“The Sacred Secret of His Will”

7. What purpose did Jehovah reveal by means of the apostle Paul?

⁷ In his letter to Christians in Ephesus, the apostle Paul beautifully explains how Jehovah administers things to fulfill his purpose. Paul wrote: “He made known to us the sacred secret of his will. It is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself

Ephesians 1:9,

8. What is the meaning of the word translated “administration”?

⁸ Jehovah’s “good pleasure,” or purpose, would be fulfilled by means of “an administration.” Paul used a word that literally means “household management.” It refers, not to a government, such as the Messianic Kingdom, but to a way of managing things.b The wonderful way in which Jehovah would administer things to accomplish his purpose involved a “sacred secret” that would progressively be made known over the centuries.​—Ephesians 1:10; 3:9, footnotes.

9. How did Jehovah progressively reveal the sacred secret of his will?

⁹ By means of a series of covenants, Jehovah gradually revealed how his purpose concerning the Seed promised in Eden would be fulfilled. His covenant promise to Abraham revealed that the promised Seed would come to earth in Abraham’s lineage and would be the means whereby “all nations of the earth” would bless themselves. That covenant also intimated that others would be associated with the primary part of the seed. (Genesis 22:17, 18) The Law covenant made with fleshly Israel disclosed Jehovah’s purpose to have “a kingdom of priests.” (Exodus 19:5, 6) The covenant with David showed that the Seed would be the Head of a Kingdom to time indefinite. (2 Samuel 7:12, 13; Psalm 89:3, 4) Once the Law covenant led the Jews to the Messiah, Jehovah revealed further aspects of the fulfillment of his purpose. (Galatians 3:19, 24) Those humans who were to be associated with the primary part of the seed would form the foretold “kingdom of priests” and would be brought into “a new covenant” as the new “Israel,” a spiritual one.​—Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-9.c