With all wisdom and
understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good
pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to
bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
The mystery of
His will was how exactly He would take care of this sin problem in human
beings. The temple and the animal
sacrifices offered a temporary solution to a permanent problem. Prophecies pointed to something great
happening one day. Then Jesus showed up,
fulfilling those prophecies and fulfilling the requirements of a perfect
sacrifice to take away the sin of the whole world and every person who ever
lived on it—Jesus Himself. That solution united
the world and will unite the world when every knee bows to Him.
It was a mystery to those in the Old Testament how it would all work out and to the writers of New Testament who saw the solution before their very eyes. Now it is no longer a mystery.