What was happening while Israel was going down?
While Israel was going down, the Gentile assembly, or the church, was coming up. God had raised up the apostle of the Gentiles, Paul, and Israel was rejecting the prophetic program left and right. This was the setting twenty-two years after Pentecost.
Les teaches that by this time, twenty-two years after Pentecost, the prophetic program had begun to fall through the cracks. Israel was rejecting it left and right. In the meantime, God had raised up this apostle of the Gentiles. While Israel is going down, the Gentile assembly, or the church, is coming up. Paul says these twelve thought they were still in their prophetic program, not even realizing that it was falling away from them. The gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentile) was committed to Paul, as the gospel of the circumcision (Jew) was to Peter.