Israel’s refusal to obey the Ten Commandment Covenant God had with cut with them caused Him to eventually divorce them (Jer. 3:6-11) and scatter them throughout the world (Eze. 4:13;12:15). Contrary to popular church opinion, the divorce was temporary (Rom. 11:1). There would come a day when He would begin to gather them back to Himself.  This regathering began on the Day of Pentecost many years later, a fact noted by the Apostle Peter at the time of the beginning of the end (Acts 2:17,18). This beginning of the end of the age has been before our eyes for some 2000 years. It was announced when he addressed the crowd gathered outside the Upper Room where the Holy Spirit had fallen on all in the room, causing them to speak in the various languages of the Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem from “every nation under the sun” on the Holy Day. When the crowd accused them of being drunk, Peter replied: “This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel, ‘In the last days I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh …..'” Recall that in Jeremiah 31:31-34 God had prophesied: “Behold, the days come that I will make a NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL and with the HOUSE OF JUDAH …. This shall be the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel (all 12 tribes) …. I will put My Law (10 Commandments) in their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and will be their God and they shall be My people.” Many generations later the Apostle Paul reminded the Israelite Christians that God had done exactly that (Heb. 8:8-12), quoting the Jeremiah 31 prophecy.

On the Day of Pentecost written about in Acts 2 we find that the Jews that had gathered for the celebration came from various parts of the Roman Empire that covered most of Europe and the Middle East. Peter told them that they were to return to their homelands and  “… tell all the people of Israel” (12 tribes) scattered throughout the known world that their Messiah had come and was calling them back to the Father (Acts 4:10; 2:36,39). God would later call all 12 tribes to return to Him (Eze. 37/ Hos. 1:10, 11). However, only a remnant of His chosen people have answered His call. These are they who now constitute the majority of the saints in His New Covenant Church. These Israelites He has reconciled to Himself while allowing Truth-obeying Gentiles to become a part of the church–the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16). The question is, how is God reconciling Israel to Himself? To be continued. L.J.