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, nor even the most lucid presentation of Dispensational Truth will

ever convince anyone apart from the gracious enlightening that God alone can

`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. 13:11,17).

`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. Out of the twenty-seven occurrences of the word

`mystery', the apostle Paul uses twenty, the remaining seven being divided

between the first three Gospels and the Revelation.  The word mystery is found

in Ephesians as follows:

A Eph. 1:9. The Mystery of His will -- which He purposed.

B Eph. 3:3. the mystery -- pre-eminently so.

C Eph. 3:4. The Mystery of Christ -- not made known as now.

A Eph. 3:9. The Dispensation of the Mystery (R.V.) -- which He purposed.

B Eph. 5:32.  the great mystery.

C Eph. 6:19.  The Mystery of the Gospel -- made known.

The mystery of His will, the passage immediately before us, is `unto' or

has its goal (eis) a dispensation of the fulness of the seasons wherein Christ

shall head up (anakephalaioomai) all things.  This is in correspondence with the

dispensation of the Mystery which deals with the Church, the Body, and Christ

the Head, concerning which the word `fulness' is used of both (Eph. 1:23; Col.

2:9).  This first occurrence of the term `mystery' focuses our attention, not so

much on consequences and calling, but on `The Will' that is thereby being

carried into effect, and so much has been built upon the conception of the will

of God that is harmful because erroneous, that we believe our readers will

approve of the departure we are making to enable them to benefit by the writings

of another student of the Word on this momentous question.

Under the title Does God Will Everything, Alexander Thomson, writing in

The Differentiator of March-April 1950, has put the matter so succinctly and

completely that we have asked permission to quote liberally from his article:

`The Greek word under review is thelo translated "will" in Revelation

22:17 "whosoever will", and the noun form thelema Ephesians 1:1 usually