Notice also that the next time anyone sees Him on earth that He will come again in the same way that He left. He does not appear in visions,apparitions, or transubstantiation. He is not there in the elements of the eucharist/mass.

Chapter 2 of Acts reports on the empowerment of the disciples by the Holy Spirit. A great crowd had gathered outside the Temple in Jerusalem. The disciples were there and spoke to the crowd, with Peter having the principle message.The chapter reports how all the people were of different nationalities and tongues, yet they heard the message in their own tongue because the Holy Spirit caused the disciples to speak to them in their own language. It states that about 3,000 souls were added that day.Added? Added to what? The mystery! What is the mystery?

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives,And recovering of sight to the blind,To set at liberty them that are bruised,To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19 ASV, quoting from Isaiah 61).

Here is the “captivity” that Christ will lead captive. It is the oppressed and blind.We are not speaking in the sense of the politically oppressed or physically blind, but those who are captive to death and sin. Liberty is proclaimed to us, through the mystery.

What is the mystery? Israel stumbled! It stumbled and it has, temporarily been set aside.The Gentiles have been grafted in. Israel rejected their Messiah (King) that week He rode into Jerusalem on the foal of the donkey.Their rejection resulted in the crucifixion of Christ, which was the atonement for our sin. Therefore, the Jews’ rejection of Him as their Messiah resulted in the reconciliation of the world to God (Romans 11:15).

This then is the mystery:

That the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6 ASV). And to make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things To the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:9-11 ASV).

The Church, comprised of all peoples and nations, is the mystery now revealed.Though, this is but the bare description.The Church is the Body of Christ.All of those who belong are members, parts, of that body (see Ephesians 5:23-25). Let’s examine the structure of Christ’s Church, His Body.