About 2,100 BC, God called out Abram, a Gentile idol worshiper from Ur of the Chaldees, from among all other men to establish a people unto Himself. With Abram, who was later to be called ‘Abraham,’ his lineage, led to “the twelve tribes” of the children of Israel [Jacob]. Thus, in Abram, God began to divide the human race by setting Israel “above all people” on the earth (Exo. 19:5). The rest of humanity is referred to as ‘the Gentiles.’

After the Cross of Jesus Christ, and Israel’s 3rd and final refusal to receive Jesus as Messiah, Jesus from heaven called out Saul of Tarsus, later to be called Paul. Paul, a Roman Jew, was called by Christ and learned from the then ascended Lord Jesus in Heaven while Jesus remained in His celestial [heavenly] ministry.

Paul wrote Romans and explains to us how that the Gentile Abraham, is the spiritual ‘father’ of all God’s people of faith (Rom. 4:11), both Jews and Gentiles. Paul says Abraham was saved through “faith alone,” apart from any good works or religious works (Rom. 4:5-8).

“But to him [Abraham] that worketh not, but believeth on him [God] that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁶ Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without [good] works, ⁷ Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute [count his] sin.” (Romans 4:5-8 (KJV)

So, Israel historically became God’s only favored Nation. The Nation Israel was ‘born’ when Israel left Egypt’s bondage in the Egyptian exodus of 1,400 BC, when He set the Nation of Israel “ABOVE ALL PEOPLE.”

“… IF ye [the children of Israel] will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me ABOVE ALL PEOPLE: for all the earth is mine:” (Exodus 19:5)

The point to notice here is that Moses clearly acknowledged that it was God who had conceived and given birth to the Nation Israel. They were His! We are not left to wonder about God’s purpose for Israel:

“… Thus shalt thou [Moses] say to the house of Jacob [Israel], and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then Ye [Israel] Shall Be A Peculiar Treasure Unto Me ABOVE ALL PEOPLE: for all the earth is mine:
“And YE [Israel] SHALL BE UNTO ME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS, AND AN HOLY NATION. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:3-6).

God told Moses to speak “unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:” (Exo. 4:22). Moses wrote of “THE ROCK THAT BEGAT [birthed] THEE [Israel] thou art unmindful …” (Deut. 32:18).

From that time any Gentile wanting to have relationship with God, had to come to God through Israel’s program in accord with Israel’s “Law” covenant. For, the Nation Israel had been born as a nation and set “above all people.” Israel was called to be the mediator of God’s blessings for the Gentiles who would then have to approach God through Israel and her God-given relational program. Gentiles would have to come as proselytes to Israel, coming under ‘Israel’s God-given Prophetic and Law program.’

So, in “time past” God dealt with ‘Gentiles’ Only Through Israel, as God’s Favored Nation. Thus, Paul wrote;  

“That at that time ye [Gentiles, cf. v11] were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” (Ephesians 2:12)

So, before today’s Gentile age of “the GRACE of God,” which is totally apart from Israel’s Law program and covenants of promise, Gentiles had been without God, having no standing and “without hope” of being blessed of God.

Sadly, though Israel was called and chosen by the LORD to “be a blessing to all the families of the earth” (cf. Gen 12:1-3), Israel has never yet come to faith in God as a Nation. Therefore, the Nation Israel never could be a blessing the Gentiles as was expected of them.

After the Lord’s passion of the Cross and then later the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7:58, we see how that Israel’s ultimate “fall” had come. Israel was now “fallen,” “blinded” and “cast away” (Rom. 11:10-12, 15, 25). Then God in Christ from heaven called and saved Paul to be “the [one] Apostle to the Gentiles,” quite sometime after the Cross. God then, through Paul’s ministry, began to implement His new pure Grace Relationship with the Gentiles DIRECTLY, for they formerly had no previous relationship with God apart from Israel.

This then begins the account of God’s turn from Israel to the Gentiles during today’s age of the “dispensation of the grace of God.” It begins with “the fall” of Israel.

“Let their [Israel’s] eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. ¹¹ I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather THROUGH THEIR FALL SALVATION IS COME UNTO THE GENTILES, for to provoke them to jealousy. ¹² Now if THE FALL OF THEM be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?” (Romans 11:10-12 (KJV)
“For if the CASTING AWAY OF THEM be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15 (KJV)
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery [secret], lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that BLINDNESS IN PART IS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL, until the Fulness Of The Gentiles Be Come In [with the Rapture].” (Romans 11:25 (KJV)