The Secret Place

By Steven Masone

2 Tim 2:15 "study to show thyself approved of God, a workman who

needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth."

There is very little difference in the word: SECRET and the word: SACRED. 

When we "are hid in the the cleft of the Rock" we are in a Secret & Sacred Place. 

God hides us if we are sacred to Him. God also has Sacred Truths that are in Secret for

those who will seek,that secret place and dwell there until they know the secret.

"Ye shall know the truth,and the truth shall make you free."

Many Christians today are sadly lacking in their personal study of

God's word especially in regards to spiritual warfare that must be

understood through exhaustive study beyond sermons, books, and hearsay

based on misquoted and out of context scripture.

Thus, I will in this writing often leave out book chapter and

verse so as not to perpetuate the 'spoon fed' approach that creates

false 'imaginations and high things' causing strongholds the enemy 's

warfare aims at. (note* use Strong's concordance when familiar

scripture is quoted.) Reading my commentary or any others without

'rightly dividing the word of truth' is the folly of those who will be

numbered in the apostate church in these last days.

The 'word of truth ' is the first thing the enemy took from Eve in the garden. The serpents first word was 'yea'...was this just a way of beginning his attack or was 'yea' his answer to a question by Eve herself? "yea hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

This brings up the question, can the enemy read

our minds? Many believe and teach that the enemy cannot. But the enemy of our own carnal mind invites satanic influence entrance through the door of questioning doubt as to God's omnipotence,omniscience, and

omnipresence. Was Eve in doubt asking herself was God's commandment the 'word of truth?' 
Was this the first error of Eve? Perhaps not!

Eve was created for the purpose of being a help meet for Adam in regards to his position as overseer of God's Garden. Scripture does not tell us that Eve heard the commandment from God personally but rather from Adam as God spoke it to Adam prior to Eve's creation and although not out of character, we see God always uses the headship of the man to speak. (in regards to his Divine Government)

So then, was Eve's error that she was not under the covering of her

God anointed headship of Adam, that made her vulnerable to the enemy?

Was she usurping Adam's authority just as Lucifer tried with God?

Conjecture aside what truth that is incontrovertible is, that the

subtly and 'craftiness' of the enemy has every thing to do with

attacking our thoughts to 'kill, steal, and destroy' our faith in the

'word of truth'.

If Adam passed God's commandment to Eve, then when she questioned

it's truth, she did not go to Adam for further understanding because

she had already fell to 'pride of life' and did not want to humble

herself regarding her God given purpose.

She was not content to be a help meet for Adam or God! In type, Eve is the 'carnal mind' that will through lust of the eyes and flesh, and pride of life lead the spiritual mind captive! The Divine order should be spirit-mind-body, but fallen man is body-mind-spirit with the flesh ascendant over the mind and the spirit is effectively dead.

(Psa 91:1 KJV) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

"THE SACRED SECRETS OF THE KINGDOM" (Matt. 13:11, 35)

“Mystery” or “Sacred Secret”?

Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible calls the administration that we live in “…the administration (dispensation) of the sacred secret…,” while the NIV says “…the administration of this mystery....”

Ephesians 3:9 (Rotherham)
And to bring to light—What is the administration of the sacred secret which had been hidden away from the ages in God, who did all things create.

Ephesians 3:9 (NIV)
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

Why the difference? Throughout the history of the Christian Church, scholars and theologians have propounded doctrines they considered “mysteries,” and therefore the concept of the “mysterious” things of God has become part of Christian doctrine. Thus many versions of the Bible translate the Greek word musterion as “mystery.” This is unfortunate because musterion does not mean “mystery.” “Mystery” is a transliteration of the word musterion, not a translation of it. A “transliteration” is when the letters of a word in one language are brought across into another language. The prefix “trans” means “across,” and the Latin littera means “letter.” Thus, “transliteration” is literally “bringing across the letters.” In contrast, “translation” is bringing the meaning of a word in one language across into another language. If we are going to bring the meaning of the Greek into English, we must translate, not transliterate.

The English word “mystery” means something that is incomprehensible, beyond understanding, unknowable. Thus it is common in religious circles to speak of things such as the The Incarnation or Communion [7] as “mysteries” because they cannot be understood. In contrast, a “secret” is something that is known by someone but unknown by others. [8] A surprise birthday party is a “secret” to the person having the birthday, but known by those who will attend it. The Greek word musterion means “sacred secret,” that is, a secret in the sacred or spiritual realm that must be made known by God.

It is well documented by scholars that musterion refers to a secret, and not to our standard meaning of “mystery.”

