Knowledge Lesson for July 11, 2013
Revelation of the Mystery
Reveal is Strong’s G601, apokalupto, we get the word apocalypse from this. It comes from G575, to remove, and G2572, the veil. So, an apocalypse is the removal of the veil.
Rom 16:25-26
Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith NKJV
Looking into Romans 16:25, we need to take note of what was revealed. It was the mysteries of God, kept secret since the beginning of time, that were being revealed. Revelation isn’t about getting a new car or a new house. Revelation is about the meaning of Scripture and the character of God being revealed. So it is the mysteries that are revealed. Pretty obvious when you think about it. If it wasn’t a mystery, it wouldn’t need to be revealed. But if it was revealed, by definition, it was a mystery until it was revealed.
As we’ve already seen, the word apocalypse in the Greek, translated as revelation, means the removing of the veil. When you get a revelation, the veil is removed, revealing the mystery waiting behind the veil. And it was a veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. When you get a revelation, you begin to see through into the Holy of Holies. God is removing the veils of our hearts and showing us His divine nature and plan.
But take note of the fact that the mysteries have been kept hidden since the world began, but are revealed by prophetic Scriptures. So, since the beginning of time, since Genesis, both the mysteries and the Scriptures have been running along hand in hand.
Now take note of that word ‘manifest.’ This word means ‘to make visible that which was hidden.’ And note especially that it is the prophetic Scriptures that makes them visible. It’s not just any old scripture, or any old way of reading that scripture. It’s the Scripture that is read with prophetic understanding.
When John declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!”, he was showing prophetic understanding of the thousands of lambs that had been sacrificed down through the years. They were simply symbolically pointing ahead to this appointed time when the mystery of the sacrifice would be revealed.