How did the Gentiles respond to the place of blessing that Israel lost?
The Gentiles responded much as Israel did: they walked the place of blessing underfoot, cast it aside, and said, “thanks, but no thanks.” Though given tremendous opportunity, they refused to take advantage of it, displaying the average person’s mentality and rejecting the invitation to Bible teaching.
Les explains that the Gentiles were given the glorious opportunity of being in the place of blessing that Israel lost, but they did the same thing Israel did: they walked it underfoot, cast it aside, and said, “thanks, but no thanks.” He illustrates this by noting how people invite good friends to a Bible class and are shocked when they answer, “I’m not into that kind of stuff.” That, he says, is the average person’s mentality: even in a place of tremendous opportunity, they will not take advantage of it. The Gentiles experienced that position for almost 2,000 years, and then Les moves on to ask what will happen next, reading Ephesians 2:17 about branches broken off and the wild olive tree grafted in.