Why does Les say Philip was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom rather than the Gospel of grace?
Philip preached the Gospel of the Kingdom because the Gospel of grace had not yet been revealed; there was no mention of salvation through Christ’s finished work, death, burial, and resurrection. The Kingdom message, previously sent to Israel through Jesus and the twelve, emphasized that the crucified One was the Christ.
Les teaches that about seven years after Pentecost, after Stephen was martyred, Philip—one of the seven appointed in Acts 6—went to Samaria and preached the Gospel. Les explains this was not the Gospel of grace, because that had not yet been revealed. The Gospel of the Kingdom and the Gospel of grace are not the same; they are two distinct Good News. The Kingdom message had been going to Israel through Jesus and the twelve, and Philip was continuing it. Les grounds this in the fact that Scripture records no mention of salvation by the finished work of the cross, no death, burial, and resurrection for salvation; instead, the message emphasized that the One they crucified was indeed the Christ. Les also points to Simon’s fake profession and the later laying on of Peter and John’s hands, showing that authority rested in Jerusalem and the twelve.