THE WILL OF GOD,
AND THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL
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B. -- That is true, and you will find that Ephesians 1 employs a special term when dealing with it. Let us turn once
again to Ephesians 1 and notice the passages which speak of God's will.
A. -- (Reads Ephesians 1:5):
`Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will'.
B. -- That passage read in the light of Galatians 4:1-5 shows us the will of the Father appointing His heirs. This will
is unalterable and the predestination is not to sin but to adoption and holiness. Read the next occurrences.
The Mystery of His Will
A. --
`Having made known unto us the mystery of His will' (Eph. 1:9).
`In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who
worketh all things after the counsel of His own will' (Eph. 1:11).
B. -- The original will of God therefore shall be accomplished, but you will observe that when the subject is the
intervening period of bondage and redemption, another word is added.
A. -- Yes, it is then `the mystery of His will'.
B. -- That is an important fact to keep in mind, and if you realize the place that `mystery' occupies in the purpose of
the ages you will not easily be misled by the teaching we discussed a moment or two ago.
A. -- Does your `typical' method of interpretation offer any help in this case?
B. -- Yes, it does. If you refer to the Greek version of the Old Testament commonly referred to as the LXX., you
will find that the word `mystery' occurs only in the book of Daniel. This version called the Septuagint was in the
hands of Israel many years before Christ, and New Testament phraseology is largely that of the Septuagint. Now is
there any significance in the place where we find the word `mystery' in the Old Testament?
A. -- Daniel was the prophet who spoke most concerning the period dominated by Babylon.
Mystery and the Interval of Bondage
B. -- That is the point. Not until Israel's king is captive and Nebuchadnezzar constituted king of kings do we read
the word `mystery'. It was the will of God that Israel's king and kingdom should be established, and that shall yet
be accomplished. It is the mystery of His will that allows the interval between Israel's failure and Israel's glory to be
occupied by the Gentile powers, from Nebuchadnezzar onwards.
Where do we first meet the word mystery in the New Testament?
A. -- In Matthew 13 where we read of `the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven'.
B. -- Do you see any parallel with Daniel?
A. -- Why yes. In Matthew 11 and 12 the Lord has been rejected. He stands among Israel `greater than the temple',
`greater than Jonah', and `greater than Solomon' (Matt. 12:6,41,42).
B. -- And yet in His threefold office of Priest, Prophet and King, Israel refused Him. Then come the mysteries of the
kingdom giving the revelation of the way in which God will deal with this apparent failure. Come now to
Ephesians. There we have not only the mystery of His will, but `the dispensation of the mystery' (Eph. 3:9 R.V.).
Can you not see that this also is exactly parallel?
A. -- Yes, for Acts 28 quotes the very same passage, viz., Isaiah 6:10, that the Lord quoted in Matthew 13, and
Ephesians reveals the dispensation of the mystery that intervenes during the period of Israel's blindness.