Under the Old Testament program, Israel was to receive her King, and with the kingdom established, go out as a nation of priests and evangelists to carry salvation to the Gentiles.
Les Feldick shows from Isaiah 42 and 49 that Israel's prospect was to be a light to the Gentiles — God's salvation to the end of the earth. Psalm 2 places this in the kingdom setting, where God's King rules on Zion and receives the heathen as His inheritance. Israel, however, rejected her King and 'blew it,' so God turned to the Gentiles with the gospel of grace — though He still intends to use Israel.
Isaiah 49:6 — The most direct Old Testament statement that Israel was given to be a light to the Gentiles and God's salvation to the end of the earth.
Isaiah 42:6 — The passage Les points to in Isaiah 42 where Israel is described as a light of the Gentiles.
Psalm 2:6-8 — Sets the kingdom frame: God's King on Zion receiving the heathen as His inheritance.
Genesis 3:15 — The foundational promise that Israel was set apart to fulfill — the seed of the woman as Redeemer.
Psalm 2:6-8 sets the kingdom frame for Israel's calling. God declares, 'Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion,' and the Father tells the Son, 'Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.' Isaiah 49:6 speaks directly to Israel's role among the nations: 'I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.' The same truth appears in Isaiah 42, where the LORD says of His servant, 'I the LORD have called thee in righteousness... and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.' Genesis 3:15 is the foundational promise of the Redeemer: 'And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.'
Les teaches that all through the Old Testament, Israel's prospect was to be a nation of priests and the light to the Gentiles — God's means of bringing the knowledge of Jehovah and salvation to the Gentile world. He points to Isaiah 42 and 49 to show that from Abraham all the way into the New Testament, God was dealing primarily with the Jew, but He never lost sight of the Gentiles. God's whole intent was that Israel, as a kingdom of priests, would go out and evangelize those Gentiles. This role was tied to Israel receiving her King. Les explains that after the ascension, the next thing on the order was the tribulation, and then God's King would be set on Zion — and it was then that Israel was to be the missionary force. But there was a condition: Israel had to repent to the last person. Instead, when the King came riding on a donkey, He was rejected, and the nation continued rejecting Him until God raised up the apostle Paul and turned to the Gentiles with the gospel of grace. Les emphasizes this was not an accident or an afterthought — it was God's preordained plan. Even so, Les notes that Israel 'dropped it' and 'blew it,' and in about 70 AD they lost the Temple, the city, and their homeland and were dispersed into every nation — not to evangelize as intended, but in spiritual blindness. Yet Les is clear that God is still going to use Israel: the Old Testament promises that Israel would be a light to the Gentiles remain, and God is still intending to use the nation of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles. All these Old Testament passages, he adds, contain not one hint of the Church Age.
Les shows from Psalm 2 that after the tribulation, God's King was to be set upon His holy hill of Zion. But Israel had a condition to meet: the whole nation had to repent to the last person before Christ could set up His kingdom and Israel could become the missionary force. Instead, when the King came riding on a donkey, it 'threw the curve' at the people, and they rejected Him — and they continued to reject Him until God raised up the apostle Paul.
When Israel rejected the King, they lost everything. Les describes how in about 70 AD the nation lost the Temple, the city, and their homeland, and were dispersed into every nation on earth. Instead of going back into the mainstream of humanity to evangelize as God had intended, they were put in a place of spiritual blindness, in the same position as the rest of the Gentile world. But Les emphasizes this was not an accident — God, in His preordained plan, went another way to the Gentiles with the gospel of grace.
Yes. Les is emphatic that even though Israel 'dropped it' and 'blew it,' God is still intending to use the nation of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6 shows that Israel would be given not only to raise up the tribes of Jacob, but also as a light to the Gentiles — God's salvation to the end of the earth. Les notes that all these Old Testament passages contain not one hint of the Church Age; they are about God dealing with Israel.
Les teaches that the reason God set aside the nation of Israel was to fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15 — that the seed of the woman would come to be the Redeemer of mankind. To bring that to fulfillment, God set aside Israel, promised Abraham that through that covenant people the Messiah would come, and prepared the nation of Israel for the role of being the missionaries and the evangelists.
Psalm 2: God's King and the Heathen Inheritance
Les takes his listeners to Psalm 2 to show the prophetic sequence after Christ's ascension: the tribulation first, then God's King set on Zion, with the Son receiving the heathen as His inheritance — the kingdom backdrop for Israel's role.
Israel Could Have Been the Missionary Force
Les explains that Israel had to repent to the last person before Christ could set up His kingdom, and then Israel would have become the missionary force and the evangelists — but the nation kept rejecting until God turned to the Gentiles.
Israel as a Kingdom of Priests
Les shows from Isaiah that God's whole intent was for Israel, as a kingdom of priests, to go and evangelize the Gentiles — a role the Jews of Acts violently resisted when Paul even mentioned the word 'Gentiles.'
Isaiah 42: A Light to the Gentiles
Les explains that all through the Old Testament Israel's prospect was to be a nation of priests, bringing the knowledge of God to the Gentile world — but the King who came on a donkey was rejected.
Israel Blew It, but God Still Has a Plan
Les states plainly that Israel dropped the prospect and 'blew it,' but God is still intending to use the nation to bring salvation to the Gentiles — and none of these Old Testament passages contain a hint of the Church Age.
The Result of Rejection: Dispersion and Blindness
Les describes how Israel's rejection of the King led to the loss of the Temple, the city, and the homeland in 70 AD, and dispersion into the mainstream of humanity — not to evangelize, but in spiritual blindness.
Isaiah 49:6 — A Light to the Gentiles
Les unpacks Isaiah 49:6: Israel would not only be restored, but God would also give her as a light to the Gentiles, to be His salvation to the end of the earth — showing God never lost sight of the Gentile world.
Set Apart for the Redeemer and for Evangelism
Les explains that the reason God set aside Israel was to fulfill the Genesis 3:15 promise that the Redeemer would come through Abraham's covenant people — and He prepared Israel for the role of missionaries and evangelists.
Isaiah 49:6: And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Quoted by Les to show Israel's role as a light to the Gentiles and God's salvation to the ends of the earth.
Psalm 2:6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
The King God has set on Zion — the kingdom context of Israel's role.
Psalm 2:7: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Les notes that 'begotten' refers to Christ's resurrection, not His birth at Bethlehem.
Psalm 2:8: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
The Son receives the heathen — the Gentile nations — as His inheritance.
Isaiah 42:6: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
The verse in Isaiah 42 expressing Israel as a light of the Gentiles — the chapter Les points to.
Genesis 3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The promise of the Redeemer that Israel was set apart to fulfill, as Les explains.
No. Les teaches that Israel 'dropped it' and 'blew it' — the nation rejected her King and never became the missionary force God intended. But this was no accident; it was part of God's preordained plan, and He turned to the Gentiles with the gospel of grace through the apostle Paul.
Yes. Even though Israel blew her prospect in history, Les teaches that God is still intending to use the nation of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles. The Old Testament promise that Israel would be a light to the Gentiles still stands.
Les explains that God set aside the nation of Israel to fulfill the promise of Genesis 3:15 — that the seed of the woman would come to be the Redeemer of mankind. God promised Abraham that through that covenant people the Messiah would come, and He prepared Israel for the role of being the missionaries and evangelists.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Apostles Stayed in Jerusalem: Israel vs. The Church