a part of Christ's Body, will you know it in your inner spirit?

Thanks for sharing in my understanding of the Word.
Michael

Dear Michael,
God Bless you, and thank you for writing. Many Christians today believe all who have called upon the name of the Lord are of the same body, but the Scripture clearly speaks of the family of God (to which all saved ones are members) and the saints and faithful ones who are members of His Body (those who believe what God has written regarding His Calling and sphere of blessing in Heavenly Places). One huge problem that the believers today have is Rightly Dividing the change that happened at Acts 28:28. For the most part, they see no difference in those Books of the Bible written before or after Acts 28:28 and thus can not see the difference in the Calling, Hope, and Sphere of blessing between these groups of believers.

We are sure that there is sufficient in the Scriptures to warrant the belief that the reception of The Truth of The Mystery is subject to an elective purpose of God, operating within the wider election unto salvation. Others before us have had the impression that this is so but have been hampered by not realizing that the present Dispensation did not begin until after Acts 28:28; consequently, they have spoken of an inner election to the "headship" of the One Body. This is the result of including the body of 1 Corinthians with the Body of Ephesians, which can not be. We believe that our inquiry will lead us to see that membership in the One Body itself is the object of this elective purpose.

There is another system of teaching that compromises with those who perpetuate un-dispensational doctrine and observances, believing that we who see The Truth of The Mystery should not expose the error of the traditionalists. We might as well extend our charity and encourage the Jew in his legalism. It is not for us to assume the sovereign prerogatives of God. Having seen the truth, we must "leave ... and go on to perfection". We have to be concerned with faithfulness, even though it should limit the sphere of our so-called usefulness.

Some may object at the outset to the idea that the Lord may have chosen some (from among those who are saved) to a peculiarly exalted position. These would doubtless have joined Miriam and Aaron in their resentment against the special call of Moses (Numbers 12:1-14), but they would have "perished in the gainsaying of Korah" if they had continued in their rebellion against the high calling of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-19). Or further, they would have murmured against the exclusive choice of Peter, James, and John to be witnesses of the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5), yet their murmurings would not have altered these facts. It must ever be borne in mind, lest we be ensnared with pride, that the elective purposes of God have no room for "good works."

"When Rebecca had conceived . . . it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger". Why?
"For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth" (Rom. 9:10-12).

Human responsibility must never be slurred over, but we are convinced that our God is One "Who worketh all things after the counsel of His Own Will." Human error and satanic guile may be responsible for the eclipse of The Truth of The Mystery all down the present age, yet of this, we are certain that none who were predestined by that unalterable counsel of God to "come to a knowledge of The Truth" could fail to receive it. Hence, we are driven to the conclusion that the time has come when the Lord intends to strip from our eyes the bandages of tradition and, from this time onward, to take the graveclothes from many believers who have been marked off to receive The Truth so long hidden beneath the rubbish of Christendom's conflicting creeds. The Lord has already given the life-giving command, "Come forth!" and the liberating command, "Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:43-44). We believe that "the knowledge of The Truth" of The Mystery is only attained by those who are the subjects of this "election within an election." They have received no revelation, they possess no new Bible, and they claim no special holiness or learning: The Truth lies upon the pages of Scripture possessed by all alike, yet apparently seen by very few.

Is membership in The One Body coextensive with salvation? May a man be saved and yet have never received knowledge of The Truth of The Mystery? These are questions to which we hope to give Scriptural answers as we proceed. In order to manifest more clearly the difference between "faith" (common to all believers) and "knowledge" (possessed by the subjects of this special grace), we venture to lay before the reader the arrangement of the opening verses of The Epistle to Titus. It will be seen in the suggested structure (1) that "the faith of God's elect" is described under the member C, d, e, f, and (2) "the knowledge of the truth" under C f, e, d.

It is clear that we are not saved according to our knowledge, yet it is quite certain that none can really believe, hope for, and suffer together with that which they neither know nor understand. Many have believed with "the faith of God's elect" who have been hopelessly confused concerning the Right Division of Truth. Men like John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Bunyan, or, in more recent times, Joseph Irons and Charles H. Spurgeon, have been stalwart champions for The Faith of God's elect, but if we examine them upon the next item (the knowledge of The Truth), they evidence a lack of agreement which leads to confusion. With them, the Kingdom and The Church, Israel and The One Body, Abrahamic promises, Zion, and the earth's regeneration are all spiritualized away, yet none of those to whom the knowledge of The Truth has been given would think for one instant that they were better than these men of God named above.

