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Why do you see a "difference here between the church and Israel"?
The disciples asked him this question for a reason.
We read:
Acts chapter 1
[1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
[2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
[3] To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
[4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
[6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus had not only spent much of his earthly ministry prior to "his passion" teaching about the coming kingdom of God, but he also spoke to his disciples about the same for forty days after his resurrection from the dead.
The outcome of these talks?
Well, the disciples rightly asked him "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
Why "rightly asked him"?
Well, because Jesus undoubtedly spoke to them about things such as this:
Micah chapter 4
[1] But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
[2] And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
[3] And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
[4] But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
[5] For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
[6] In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
[7] And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
[8] And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
At Christ's second coming (he only comes twice - Heb. 9:27), "the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." In other words, as the prophesied son of David, Christ will reign and rule over this earth from within a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem as he sits upon the throne of his father David. At this time, even as we just read, "O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." For this very reason, the very last question that Christ's disciples asked him before he ascended back to heaven was in relation to the timing of the kingdom being restored to Israel.
And...???
How does this somehow differentiate between Jews and Gentiles?
In other words, this is the exact promise that both believing Jews and believing Gentiles are waiting for, so where's the alleged difference?
Anyhow, there's no real distinction between Jew or Gentile here, nor is there elsewhere in the Bible.
Galatians chapter 3
[26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
[27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
[29] And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We're told over and over again in scripture that God is no respecter of persons.
We're either in Christ and saved, or we're without Christ and lost.
Dispensationalism is a heretical teaching.
Our focus should be on Christ, and not on one's ethnicity.
The disciples asked him this question for a reason.
We read:
Acts chapter 1
[1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
[2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
[3] To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
[4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
[6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Jesus had not only spent much of his earthly ministry prior to "his passion" teaching about the coming kingdom of God, but he also spoke to his disciples about the same for forty days after his resurrection from the dead.
The outcome of these talks?
Well, the disciples rightly asked him "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
Why "rightly asked him"?
Well, because Jesus undoubtedly spoke to them about things such as this:
Micah chapter 4
[1] But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
[2] And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
[3] And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
[4] But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
[5] For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
[6] In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
[7] And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
[8] And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
At Christ's second coming (he only comes twice - Heb. 9:27), "the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." In other words, as the prophesied son of David, Christ will reign and rule over this earth from within a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem as he sits upon the throne of his father David. At this time, even as we just read, "O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." For this very reason, the very last question that Christ's disciples asked him before he ascended back to heaven was in relation to the timing of the kingdom being restored to Israel.
And...???
How does this somehow differentiate between Jews and Gentiles?
In other words, this is the exact promise that both believing Jews and believing Gentiles are waiting for, so where's the alleged difference?
Anyhow, there's no real distinction between Jew or Gentile here, nor is there elsewhere in the Bible.
Galatians chapter 3
[26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
[27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
[29] And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
We're told over and over again in scripture that God is no respecter of persons.
We're either in Christ and saved, or we're without Christ and lost.
Dispensationalism is a heretical teaching.
Our focus should be on Christ, and not on one's ethnicity.
Hi Live4Him2, I did read your entire post (and all of your posts in this thread and the other), but I condensed the quote in order to zero in on the main point I aim to address:
