God has drawn a huge dividing line in his plan of the ages. You can find it spelled out in Acts 28:27-28. This age-changing verse divides what He had been doing in fulfilling prophecy until then – and later again in another age will yet do –separating it out from what He is now doing at the present time, that is, acting only in grace.

Thus while Acts 28:27 pronounces judicial blindness and deafness on the nation Israel, verse 28 declares that the message of salvation is now sent away from Israel to the Gentiles. Read these verses for yourself:

For the heart of this people is waxed gross and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (Acts 28:27).

Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it (Acts 28:28).

Put more simply, this means that for nearly the last 2,000 years there has been no fulfilment of many wonderful Old Testament prophecies, particularly those speaking .of the kingdom of heaven coming on earth.

But you ask, just when did the Lord put prophecy on hold? Answer: At the end of the Acts period when he took the message and means of salvation from Israel as a nation and gave it to Gentiles (Acts 28:28), thus making available to all people. Earlier, through the Apostle Paul, the Lord had warned the Acts period believers that “prophecies would fail, tongues would cease and [supernaturally given] knowledge would vanish away” (1 Corinthians 12:8).

And cease they did. Fact is, not since Christ brought in “the dispensation of grace and mystery” (Ephesians 3:1-4), which “in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men”, have new prophecies been declared or existing biblical ones fulfilled. Save, perhaps, for the forecast of “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1) which Paul says will bring to a close the dispensation of grace and the mystery.

But soon now prophetic fulfilment will resume when the “Day of Christ” dawns and our Lord manifests his KINGDOM at his APPEARING (2 Timothy 4:1, Titus 2:13). It is at this time He will take over Government [“kingdom” means “Government”, you see] of the world and bring about a whole new era of peace and righteousness. This by lifting the curse of sin, war and premature death. And bringing in blessing instead.

Indeed, all that the prophets have prophesied since the world began (Acts 3:21) will be fulfilled when Christ takes up his authority as the “King of kings” and rules from heaven over his “footstool,” which is the earth (Isaiah 66:1).

Importantly, He does so long before the “Day of the Lord” and his parousia (his official installation as king of the earth) or “Second Coming” as it is commonly known, by bringing in the “Day of Christ”. To put it plainly he intervenes in world history by inaugurating his pre-millennial rule over the world, centuries before his saints get to rule with Him in the “Millennium” 1,000-year reign spoken of in the Book of Revelation.

If the Apostle Paul’s words (Titus 2:13) are true, and for my money they definitely are, since Christ speaks through him, then not only is this divine takeover imminent; it is also the very next event to take place on God’s redemptive calendar.

And, it’s good to know this heavenly shake-up of mankind will come peaceably because its key feature will be to ENLIGHTEN all living on earth to just who the Lord Jesus Christ is -  “the blessed and only Potentate [supreme ruler over all] the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:14-15).As the prophets of old foretold:

                All flesh shall know that I AM the Lord (Isaiah 49:26).

                All flesh shall see the salvation of God (Psalm 98:2).

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it (Isaiah 40:5).

And in THAT DAY [i.e. the DAY OF CHRIST, cited seven times in Paul’s epistles] shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 29:18).

Now let me ask: Since when has “all flesh” known the Lord; since when has “all flesh” seen his glory together; since when has the deaf “heard” the book [the Bible] or the blind, vast majority of human beings, seen the light out of darkness? Answer not at any time in the last 6,000 years. But they certainly will in the Day of Christ when the Lord rules the world through his heavenly kingdom.

But, you ask, what biblical proof is there that prophecy ceased but will come back in force during the Day of Christ, which will inaugurate the pre-millennial kingdom of God? Answer: plenty. Consider the following:

PROPHECY WORKING SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN

1. Acts 3:20-21 The Apostle Peter says Christ must stay in heaven until “the times of restitution of all things spoken by the mouth of ALL his holy prophets SINCE the world began”.
2. Luke 1:70: [God] hath raised up an horn of salvation for us … as He spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been SINCE the world began.
3. Matthew 25:34: … inherit the KINGDOM prepared for you [Israel] FROM the foundation of the world.

UNPROPHESIED GRACE WORKING BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN

2 Timothy 1:9: [God] who hath called us and saved us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus BEFORE the world began.

Ephesians 1:4: According as He hath chosen in Him BEFORE the foundation of the world …

Titus 1:2: In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised BEFORE the world began.

1 Peter 1:20: [Christ The sacrificial LAMB] who verily was ordained BEFORE the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last time for you.

Ephesians 3:3-5: How that by revelation HE made known unto me the MYSTERY [i.e. GRACE]… which in OTHER AGES was not made known unto the sons of men…

Colossians 1: 26-27: Even the MYSTERY which hath been HID from ages and generations BUT NOW is made manifest to his saints; to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The above comparison makes clear that while prophecy concerns things God has done and will do, SINCE the world began, GRACE, the MYSTERY and the PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE were ordained BEFORE the world began.

Consequently, they should not mixed but be kept separate, to accord with the Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 to “rightly divide the word of truth”. Simply put, we must recognise that our salvation, promise of eternal life and salvation by grace were given us BEFORE the world began and that the prophets only prophesied AFTER the world began.

The upshot is that in this the now present “dispensation of the grace of God” (Ephesians 3:1-3) no prophecies are being fulfilled.

However, the age of grace is fast drawing to a close and in the next dispensation – that of the pre-millennial kingdom of God in the “Day of Christ” (see Philippians 1:6, 1:10, 2:16, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Corinthians 1:4, 1 Corinthians 1:8) - ALL the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets and those of Jesus and his apostles also will be fulfilled (Acts 3:21). The bottom line is that PROPHECY and the MYSTERY must be kept separate lest through “tradition the word of God is made of none effect” (Mark 7:13).

John Dudley Aldworth

You’re welcome to contact me at the email address below.

Email: john.aldworth@hotmail.com

Website: https://www.dayofchristmnistries.com/rss/all.xml