The mystery of Christ—the church—“in other generations was not made known to the sons of men” (v. 5). The church, the Body of Christ, was hidden in the Old Testament age. None of the Old Testament saints knew anything regarding this mystery. Adam and Abel, who experienced the anticipated salvation, and Enoch, who walked with God, did not know it. Noah received God’s command to build the ark, but he did not know of the building up of the church. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph likewise did not know this mystery. Moses received the revelation to build the tabernacle, but, not knowing the mystery of the church, he did not know how to build the church. This mystery was also hidden from Samuel, David, and Solomon, who knew how to build the temple but not how to build the Body of Christ. Similarly, none of the prophets in the Old Testament knew this mystery—the church.
John the Baptist received more revelation than the Old Testament prophets. He spoke concerning Christ being the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), being the One who would baptize people in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11), and being the Bridegroom who would have the bride (John 3:29). However, not even John had a clear vision concerning the church as the mystery of Christ. Hence, in the ages before the New Testament, the mystery of the church was hidden from men. It has been revealed to the apostles and believers only in the New Testament age (Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26).
The church as the mystery of Christ was not made known to the sons of men in other generations. In the New Testament age it was revealed first by Christ in the Gospels and then by the Holy Spirit in the Epistles to the apostles and prophets. Paul in Ephesians 3:5 says that this mystery “has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in spirit.” This mystery, which was hidden throughout the ages in God, who created all things, and was hidden from the Old Testament saints, has been revealed in the New Testament. In Romans 16:25-26 Paul also speaks of “the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages but has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith.” This mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages but has been revealed in the New Testament age, is mainly of two aspects. One aspect is the mystery of God, which is Christ as life and everything to the believers that they may become the members of His Body (Col. 2:2); the other is the mystery of Christ, which is the church as His Body to express His fullness (Eph. 1:22b-23). Therefore, Christ and the church are the great mystery (Eph. 5:32).
The book of Romans first says that the believers have been baptized into Christ (6:3), that Christ has been wrought into the believers (8:10), and that the believers have put on Christ (13:14). Then it reveals that the believers are built together in one Body to express Christ in the local churches (12:4-5), with all the saints in all the churches loving one another and fellowshipping with one another to express the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God’s mystery (16:1-16). The eternal God, through the apostles and prophets, has made known this mystery, which was once kept in silence, to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith.
Colossians 1:26 says, “The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints.” From the ages means from eternity, and from the generations means from the times. The mystery of the church was hidden from eternity past throughout the Old Testament times, but in the New Testament age it has been manifested to all the believers in Christ. This indicates that the saints today have the position and privilege to receive that which was not revealed to God’s people in the Old Testament age.
Since the church was a mystery not made known to the sons of men in the Old Testament age, the Old Testament prophets did not, strictly speaking, clearly mention any direct prophecy concerning the church. The church as a mystery is altogether a revelation in the New Testament.
However, when Paul speaks in Ephesians 3 concerning the church as a mystery, he points out that “in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the Body and fellow partakers of the promise through the gospel” (v. 6). Fellow heirs indicates that in God’s New Testament economy the chosen, redeemed, and regenerated Gentiles and the believing Jews are fellow heirs of God, inheriting God. Fellow members of the Body indicates that the saved Gentiles and the saved Jews are fellow members of the one Body of Christ as His unique expression. Fellow partakers of the promise shows that the Gentile believers and the Jewish believers are fellow partakers of God’s promise given in the Old Testament concerning all the blessings of God’s New Testament economy. Therefore, although the church as a mystery was not made known to the sons of men in the Old Testament age, it cannot be denied that God prophesied, through the Old Testament prophets, that He would gain the Gentiles as His children, that they may manifest Him and partake of the promise.