Since there is widespread ignorance of God’s Biblical eternal plan and purpose that concerns His recovering of both “the heaven and the earth,” most of Protestant Christendom has gone back to former things of Israel’s “gospel the kingdom” concerning the Earth, Many try to revive the laws and ‘tradition’ of Israel that were set aside with Acts 28:28, when Israel became fallen for a time. Christendom has largely gone back to former things of the “gospel the kingdom” to come on earth. Most Christians can’t tell if they think they are going to heaven or will be in the “kingdom come on earth.” Much like Israel’s O.T. idolatry in worship of Moses’ “brazen serpent” long after it had served its purpose in the wilderness (cf. 2Kings 18:4), they try to revive the things of Israel that were set aside since Acts 28:28. This has resulted in what is called ‘replacement theology,’ whereby it is thought that the church today has taken on the promises and covenants that apply to Israel. This is much like the Catholic Church that referring to itself as “The New Israel and the beginning of the Sacred Hierarchy (of the Roman Catholic church),” as seen in “The Catechism of the Catholic Church,” paragraph #877.

Israel has been set aside since Acts 28:28 the Nation of Israel is currently Lo-Ammi (i.e., “not My people”). But today’s religious Christendom, much like the Roman Catholics, has appropriated and adopted Israel’s religious feasts, holiday’s, water baptism, even though Paul, our Apostle for today (cf. Rom. 11:13), says Christ was “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and [He] took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” Col. 2:14 (KJV. Two verses later Paul says; “Let no man therefore judge you in meat [foods], or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (Col. 2:16 (KJV), because we today have no rituals, rites, or observances such as applied to Israel.

O.T. Israel had Moses, the prophets, judges, and kings. So Israel knew the signs of the times, and they knew what God said to do. Israel had plenty of instruction. Today we have Paul’s Post-Acts epistles that speak to us concerning the spiritual riches of today’s Gentile “church,” which is “the body of Christ.” We know Israel often wandered far from God and so it is today with Christendom’s ‘churches’ under man’s authority,’ and Satan’s deceptive influence by every “wind of doctrine.”

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;” (Eph. 4:14 (KJV)

The genuine spiritual unity of “the church, which is His body” today is already made as seen in Eph. 4:3-6. All we need to do is to “keep the [spiritual] unity” that we already have “in Christ.” But men turn their backs on this spiritual unity, trying to make their own fleshly unity, thus there are hundreds of denominations. There is only one “unity of the Spirit” (cf. Eph. 4:3). Those who keep this unity are among “the faithful” (Eph. 1:1b), worshiping “God in Spirit and in truth,” having “no confidence” the externalities of “the flesh” or religious hierarchies.

Commendably, many want to do their own studies, whether at home or within their church organization. But most often the study Jesus’ words in the 4 gospels that were spoken to and concerned Israel Only (cf. Matt. 15:24, 10:5-6). Israel’s Gospel was about the King and His “Kingdom come on earth” as “the hope of Israel,” with its “covenants of promise” (Eph. 2:12). The Gospels don’t speak of today’s Pauline Hope and calling for His “One Body” since its truth was unknown until Christ revealed it to Paul AFTER the book of Acts ended.

Not only do men today try to go back to Israel’s ordinances, they also seek Israel’s spiritual gifts that we read of in the early Acts period, those connected with announcing the promised ‘Kingdom come on earth.’ Note that nowhere in the Word do you find anyone manifesting spiritual gifts who also had the hope of “heaven.” Israel had the hope of the now set-aside ‘Kingdom come on earth.’ We of the spiritual “Church, which is His Body” now already possess “all spiritual blessings in Heavenly Places” (Eph. 1:3), but NO such miraculous spiritual gifts.

A good “workman” today is to study and “rightly divide” the “word of truth” (2Tim. 2:15). Thereby we know the difference between Israel’s promised ‘Kingdom come on earth’ and today’s spiritual, heaven-bound, “church, which is His body.” We know the different eternal hope and calling that apply to Israel versus that of the Gentile “church which is His body” by “rightly dividing the word of truth.”

In the Bible all non-Israelites are called Gentiles. Have you noted that in the Biblical record, the ‘nations’ of the Gentiles are only mentioned in their interaction with the Nation Israel, since Israel was then the Focus. For example, we notice Egypt, Assyria, Moab, Ruth, Rahab, Rome, and others as they are mentioned only in relation to Israel. The Gentiles make up the 70 Biblically noted nations, but “THE Nation of Israel” is singular. This simple right division can help us to avoid many interpretive errors. The nations and Israel were both named even before they existed. See Gen. 10:5 and compare it with Deut. 32:8. In the Bible, history is recorded … Only When Israel Is On The Scene.