Titus 1:1-4
A a Paul (Name)
       b A servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ (Title)
           c According to (1)  faith (the faith of God's elect);
                                      (2)  truth (the knowledge of the truth)

       B According to godliness
                 C  d Upon hope of eternal life.
                        e Promised by God, Who cannot lie.
                           f Before age-times.

                 C        f Manifested in its own Seasons' Knowledge.
                        e His Word by heralding or proclaimed by The Word and words
                   d Entrusted to me Paul Apostle of the Mystery

        B According to the commandment of God our Saviour.

A a Titus (Name)
       b Mine own son (Title)
          c According to a common faith.

The faith of God's elect is explained as comprising three items (see structure, member C). It has before it (1) the hope of eternal life, (2) which God, Who cannot lie, promised, (3) before the age-times. These items are enlarged upon in the writings of the great Reformers and Puritans. The knowledge of The Truth is explained in a twofold way: (a) it is closely connected with "godliness" (a term which we shall examine shortly), and (b) this truth has (1) a peculiar season for its proclamation, which is now, the present dispensation; (2) it is heralded or proclaimed by the word and words given to (3) the special Apostle of the Mystery - Paul.

Orthodoxy makes no distinction between the proclamation announced in Pentecostal days, or "gospel" times, and the present period; it starts its church at Pentecost and seeks to rule it by Matthew Chapter 18. As to recognizing Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, his Epistles might as well have never been written, for the place which they are given in study or preaching. If a "text" or a "reading" is wanted, the Gospels, the Acts, the Psalms, etc., are chosen again and again, whereas Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Timothy, and Titus are practically dead letters.

Before leaving this passage, we would like to call attention to the word translated as "godliness." The word is eusebeia and occurs 15 times in the New Testament. Fifteen is 5 (grace) X 3 (divine perfection). The Pauline epistles contain 10 of these 15 occurrences, still emphasizing 5, the number of grace. The average idea of godliness goes little further than piety, but the word means much more than this conveys to the English reader. It embraces the larger meaning of worship and may be rendered "the act or state of worshipping well or acceptably."  Just as euaggelion means good message, and eudokia means goodwill, so eusebia means good worship. Worship to be good must be in harmony with the will of God in reference to The Dispensation obtaining for the time. Good worship once demanded the offering of the blood of bulls and goats, but that would not be acceptable now. Good worship once was accepted only at the Temple in Jerusalem, but such is impossible now.

If we read the literature of many of the "bodies" of Christendom, we shall hear many echoes of the Samaritan woman's words (John 4:20); it is all about where we may or may not worship - the Lord's reply seems to be overlooked. He disposes of both the Samaritan and the Jewish centers and tells us that "God is Spirit, and they who worship (This is not the same word as is translated as "godliness.") Him must worship Him in true spirituality". While so many sorrow over the so-called worship, which must have its solos, living pictures, politics, ethics, etc., they themselves are often involved in a system of bondage to ceremonies, observances, ordinances, and traditions, perpetuating that which belongs to another dispensation, and failing to offer that worship which is in harmony with the time now present. Those who "resist the truth" are, in the context, brought into close connection with those who suffer persecution for living in harmony with godliness or proper worship.

This failure to appreciate the spiritual character of the present dispensation is the secret that lies at the root of the bitterness that occurs among those believers who retain any regard for the Word of God. Zealous for God, but not according to the knowledge of The Truth, they have instituted a miniature Popery; the "central act of worship" is made an occasion of harshness worthy of a Diotrephes (3 John 1:9-10), and the true "place of worship" is unrecognized. Worship, to be acceptable, must be offered where The Great High Priest is. That is entirely independent of place, denomination, or circumstance; many have been received into fellowship there who would "defile" some assemblies on earth. "Heaven itself," the true "Holiest of all," is the only place of worship worthy of the name. From that assembly, none can excommunicate. The binding and loosing of man has no effect there.

We have often felt when we have heard of some believers who are called "over-sight" brethren that the word "over-sight" has more than one meaning and that while many have been keen over trifles comparable to the tithing of pot herbs, the weightiest matters concerning The Unity of the Spirit, and worship consistent with The Dispensation of The Mystery, have been "overlooked."

