Text: Colossians 2:1-2, Titus 2:11-13
There are thoughts in the bible that we would not be able to access because of the level of light we possess. In recent times, it has become clear that the mystery of Christ, the mystery of the Father and the mystery of God are not the same. Scriptures show that these mysteries are to be learned by those who have been born again. We were born again to learn these mysteries.
Mysteries, in literal sense, means knowledge that has been hidden. These mysteries of Christ, the Father and God are bodies of knowledge which have been hidden in God before time began. Jesus taught the mysteries of Christ, the Father and of God while He was on earth even though it was beyond the comprehension of the hearers at the time. The apostles also taught these mysteries (Heb. 2:3).
There is a faith that is in the Lord which has the ability to give inheritance. Christ gave Paul the commission to teach about the Faith of the Son, to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light for them to receive forgiveness and inheritance. (Acts 26:18)
The first thing that a believer who is learning the faith of Christ receives is the opening of his eyes. Satan's work thrives in the blindness of men (ignorance) and so a recovery of eyes leads to a turning from the power of Satan to God . The end of the faith that is being spoken of, leads to forgiveness of sins and the giving of the inheritance. The faith of Christ is empowered to purge sins that are resident in any soul who undergoes the process of opening eyes, turning from darkness unto light and turning from the power of satan unto God.
The peak of the faith of the Son produces a godly man. The faith of the Son produces a lifestyle of sobriety, righteousness and godliness (Tit. 2:11-12) in the soul. The mystery of Christ has to be unveiled to any soul who would experience God’s definition of righteousness. Every righteousness a soul experiences before the revelation of the mystery of Christ is not the righteousness of Christ.
The appearance of the grace of God (Tit. 2:11) is not first physical. The appearance of the grace of God always wroughts change in the soul. The essence of the appearance of the Lord is to deliver doctrine to the soul. Jesus can appear to every soul in different capacities. He can come as the Jesus of Nazareth, or as Christ, or as the Father or as God. Each of these comings are appearances and the end product of any appearance must be the communication of doctrine to a people. The Lord has brought our generation to a place where He has begun to appear to us (speak to us) as Father.
The blessed hope would only be sought out by one who has experienced the appearance of the grace of God - one who has encountered the mystery of the doctrine of Christ (Faith, Hope and Charity). The blessed hope is the Father and anyone who would look for the blessed hope must first have experienced Christ. Anyone who has become Christ must look for both the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God (Tit. 2:13). God the Father, is both the Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3). He operates in both capacities.
The epistle of 1 Timothy began by introducing God as the Saviour and our Hope (1 Tim. 1:1). Both descriptions refer to the person of Jesus Christ who has both embodied the commandments and the hope. The hope here is not the hope in 1 Corinthians 13:13 but the hope that precedes salvation which Titus 2:13 refers to as the “blessed hope”.
The Father is the veil between the Holy place and the most Holy and only those who have prospered with the course of the holy place can find entrance into the realm of the father. The teaching of the Father is the teaching of the hope that enters within the veil; the teaching of incorruptibility.
The brethren in 1 Peter 2 were written to, having obeyed truth and made sanctified, were thus qualified for the incorruptible seed which lives and abides (1 Pet. 2:22-23).
The coming of the Lord is not first about rapture. In fact, the new testament records several comings of the Lord to the apostles which are clearly not rapture. The appearances communicated Christ commandments - Faith, Hope and Charity commandments which were supposed to be kept pure, unspotted and unrebukeably. When this is done, the Lord would appear to show the Father - the blessed and only potentate (1 Tim. 6:14-15). He has appeared as Christ previously but this particular coming “in His times” is to reveal the Father.
The coming of the Lord in rapture would not be experienced if a people have not first experienced His coming in this manner. The Lord needs to come to us in doctrine for us to bring forth a lifestyle contrary to that which Satan has measured for humanity. This would lead to the coming of Christ, the Father and God to us.