How did Israel respond after Christ's resurrection and in the book of Acts?
After Christ's resurrection and in the book of Acts, Israel kept rejecting Him, refusing to let the bud come into full flower. Instead of clipping it off, God did something totally different: He raised up another apostle, and through revelations given to Paul, the full flower—Christ—is now seen.
Les explains that Genesis is the bulb, the Old Testament is the stem and leaves, and Christ's first advent is the bud ready to bloom. Before the bud could flower, Israel cut it off—Scripture speaks of Messiah being cut off in Daniel. God in His sovereignty put the bud back on. Then, after Christ's resurrection and into the book of Acts, Israel still would not let that bud come into full flower; they kept rejecting it. But instead of clipping it off again, God did something totally different: He raised up another apostle, and through the revelations given to Paul the full flower is now seen. It is not Paul himself; it is his revelations. Christ is the flower, revealed in a way not found elsewhere in Scripture.