𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 – 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡!

 

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗬. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗞𝗘𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 – 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡!

 

1) Israel’s Kingdom Gospel Begins:
Matthew 4:17 Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 10:5-7 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 15:24 I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Romans 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: [9] And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.

Matthew 24:14 – And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

 

Order of commission

Acts 1:8 …ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ and the 12 proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom, declaring that Israel’s long-awaited earthly kingdom was at hand. According to God’s prophetic program, Israel was to be the chosen vessel through which the Gentiles would be blessed (Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 60:1-3 ……And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.).

However, this blessing could only come after Israel, as a nation, repented, accepted their Messiah and were redeemed as the holy nation they were prophesied to be. Their national obedience was the necessary prerequisite before fulfilling their role in bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.

 

2) Israel Rejects their Messiah:

John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

John 11:47–53 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles… Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
Despite miracles and fulfillment of prophecy, Israel’s leaders rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and plotted/carried out His crucifixion.

 

3) The Kingdom Officially Offered After the Resurrection:

Peter preaches: “Repent… that the times of refreshing shall come… and he shall send Jesus Christ.”
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst …

Acts 2:36 Therefore let all the house of ISRAEL know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

They were still following Christs command to sell all that they have as He preached during His earthly ministry -Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;Ananias/Sapphira kept back part of the price of their possession

Acts 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price….. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins MAY be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

The kingdom was still being offered to Israel if they would repent and believe Christ was their Messiah.

 

4) Israel’s Final Rejection – Stephen’s Martyrdom:

Acts 7:51-58 Stephen rebukes Israel for resisting the Holy Ghost; they stone him (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit – Matthew 12:31) 51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Marks a pivotal moment – Israel is temporarily set aside

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

 

5) Paul Raised with a New Gospel: Dispensation of Grace..

Acts 9:15 He (Paul) is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles…

Galatians 1:11-12 Paul receives the Gospel of Grace by direct revelation from the risen Lord Jesus Christ – “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Galatians 1:11-12 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3:2-3 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,)”…. Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

1 Timothy 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me FIRST Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

 

6) The Mystery Revealed:

Ephesians 3:2-6 By revelation he made known unto me the mystery…Romans 16:25 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.

Formation of the Body of Christ: Jew and Gentile in one new man (Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;), distinct from Israel.

 

7) Paul’s Distinct Gospel of Grace:

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”

Romans 11:13 “I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Christ died for our sins… was buried… rose again.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “By grace are ye saved through faith… not of works.”

Paul’s ministry and gospel message was acknowledged and validated by the twelve apostles, who recognized that God had initiated a change in His program. This shift became evident when Peter was sent to Cornelius (Acts 10), a Gentile, who received the Holy Spirit without water baptism, demonstrating that salvation had come to the Gentiles apart from Israel’s rise, kingdom and law-based ordinances.

The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 confirmed that Paul was entrusted with the gospel of grace to the Gentiles, while Peter and the others would continue their ministry to the circumcision, acknowledging that the promised kingdom was delayed.

Galatians 2:7-9 – But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

 

8) Israel Temporarily Set Aside:

Romans 11:25 Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Once the Body of Christ is complete, The Lord will once again turn to Israel and turn away ungodliness from Jacob

Romans 11:26-29 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father’s sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Prophecy paused, the Mystery revealed.

Peter acknowledges this divine shift and writes to his audience to reassure them, directing them to Paul’s epistles for understanding. He encourages them to seek comfort and understanding from Paul’s writings to grasp why the promised Kingdom had not yet come, as God had temporarily set aside Israel’s prophetic program to unveil the previously hidden Mystery – the formation of the Body of Christ during this present dispensation of grace.

2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

 

9) New Spiritual Position in Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…1 Corinthians 12:27 – Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.Colossians 1:18 – And he is the head of the body, the church.Ephesians 2:6 -Made us sit together in heavenly places…

 

10) The “One Baptism” into Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:13 By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body…

Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
No longer water baptism – Spirit baptism into Christ (operation of God) the moment you trust the Gospel.

 

Acts: The Transition

Purpose of Acts:

One of Luke’s key purposes in writing the book of Acts was to clearly reveal the transition in God’s dealings-from law to grace, from Peter to Paul, from Israel to the Gentiles, from prophecy to mystery, nation to Body and from water baptism to Spirit baptism.The Holy Spirit through Luke carefully structured Acts to highlight this dispensational change:

Chapters 1-7 focus on the 12 apostles and the Kingdom church (Circumcision) in Jerusalem worshipping in the temple/zealous of the law, appealing to unbelieving Israel to repent and accept Jesus as their Messiah. The emphasis during this time was on Israel’s earthly kingdom promises. Paul had not yet entered the scene.

Chapters 8-15 mark a period of transition:The ministries of Peter and Paul overlap. Dispensation of Grace begins.The shift from Jewish priority to Gentile inclusion becomes evident.This culminates in Acts 15, where the Jerusalem Council affirms Paul’s distinct apostleship and message.

After Acts 15, the 12 apostles recede from view, and Luke’s narrative shifts entirely to Paul and his gospel of grace for the Gentiles.The so-called “Great Commission” to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations was set aside. Instead, God revealed a new program through Paul – the dispensation of grace, to take salvation to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:46-48).The final chapters of Acts (16-28) exclusively document Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, fully establishing the transition from Israel’s prophetic program to the mystery now revealed through Paul – The Body of Christ/New Creature.

 

Summary:

Matthew – Acts 7.Israel’s Kingdom Gospel:Earthly promises, Law, Prophecy, Water Baptism.
Acts 9 onward, Romans – Philemon.Paul’s Grace Gospel: Formation of the Body of Christ/New Creature – Dispensation of GraceHeavenly promises, Grace, Mystery, Spirit Baptism.

 

Gods will for the Body of Christ Today:

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, Grasping this transition is essential to being able to understand what God is doing today through the Body of Christ and who you are in Christ – Alive and Complete, sealed unto the day of redemption.

Once this present dispensation concludes, God will resume and fulfill the prophetic promises made to Israel (Luke 24:44 These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses).

Right division not only clarifies our identity and calling as members of the Body of Christ, but also preserves the integrity of God’s eternal purposes through both prophecy and mystery. Right division is not an option, it is a must 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The Gospel of your salvation and the only Gospel in effect today is 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – Simply believe How that Christ died for your sins according to Scripture, was buried and rose again the third day for your justification

‘1 Corinthians 15:1’  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: