God turned directly to the Gentiles because Israel, the nation He had prepared to carry that message, rejected it in unbelief.
God's original Old Testament plan was to reach the pagan Gentile world through Israel as His covenant people. Israel rejected the King and the kingdom in unbelief, so God did something that had been kept secret: He set Israel aside and turned to the Gentile world without the nation of Israel.
Genesis 12:3 — God's promise to Abraham already included all families of the earth, showing the Gentile world was always in view.
Isaiah 42:6 — God's Servant would be a light to the Gentiles, the role Israel was intended to fulfill.
Isaiah 49:6 — God planned for salvation to reach the end of the earth, which Les identifies as Israel's intended mission.
Revelation 7:9 — It shows God still using Israel in the future with a ministry to people of all nations.
Scripture shows the Gentile world was always included in Israel's calling. God's covenant with Abraham included the promise, "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). In Isaiah, God says to His Servant, "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" (Isaiah 42:6), and "I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6). Revelation 7 carries the same pattern forward. After the sealing of 144,000 Israelites, John sees "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" standing before the throne (Revelation 7:9). The Bible's own story shows that Israel was intended to be the channel through which the nations would be reached.
Les Feldick teaches that God's original plan was to reach the pagan Gentile world through Israel. He pictures God pulling one little stream of humanity out of the great river of mankind—the nation of Israel—with the object of funneling that stream back into the nations and bringing them to a knowledge of their God. Israel was set apart, given covenant promises, the Word of God, and tremendous opportunity, but they rejected that opportunity in unbelief.
Les teaches that when God called Abraham, He was making a special race of people—the nation of Israel—out of the great river of humanity. The object was to use Israel to funnel back into the nations of the world and bring them to a knowledge of their God. God's promise to Abraham also included blessing for all the rest of the world, so the Gentiles were never outside God's plan.
Israel did not fulfill that calling. Les says they had 2,000 years of having it pounded into them that they were special, and they could not get it out of their head that anybody else was worth a nickel. In unbelief, Israel rejected the King and the kingdom; even the favored nation failed. They continued rejecting everything instead of becoming the prepared, obedient people God could send to the Gentiles.
At that point God did something that had been kept secret in His mind: He turned to the Gentile without Israel. Les says God had to set Israel aside, broke them off from the root of Abraham, and put the believing Gentile system in the place Israel had enjoyed. Israel was dispersed into every nation, lost the Temple, the city, and their homeland, and was placed in spiritual blindness.
Yes. Les says God from the beginning knew the day would come when He would go to the whole Gentile world with His salvation. The difference is the way it happened: God originally intended to go through Israel, but because of Israel's unbelief, He went to the Gentiles without Israel.
Les shows from Revelation 7 that God will once again deal with His covenant people. He seals 144,000 Jews—12,000 from each of twelve tribes—and their ministry is not limited to Israel; they go to all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues. God's turning to the Gentiles was not the end of His dealings with Israel.
Israel's Future Ministry in Revelation
God will return again to deal with Israel, and the 144,000 sealed Jewish witnesses will take the message around the globe to people of every nation.
Israel Rejected Its Mission
God's intention was to reach the Gentile world through His covenant people Israel, but Israel rejected this in unbelief and had to be dispersed.
Gentile Believers Put Into Israel's Place
God had promised Abraham he would be a blessing to the whole world, so when Israel was broken off, believing Gentiles were put into the place of blessing.
Israel's Exclusive Attitude
Israel had been set apart to become a spiritual, obedient people who would then bring the Gentiles to God, but two thousand years of special treatment made them think no one else mattered.
A Secret Turn to the Gentiles
Les stresses that God turned to the Gentile without Israel—something kept secret—because Israel rejected everything, even though the Old Testament plan was always to reach the Gentiles through Israel.
Israel Called Out to Bless the Nations
God pulled Israel out of the river of humanity to be the channel that would funnel knowledge of God back to the nations; this was their opportunity, which they rejected.
The Favored Nation Failed
God dealt with one nation so He could use them to reach the Gentiles, but even the favored nation failed; so God went to the Gentiles without Israel, and Paul proclaimed it.
Israel Dispersed and Blinded
After rejecting Jesus, Israel was dispersed back into the nations, not to evangelize them but in spiritual blindness; they lost the Temple, the city, and their homeland.
Genesis 12:3: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
God's promise to Abraham always included the Gentile nations—the very outcome Israel was meant to facilitate.
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;
This is the passage Les points to when explaining that God's Old Testament plan was to reach Gentiles through Israel.
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.
This verse matches Les's teaching that Israel was to carry salvation to the end of the earth.
Revelation 7:9: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
In the future, the 144,000 Jewish witnesses are followed by a multitude from every nation, showing God still uses Israel in reaching the world.
Yes. God from the beginning knew the day would come when He would go to the whole Gentile world with His salvation. He told Abraham that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. The question was not whether, but how—through Israel if she had obeyed.
Yes. Israel was supposed to be the nation through which God would reach the Gentiles, but they rejected it in unbelief. When the favored nation failed, God turned to the Gentiles without the nation of Israel.
Israel was dispersed into every nation on earth, lost the Temple, the city, and their homeland, and were put in a place of spiritual blindness. They were no longer evangelizing the nations as God had intended.
No. Revelation 7 shows the sealing of 144,000 Jews from twelve tribes, and they will minister to all nations during the tribulation. God will return once again to deal with His covenant people Israel.
Watch the Teaching: What Happens to the 144,000 Jews in the Tribulation?