Praise the Lord that we brothers and sisters who are scattered in the United States and Canada can have a happy reunion here today. We are truly joyful to see the faces of so many dear ones. However, the Lord has given me a heavy burden, and I have been considering what to speak.
One day a few months ago, I had the inner sense that the universe is a story of mysteries, and the Bible is also a record of mysteries. Then I considered: According to my general knowledge and the knowledge which I have obtained from reading the Bible, how many mysteries are there in the universe? Moreover, how many mysteries are there in the Bible? It is strange that the word mystery is not found in the Old Testament; however, it is used again and again in the New Testament. We can probably find ten to twenty different mysteries in the New Testament. For example, Matthew 13 speaks about the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens.
In the universe, even a mosquito or a bee is a mystery. Not only the animals are mysteries, but the plants also are mysteries. Consider this: Two seeds may look exactly the same, yet after they are sown, one bears white flowers and the other bears yellow flowers. What a mystery! I planted a number of “bird of paradise” plants in my yard. When one day they bloomed, I was shocked. I have been observing the “bird of paradise” flowers for many years. The blooms are golden yellow and blue, with a little white, and the leaves are green. If we asked even the best Chinese artist to paint with the best colors, he still could not paint something so beautiful. No biologist can tell us why the “bird of paradise” flowers are golden yellow and blue.
Our elderly Brother Weigh, who graduated with a biology major from the Chin-ning University in Nanching, was an expert in raising bees. When I met him for the first time, we spoke about bees. He said, “Brother Lee, bees are very mysterious. Some of them are leaders, some are queens, some are in groups, some are guards, and some are night-watchers. It is really marvelous! They are more submissive than the Chinese wives; some know how to exercise their headship in a way that is superior even to the way we Christians exercise our headship.” I was very glad to learn that even the little bee is a mystery.
I have no intention to speak about the mystery of plants or animals; my intention is to speak about the five great mysteries. Bees are a mystery, but they are a small mystery, not a great mystery. Then what are the great mysteries? Of course, the heavens and the earth are the first great mystery, which is also according to the sequence of the Bible. The first two items listed in the record of God’s creation are first the heavens and second the earth. How mysterious are the heavens and the earth!
Do you know how big heaven is? More than twenty years ago when I first came to the United States to work for the Lord, I lived in Los Angeles. An observatory there published a report, saying that the sun we see and the nine great planets form one solar system; two hundred forty million solar systems constitute one galaxy; and forty billion galaxies constitute the entire system of the universe. Try to calculate this! Then in 1975 there was a report of a new discovery, saying that one hundred billion galaxies constitute the entire system of the universe. How many can you count? The astronomers claim that their study was very thorough, but I do not believe so. Twenty years ago they said forty billion galaxies form the universe, then after twenty years the number was increased from forty billion to one hundred billion. I am afraid that after another twenty years the number will go up to two hundred billion. The universe is too mysterious; its vastness is a mystery.
There are mainly five great mysteries in the Bible. The first great mystery is the universe, and the second is man. Zechariah 12:1 says, “Jehovah, who stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him.” You should not consider man to be so small. Man is as great as the heavens and the earth, because this verse, after referring to the heavens and the earth, immediately mentions man. Even the Chinese sages considered heaven, earth, and man as three powers. Every one of us is important; we are all very great persons.
Man’s greatness is not like the greatness of the universe that lies in its vastness. Man is great in that there is a mystery in him, a mystery which is of three layers. The first layer is the mystery of the body, man’s outward part; the second layer is the mystery of the human soul, man’s inward part; and the third layer is the mystery of the spirit, man’s innermost part.
The third great mystery in the Bible is God. God is too mysterious! The fourth great mystery is Christ, and the fifth is the church. The universe, man, God, Christ, and the church are the five great mysteries shown to us in the Bible. We are humans standing on the earth with the heaven above us; we have God; we are Christians, and we are in the church. We have a share in heaven and earth, in humanity, in God, in Christ, and in the church. Hallelujah, we have a share in each of the five great mysteries!
The Bible is a written explanation of these five great mysteries. We should never think that we are already clear about all these things because we have been Christians for a long time. I have been a Christian for more than half a century and have also read and worn out several Bibles. I feel, however, that I still do not know these five great mysteries in an adequate way. The Bible is a book of mysteries that records in particular the Christian mysteries. These five great mysteries, which are universal facts, require a book of explanation.
The universe is a story of mystery, and the Bible is its explanation. Actually, the explanation of this mystery is found also in the universe itself. We have the universe and the Bible. What is the story of heaven and earth? What is the story of man? What is the story of Christ? And what is the story of the church? All these matters are clearly spoken of in the Bible. I have not delved into many books, but the one book I have read the most is the Holy Bible. The Bible is the unique book, the book of books. Blessed are those who diligently study the Bible!
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