In 2 Timothy 2 and 3, we read about two classes. One class, to whom the Lord may "peradventure give repentance to the knowledge of the truth," and another, who though "ever learning never come to a knowledge of The Truth" ("knowledge" and "acknowledge" in Titus 1:1; 1 Timothy 4:3 (verb); 2 Tim. 2:25 and 2 Tim. 3:7 are the same). The first passage occurs in a setting that is of the utmost importance, especially just now. The arrangement of the passage (2 Tim. 2:14-26) is as follows:

A 2 Tim. 2:14-15   a Strive not
                                    b Study
                                        c Rightly divide the Word of truth
      B 2 Tim. 2:16. Shun
           C 2 Tim. 2:17-18. Illustration, "Canker"
                D 2 Tim. 2:19. The sure foundation
           C 2 Tim. 2:20-21. Illustration, "Vessels"
      B 2 Tim. 2:22-23. Flee . . . avoid
A 2 Tim. 2:24-26. a Not strive
                                   b Instruct
                                       c Knowledge of truth and recovery from the snare of the Devil.

It is important that we should realize the purpose of this structural arrangement. It is not merely to excite our curiosity; it is for our instruction. The central member (D) is the important one and should be studied first. It tells us that in the midst of all the trials and perplexities of this pilgrimage, God's sure foundation stands. Let those who are troubled remember that and take courage. The door of heaven has not been closed by the shutting of a meeting place; access is still free there.

The foundation of God has connected with it (like a seal) the words, "The Lord knoweth them that are His, and let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." These words are found in one of the most significant passages in the Old Testament and supply the key to unlocking the whole of the context. The moment we turn to Numbers 16, we shall see that it is directly connected with the "election within an election" and will throw light upon the much-discussed "vessels unto honor and dishonor." Korah and his company rebel against the thought that Moses and Aaron should be favored with higher privileges than they were and expressed their feelings by saying:

"Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them; wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"

Moses does not "strive" but falls upon his face. He then speaks to Korah in the words of 2 Timothy 2:19:

"Even tomorrow the Lord will show who are His" (Num. 16:5, cp. the Septuagint with 2 Tim. 2:19 Greek).

"Seemeth it but a small thing with you that the Lord hath separated you (sons of Levi) from the congregation of Israel.. . and seek ye the priesthood also?" (Num. 16:9-10).

Just before the terrible judgment fell upon Korah and his company, Moses uttered the words which form the second portion of the seal of 2 Timothy 2:19, "Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men." Surely, we can see that the Lord intends us to use this passage in interpreting 2 Timothy 2. The very ones who resented the special choice of Moses and Aaron were themselves specially chosen out of the congregation of Israel. They rebelled against "an election within an election."

On either side of the sure foundation, we have the members marked C and C, Hymenaeus and Philetus on the one hand, and the great house with its various vessels on the other. We must exercise care here lest we miss the Holy Spirit's meaning. In the first case, we have teachers of error whose words are like gangrene. Are the vessels unto dishonor to be reckoned as typifying the same? Much depends upon the force of the little word "but" in verse 20. The injunction had been, "depart from iniquity," and lest by overzeal the believer should think that such a title could not possibly mean a fellow saved one, the Apostle reminds him that "in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earthenware, and some indeed to honor, and some, on the other hand, to dishonor." In other words, he must be prepared to find within the circle of electing Grace two classes.

Some will have, by grace, received Knowledge of The Truth, while others, though saved, never get beyond the faith of God's elect. All such will "live," but all will not "reign"; some will be "denied" this "honor." It is interesting to note here that Timothy's name is suggestive, as it means "honored of God"'

Interpreted in the light of Numbers 16, this passage indicates that in the present purposes of God, there are some who have been chosen out from the mass of believers; that they have had the eyes of their heart enlightened, that they may know what is The Hope of His Calling, and The Truth of The Mystery, while others are left in the traditions of Christendom, saved, yet not so free as they could be if they but would "know The Truth" (John 8:32). Orthodoxy has no room in its creed for "one star differing from another star in glory," neither has it place for the words "more tolerable" in its conception of future punishment. In order to illustrate better that those under the heading "iniquity" are not the "vessels unto dishonor," we will turn for a moment to 2 Corinthians 6:14 - 2 Cor. 7:1.

