According to the Bible, God began to reveal Himself to humanity by calling Abram out of idolatry and promising to make from him a nation through whom He would work.
Les Feldick teaches that at that time the whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry, with no knowledge of the one true God. God saw in Abram a potential for faith, revealed Himself to him, and told him to leave Ur and his father's house. Only the nation that came from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob possessed a knowledge of the one true God while the rest of the world remained in pagan darkness.
Genesis 12:1 — This verse records God's call to Abram to leave his country, kindred, and father's house, marking the Scriptural starting point of God's revealed purpose through Israel.
Ephesians 2:12 — This verse describes the condition of the Gentiles while God was revealing Himself through Israel, showing they were without Christ and strangers to the covenants of promise.
In the Bible, God's call to Abram is the turning point in His self-revelation. Genesis 12:1 says, "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." The Apostle Paul later describes the Gentile position while God was working with Israel: "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Scripture therefore presents Abram's call as the beginning of God's special revelation to a specific people, with those outside that line left without the knowledge of the promises.
Les Feldick explains that after 2,000 years from Adam, humanity had become a hopeless race, destroyed in the flood, and then drifted right back into paganism at the Tower of Babel. By the time of Genesis 12, everyone was an idolater, and no one had a knowledge of the one true God. In that setting, God saw in Abram a heart that was fertile and open and a potential for faith, so He revealed Himself to Abram and told him to leave Ur and his idolatrous family. God then promised Abraham a nation of people, put them in a geographical land, and promised that at the appropriate time He would bring them their king and kingdom. Les stresses that Israel was the only nation on earth with a knowledge of the one true God, while God let the rest of humanity drift in their godless state. From the call of Abraham until well into the Book of Acts, God dealt primarily with Israel, and the Gentile world was without Christ, aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God.
Les describes the first 2,000 years of human history as one catastrophe after another. After the flood, humanity went right back into paganism at the Tower of Babel. By Genesis 12, everyone was an idolater and there was no knowledge of the true God whatsoever.
Les teaches that God saw in the man Abram a potential for faith; his heart was fertile and open. So God revealed Himself to him in rather simplistic language, told him to leave Ur and his idolatrous family, and sent him to a land He would show him, which was Canaan.
God said, in effect, 'I'm going to call out one man, and out of that one man I'm going to bring Me a little nation.' Les explains that God would prepare that nation and through them take salvation back to the whole mainstream of humanity. This was the basic content of the Abrahamic covenant: a nation, a land, and eventually their king, government, and kingdom.
Les stresses that from the call of Abraham all the way until well into Acts, God dealt primarily with the nation of Israel. The pagan Gentiles around them were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, and therefore lost. Yet God still held them responsible because, as Les says, every human being has within his breast the knowledge that there is a Creator God.
Gentiles' Condition Before Christ
Les points Gentile believers back to Ephesians 2:11, reminding them that in times past they were called uncircumcision by the Jews, and he then begins citing Ephesians 2:12 to describe their former state.
The Call of Abram from Idolatry
Les teaches that the whole human race was steeped in paganism and idolatry, but God saw Abram's potential for faith and revealed Himself to him, telling him to leave Ur and his family for the land of Canaan.
Israel Alone Had Knowledge of God
Les explains that Israel, coming out of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was the only people on earth with a knowledge of the one true God while every other person in the populated world was a pagan worshiper of many gods.
Abram's Fertile Heart
Les emphasizes that by Genesis 12 everyone was an idolater with no knowledge of the true God, yet God saw Abram's heart as fertile and open and revealed Himself to him in simple language.
God's Command to Abram
Les stresses that Abram's family were idolaters, which is why the Lord commanded him to get out of his country, from his kindred, and from his father's house.
The Abrahamic Covenant Purpose
Les teaches that after the flood and Tower of Babel, God called out one man to make a little nation, to prepare them, and through them take salvation back to the whole mainstream of humanity.
The Pagan Gentiles Were Without Hope
Les explains that from Abraham's call until Acts God dealt primarily with Israel, and the Gentile world was lost, but still responsible because every human being has the knowledge of a Creator God.
The End of the First 2,000 Years
Les describes how at the end of the first 2,000 years God pulled Abram out of the mainstream of humanity to become the father of the Jewish nation, letting the rest of humanity drift in their godless state.
Genesis 12:1: Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
This is the specific command Les cites as the beginning of God's revelation to Abram and the nation of Israel.
Ephesians 2:12: That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
This verse supports Les's teaching that while God revealed Himself to Israel, the Gentiles had no part in those promises.
Les Feldick teaches that the whole human race was steeped in paganism and no one had knowledge of the one true God. God saw in Abram a heart that was fertile and open and a potential for faith, so He revealed Himself to Abram and called him out of Ur.
According to Les, the Gentile world was alien to the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, and lost without hope. However, God still held them responsible because every human being has within his breast the knowledge that there is a Creator God.
It began with Abraham's call at Genesis 12:1, when the Lord said, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house.' Les places this after the end of the first 2,000 years from Adam, when humanity had gone back into paganism at the Tower of Babel.
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