And such was beautifully fulfilled when Israel rejected their Messiah and through their rejection prompted the gospel to be carried to the gentiles.
KJV Acts 13:46-47
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said,
It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
And what was the result of this rejection by Israel of their God in killing Him?
KJV Acts 6:7
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
And why was all this necessary,? I don't mean the preaching of the gospel of course, but why the Jews first? Why was it that...
KJV Acts 13:46
It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you...?
in order to fulfil Daniel 9. 70 weeks were appointed as a time of particular probationary period for Israel to get their act together. The Messiah came at the appointed time.
69 weeks, 483 years from 457BC to 27AD was the precise time of Jesus's baptism and His anointing by the holy Spirit for ministry. That left one prophetic week. 7 years, during which time the gospel of salvation through their Messiah was presented first by Jesus personally to the time of His death in 31AD, them for 3 1/2 years by the apostles. It was about 34SD that Stephen was sinned. His speech was an arraignment against the rulers of the nation, that speech was the prophet's last call to repentance before the 70 weeks was fulfilled. The rulers shut their ears and rushed upon Stephen to kill him. In from the nation that single act by the nation's rulers, they shut off the kingdom of God from the nation. It did not shut off the kingdom of the kingdom or the gospel from any individual of that nation. But the church became God's chosen vehicle for proclaiming the gospel to the end of the world, and thus was prophecy fulfilled.
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