Jesus Christ ... "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him" (Col. 1:15-16).
In two of Paul’s letters, the one to the Ephesians and the one to the Colossians, he writes that he is imparting to them “mysteries” about Christ which were “hidden” in God before time. To the Ephesians he writes, “when you read this [letter], you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Eph. 3:4-6, emphasis mine). And in Colossians, which I have the beginning of it quoted above, he goes on to explain who this Jesus is that has him so enraptured in glory, being the One who holds all things together because He created all things, and holding preeminence in all things since He is before all things and above all things (except His Father of course). Now, before I go on I must share this. Since Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” then it was Jesus who had legs to walk in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden and who had a physical mouth to speak with Adam and Eve and Satan, correct? And with that, think about all the references in the Old Testament where God is viewed as not invisible.
So the purpose of this post is to center myself, and anyone else, on Jesus Christ “the Mystery.” The mystery is something that was hidden outside of time (in God) and was eventually, at just the right time in history, revealed. So, it is something very old but appears as new. We know that the Holy Spirit was “in the beginning” and we know that Jesus Christ was “in the beginning” as the Word of God, and words require a language and a mouth to speak, I think? So Peter says, “concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look” (1 Pet. 1:10-12, emphasis mine).
So this tells me something interesting. This “gospel of Christ” was “in the beginning.” And if God’s “Voice” being Jesus, was communicating messages to Adam and Eve, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Malachi, and everyone in between, who was “anointed”, meaning they were “moved” in their words and deeds in unique ways by the “Spirit of Christ” in them as a Priest, Prophet, or King of Israel, and were a physical, in time expression, of something hidden outside of time but waiting to be “fully” revealed in time. And Peter says these Holy Spirit anointed individuals “knew” something and some of them even inquired about it, searching to unfold the “Mystery.” And the Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, explains that he was blessed, along with other “saints” (as Paul puts it), I am guessing he means Peter, John, and others, to understand that along with the revealing of the “Messiah of Israel” was the fuller “Mystery” which was that the entire world (which was pre-seen in the slaying of the first animal in the Garden of Eden to cover humanity’s sin, since we were “all” in Adam) would be welcomed into this “family of God” along with all the promises and blessings which come attached. And now we are “all ONE” big family, stating that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:28-29, emphasis mine). And all this came through the revealing of the “full Mystery” of the Gospel of Christ by the Holy Spirit … at just the right time.
So, with that, I just want to say that apart from the Holy Spirit’s anointing, whether in the Old Testament, New Testament, history, or today, there is “no vision” to see the GLORY of God “in” the face of Jesus Christ. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6, emphasis mine), Who is the exact imprint and physical expression of the Eternal One who is “Spirit.” For, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24, emphasis mine).
Now, look up … and worship!
Aletheia: Truth in the Darkness 