Gospel Transition vs. Gospel Dispensation

Gospel Transition vs. Gospel Dispensation

Handling Gospel Transition

Paul and John the Baptist taught two distinct gospels, both given by God: the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of the grace of God. John the Baptist taught the good news of a coming Messiah to establish the long-promised kingdom to Israel. Anyone with sin could not enter the kingdom. He water baptized for the remission of sins and the promised priesthood, (Mark 1:3-4). Paul's gospel taught Christ's blood payment for our sins and righteousness without the law.    

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, taught the same message as John (Mark 1:14-15). Yet, he added belief in himself as the Messiah. Anyone who did not believe Jesus was the Son of God was unacceptable with God (John 6:40). The disciples of John may not have identified the Messiah. Followers of Jesus were required to. 

Transition to Peter's Message 

When Jesus died, his followers scattered. When Peter resumed the Lord's ministry, he taught Jesus' message and added the Messiah's resurrection according to the prophets (Acts 2:31-38, Acts 3:18). All new followers had to believe Peter's message which included Johns requirement of water baptism and Jesus' requirement of His Messiahship, and the newly added resurrection. Denying the resurrection was unacceptable. 

After Pentecost, the supernatural empowerment with the Holy Spirit was added to Peter's message; "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit". This also was not optional. Every follower of Peter's message received the promise and power of the Holy Ghost (Mark 16:17, Acts 2:38, 1 John 2:21). 

The gospel message was altered or added to three times in the course of only a few years. Followers of John coexisted with followers of Peter and did not understand the resurrection, the Messiah, or the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2-3). They were acceptable under John's ministry and unacceptable under Peter's. They were not in the upper room. They needed to handle the gospel transition. They needed to get up to speed. 

Transition vs. Dispensation

In this time of transitional change, when God revealed new information there would be those under the old message who never learned about the new changes. If they remained faithful to what they knew, that would be their gospel and ultimately their salvation. Those however, who learned about the new transitional changes would need to accept this as a new gospel message from the apostles, believe it and act accordingly. The just shall live by faith. 

These transitional changes remained within the Kingdom dispensation. When Paul received the Gospel of God's Grace, it was not a transition by adding to the Kingdom Gospel; it was a whole new gospel for a new dispensation. These two gospels existed side by side for a while; the Kingdom gospel for the circumcised and the Grace gospel for the uncircumcised, but when God's judgement came upon the Jews and they were blinded, it closed the Kingdom gospel (temporarily), and only the Grace Gospel exists today. The Kingdom gospel will be reactivated again after the rapture of the Body of Christ.