It was to this one, later to be called Paul, that the Spirit of truth eventually disclosed many mysterious things. Paul said that he received an assignment, a charge, and a burden from God to complete the word of God, the divine revelation (Col. 1:25). It would be a great loss if Paul's fourteen Epistles were taken away from the Bible. Without his Epistles, we would not be able to fellowship anything concerning the Body of Christ. The Lord Jesus did not have the opportunity to reveal this in the Gospels.

Matthew 16 tells us that one day Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" (v. 15). Peter responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 16). No doubt, Peter received a heavenly revelation of who Jesus is. The Lord went on to say that He would build His church upon this rock, upon this revelation concerning Christ which Peter received. This revelation of Christ and the church in Matthew 16 is wonderful, but it is not as intrinsic as the revelation of the church as the Body of Christ. The Lord did not tell Peter that the church was His Body because He knew that Peter would not be able to apprehend it. Even though Peter became the top apostle in Jerusalem, he did not receive such a revelation. It was not until later that Paul received this revelation. In Paul's fourteen Epistles, we can see all the mysterious things, all the hidden things, of God's economy. This economy was a mystery hidden in God who created the universe (Eph. 3:9), but it was revealed to Paul.

As we read Paul's writings, we cannot help but wonder where and how he saw so many mysterious things. We would not be able to understand all the typology in Leviticus without his writing in the book of Hebrews. Furthermore, the Body of Christ is only mentioned in the writings of Paul. The more I have studied Paul's Epistles, the more I have wondered what kind of person he was and how he received his revelation. How could Paul see all these things? Who told Paul of the one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one God and Father with one hope, one faith, and one baptism (Eph. 4:4-6)?

Paul saw that in eternity past before the foundation of the world, God selected us in Christ that we might be made holy (Eph. 1:4). Who told this to Paul? In Ephesians 1 Paul told us that Christ accomplished redemption with the forgiveness of sins, and this redemption brought all of God's chosen people into Christ as a realm, a sphere, and an element. With this element we saved ones will be made God's inheritance, and eventually the entire universe will be headed up in Christ (vv. 7-12). Who told Paul this? We need revelation to see all the wonderful things revealed to Paul concerning the Body of Christ in the book of Ephesians.