Musterion: In the New Testament it denotes, not the mysterious (as with the English Word), but that which, being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God. [9]

But whereas “mystery” may mean, and in contemporary usage often does mean, a secret for which no answer can be found, this is not the connotation of the termmysterion in classical and biblical Greek. In the New Testament, mysterion signifies a secret which is being, or even has been, revealed, which is also divine in scope, and needs to be made known by God to men through his Spirit. [10]

The mystery of the New Testament has been described as an ‘open secret’; matters previously kept secret in God’s eternal purposes have now been or are being revealed (Eph. 3:3-5; 1 Cor. 2:7-8). [11]

Scholars’ assertion that the word musterion does not mean “mystery,” but instead refers to a secret that can be known, is confirmed by many verses of Scripture. The verses quoted below make two points that the Bible student must know if he wants to understand the Administration of the Sacred Secret. The first is that the Sacred Secret was hidden from earlier generations and in earlier ages. The second is that God has now made it known. God began to reveal it after the resurrection of Christ and completed revealing it when He made it known to the Apostle Paul. Since Christians can know the Sacred Secret, it cannot be a “mystery” in the sense that most people think of today, i.e., something that cannot be known.

Romans 16:25b and 26a
(25b) …the mystery [musterion] hidden for long ages past,
(26a) but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God…

Ephesians 3:4 and 5
(4) In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery [musterion] of Christ,
(5) which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.

Colossians 1:26
the mystery [musterion] that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

1 Corinthians 2:7-10a
(7) No, we speak of God’s secret [musterion] wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
(8) None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
(9) However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—
(10a) but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit…

The Sacred Secret was hidden so completely that verse 9 says that before God revealed it, no mind had even conceived what God prepared for us. That is why it is called a “sacred secret,” why it needed to be revealed by God (Eph. 3:3), and why it was “unsearchable” (Eph. 3:8) in Scripture. Sadly, these verses in Corinthians often get quoted out of context. It is not uncommon to hear a preacher read these verses and then teach that God has things in store for us in the future that no eye has seen or ear heard. That is not what the verses are saying. Quoting the Old Testament, they say that what was not known or even thought about back then has now been revealed to the Christian Church. The evidence is clear: the musterion of the Church is a sacred secret that was hidden but is now known by those who care to take the time to learn it. However, it is not apprehended by intellect alone...but through divine revelation because one is "dwelling in the Secret Place!"  [12]

“Sacred Secret,” not just “Secret”

Why is it a “sacred secret” and not just a “secret”? The Greek language uses musterion for secrets in the sacred or religious sphere but another word, kruptos, for secrets that are in the secular realm. Examples of kruptos include: Jesus said to give alms in secret (Matt. 6:4-KJV); he taught that every secret thing will be brought to light (Mark 4:22-KJV); he went to Jerusalem in secret (John 7:10-KJV); God will judge men’s secrets (Rom. 2:16); and, prophecy reveals the secrets of the heart (1 Cor. 14:24 and 25). [13]

Anyone reading the Greek New Testament knows whether God is speaking of a secular secret (kruptos) or a sacred secret (musterion). A good English version will make that difference too. If both kruptos and musterion are translated as “secret,” the difference between the Greek words is lost to English readers, and if translators use “secret” for kruptos and “mystery” for musterion, the English Bible is made to say something that it just does not say, that is, the things of God are mysterious. [14]

Is there a way to translate kruptos and musterion such that the meaning of the Greek words is communicated clearly into English? Yes, there is. There is no place in the New Testament wheremusterion cannot be fittingly translated as “sacred secret,” which is exactly what Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible does. If we translate kruptos as “secret,” and musterion as “sacred secret,” the meaning of the Greek is communicated clearly, and we English-speaking people are in a better position to know and understand what God says in His Word.

Why Hide the Sacred Secret?

Once we understand that this administration was a “sacred secret,” certain questions immediately come to mind: “From whom was it hidden?” “Why did God hide it?” “When and how was it revealed?” “How can I learn about it?” These are logical questions, and they are all answered in the Church Epistles, the letters from the Lord to his Church. We have seen that God has revealed the Sacred Secret to us (Rom. 16:25 and 26; 1 Cor. 2:7-10; Eph. 3:3-5; Col. 1:26 and 27). God kept the Sacred Secret hidden during the Old Testament and Gospels, first revealing it to Paul and then, in the Church Epistles, to the Christians and the world.

Ephesians 3:2 and 3
(2) Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me [Paul] for you,
(3) that is, the mystery [Sacred Secret] made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus that he got his understanding of the Sacred Secret by revelation, and he said the same thing to the Galatians.

