Changes Occurring Throughout The Acts Period

We are herein speaking of dispensational changes occurring within ‘the Acts period,’ that is before Acts 28:28 and the advent of the newly revealed “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2) that Paul received concerning “the Gentile church, which is His body” that is destined to co-reign with Christ “in the heavenly places In Christ.” (Eph. 1:3, cf. 2Tim. 2:12).

We must have a correct and full understanding of the dispensational change that occurred with Paul’s Acts 28:28 declaration. Paul begins pronouncing the dispensational transition by quoting Isaiah 6:9-1 in Romans 28:26-27, reference to Israel’s stubborn yieldedness.

²⁶ Saying, Go unto this people [Israel], and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: ²⁷ For the heart of this people [Israel], 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. ²⁸ Be it known therefore unto you [Israel], that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. Acts 28:26-28 (KJV) 

Initially in the early in the Acts period, under the preaching of the Twelve Apostles, salvation was a privilege only offered to the Jews, those set apart by God via “the Mosaic Law” unto their calling and hope of the ‘Kingdom to come on earth.’

Then in Acts 10, when the Lord sent Peter to the house of the Gentile Roman, Cornelius, it was quite a shock to Peter and the Jews that to the “whosoever” Gentiles was now extended this privilege of salvation unto “everlasting life” in accord with Jesus words of John 3:16. This was a radical dispensational change while the dispensation of “the law” continued up to Acts 28:28. Paul said the purpose of this was only to “provoke them [Israel] to Jealousy” (Rom. 11:11).

 Until that time the “salvation” of a Gentile had only been associated with “the hope of Israel” and its Kingdom to come on earth. But then, both the believing Gentile and the believing Jew were called to be “saints,” simply meaning to be ‘set apart’ unto their ‘saved calling.’

But then with Acts 28:28, there was another radical dispensational change. With “the fall of Israel,” her kingdom hope was ‘set aside’ per Rom. 11:25. Then “the salvation of God” was offered to all “the nations” (Gk. ethnos, i.e., seen as Gentiles), by grace, offering the hope of “everlasting life.” Paul in Romans 11 recounts the stubbornness and “fall” of Israel as seen in the verses below.

“Let their [Israel’s] eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. ¹¹ I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather Through Their [Israel’s] Fall Salvation Is Come Unto The Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. ¹² Now if the fall of them [Israel] be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the Riches Of The Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

²⁵ For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery [‘secret’ of God], 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. Romans 11:25 (KJV)

With that change in dispensation, both then and Now Today A Jew Can Only Be Saved In Association With The Hope Of The Believing Gentiles. Israel’s hope had previously been for “everlasting life” in “the kingdom of heaven” to come on “the earth.” Now, with this new age of “the dispensation of grace of God” all men alike, both Gentiles and Jews, were among ‘the called’ to be “the saints” (set-apart ones) destined to become “the faithful” who would serve not on earth but “in the heavenly places in Christ.”

This was a different from the dispensational change that occurred DURING Acts, because, AFTER Acts 28 there was NO ISRAEL In God’s Eyes. Yes, there were and are today still individual Jews who could be “saved by grace through faith” in Christ alone, totally apart from Israel and the Law because the ‘Nation Israel’ and her calling was now ‘set aside’ until His 2^nd coming to earth.

AFTER Acts 28:28 there came the ‘calling out’ of those believers who would not only be saved until everlasting life, but also then go on to become members the invisible heavenly church that Paul called “the Body of Christ.” God’s special favor was upon to those “saints” who would believe and go on in the knowledge of the further truth to be found “faithful” to the Pauline “revelation of the mystery [secret]” (Rom. 16:25) that Christ revealed to Paul for all men. This further truth is largely seen in epistles Paul’s 2^nd ministry, in his seven Post-Acts epistles keying upon the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 2 Timothy

I believe that today’s time of the called-out members of “body of Christ” constitutes a special dispensation offering Greater Grace with a Greater Salvation to an eternal ‘HEAVENLY Purpose,’ which is to make Manifest ‘The Manifold Wisdom Of God To The Principalities And Powers In The Heavenlies’ (Eph. 3:10). This is “according to the eternal purpose of God” (Eph. 3:11).

So, the “faithful” are those called out from among the nominal saved “saints.” Paul’s final ministerial work was to make ALL “the saints” come to see “the fellowship [dispensation] of the mystery” (Eph. 3:9) concerning “the body of Christ” that is destined to “reign with Him” (2Tim. 2:12) in “the heavenly places.”

• ⁹ And to make all men see what is the fellowship [dispensation] of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Ephesians 3:9.
• ¹² Even [that is] the mystery which Hath Been Hidden From Ages And From Generations But Now Is Made Manifest To His "Saints" (Col 1:26) “.... for the perfecting [completion or maturation] of the saints” (Eph 4:12).
• Then Paul writes to Timothy; “And the things that thou hast heard of [from] me among many witnesses, the same commit to thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2).
• ⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in [heaven’s cf. 3:1] glory.” Colossians 3:4 (KJV)

After “the Body of Christ” is complete (per Rom. 11:25) and made manifest “with [its Head] Christ, in [heaven’s] glory” (cf. Col 3:4, above) … God then will resume all His dealings with the Nation Israel and fulfill all the covenants He made with Israel in “time past,” including the eternal kingdom to come “on earth.”

Many have difficulty distinguishing between those called to be “saints” and “the faithful.” First, it would help to note how the comma (,) in Paul’s Ephesians 1:1 (below) separates “the faithful” from “the saints.”

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 1:1 (KJV)

All the saved unto eternal life are considered “saints.” Those who are among the “the faithful” were such “saints.” They originally were Gentiles saved by grace unto “everlasting life” on the new earth, by Jesus’ Gospel of John 3:16. Note that John 3:16 favors ALL men being noted simply as “whosoever.”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish [Gk. apollymi, not be destroyed], but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV)

But then, once we heard of “the fellowship [dispensation] of the mystery” of “the Body of Christ,” and we understood and acknowledged it, and embraced it by now behaving according to our change; we became a “faithful saints” destined for “the heavenly places,” such that now we can ‘teach others’ (2 Tim 2:2).

We who believe the “the revelation of the mystery [secret]” are among those who were “chosen to be in Christ before the overthrow [katabole] of the world [Gk. kosmos]” (Eph. 1:4, cf. Gen. 1:2, katabole).

NOTE: We were not chosen to believe the mystery, but we became the chosen because we have believed “the mystery.” God “foreknew” (Rom. 8:29-30) that we would believe and be faithful, since He foreknows all things.

Those who say they ‘believe the mystery’ and then turn back have not seen and ‘believed the mystery truth.’ They are not among the “faithful saints.”

I trust this helps others to understand some of the dispensational changes occurring unto this day. The fact is that most people are being saved today via believing in Jesus as Savior per John 3:16 Gospel (not by a religion or a church). Accordingly, their only hope is “everlasting life,” which is a great hope… until they believe and understand the greater hope of ‘the dispensation of the “great mystery” (Eph. 5:32) of the heaven-bound Gentile “Body of Christ,” which gives them the ‘Greater Calling and hope’ of heaven’s glory.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Titus 2:13 (KJV) “For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: ²¹ Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious [resurrection] body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-21 (KJV)
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in [heaven’s] glory.” Colossians 3:4 (KJV)

(Portions of this paper is adapted from Alan Naas, being enlarged with emphasis by Arthur J. Licursi.)