Part 2 – Jesus of Nazareth’s Ministry

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called God’s Turn from Israel to the Gentiles.

Jesus early-on had said, I am come but [only] unto to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24) and Jesus had commanded His Twelve Apostle whom He sent to Israel similarly;

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 10:5-6)

During the time of Jesus of Nazareth, Peter and “the Twelve” Apostles to Israel understood God’s call and revelation for Israel to believe and obey the Law in order to receive the Kingdomin which all believers of that age could be blessed. Jesus knew the plan for the faithful of Israel as “the seed of Abraham” was to become a blessing to the Gentiles. But at the time of Jesus of Nazareth’s appearing on earth, Israel was in such a wretched, corrupt, awful unbelieving condition as they could not bless the world. Israel herself was at that time apostate, meaning fallen away’ and unfaithful to God. Israel was fallen and God set their program aside for a time, then turning to the Gentiles with a new Apostle and new gospel based upon a different relationship.

The so-called ‘Great Commission’ that Jesus gave to “the Twelve” could not be fulfilled apart from National Israel first faithfully receiving her Messiah/King and His kingdom. In fact, Jesus told “the Twelve” to preach His “the gospel of the kingdom” to all Israel, saying also that “you will not have passed over all the cities of Israel before I come [before His 2nd coming] (cf. Matt. 10:23). He knew their failure would continue.

Read Peter’s Pentecost sermons in Acts 2-3 wherein Peter confirmed a REOFFER of the King and His Kingdom ‘to Israel’ and send Jesus… even after Israel had killed the prince of Life (Acts 3:15) if they would “repent.”

Note that Peter was precise as to exactly who he was addressing on the day of Pentecost saying, “Ye men of Israel and “Ye men of Judea” – all Jews! This disproves the often-recited false assertion that today’s church “the body of Christ” has the mission to fulfill Jesus’ so-called Great Commission.’ The idea of the church today having the marching orders of the ‘Great Commission’ contradicts the Scriptural place of Israel in God’s plan to one-day bless “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:3)and they one-day will during the Millennial reign with Christ.

Not long after Pentecost it became very clear that the Jews would not repent and would not recognize Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiahwhen they stoned Stephen to death in Act 7:58. With that heinous act the Nation Israel had “fallen” from her elevated mediatorial position “above all people” (Rom. 11:10-11, 15, 25). The Nation Israel had fallen to the same lost state of the sinful Gentiles, in fact with Jews were now seen by God as ‘among the Gentiles.’ Thus, Paul wrote;

“As it is written, There is None righteous, No, Not One: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is None that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way [Jews and Gentiles], they are together become unprofitable; there is None that doeth good, No, Not One.” (Romans 3:10-12 (KJV)

After Pentecost “the Twelve” refused to leave Jerusalem – even under immense persecution (Acts 8.1b). They knew God’s blessings and the fulfilled Kingdom Promises unto Israel would have to come only through the 2nd coming of Israel’s Messiahto “Jerusalem.”

It was after the ‘fall of Israel’ by killing Stephen that the Turning Point’ for which this study is named had begun. Then Jesus from heaven called, saved, and commissioned Paul, revealing to Paul The Eternal ‘Mystery’ - The Secret Plan of The Godhead, which Paul called “the mystery [Gk. musterion, secret].” This “Mystery” was God’s Plan that Had Been Kept Hid from Ages and generations (Col. 1:26) whereby God would bless the GENTILES DIRECTLY TOTALLY APART FROM ANY INVOLVEMENT WITH ISRAEL and ITS LAW and COVENANTS OF PROMISE.

Note again that under Paul the term “Gentiles” now included all the lost Jews since the apostate Jews were now seen as equally lostas lost Gentiles. Thus, this new age of “the grace of God” would BlessALL MenAlike Totally APART FROM the Nation Israel’s unbelief, or even its acceptance of Christ as Israel’sMessiah.”

God began a whole new race of humans under Paul’s new “gospel of the grace of Godtotally apart from Jesus’ “gospel of the kingdom” that He brought to Israel. This is a new race consists of both Jews and Gentiles (Grk. ethnos, meaning, ALL ethnicities) being totally equal before God, whereby;

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond [slave] nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28V)

Paul declared that believers in Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” today are of an entirely ‘new creation’ of God.

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh [according to his original creation]: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh [in the past ministry of Jesus], yet now henceforth know we him [Jesus of Nazareth] no more [according to Jesus’ earthly ministry]. Therefore if any man be in [union with the resurrected] Christ [by faith], he is a New Creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (KJV)

Personally, the verse, 1Cor. 5:17 (above) was what wrang in my heart the day I first heard it and I was saved that day. It captured me to forever be His. I responded in faith to be saved unto a new life with a new beginning in November 1968, and it still rings in my heart to this day with the joy of the Lord.

So, how exactly did God’s “turn” from Israel to the Gentiles come about?

  • The ‘turn’ of the age was from the dispensational age from Israel and its Law program after its “fall” by rejecting Peter’s reoffer of Jesus as the Messiah … to the Gentile age of Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God.” Paul was on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) to arrest those believers in the Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem, likely also be killed. These were Jesus’ early “little flock” (Luke 12:32) remnant of Messianic believers.
  • It was then that Jesus from heaven called Paul by blinding him and restoring his sight while on the road to Damascus, then making him the [one] apostle to the GENTILES (Rom. 11:13). Jesus Himself revealed the truths of the new “dispensation of the grace of God” to Paul directly (cf. Gal. 1:12). Paul then received progressive “revelations,” concerning God’s formerly secret, “MYSTERY” program. Paul received an “abundance of revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7) directly from the Lord Jesus.

These revelations concerned included the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24; Gal. 1:11-12), salvation “by grace through faith… as the gift of God, not of works,” the church which is the Body of Christ” (Eph. 3:1-13), the rapture of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 15:51), and many other things that were revealed to him first.

For it is through Paul alone that we learn about the eternal plan of God called “the mystery [God’s secret plan]”God’s plan for blessing the Gentiles (ALL races) … Totally APART from the Nation Israel and its Law, ritual, rites, prophecies, and covenants of promises.

From then til now, salvation is provided “by grace through faithin Christ’s Identity as God and Savior through His Cross-Work ‘alone’ – totally apart from Israel and its religious works program. For we cannot earn our salvation that God offers us ‘freely.’

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” (Romans 3:24 (KJV)
He [Father God] that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up [at the cross] for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 (KJV)

“For by grace are ye [all men] saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works [human performance], lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)