Galatians 1:11 and 12
(11) I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.
(12) I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

The Administration of the Secret was not revealed to men before the Lord revealed it to the Apostle Paul. If it had been, there would have been no reason for Jesus to reveal it to Paul by revelation and no reason for Paul to make the point that he got his knowledge directly from Christ. Had the information been revealed before the Lord gave it in the seven Church Epistles, then someone could have taught it to Paul, or he could have learned it from reading the Old Testament. Instead, Paul learned it directly from Christ because it was a secret until then. The Sacred Secret was unknown before the resurrection of Christ, so Christians must carefully read and re-read the epistles to the Christian Church (Acts-Jude) if they are going to truly understand the spiritual riches God has conferred specifically upon Christians.

The book of Corinthians gives even more understanding why God hid the administration of Grace and did not reveal it until after Christ’s crucifixion. The Administration of the Sacred Secret is so wonderful, and what Christians have in Christ is so glorious and powerful, that had the Devil and his demons known it, they would not have crucified the Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:7 and 8
(7) No, we speak of God’s secret [musterion] wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
(8) None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [15]

Christians have power after receiving The Holy Ghost in salvation, and the fullness of holy spirit within them, which Colossians refers to as “…Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). Satan would rather have had Jesus Christ remain alive than deal with thousands of Christians, each of whom has the fullness of Christ within. However, the Devil did not find out about the Christian Church until after he had crucified the Lord, and then it was too late.

So in this 'End Time' administration/dispensation there are "mysteries, secret sacred truths that are to be found out by those who can "Hear what the Spirit saith to The Church!"

It was no secret that the kingdom, so long prophesied, should be rejected; that the King should not be received; that Messiah should be "cut off," and not then receive the kingdom. All this was a plain matter of Divine revelation. Many prophecies declare this. But what was to happen to the kingdom during the rejection of the King was not revealed; this was kept secret. There can be no kingdom without a king, therefore, while he is away, the kingdom must be in abeyance. In the Old Testament we have the kingdom prophesied. In the Gospels and Acts we have the kingdom rejected. In the Epistles we have the interval between this rejection, and the future setting up of the kingdom in Divine power, judgment, and glory, which is foreshown in the Apocalypse.

In these Epistles we have the interval, but chiefly in its relation to the Church. We do not learn in them what was to happen to the kingdom; the sacred secrets concerning this are not there revealed. It is in Matt. 13 that the Lord Jesus, in seven parables, describes the course of the kingdom from the first sowing of its seed by the Son of Man, to the final setting up of the throne of His glory; and this without any reference whatever to the Assembly of God. The Assembly of God, as we shall presently see, is not the subject of these parables, being itself another sacred secret, emphatically called "the great sacred secret." These parables concern the kingdom, and we are clearly told why they were spoken, and what was their subject as well as their object.

In verse 10, the disciples came and said unto Him, "Wherefore, in parables, art thou speaking to them?"

He answered and said unto them, "Because, unto you, hath it been given, to get to know the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens,--whereas, unto them, hath it not been given." Then in verse 34, we read "All these things, spoke Jesus in parables, unto the multitudes, and, without a parable, was he speaking, nothing, unto them: that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken through the prophet (Ps. 88:2), saying--I will open, in parables, my mouth, I will bring up things hidden from the foundation!" Most do not truly see these truths in the parables, they think they do, but were it true...they would be "set on high."

Hence, in these seven parables, we have the revelation of the sacred secrets concerning the kingdom of heaven; i.e., what would happen in consequence of and after its rejection, and we are told that these things had been kept secret all through the ages. And further, that when the Lord Jesus spoke in parables, He spoke, not to reveal the sacred secrets to the multitudes, but to hide them; and also that His disciples and we might afterwards understand. It is clear, therefore, that we are not to look for the Body of the Christ in these parables, but that, whatever we may learn from them, we must distinguish between these "sacred secrets of the kingdom" and the "great sacred secret" concerning the Christ and the Church.

For example; "Eating his flesh" does not have one application, it is omni-dimensional and applies to His will, words, body and more....if you don't know the depth of the truths of "The Lords Supper (communion) it's due to lack of consecration to fasting and prayer in the Word & Spirit. When most carnal Christians have a rare 'breakthrough' in the spirit, they revel in the outward euphoric manifestations and neglect to read and study, receiving Secret, Sacred Revelation and Communion.

Jesus said "The Words that I speak are Spirit and Life." He also says "  "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?"( secret sacred truths )

So when we are instructed by his word through the apostles to not "partake unworthily of the Lord's body when we perform the "earthly sacrament", and we just go through the motions instead of repenting over our bitterness and un-forgiveness, our un-belief hinders us from spiritual infilling and power to overcome the enemy and receive life-changing revelation that only comes by "The Spirit and by the Word"... that is Spirit and life.

