When did God begin calling out a people for His name?
God began calling out a people for His name before Israel's 40-year testing ended. He did not wait until the close of Acts to start. Acts 15 shows James confirming that God would call Gentiles for His name, and this calling has continued for over 1900 years while Israel was blinded.
Les explains that Israel was on trial and would remain on trial until the end of the book of Acts. But God was not going to wait all the way to the end of their 40 years to begin calling out a people for His name. In Acts chapter 15, James recognized that Paul indeed had a ministry among the Gentiles that Peter and the eleven knew nothing of. James stated that God would call out of the Gentiles a people for His name. Les notes that this is what God has been doing for 1900 and some years while Israel has been blinded, and now the nation is stirring as God prepares to pick up where He left off.
More Questions
In Acts 15, what does 'calling out a people for His name' mean about how many people God is saving?
James’s expression in Acts 15, 'calling out a people for His name,' means God is taking out a specific people for Himself, and this does not imply 99 or 100 percent of people; those called are the few.