Dr. Couch, I'm the one who wrote earlier saying you are convincing me of dispensationalism. What about the Gospels? Are these books unusual in their message because the Messiah was then in the midst of the Jewish people?
ANSWER: Good question. We normally say that the dispensation of grace began at Pentecost that replaced the dispensation of the Law but there is an interesting verse in Luke 16, where Christ is speaking, that has an interesting twist.
Speaking to the Pharisees the Lord said, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John [the Baptist]; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it" (v. 16).
There are several important things to note: A new message began with the preaching of repentance by John the Baptist. It either replaced or overshadowed the dispensation of the Law. It was the "good news" about the millennial kingdom because the King was then in the presence of the Jews. We know for an absolute fact that the gospel of "the kingdom of God" is not directly about personal salvation (though only those who trust Christ when the kingdom begins will enter it as its citizens), and is certainly not the message concerning the coming of the church age. All of Jewish history tells us "the gospel of the kingdom" is about the Davidic reign of the Messiah. In this sense the kingdom was presented to the Jews but was rejected.
Notice carefully the rest of the verse. Chiding the legalistic and Pharisaic Jews the Lord added, "and everyone is forcing his way into it." This tells us the Jews hearing John the Baptist, and then Christ, were attempting to become citizens of the millennial kingdom simply by the fact that they were Jews. Though the kingdom when it arrives will be geographical and literal, they ignored the spiritual nature of that kingdom and the fact they must accept Jesus as Israel's Messiah in order to enter it! This also tells us that the kingdom of God is certainly not the church because at that time, the Jews were rushing to force themselves into it and the church had not even been launched at that time! (Again, we dispensationalists are correct and the covenant guys who cannot seem to understand the Bible are wrong!)
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
ANSWER: Good question. We normally say that the dispensation of grace began at Pentecost that replaced the dispensation of the Law but there is an interesting verse in Luke 16, where Christ is speaking, that has an interesting twist.
Speaking to the Pharisees the Lord said, "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John [the Baptist]; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it" (v. 16).
There are several important things to note: A new message began with the preaching of repentance by John the Baptist. It either replaced or overshadowed the dispensation of the Law. It was the "good news" about the millennial kingdom because the King was then in the presence of the Jews. We know for an absolute fact that the gospel of "the kingdom of God" is not directly about personal salvation (though only those who trust Christ when the kingdom begins will enter it as its citizens), and is certainly not the message concerning the coming of the church age. All of Jewish history tells us "the gospel of the kingdom" is about the Davidic reign of the Messiah. In this sense the kingdom was presented to the Jews but was rejected.
Notice carefully the rest of the verse. Chiding the legalistic and Pharisaic Jews the Lord added, "and everyone is forcing his way into it." This tells us the Jews hearing John the Baptist, and then Christ, were attempting to become citizens of the millennial kingdom simply by the fact that they were Jews. Though the kingdom when it arrives will be geographical and literal, they ignored the spiritual nature of that kingdom and the fact they must accept Jesus as Israel's Messiah in order to enter it! This also tells us that the kingdom of God is certainly not the church because at that time, the Jews were rushing to force themselves into it and the church had not even been launched at that time! (Again, we dispensationalists are correct and the covenant guys who cannot seem to understand the Bible are wrong!)
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
