Author: Ralph G. Vestal
Submitted: April 01, 2024
Tell us a little about yourself. I was saved as a young child and have been seriously studying the Bible for well over 40 years. I have served in my local church in various positiions, including teaching various ages. I have been teaching the Men's Bible Class for approximately the past 20 years. In addition, the Lord has given me many opportunites to fill pulpits, preaching in my own local church as well as many others. My wife and I have been blessed with children, grandchildren and even one great-grandchild.
What was your motivation behind this project? I actually did not begin with the idea of writing a book. I began with an idea, as I do quite often, of studying a subject. The Lord seemed to be pointing me to a subject which is not often, if at all, taught or preached in our churches. Even the good commentaries which are available do not give a thorough discussion of all the "mysteries" where they appear in the New Testament. So, as I began to study the thought occurred to me that perhaps this would make a good topic for a book. I even looked for other books on this topic, but found very little material has been written - at least good, scriptural material.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? There are two overall goals that I have for my book. First, I think that it will mostly be helpful for any Christian who seriously wants to understand more about the Bible. While the main subject has to do with what the Bible terms the "mysteries", several topics are covered in my book. For example, the Christian will learn more about the kingdom, the church, the rapture, the incarnation, etc. So, I hope this will be a help to Christians as they seek to learn Bible truth. Secondly, as I wrote this book I realized that there may be someone reading it who is not a Christian. And so, I have made an appeal to one who may be lost and reading it to turn to Christ and be saved.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? When I started out on this project, I had no idea what direction it would take me. Although there was much I alreay knew because of my previous years of study, there was also much I needed to learn along the way. This project helped me to grow in my own spiritual life and understanding.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I usually tell people that I am the product of two good, Bible-believing churches. I was privileged to grow up in a good fundamental church with good Bible teachers, preachers and youth directors. When I finished my schooling and began my working carreer, I became a member of another fundamental, sound, Bible preaching ministry. So many along the way have encouraged me in my own teaching and preaching ministry. As I study, I refer to the works of men such as Warren Wiersbe, Charles Ryrie, J. Dwight Pentecost and many others.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: Without a doubt, there are many passages in the Bible which we do not fully understand today, and will not until we are in Heaven with the Lord (1 Corinthians 13:9 - 12). The purpose of this book is not, therefore, to attempt to answer every question or solve every issue which may arise as we read the Bible. In this book, we will look at every passage in the New Testament in which the word "mystery" appears. The truths and events which the Bible refers to as mysteries are now revealed and explained for us. As we look at each of these, we will discover something of God's Plan for the ages and we will see just where we fit into that plan. And, we will see that the truths and events which in God's wisdom were once concealed are now "No Longer A Mystery".