Both 2 Tim. 2 and 2 Corinthians 6 have been misused. From both of these passages, Christians have drawn arguments about "being separate" from differing Christians and have not hesitated to use the words "unclean," "defiled," etc., of those whom the Lord has accepted. Those who have been urged to "come out from among them" do not seem to have had enough courage to dare ask to whom the word "them" referred but have helped on the heart-breaking work of judging one another. The context gives a fearful list as the answer, viz., "unrighteousness," "darkness," "Belial," "infidel," and "idols" (2 Cor. 6:14-16). Are these God's descriptions of His erring children? Such an interpretation is but a murderous, "says now Shibboleth." The true interpretation is lost in this party spirit zeal.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 is not an exhortation to believers but is a complex quotation from the Old Testament which supplies the exhortation 2 Cor. 7:1, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves," etc. It is not so humiliating to be busy cleansing others and removing the motes from their eyes, but dearly beloved, "let us cleanse ourselves." The verb "to cleanse" (2 Cor. 7:1) and the verb "purge" (2 Tim. 2:21) are kindred words. So also is the exhortation; he is to purge himself.

Two very distinct words are used in 2 Timothy 2:19. Regarding "iniquity," the believer must "depart" (the word is very emphatic and is literally "apostatize"), but regarding the vessels unto dishonor, he is to "purge himself." The word "dishonor" needs a little explanation. To the English mind, dishonor signifies some positive shame, whereas the word atimia means "lack of honor." This can be seen in 1 Corinthians 12:23, "those members of the body which we think to be less honorable" (atimotera). The figure of a vessel suggests the theme - of election. "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto no honor?" (Rom. 9:21). "That the purpose of God according to election might stand" (Rom. 9:11). The vessels unto "no honor" are those who have never received the "knowledge of the truth," and who are not among those who, like Paul, look forward to the "honor" of "reigning." We will speak more definitely about this later.

The last two verses of 2 Timothy 2 tell us of some who are in the snare of the devil and that they will "oppose themselves" to those who bear the message of liberty and glory. The servant of the Lord does not strive, and he is a vessel of gold or silver; he lets "the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth" if they will. He seeks grace to be "gentle toward all, apt in teaching, bearing up under injury and malice (2 Tim. 3:12), in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves, if God perhaps may sometime give them repentance unto a knowledge of the truth, and that being taken alive by Him, they may awake from the snare of the devil unto His (God's) will" (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Will the reader refer to the last structure illustrating this passage, as the first and last members will be seen to answer one another? In 2 Tim. 2:14-15 we find the injunction not to "strive" about words, while in 2 Tim. 2:24, we have the commandment not to "strive" with opposers. He who "instructs" (2 Tim. 2:25) has "studied" (2 Tim. 2:15), but the lesson of lessons for us is that "The Knowledge of The Truth," which delivers from the snare of the devil and marks one out as a "vessel unto honor," is The Rightly Divided Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Here is the secret of faction and strife. Satan not only opposes the Bible as a whole but lays a snare for the earnest believer, traps him into un-dispensational practices, blinds his eyes to the "Gospel of The Glory of Christ" and The Truth of The Mystery, and makes him a tool in his destructive work.

Persecution and religion go hand in hand. Timothy is prepared to receive hard treatment at the hands of those who ought to have received him with open arms. 2 Timothy 3:12 has been shorn of its true meaning. "All who are willing to live godly in Christ Jesus (or in a manner consistent with the present will of God regarding worship) shall suffer persecution." Some Christians suffer persecution in their endeavor to live in harmony with the "Sermon on the Mount." They read this verse and find consolation and confirmation, but this is not the meaning of the passage.

In 2 Timothy 3:10-11 Paul has made reference to the "persecutions" which he endured, particularly mentioning those which came upon him at Antioch, at Iconium, and Lystra. Why does he specifically mention these cities? Why not Jerusalem? The reason is that Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra are associated with a ministry fulfilled in absolute independence of Jerusalem and the twelve, and also that the Scripture intimates that it was at Lystra that the Apostle, being stoned to death, was "caught away to paradise" and saw the visions, and heard the words which related to The Glory of Christ. Let those who claim consolation from 2 Timothy 3:12 be consistent. Let them follow Paul in his separate teaching. Then, they will be entitled to the solace of this passage. The endurance of hardship is repeated several times in relation to the special truth committed to the apostle:

"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:8).

"The gospel, whereunto I am appointed a herald, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For which cause I also suffer these things" (2 Tim. 1:11-12).

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same entrust thou to faithful men, such as shall be competent to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:1-2).

