Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

With these few magnificent words the Lord not only states the origin of all things, He also gives us the key to understanding the Bible.

The Bible is the record of God’s two great plans:

• God’s earthly plan or program, which began in ages past, concerns Israel as God's expected agent through whom God would bless to the entire world.

In previous ages, the hope of the saints of Israel was to live on the earth with their Messiah as the King of Israel. In the depths of his pain, Job cried out. For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: (Job 19:25-26)

King David expressed the hope of Israel. "But the meek shall inherit 'the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Jesus of Nazareth echoed these words as he preached (cf. Psalm 37:11).

Jesus, who came and addressed Israel only, said this in His famous 'Sermon on the Mount.' "Blessed are the meek (of Israel): for they shall inherit 'the earth." (Matthew 5:5). The so-called prayer Jesus gave His Jewish disciples concerned 'the earth.' "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10).

So clearly this issue in focus in Jesus' earthly ministry concerned "the earth." Interestingly, there is not one scripture in the whole Bible that promises heaven for Israel.

Eighty percent of the Bible is devoted to Israel in its formation, prophecy concerning Israel and the fulfillment of that prophecy... unto the Kingdom of heaven come to earth. With that will come the establishment of the greater than David's Kingdom... Jesus Christ as King of the whole earth.

• Now by contrast, God also has a heavenly plan or program concerning “the Church, which is His (Christ’s) Body” (Eph 1:22b-23a). These He has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph 1:3). It was not until God interrupted His earthly program for Israel, and raised up a new apostle for the Gentiles, Paul, that we learn of this heavenly people, who are heavenward bound.

Paul writes to us, the members of "the body of Christ" telling us "our citizenship is In Heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (Philip. 3:20). Furthermore, Paul informs us that even now, God "raised Us Up With Him (Jesus), and seated Us with Him in the Heavenly places, in Christ Jesus" (Ephes. 2:6)

Jesus' 2nd ministry was a heavenly one, in which He spoke from heaven to convert and save Paul as recorded in Acts 9. Clearly the emphasis of Jesus' heavenly ministry is for the members of "the body of Christ" who will dwell "eternal in the heavens."

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God (a new spirit body), an house (dwelling place) not made with hands, Eternal In the Heavens." (2 Cor 5:1)

Thus we see that God has two distinct programs concerning His two people groups, one is earthly and the other is heavenly. Both are seen in the Bible as springing out of the One 'Seed' of Abraham, "which is Christ" (Gal 3:16). Abraham was not an Israelite but a Gentile whom God called, though whom the whole creation, in heaven and on earth will be blessed.

Permit me here to consider these two peoples of God metaphorically. God spoke of these two peoples when He made a one-sided covenant, a covenant of "promise," with Abraham. The writer of Hebrews 11:12 references that "promise" made to Abraham in Genesis 22:17.

Hebrews 11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the Stars Of The Sky in multitude, and as the Sand Which Is By The Sea Shore innumerable.

This reference speaks of two kinds of lineage that would come out of Abraham’s "seed, which is Christ." Note in this Scripture the conjunction “and,” between the reference to the "the stars of the sky AND the sand which is by the sea." making clear that these two items are not the same, they are different.

• “The sand which is by the sea shore innumerable” is a reference to the earthly people of God, Israel, with an eternal earthly inheritance. “Thy kingdom come thy will be done on the earth” is a portion of the Jewish Messianic prayer Jesus gave to His Jewish disciples.

Genesis 48:4 and He said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.

Genesis 22:18 And in your (Abraham's) seed (Israel) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

• I believe “the stars of the sky in multitude” is a reference to the heavenly people of  “the church, which is His body,” so aptly described as such by the Apostle Paul.

Ephes. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Philip. 3:20 (NASB) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

Eph 2:6 ... raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, (NASB)

Thus we see two realms or spheres of blessing for two God blessed people groups that spring out of Abraham, by Christ, 1) as Messiah of the Nation Israel on earth, and 2) as Savior and the Head of His heavenly "body of Christ," which is the Church of this age of grace and then for eternity.

The Bible develops these earthly and heavenly programs of God, able to be seen by those who rightly divide the scripture. Yet, the “stars of heaven” do not come to light until we have the writings of "Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles," who received the truths of "the mystery (secret)" gospel (Col 1:26-27) given to Paul directly from the ascended heavenly Christ (cf. Gal 1:12)  several years after the cross.

Galatians 1:11-12 For I (Paul) would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3:1-4 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3  How that by revelation he (Christ) made known unto me The Mystery (God's secret plan); (as I wrote afore in few words, 4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in The Mystery of Christ)

The full revelation of the heavenly “church, which is His body,” today, can be found only in the writings of the Paul, "the Apostle to the Gentiles" (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). In noting the order of the canon of Scripture found in your Bible you find Paul's epistles interrupt God's program for Israel on earth; thus Paul's Romans to Philemon run sequentially together in our Bibles from.

Paul also tells us the program for Israel, the promise and program concerning her earthly kingdom, has been put in abeyance for a time... until " the fullness of the Gentiles" is completed.

Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

The word "until" will be fulfilled when the very last person is saved and added to what Paul calls "the church, which is His body" (Eph 1:22b-23a). The Rapture of His body occurs at the very end of the "times of the Gentiles." It is only then that God will then turn His attention again to fulfill all the promises He has made concerning the coming wrath in judgment followed by the establishment of His Messianic Kingdom to on the new earth.