The ‘Prophetic Program’ was preached by Peter in Act 2, reoffering of the Kingdom to Israel even after Israel had “killed the prince of life” (Acts 3:15). The reoffer came about because Jesus at the Cross said “Father, forgive them (Israel), for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34); Jesus had earlier spoken the parable below, concerning Israel as the “fig tree” that bore no fruit, asking for one more year to see if it would bear fruit.

“He spake also this parable; A certain man [God] had a fig tree [Israel] planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. ⁷ Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard [Father God], Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? ⁸ And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this (one) year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung [fertilize] it:  ⁹ And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.” (Luke 13:6-9 (KJV)

The ‘PROPHETIC PROGRAM’ was preached by Peter in Acts 3:19-21, in making the reoffer of the Messiah/King and His Kingdom to come to Israel… IF Israel would “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”

“[Peter speaking] Repent ye [‘Ye men of Israel’ Acts 2:22] therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the Presence of the Lord. 20And He [the Father] Shall Send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21Whom the heaven must receive Until the Times of Restitution of All Things [concerning the King and His kingdom], which God Hath SPOKEN by The Mouth of ALL His Holy PROPHETS Since the World Began.”

Note that Verse 21 (above) says God has “SPOKEN” truths PROPHETICALLY in time past, both Himself and through men, “Since the World [Gk. cosmos, the present arrangement] Began,” that is since He placed Adam on the Earth in the presence of “the Serpent.” We see how that God Himself, and His Prophets and Spokesmen, spoke to Israel in the form of Prophecy and Promise through-out the Old Testament.

E.g., God Prophesied and Promised that “the seed of the woman would crush the head of the Serpent.”

Therefore, we call this the ‘Prophetic program.’ We’ll later discuss what the Prophetic program entails.

THE ‘MYSTERY PROGRAM’

Romans 16:25-26 “[25] Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the Revelation of THE MYSTERY, which was KEPT SECRET Since The World Began, [26] But now is made manifest… for the obedience of faith:….”

In stark contrast to God SPEAKING information Prophetically “SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN,” we see by Paul’s words here above that God also WITHHELD INFORMATION that He “KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.” God didn’t make ‘the Mystery’ known until He first revealed it to the Apostle Paul for the Gentiles (Eph. 3:1-5).

Paul was given a unique Apostleship “to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). He has a special place in God’s dealings with man for this age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.” Notice in Rom.16:25 how the Holy Spirit led Paul to refer to this as “my gospel.” God entrusted to Paul a special Gospel message for all men as Gentiles, this was good news that no man prior ever knew anything about.

The Purpose of God’s Two Programs:

It is important to explain WHY God’s ‘two programs’ are necessary. The two programs were created not because God could not have managed to accomplish His purpose in whole of creation by using only one single program. God could have done anything He wanted. But God created the Universe with the Dual Realms, of “the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). According to the Bible, the dual programs involve a time before Adam, when Lucifer fell, corrupting both “the heaven and the earth” (Isa. 14:12). By Christ’s one cross, God created a twofold Way of Dealing with His corrupted creation, to recover His dominion over each realm.

In Genesis 1:1 we see that the whole creation was naturally divided in two; “the heaven and the earth.” Temporarily, they are currently under Satan’s dominion. The Devil is “the Prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), “the god of this world.” (2Cor. 4:4) The heaven and the earth need to come again under God’s dominion in Christ. Thus “the heaven and the earth,” have to do with the Two Different Ultimate Eternal Destinies for His two different people groups… Israel on earth and “the body of Christ” in “the Heavenly places.”

God’s has a Different Plan and Different Purpose for “the heaven” and for “the earth.” Thus, as Paul makes clear, it is critical that we KEEP DIVIDED God’s two plans for these two realms, as seen by the two programs… DIVIDED in all our Bible Study! 2 Tim. 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

If we don’t keep divided the things that God Has already Divided, we will not understand God’s eternal plan. If you think that “right division” of “the word of truth” doesn’t matter, just note that it is the cause for thousands of contradicting “Christian” denominational doctrines. Men could have spared themselves of so much doctrinal division and confusion had they approached the Bible by “rightly dividing the word of truth!”

Sadly, most denominational religious people have mixed together and confused Paul’s “revelation of the Mystery (secret)” as applies to “the church, the body of Christ” destined to reign in heaven with God’s Prophetic (spoken) program regarding ISRAEL destined to reign on earth in the kingdom to come. God’s Mystery and Prophecy Programs represent two different programs for His two people groups having different destinies.

• The “the body of Christ” lives under grace and will co-reign with Christ eternally in heaven (2Tim. 2:12)
• Israel is under “the Law” and destined to co-reign with Christ on the earth. (Rev. 5:10, 20:6)