Genesis Through Malachi
The Gospel & Acts
The record of God’s program and dealings with His nation Israel, both historical and prophetic. God separates Abraham unto Himself and declares unto him the plan and purpose that He has to make of him a “great nation,” and through him and his seed to repossess the earth from Satan’s usurpation. The Gentiles are put “far off” by God to await being blessed through Israel when God’s kingdom is established on this earth in them. The Law covenant is established and serves as a “middle wall of partition” between Israel and the Gentiles.
Israel fails to make itself into “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation.” Through the Davidic Covenant God declares how He will undertake for them and come to be Israel’s Redeemer, Deliverer, Avenger, King and Blesser. In so doing God through His “Jehovah-ness” will provide for fulfilling His plan and purpose with Israel on the earth.
The Gospels tell about the coming of Christ to Israel, and about the arrival of the climactic stage in God’s program with Israel as “the gospel of the kingdom” begins to be preached. The Lord Jesus Christ functions as “a minister of the circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.”
Upon Israel’s rejection of Christ, God fulfills His prophesied promise of extending a limited time of mercy, forbearance, and “repentance to Israel” before beginning to administer His day of purging and avenging wrath.
Acts 1 through 7 describe this time of “repentance to Israel.” Israel’s rulers consistently spurn God’s mercy to them, after which Stephen is given to see that God has concluded giving “repentance to Israel” and that the Lord is ready to “make His foes His footstool.” But instead of God continuing on in His program with Israel as expected and prophesied, the Lord Jesus Christ unexpectedly comes back from heaven and raises up a brand new apostle — Paul!