1. Apostolic Private Eye
In search of truth
Eph. 3.1-6, 9 Rev. 10.7
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have
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heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward: 3
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in
few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of
his promise in Christ by the gospel: ... 9 And to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in
God, who created all things by Jesus Christ
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
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the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets.
Introduction
According to http://dictionary.com mystery is defined as:
● One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma:
How he got in is a mystery.
● A work of fiction, a drama, or a film dealing with a puzzling crime.
● The skills, lore, or practices that are peculiar to a particular activity or group and are
regarded as the special province of initiates. Often used in the plural: the mysteries of
Freemasonry; the mysteries of cooking game.
● A religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine
revelation.
● A religious cult practicing secret rites to which only initiates are admitted.
● A secret rite of such a cult.
One of the most popular board games to date is known as "Clue". It is distributed by Parker
Brothers, but the concept was developed in 1944 in Bournemouth England by a Mr. Anthony E.
Pratt. It is sold in over 40 countries, and has become a classic here in the USA.
Thus we often define a mystery as a "whodunit" like the type found on http://www.mysterynet.com
which states,
"Mystery and crime stories as we know them today did not emerge until the mid-nineteenth

2. century when Edgar Allan Poe introduced mystery fiction's first fictional detective, Auguste C.
Dupin, in his 1841 story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The acknowledged father of the
mystery story, Poe continued Dupin's exploits in novels such as "The Mystery of Marie Roget"
(1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1845).
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is the most famous example of a mystery style known as the
locked room, in which "a murder victim is found inside an apparently sealed enclosure and the
detective's challenge is to discover the murderer's modus operandi."
Poe was one of the first to shift the focus of mystery stories from the aesthetics of the situation to
a more intellectual reality, moving the story from "a focus on the superficial trappings of eerie
setting and shocking event to a study of the criminal's mind."
As important as his contributions were to the genre, Poe was influenced greatly by the early work
of Charles Dickens who, with his contemporary, Wilkie Collins, made major contributions to the
genre as well. Dickens wrote many stories that contained elements of mystery and suspense,
including "Bleak House" (1853). "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (1870), an unfinished
masterpiece, is the perfect murder mystery because Dickens death left it forever unsolved."
Poe and Dickens are two of my favorite authors, but they are not the only ones.
We cannot forget Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" mysteries, and
Agatha Christie's more than 80 novels that spanned 50 plus years. Nancy Drew,
and the Hardy Boys are evidence that the appeal of mysteries goes deep into our
youth.
But a mystery is more than a “w hodunit”, it is also something hidden from
perception that must be sought out. In a mystery there are clues scattered
around that will eventually lead us to the solution, but rarely does one or two
leads reveal the mystery, Only after extensive study and research is the veil
pulled back and truth exposed before our eyes.
In this message/lesson I will endeavor to bring to the surface the clues that will
inevitably lead you to solve the mystery, but in the tradition of the master mystery
writers, I will leave the solution to you.
The clues to the mysteries of God
There are many mysteries hidden in the pages of the Bible, that can only be
revealed through study. The apostle said, “ 2 Tim 2.15 Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
The word “myst ery/mysteries” in the NT comes from the Greek word musterion
(from the word muo meaning shut the mouth). It means, “a secret or mystery
(through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites)”.
In the 1894 Doyle story The Reigate Puzzle Doyle has Holmes say, "It is of the
highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize out of a number of facts which
are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of
being concentrated." And in A Scandal in Bohemia from 1891 Holmes says, "It is a
capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit
theories, instead of theories to suit facts."

3. Thus we shall endeavor to find the facts that will reveal the mysteries that God
has given to us.
The word mystery is used 27 times in the New Testament. In three of the four
gospels, in the epistles, and in the book of Revelations.
● Note the Gospel of John does not use it
● Neither does the book of Acts
● The gospel's only use the word in relation to the “Pa rable of the sower”
● Revelations uses the word four times (the unveiling)
● Every one of the epistles that use the word were written by Paul (20 times
in total)
● 1 Cor. uses the word five times (the book of gifts and love)
● Col. uses the word four times (talking about Christ in you and unity)
● But Eph. uses the word six times (three of those in relation to Gentiles
being “f ellowheirs”
What are the mysteries of God?
● The Kingdom of God/Gospel (Mtt. 13.11, Lke 8.10, Mk 4.11) – Sowing the
seed (Eph. 6.19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my
mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,)
● God's saving grace (Eph. 1.7-10 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded
toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:) – [Note:] His will!
● Prophecy/gifts & love/tongues/talents & rewards/demonstration (1 Cor.
2.7, 4.1, 13.2, 14.2)
● Christ in you/our faith (Col. 4.3, 1 Tim 3.9, Col 1.26-27 Even the mystery which
hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among
the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:) - Godhead (1 Tim 3.16 And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory.)
● Christ's relationship to His church/Olive Tree & fellow heirs/Unity (Eph 3.3-
4, 3.9, 5.32, Col. 2.2, Rev. 1.20)
● Rapture/end-times (1 Cor. 15.51, 2 Thes 2.7, Rev. 10.7, 17.5, 17.7)
Truth
According to Holmes in The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet, “ It is an old maxim of
mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must
be the truth.”

4. Jesus said, in John 14:6 “ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The Gospel of John uses the word “t ruth” 22 times which is exactly twice as
much as the other three gospels combined.
John had a special revelation of who Jesus Christ was.
It was John that told us:
● The word became flesh and He was full of truth
● True worshipers worship in spirit and truth
● That John the Baptist bore witness of the truth
● You would know the truth and the truth would set you free
● That the spirit of truth would guide us into all truth
Closing
It is not mere coincidence that the word “myst ery” only appears in the New
Testament. Nor is it coincidence that it doesn't appear in the history of the
church (Acts).
1. Why then do the gospels only mention it in the Parable of the sower?
2. Why is the word is mentioned four times in Revelations (the book that
unveils Christ to reveal God), and only in the context of the true and false
church?
3. If we are to arrive at truth, it must be clear that the Gospel of John is the
foremost writer on the subject.
The mystery has been laid out before us in the pages of God's word:
● The kingdom of God
● His grace/His will
● The gifts and talents He has given us
● Christ in us (the born again experience) – One God
● The relationship of the Church and God's chosen people – Unity
● The end-times
Knowing this we must “st udy to show ourselves approved”, for in the words of
Holmes, “ Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.”