Colossians 1:26
“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The message Paul stewards is the mystery hidden through past ages and generations, now revealed to God's people.
What Does Colossians 1:26 Mean?
Paul calls his message a mystery. In Scripture a mystery is not a riddle to be solved but a truth once concealed in God's purpose and now disclosed -- hidden from ages and generations, kept back until the right time.
What was veiled is now made manifest to his saints. The emphasis falls on revelation: God has chosen to unveil what former generations longed to see. This quietly rebukes any teacher claiming a secret, higher knowledge available only to insiders, for the true mystery is openly proclaimed to all God's people. The hidden thing has gone public. Paul wants the Colossians to grasp that they stand in a privileged moment, recipients of a truth long held in reserve. There is no deeper secret to chase beyond what has already been made known to the saints in Christ.
In the Original Language
Mysterion (μυστήριον), 'mystery' -- a truth once hidden in God's plan and now openly revealed, not a puzzle to decode.