What would God have had to do to Israel if they rejected Jesus while knowing who He was?
If Israel had rejected Jesus while fully knowing who He was, God would have had to put the nation to death and destroy it. Their rejection was done in ignorance, so God could instead continue dealing with them in mercy and grace, rather than executing national judgment.
Les teaches this by analogy to Israel’s Law of Cities of Refuge. If an Israeli farmer accidentally killed someone while throwing rocks and did not know anyone was on the other side of the hedge, he could flee to a city of refuge. If the city fathers believed him and were convinced he acted in ignorance, they would send him back totally set free, because what he had done was done in ignorance. Les then brings that up to the cross. Had Israel rejected Jesus knowing who He was, God would have had to put the nation to death and destroy them. But since they did it in ignorance, God could continue to deal with them in mercy and grace. He then points to 1 Corinthians 2:7-8.