Colossians 1:25-27 KJVS
Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; [26] Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: [27] 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:

Apostle Paul was given a dispensation by God to fulfill the word of God. Before we go on, I should point something out. In verse 27 it states, “To whom God would make known”. Not everybody is given the knowledge to understand the significance of the mystery of God. Some understand the importance of it and some don’t. That being said, back to the matter at hand. In Paul’s epistles he prophesied about the end time event of when the saints meet our Lord in the air, and receive a glorified body. The information in regard to this is spread out in various verses throughout many of his epistles.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10,12 KJVS
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, [8] In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; [10] When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. [12] That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints is of course what is commonly referred to as the rapture of the church. Some of the other verses in this prophecy describes events that take place in the end times during the Tribulation. If you use the Strong’s Concordance with the King James version of the Bible, you can do a word study on the word “mystery” and find many of the scriptures that I’m going to use in this article. The word mystery only appears in the New Testament in the KJV. The first time Paul mentions this mystery, is in the last chapter of Romans, almost as an after thought. And he calls it my gospel.

Romans 16:25 KJVS
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

In Ephesians Paul expands upon his knowledge of the revelation of the mystery.

Ephesians 3:1-6 KJVS
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: [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:

To me the mystery of God, and mystery of Christ, appears to be synonymous. Fellowheirs are those who are recipient of the promise God gave to Abraham, and his seed, to be heir of the world, Ro 4:13.

Galatians 3:16,29 KJVS
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [29] And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

In 1 Corinthians, he writes about the mystery and goes into an interesting detail.

1 Corinthians 2:6-10,13 KJVS
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: [7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: [8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. [10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. [13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

If the princes of this world had known about the mystery, they would not have crucified our Lord. Why is that? Well, the mystery is Christ in you the hope of glory, which speaks of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, working in our lives, making us worthy of salvation. Which culminates in our meeting the Lord in the air, receiving glorified bodies, and ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ for a 1000 years, Re 20:4&6. The Holy Ghost teaches us many things by our comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Now to me that means comparing scripture with scripture, and combining them together to paint a picture, so to speak. The last verse in this chapter informs us that we have the mind of Christ, because Christ is in us, which facilitates our doing just that.

1 Corinthians 2:16 KJVS
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

Later, in the same chapter, Paul writes when the saints will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:42-43,49-52 KJVS
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: [43] It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: [49] And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. [50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. [51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

In a later epistle, Paul reinforces what he wrote in the above verses.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 KJVS
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

It wasn’t until much later that apostle John would corroborate what Paul wrote and make clear exactly when the saints would meet the Lord in the air. He did that in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 10:7 KJVS
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Now notice, John wrote “in the days”. Because the mystery of God will be finished not at one specific day, but over a short period of time. Re 20:4 indicates that some Christians will have to refuse the mark of the beast, in order to rule, and reign with Jesus Christ for 1000 years.

Revelation 11:15 ESV
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
Revelation 12:5 KJVS
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet to be blown by the seventh angel. Paul called it the last trump. Paul wrote those verses a good 20 years prior to when apostle John wrote about the vision God gave him which he transcribed in the book of Revelation. So in regard to the last trump, Paul’s prophecy lacks a certain degree of clarity beyond the Spirit calling it the last trump. And our Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 24 also lacks specifics because God and Jesus Christ were holding their cards close to their chest, 1 Co 2:7-8, concerning the role that the indwelling Spirit of Christ plays in the salvation of believers, Jn 17:23.