What did the apostles understand about the prophetic program at the start of Acts?
At the start of Acts, the apostles understood the prophetic program as fulfilled and about to be fulfilled, expecting Israel’s kingdom to be restored. They asked if the Lord would restore the kingdom to Israel then, and He corrected only the timing, not the expectation, showing they understood the promised kingdom was imminent.
Les teaches that after His resurrection, when Jesus opened the apostles’ understanding to the Scriptures, the lights came on and they began to see the whole Old Testament program unfolding. He explains that there was still no hint of the church age or of God going to the Gentiles except through this prophetic program, which is confined to the 490 years—483 up to the cross, with seven years left. The twelve, now eleven, understood that all this prophetic program had been fulfilled and was about to be fulfilled. At the start of Acts, their question in Acts 1:6—whether the Lord would at that time restore again the kingdom to Israel—shows they expected the physical, political, and spiritual kingdom. Les stresses that Jesus did not upbraid them or say they were wrong; He refused to answer only the “when,” not the “if.” According to the prophetic program, the tribulation and the seven years could have happened within weeks after His ascension, and Israel could have had her king. But Israel rejected it.