God’s yearning is only with two Biblical people groups who are to be key participants in His eternal plan. The two are involved in the recovery and execution of His rule over; 1) “the heaven,” and 2) “the earth” (cf., Gen. 1:1, Eph. 1:10). Both realms are today fallen to Lucifer. To see these two key people groups, we must differentiate between the three people groups of God as seen in the Bible with regard to their calling and relationship with the Lord.

1.  Israel today is Apostate, “fallen” (Rom. 11:10-11), because: a.) Israel had killed God’s prophets, b.) killed “the Son of God,” and then, c.) killed Stephen as God’s 3^rd and final witness to them (Acts 7:58-59).

2.  A “Remnant” out of Israel (Rom. 9:27, Isa. 37:31-32) believed and was saved, becoming the outcasts of Apostate Israel, who then sought to kill them. During Jesus’s earthly ministry unto “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” He gained a “remnant” of believers from among Israel.

Those of this “remnant” have; a.) received John’s water baptism unto repentance, b.) believed Jesus’ word of “the kingdom” being “at hand,” and c.) the “Kingdom” offered by the 12 Apostles in early the Acts period. Of course, National Israel and its religious leaders, rejected the Jesus as Messiah and His kingdom, they “killed the Prince of life” (Act 3:14-15).

John’s baptism was the new circumcision, so to speak. Whereas “circumcision in the flesh” was the mark of God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel, now John’s water “baptism unto repentance” became the line of demarcation for Israel’s genuine believers in Jesus – it differentiated between those of Israel who did and those who did not receive Jesus of Nazareth.

Those of His “remnant” believed the “gospel of the kingdom” that Jesus said was “at hand” and that the that twelve Apostles were offering to Israel in the early chapters of Acts, that is until Stephen was stoned to death. With that, National Israel became deaf, “blinded” and the Kingdom was set aside.

This was before Paul was called by Jesus from heaven. Paul was sent as “the (one) Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13) with his new “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

The gap between Jesus’ earthly ministry to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and His 2^nd coming for His own exists only because National Israel had become Apostate, “fallen,” “blinded” and set aside. “Blinded”? Yes, this new Gentile age will last “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (below), ending with the rapture of “the church.” Then, the Lord will return to save Israel and set up His Millennial Kingdom.

“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.

²⁵I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery… that blindness in part (temporarily) is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (Rom. 11:10-11, 25)

3.  Today’s “church, which, is His body” exist during the time-gap between Jesus’ 1^st and 2^nd coming. The church today is of God’s immediate interest. Unlike Israel and its twelve Apostles, we today have one Apostle, Paul, “THE Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). The church today consists of all those saved during today’s “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2), under Paul’s message of “the gospel of the grace (not law) of God” (Act 20:24) where salvation is “by grace through faith” in Christ as Savior, totally apart from any Mosaic Law or works requirement (cf. Eph 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Rom 11:6).

The meaning and power of Christ’s cross and our grace relationship with the Lord are the main subjects of Paul’s thirteen epistles (Romans to Philemon). Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” for today applies to “ALL men” (1Tim 2:4), meaning both “Jews and Gentiles” (Gal. 3:28) without racial distinction. The grace gospel is for ALL who will believe during the current ~2,000-year age of the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2).

In Romans Chapters 9-11 Paul addresses Israel’s place during this age of “the grace of God.” Paul there explains why the Messianic “Kingdom of Heaven” has not and will not come to Israel… until the present Gentile grace-age is completed, as summed up with these words “... that blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Rom. 11:25)

There are various terms used by Paul to differentiate between unbelieving Apostate Israel, and the “new covenant” believing “remnant” of Israel, which that Paul calls “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). The differences between these two Israel’s are only apparent when we Biblically differentiate them by “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Tim. 2:15).

We must also divide that which Prophetically applies to Israel from … God’s SECRETLY planned Gentile “body of Christ.” Paul called his Christ-sent Gentile program “the mystery” (Gk. musterion, meaning, the secret).

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my (Paul’s) gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation (unveiling) of the MYSTERY (Gk. musterion, a secret), which was Kept Secret since the world began, ^26aBut now is made manifest… (Rom. 16:25-26a)

Paul here acknowledged that at the same that he was bringing his “gospel of the grace of God” to the Gentiles while God still also had His “remnant” of Israel. This duality continued in the Acts transition period up until Acts 28:28, when all Israel and it program of the kingdom was fully set aside.

“Even so then at this present time (in Paul’s time during Acts) also there is a remnant (of Israel) according to the election of grace.’  ⁷What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election (the believers of Israel) hath obtained it, and the rest (of Israel) were “blinded” (Rom. 11:7)

“Be it known therefore unto you (Israel), that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:28)

God’s attention today is fully with the members of “the church which is His body.”