(1)

Gospels.--New Covenant in operation.

Matthew, Mark, Luke.

King and Kingdom rejected.

(2)

Acts.--New Covenant in operation.

King and Kingdom re-offered.

Israel rejected. Hope suspended.

(3)

The Mystery.--New Covenant NOT in operation.

Paul's prison Epistles.

(4)

John's Gospel.--New Covenant NOT in operation.

The world. The other sheep.

The gospel of eternal life.

(5)

The Revelation.--Resumption of the New Covenant.

The Day of the Lord.

In Matthew's gospel is recorded the parable of the marriage of the King's Son, which

is divided into three distinct phases, corresponding with the periods covered by the three

Gospels, the Acts and the gospel according to John.

First Invitation (Matt. 22: 3), "They would not come", the three gospels.

Second Invitation (Matt. 22: 4, 5), "They made light of it", the Acts period; the

servants were entreated spitefully and slain by the remnant, who in turn

were destroyed and their city burned by the King in his wrath.

Third Invitation (Matt. 22: 9, 10),  "Gathered all . . . . . both bad and good",

John's gospels.

The punishment of those who did not accept the second invitation took place between

Acts 28: and 70A.D. during which period the dispensation of the mystery was

revealed, believed and then largely forsaken. After Paul's death John wrote his gospel,

giving a message and a calling to the "world" and revealing that the Lord had "other

sheep" who were not of Israel's fold, which must be gathered, so that at last there may be

"one flock and one shepherd".

At the present time there is an inner circle, embracing that small company of believers

that are members of the Body of Christ and blessed under the terms of the Mystery, with

Paul the prisoner as the appointed channel of teaching and truth, and a large outer circle

embracing a vast number of believers, who while they have life, have no clear idea as to

what is the hope of their calling. These find their gospel, comfort and teaching in

John's Gospel.

Let us consider the character of the times in which John's Gospel operates, as

compared with the character of the times covered by the three synoptic Gospels and the

Acts. During the earthly ministry of Christ, He pointedly limited His ministry to the lost

sheep of the house of Israel and forbade His disciples to go into the way of the Gentiles.

This limitation is most definitely set aside by John's Gospel. There, the most prominent

word indicative of sphere and scope is "the world", where it occurs about seventy-nine