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In the earlier section [of Acts], the “witnessing” of the Twelve, as recorded from 2:5 to the end of chap. 12, was to “Jews and proselytes” (2:10) alone; “unto you (Jews) first (3:26), &c. Their subject was that Jesus (”the Nazarene”) is the Messiah; cp. 2:31, 36; 3:18, 20; 4:10, 26; 5:42; 8:5, 37 (see Note); 9:20, 22.

At Damascus, after his “Conversion”, Saul (Paul) “preached (Gr. kerusso) Jesus in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God”, and proved “that this is very Christ”, i.e. Jesus as the Messiah. There was no proclamation to Gentiles as such (see 11:3). The preaching of the Word was to the Jews only (11:9), f5a and to the Gentile proselytes, that the crucified “Nazarene”, Jesus, was in truth the Messiah (see Note on 10:48). The duration of this witnessing was about 15 years.

The second part of “Acts” records the apostleship of Paul, and his “witnessing”, which was to Jews and Gentiles alike. He was the “chosen vessel” separated by the Holy Spirit “to bear My Name before Gentiles and Kings, and sons of Israel” (huion te Israel, 9:15). His subject was “Jesus and the resurrection” (17:18). Not, be it marked, Jesus as Messiah, but Jesus (Saviour-God), raised from among the dead, and made the federal head of a new race of beings by resurrection, as announced in Ps 2:7, with which comp. 13:32-39.

This “witnessing” lasted the 15-16 years (see 3 above) of the labors of Paul and those associated with him till the imprisonment in A. D. 61. And to the Jew was given priority of hearing the message (13:5, 14, 42, 43; 14:1; 17:1, 10, 17; 18:4, 7, 19, 26; 19:8).

Throughout the whole period of the “Acts”, the witnessing was accompanied by the miraculous gifts promised (Mark 16:17, 18). Cp. 3:7, 8; 5:5, 10, 15, 16; 6:8; 19:6, 12; 20:9-12; 28:3-6, 8, 9. At the close these gifts ceased, as is plain from the significance of Phil. 2:26 (A. D. 62); 1Tim. 5:23 (A. D. 67); 2Tim. 4:20 (A. D. 68). See Ap. 180. Thenceforward, the privilege of proclaiming and “witnessing” (Isa. 48:10; 44:8, &c) was taken from the Jew, and “the salvation of God” (see Note on Isa. 49.6) was “sent to the Gentiles” (28:28). The proclamation is now by witnesses taken out from among “all the Gentiles upon whom My Name is called” (15:17), including of course the Jewish members of “the body”.

Having now before us all the “sequence of fact” (cp. also the Structure, p. 1575, and Ap. 180), we can trace “the progress of doctrine”, the development of dispensational teaching in Acts, as well as in the complementary “Church” Epistles of Paul, and the limitations of the strictly Hebrew Epistles. Our Lord’s words in John 16:12, 13, are precious, and they are precise (see Note in loc.).

The Gospels record what the Lord “began to do and teach” (1:1); after His resurrection He continued “speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom” (Ap. 112); and after His Ascension the teaching is carried on by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the truth (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26), Who was to guide (lead on) into “all the truth” (see Notes, John 16.12,13).

During the “Acts” period, believers were guided into much truth, truth in advance of what had previously been revealed. They were instructed in much that they had been unable “to bear” before the coming of the Holy Spirit to instruct them. But not even yet had they been guided into “all the truth”. This was reserved, and not permitted to be revealed, until the public proclaiming of “the kingdom” had ended, after the close of the “Acts”. (see Notes on the Epp., specially Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.)

Then it was, at the commencement of this present interim period during which “blindness in part is happened to Israel” (Rom. 11:25), that “the church which is His body” (Eph. 1:22, 23) began to be formed “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6, and Note on 15:14). As above stated, and as the facts show, this church did not begin at Pentecost as is so commonly taught and believed.

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I thought you would appreciate these comments from the Companion Bible, Appendix No. 181