And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” [Acts 11.17-18]
Finally, the point was being made that God's Kingdom is more than just the nation of Israel. It is truly one Kingdom for all.
Jesus had to remind His disciples on more than one occasion that He was promoting more than just a "nation." He reminded them that His Kingdom was not earthly. He reminded them that His Kingdom was on a larger scale than they had in mind.
In one sense, it was necessary that the King of Kings ascend to heaven to rule the world, not just a single nation.
The book of Acts, and particularly Peter's story with Cornelius, give us insight into the scope of God's Kingdom. This was God's plan all along. God indeed used the nation of Israel to get to this point, but His universal Kingdom was always the plan and Israel would always have a special place in God's heart.
Father, thank You for allowing us to see that Your plan - Your Kingdom - has always been for all people who believe.
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