Greetings in Jesus' name,
From post #380 in this thread:
". . . two groups; The Body of Christ and the Nation of Israel . . . "
The scriptures nowhere teach that the body of Christ and Israel are mutually exclusive. Such a false "dispensationalism" is a mistaken ecclesiology that was devised in an attempt to support the mistaken eschatology of a pre-trib rapture, which the scriptures also nowhere teach.
Believing Gentiles have become Abraham's seed and heirs (Galatians 3:29), fellow heirs and of the same body as believing Israel (Ephesians 3:6), grafted into the tree of believing Israel (Romans 11:17). Believing Gentiles are no longer aliens to the commonwealth of Israel or strangers to the covenants of promise made to Israel, but are now fellow citizens with believing Israel (Ephesians 2:12-19).
Believing Jews have always been part of the tree of believing Israel, indeed they're its original branches, for only "some" of the original branches have been broken off (Romans 11:17); the church and "the Jews" (or Israel) have never been mutually exclusive, for all believing Jews and Gentiles have always been baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13); believers such as Peter and Paul and Barnabas are all Apostles of the church and Jews (or Israel) at the same time (Romans 11:1; Galatians 2:13-15; Acts 22:3; Acts 21:39); Aquila and Apollos are members of the church and Jews at the same time (Acts 18:2; Acts 18:24); the early church included thousands of Jews who were believers (Acts 21:20); the church still today includes a great many believing Jews.
The Apostle Paul said that in the "dispensation" of the fullness of times Christ might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth (Ephesians 1:10), and this fullness of times has already come (Colossians 1:20; Galatians 4:4), for all believing Jews and Gentiles have already been made into one new man, one commonwealth of believing Israel (Ephesians 2:12-19), one fold with one Shepherd (John 10:16), baptized by one Spirit into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13), just as all believing Jews and Gentiles will be gathered together from heaven and earth by angels at Christ's second coming (Mark 13:27). Believing Israel is included in the bride of Christ (Revelation 21:9-12); New Jerusalem is the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26).
From post #380 in this thread:
". . . the Dispensation of the Grace of God . . . "
The grace given to New Testament saints of the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:2) is the grace given to New Testament saints of Israel (Acts 15:11), and Old Testament saints received grace (Genesis 6:8; Exodus 33:17; Proverbs 3:34), so that saints of the Gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same body as saints of Israel (Ephesians 3:6), just as saints who will live to enter into the tribulation will be from every nation (Revelation 7:9-14), not just Israel, and will be under God's grace (Revelation 7:14).
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May the Lord Jesus Christ reveal to us the truth regarding these matters.
