A core revelation seen by dispensational Bible study lies in the doctrine of God’s two-fold plan. Understanding God’s two-fold plan is the key to then understanding God’s eternal purpose as seen in the whole of Scripture when “rightly divided.” While all of Scripture is unified in its ultimate purpose in Christ, there is a need to “rightly divide the word of truth” to determine what information applies to who. We need to consider what is said, by whom, to whom, to apply at what time, as seen in both its near and remote context.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Contrary to how publishers print our Bibles, the most important division in Scripture is not the division between the Old and New Testaments. As we will see, the most essential distinction we need to recognize in understanding our Bible is the differences between God’s ‘Prophecy Program’ that concerns and applies to Israel only and that of Paul’s God-given ‘Mystery Program’ as it applies to “the church, which is His body.” These two programs of God must be kept separated in all our study of the Bible or we will unnecessarily have confusion and seeming contradiction… for there are no contradictions in our King James Bible.

The ‘Prophetic Program’ and the ‘Mystery Program’ are the titles we give to God’s two eternally planned overarching programs for “the heaven and the earth.” The God of the Bible behaves in accord with His eternal plan according to His wisdom. Before creation, God’s love appealed to His wisdom to create an overarching program that would re-establish His authority “in heaven and on earth” after the fall of Lucifer (Isa. 14:12-17).

God’s dealings with mankind are organized into two different predominant programs that we call the ‘Prophetic Program’ and the ‘Mystery Program’ A “program” is defined as “a set of related measures or activities with a particular long-term aim.”  

Whether concerning the Prophetic Program or the Mystery Program, God has a preorganized a specific body of information concerning each program that is to be recognized and believed. The two programs define the differing requirements to be taken of those who are under each of program individually, that they may be…  saved from “everlasting destruction” (2Thes 1:9) and … to fulfill God’s eternal plan and purpose for Jesus Christ and His Cross. Each of the two programs are;

“According to the eternal purpose which he [the Father] purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:” (Eph. 3:11)

Distinguishing Terminology Defines These Two Programs of God:

The Biblical basis for the “Prophetic program” and the “Mystery program” is logically distinguished by simply comparing the two Similar but widely Different phrases as they relate to the timeframe of “SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.” (Note the CAPITALIZED words in the two verses below.)

1. PETER said what he was preaching to “ye men of Israel’ (Acts 2:22) was in accord with what; “GOD HATH SPOKEN BY THE MOUTH of ALL His Holy PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.” (Acts 3:21b)
2. PAUL said what he was preaching is in accord with an eternally conceived “Mystery (secret)” plan of God that was revealed to the Apostle Paul for the Gentile “body of Christ” during today’s age of the pure “grace of God.,” having nothing to do with Israel, its covenants or promises (Eph. 2:12).

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [Paul’s] gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the Revelation [unveiling] of the MYSTERY, Which Was KEPT SECRET SINCE THE World BEGAN,” (Romans 16:25)

The word “mystery” in Paul’s epistles is translated from the Greek ‘musterion,’ which actually means “a secret,” which in this case refers to…  the secret eternal plan that God conceived and “Kept Secret” until that plan was executed by the Cross of Christ, whose meaning was only later Revealed to the Apostle Paul for the members of the Gentile “body of Christ.” (cf. 1Cor 2:7-8) This “Mystery” is at the heart of Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” that correspondingly concerns the manifold eternal purposes of God by the Cross of Christ.

Considering the context of these two “SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN” statements (above), it’s plain to see that something that “GOD HATH SPOKEN by The MOUTH of ALL His Holy PROPHETS Since The World Began” CANNOT BE THE SAME as something that was a “Was KEPT SECRET Since The World Began.”

Yet, the vast majority of Christendom today ignorantly assumes and teaches that God has only ONE plan or program in the Bible. This is a grave hermeneutical error (this way of approaching to the Bible), that no doubt was largely promoted by Satan’s use of denominationalism and tradition. This error only serves to produce misunderstandings and what appears to be contradictions in the Bible… when no such contradictions actually exist.

This hermeneutical error is exposed and corrected by simply implementing the Apostle Paul’s prescribed ‘way of approaching the Bible,’ that is by “rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Tim 2:15) as to ‘what applies to who.’ In our Bible study, we must be careful to keep divided what God has divided, lest we be deceived and miss out on the peace, rest, and security that is ours through correctly knowing and relying upon the total sufficiency of God’s grace to be seen in “the Mystery of Christ.” (Eph. 3:4).