This true exclusivism disposes of nine-tenths or more of so-called teachers, for they do not even know that Paul had any distinctive message to be passed on.

Paul continues, "Thou, therefore, endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3). Then again, after speaking of The Gospel, which he calls "My gospel," the Apostle says, "wherein I suffer hardship, as an evil doer, even unto bonds . . . Therefore I endure all things for the elects' sakes, that they may obtain salvation" (2 Tim. 2:9-10); yes, but not only salvation, "that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with age-abiding glory." There is no need for us to begin speculating as to the difference between this salvation and the added glory, for the apostle immediately explains, "If we died with Him, we shall also live with Him." This is "salvation"; this embraces every believer, whether he has "The Knowledge of The Truth" or not. "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." This is the added "glory" and "honor." "Living" is one thing; reigning is another. All who reign will live, but not all who live will reign.

The Lord has been pleased to arrange that the present "light affliction, which is but for a moment" (connected in this Epistle in a special manner with the teaching committed to Paul), shall "work for us as a far more exceeding age-abiding weight of glory." Some, maybe, will say this is works, not grace. One thing we know, and that is it is Scripture, and further, if the Lord had never told us of this High Glory, we still could not have resisted The Truth when He made us see it, but we should have endured affliction sooner than give it up. Shall we say hard things then if the Lord is pleased to add more of His riches of Glory upon those who, for a short season, are called upon to suffer together with His despised Word?

Believers will either receive The Truth and look forward to reigning or will reject The Truth and be denied this honor. "If we deny Him (if we are ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and of Paul, His prisoner), He also will deny us." This in no wise touches eternal life, for "if we are faithless, He abideth faithful, for deny Himself He cannot."

We can now proceed a little further. Both Paul and Timothy looked forward to a crown, which confessedly symbolizes reigning. The Apostle charges Timothy:

"Be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering (2 Tim. 2:24-26), and doctrine, for there will come a season when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires will, unto themselves, heap up teachers, (because) they have an itching ear, and from The Truth, they shall turn their ears away, and unto myths will they be turned aside" (2 Tim. 4:2-4).

Here we have the prophetic picture of these our own very days. The evil started as recorded in 2 Timothy 1:15, "All they in Asia "turned away from me," and necessarily, it ends with the words, "turn away from The Truth." Does the reader wonder why God has laid upon the hearts of some of His children the burden of this rejected Truth and this rejected Apostle? Apart from the contemplation of these false teachers, Paul addresses Timothy:

"But thou, be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist (cp. Eph. 4:11), the ministry that is thine complete" (2 Tim. 4:5).

The Apostle's approaching death is the reason for this final charge. There is no more Scriptural warrant for "evangelistic succession" than for "apostolic succession," the last word in ministry being 2 Tim. 2:2, "teachers." Continuing, we read:

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering,
and the season of my release has come,
the noble contest I have contested,
the race I have finished,
the faith I have kept,
henceforth there is laid up (same word in Col. 1:5, `the hope laid up in the heavens') for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will render unto me in that day,
and not to me only, but unto them also that love His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

The hope of the Mystery is to be received In Glory. "When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him In Glory." "Looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of The Glory." Those who look for the parousia, or who expect to pass through the tribulation, must not be surprised if they miss this "crown," especially if, by ignoring this special messenger Paul, they are found "denying" (2 Tim. 2:12), and "ashamed" (2 Tim. 1:8).

In 2 Timothy 2:5-6, there is another reference to a crown: "If moreover any man contend even in the games, he is not crowned unless he contend according to the rules. The husbandman must labor, before partaking of the fruits". To obtain the "glory" and to "reign" (2 Tim. 2:10-12), the believer must "keep the rules." The truths of other dispensations will not suffice. We must regulate our worship, our witness, and our warfare according to the teaching of The Epistles of The Mystery, or fail. We must:

"lay aside every weight, and the easily entangling sin, and run with patience the race that lies before us, looking off unto Jesus, the Prince-leader and consummator of faith, Who for (anti, over against, or corresponding to) the joy that was lying before Him, endured a cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:1-2).

This crown, this race, makes us think of the "prize" of Philippians 3. The realization of "an election within an election" will throw great light upon that Chapter. Brethren, do you see your calling? If so, "walk worthy" of it. Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth if they will.

"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye were called in one body, and be ye thankful" (Col. 3:15).

We hope this helps,
The Believers