The Mystery of the Universe vs. The Great Mystery

 

The Mystery of the Universe vs. The Great Mystery

Eph 3:9 "And to enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things"

Eph 3:9-11 "...all things were created through Jesus Christ, in order that now, through the church, the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places"

Eph 5:32 "This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the church"

Zech 12:1 "...who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him"

 

Category	The Ultimate Mystery of the Universe	The Great Mystery
Meaning	The church is the hidden mystery in God's eternal economy, the ultimate purpose and meaning of the universe	The oneness of Christ and the church, which is the meaning of the universe and human life
Explanation	• The mystery of the universe is God • The mystery of God is Christ • The mystery of Christ is the church • In the New Jerusalem, God obtains eternal and full expression in the man He created	• The relationship between Christ and the church is like that of husband and wife • God's purpose in creating all things is for man to be mingled with God to produce the church • God's good pleasure is to obtain the mystery of Christ (the Body of Christ)
Distinction	Emphasizes the church as the core of God's ultimate plan, the final mystery of the universe's existence	Emphasizes the relationship between Christ and the church, and the importance of this relationship to the meaning of human life
Application	• Our spirit needs to be strengthened with wisdom and revelation to know the mystery of the church • Living out the reality of the New Jerusalem, allowing God to gain full expression	• The Body life is the ultimate satisfaction of our spiritual experience • The mystery of Christ and the church should be our daily living • Living not merely a human life, but a Christian life
Relationship	The ultimate mystery of the universe (the church) is the completion and goal of the great mystery (Christ and the church)	The great mystery (Christ and the church) is the path and process to realize the ultimate mystery of the universe (the church)
Related Scripture	• Eph 3:4 "...you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ" • Eph 5:32 "This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" • Col 2:2 "That their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ" • Rev 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created"	• Eph 1:5,9,11,22-23 "Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ... according to the good pleasure of His will... In whom also we were designated as an inheritance... And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all" • 1 Tim 3:15-16 "...how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth. And confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness..."

 

Conclusion:

These two mysteries are essentially connected: the ultimate mystery of the universe (the church) is the final goal of God's eternal plan, while the great mystery (Christ and the church) is the way and process to realize this plan. Both reveal the true purpose of God's creation of the universe and humanity: for Christ to receive full expression in the church and to be united with humanity as one.

 

*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 21 The Mystery of the Church