The mystery novel has always been a popular form of literature and continues so today. The writer contrives a plot designed to keep the reader in suspense throughout the book, usually with a conclusion that is unexpected and intriguing.
Available to man is the world’s greatest book of mysteries, the Bible. In Deuteronomy 29:29 we read “The secret things belong to the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” The mysteries revealed to mankind in the Scriptures remain an insoluble puzzle to all who look elsewhere for the answers.
Speaking with divine compulsion the Prophet Amos said: “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). To those willing to hear and obey, God discloses things that otherwise remain a mystery.
Philosophers and scientists continue to wrestle with such mysteries as the origin of the universe and man, the reality of God and the nature of his being, the fact of sin, good and evil, and the destiny of man. But apart from scriptural revelation men find themselves caught up in a maze of vain speculations, philosophical and scientific.
In Scripture, “mystery” is really a New Testament word, for in the person and work of Christ the mysteries of the ages find their conclusion. He permeates the Old Testament while he stands revealed in the New. To his disciples the risen Lord said, “ ‘Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:44b, 45).
What an incentive this offers the Christian to “search the scriptures”! While there are many mysteries that have puzzled men down the centuries, those we need to know about are explained in the Bible so that we can understand something of the splendor and holiness of God as well as his love and mercy, and in it all find rest and peace in the perfection of his planning.
From antiquity men have searched for the key to the origin of the universe and man. Refusing God’s revelation, many have been led into wild speculations calling for a credulity greater than that which they deplore in the Christian. What was perhaps one of the greatest thrills in centuries came when three men, possessing immense scientific know-how, read from God’s Word as they emerged from the far side of the moon: “In the beginning God.…” Millions around the world heard these majestic words—the simple explanation of what otherwise remains a mystery.
The chaos and anarchy on college and university campuses today stems from a concept of education that has ruled God out of his universe and elevated the speculations and philosophies of man above the divine revelation given us in the Bible. In fact, because there is little fear of God among either teachers or students our whole educational system is permeated with foolishness. The One who was “in the beginning” is stretching out his hand in judgment because of this rejection of himself.
I have before me a letter from a student in one of America’s greatest universities. He is confused, rebellious, and defiant of the “Establishment” and all that it represents to his mind.
He and I have one common meeting point: we agree that the world is in a mess, that things which seemed stable in the past are now crumbling before our eyes. But how can one reason with a person whose mind seems closed to spiritual mysteries?
Admitting the existing chaos it is not difficult to admit also that man is the cause of the world’s troubles. On every hand we see the effect of sin in the human heart. This is no mystery but a self-evident fact. The mystery lies in the love of God, which has solved the sin problem for all who are willing to have it solved. There is the further mystery of the hardness of man’s heart in rejecting God’s proffered redemption.
In Second Corinthians 4:3, 4 man’s rejection of God is explained: “Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.” So, even as the cause of this rejection is indicated, another mystery is brought to light, the mystery of “the god of this world.”
But the Scriptures do not leave this mystery unsolved. The revelation of Satan’s personality and work is as clear as words can make it. The workings of evil and the unrelenting goadings of the devil are shown from one end of the Bible to the other so that no one should be surprised at what he reads in his daily newspaper. Perhaps the greatest mystery of all is that so many people ignore or neglect the divine explanation of the mysteries we see all about us.
What is God like? His holiness, wisdom, power, and love are demonstrated on every hand, but not until we recognize him in the person of his Son can we understand the depth and breadth of this mystery. “For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). From beginning to end the Bible reveals the mystery of God’s love and redemption in the work and person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The university student just referred to prefaces his explanation of his philosophy of life by saying, “Although I don’t acknowledge the divinity of Jesus, I do admire, as do nearly all my contemporaries, his teachings and philosophy.” Seeking a solution to the mysteries of life, he rejects the key to the whole matter—God’s intervention in this world in the person of his Son, and his continuing presence in the person of his Spirit. Aside from God’s solution there is no solution. Without the revelation of his redemptive work on the Cross, the mystery remains a mystery and the outlook for time and eternity is black.
The mysteries of death and eternity weigh down on the unenlightened mind, but it is not God’s will that this be so. A corner of the veil has been lifted, for in the risen Christ, the power of death and fear of eternity are no more. While there is much we do not know, and while the image of the future is seen imperfectly, its mystery is resolved through the God of the future.
Paul says, “Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.… Then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’.… But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:51–54, 57).
This is a great mystery. But ours is a great Saviour!
