These words of Peter, spoken after Pentecost, cannot be separated from

the hope of Israel without violence to the inspired words.  It may be, that

some readers will interpose the thought: `These are from the testimony of

Peter; what we want is the testimony of Paul'.  We therefore give two more

extracts from the Acts, quoting this time from the ministry of Paul.

(3).  `And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of

God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly

serving God day and night, hope to come' (Acts 26:6,7).

(4).  `Paul called the chief of the Jews together ... because that for

the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain' (Acts 28:17,20).

Not until the Jewish people were set aside in Acts 28:25 -29 does Paul

become `the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles'.  Until it was a settled

fact that Israel would not repent and that the promise of Acts 3:19 -26 would

be postponed, the hope of Israel persisted, and all the churches that had been

brought into being up to that time were of necessity associated with that hope.

See the testimony of Romans, which is set out in much fuller detail after the

reference to the heavenly calling is completed.

We have already drawn attention to the intimate association that exists

between `hope', `promise' and `calling'.  We must pause for a moment here to

remind the reader that Abraham stands at the head of two companies: an earthly

people, the great nation of Israel; and a heavenly people, associated with the

heavenly phase of God's promise to Abraham, and made up of the believing

remnant of Israel and believing Gentiles.  This heavenly side of the Abrahamic

promise is referred to by the apostle in Hebrews and Galatians:

`He looked for a city ....  They seek a country ....  They desire a

better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be

called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city' (Heb.

`If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to

the promise ... Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of

us all' (Gal. 3:29; 4:26).

This heavenly calling of the Abrahamic promise constitutes the Bride of

the Lamb, as distinct from the restored Wife, which refers to Israel as a

nation.  We leave the reader to verify these statements for himself by

referring to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea, where Israel's restoration is spoken

of under the figure of the restored Wife; and to the Book of the Revelation

where the heavenly city is described as the Bride.  During the time of the Acts

of the Apostles, the churches founded by Paul were `Abraham's seed, and heirs

according to the promise' (Gal. 3:29).  The apostle speaks of `espousing them

to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ' (2 Cor.

This heavenly phase of the hope of Israel was the hope of all the

churches established during the Acts, until Israel was set aside as recorded in

Acts 28.