Isaiah 58

True Fasting

 ¹Call with the throat, restrain not, As a trumpet lift up thy voice, And declare to My people their transgression, And to the house of Jacob their sins;

 ²Seeing -- Me day by day they seek, And the knowledge of My ways they desire, As a nation that righteousness hath done, And the judgment of its God hath not forsaken, They ask of me judgments of righteousness, The drawing near of God they desire:

 ³`Why have we fasted, and Thou hast not seen? We have afflicted our soul, and Thou knowest not.' Lo, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, And all your labours ye exact.

 ⁴Lo, for strife and debate ye fast, And to smite with the fist of wickedness, Ye fast not as [to]-day, To sound in the high place your voice.

 ⁵Like this is the fast that I choose? The day of a man's afflicting his soul? To bow as a reed his head, And sackcloth and ashes spread out? This dost thou call a fast, And a desirable day -- to Jehovah?

 ⁶Is not this the fast that I chose -- To loose the bands of wickedness, To shake off the burdens of the yoke, And to send out the oppressed free, And every yoke ye draw off?

 ⁷Is it not to deal to the hungry thy bread, ( literally and metaphorically) And the mourning poor bring home, That thou seest the naked and cover him, And from thine own flesh hide not thyself?

 ⁸Then broken up as the dawn is thy light, And thy health in haste springeth up, Gone before thee hath thy righteousness, The honour of Jehovah doth gather thee.

 ⁹Then thou callest, and Jehovah answereth, Thou criest, and He saith, `Behold Me.' If thou turn aside from thy midst the yoke, The sending forth of the finger, And the speaking of vanity,

 ¹⁰And dost bring out to the hungry thy soul, And the afflicted soul dost satisfy, Then risen in the darkness hath thy light, And thy thick darkness [is] as noon.

 ¹¹And Jehovah doth lead thee continually, And hath satisfied in drought thy soul, And thy bones He armeth, And thou hast been as a watered garden, And as an outlet of waters, whose waters lie not.

 ¹²And they have built out of thee the wastes of old, The foundations of many generations thou raisest up, And one calleth thee, `Repairer of the breach, Restorer of paths to rest in.'

 ¹³If thou dost turn from the sabbath thy foot, Doing thine own pleasure on My holy day, And hast cried to the sabbath, `A delight,' To the holy of Jehovah, `Honoured,' And hast honoured it, without doing thine own ways, Without finding thine own pleasure, And speaking a word.

 ¹⁴Then dost thou delight thyself on Jehovah, And I have caused thee to ride on high places of earth, And have caused thee to eat the inheritance of Jacob thy father, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken!

God's word here clearly shows us that we are not to fast for self-affliction and self-abasement. We are to fast so that we "break (loose) the bands of wickedness ( sin dwells in our flesh) and get free from the yokes of this flesh, world, and PRIDE OF LIFE (Satan) so that our "Light/Spirt" will be released to accomplish God's will through us according to his Word!

God will not not honor masochism which is just para-suicidal activity. He does not want us to suffer, he wants us to learn to pick up our cross and follow him in the spiritual kingdom he established by dying on the cross. Our co-death is not to be physically akin to his crucifixion because if our death would not be accepted as a sacrifice for sin, why would our physical suffering have any efficacious value?

 To die to self is a spiritual matter that involves our "ego mechanism"  in our Pride of Life component of this fallen nature and we have his Word and Spirit and Blood to free ourselves with. "To pick up our Cross" simply refers to our dying daily as we stay in prayer, the word and obedience thereof.

    

True holiness and humility comes only when we are submitted to the Spirit and Word by and through the Word in obedience to fast, pray and study (eat his flesh/drink his blood) and we humble ourselves to be last. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked etc...out of love rather than legalistic duty and man's praise.

Then we find God lifts us up and he makes us first! So the Secret Place is Last Place! But the Revelation is when we are truly in last place, we are in the righteousness, peace and joy of The Holy Ghost! And we thank God for teaching us that the "least shall be the greatest!" And  sacred secret after sacred secret will be found in The Secret Place of The Most High!

 

Psalm 139

King James Version (KJV)

139 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

¹⁰ Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

¹¹ If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

¹² Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

¹³ For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

¹⁵ My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in the secret place, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

¹⁶ Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

¹⁸ If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

¹⁹ Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.

²⁰ For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

²¹ Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

²² I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

²⁴ And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

So we see that "The secret place is likened to our mothers womb. Again a picture of the Bride, the Body,the Church...New Jerusalem the Mother of us all. 

Galations 4:  24Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Here it is!

Matthew 18

Amplified Bible (AMP)

18 At that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

² And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them,

³ And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].

⁴ Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and acceptsand welcomes Me.

⁶ But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe inand ^[a]acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin [that is, who entices him or hinders him in right conduct or thought], it would be better (^[b]more expedient and profitable or advantageous) for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea.

It took the Word and Spirit to be born again...it takes the same to "Become Little children" to "Dwell in the secret place of the most High."      

trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving, Dwelling in His Presence!