It's not about the KoG being restored back to Israel, but rather the reverse.
Listen to HOW the disciples asked Jesus the question: "wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?".
In John 3:3-7, Jesus said that EACH of Israel could be restored back into the KoG by God the Father, when they believe on Jesus as their Messiah/Savior and King.
He even helped them to know how and when that should take place by God the Father's own decision.
God the Father decided that all of Israel may EACH begin returning back to the KoG, beginning on the day of Pentecost.
Therefore, all who are of Israel, and are born again of the Holy Spirit, the KoG has been restored back to them.
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
God the Father has been acting upon that power many times for 2026 years.
Reflective Narrative:
From Israel’s Expected Kingdom to the Worldwide Kingdom of God
After His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days with His disciples, “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Yet when they gathered with Him, their question revealed that they were still thinking primarily about Israel’s national restoration:
“Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
—Acts 1:6
Their question was understandable. The prophets had spoken repeatedly about the restoration of Israel, the exaltation of Jerusalem, and the reign of the Messiah. The disciples therefore expected Jesus to restore the kingdom that Israel had lost and perhaps establish something resembling the kingdom of David—only greater and everlasting.
What is especially significant is the way Jesus answered them. He did not say that Israel would never be restored, that the prophets had been misunderstood, or that Israel had simply been replaced. But neither did He explain the timing or political form of Israel’s future kingdom. Instead, He redirected their attention:
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
—Acts 1:7–8
The disciples asked, “When will the kingdom be restored to Israel?” Jesus answered, in effect, “You are about to receive the Holy Spirit, and you will carry My message throughout the world.” That is a remarkable change in emphasis. Their attention was directed away from the timing of
national restoration and toward the
worldwide mission of the kingdom of God. This was consistent with what Jesus had taught throughout His ministry. His central message was not simply the restoration of Israel’s political kingdom. He repeatedly proclaimed the kingdom of God:
“The kingdom of God is at hand.”
—Mark 1:15
“I must preach the kingdom of God.”
—Luke 4:43
“He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.”
—Luke 8:1
Jesus also sent His disciples
“to preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2).
John’s Gospel uses the phrase less frequently, but when it does, its meaning is especially important. Jesus told Nicodemus:
“Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
—John 3:3
And again:
“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
—John 3:5
Entrance into this kingdom is not determined by nationality, ancestry, or political citizenship.
It requires a new birth through the Spirit. A person does not enter because he belongs to Israel or any other nation. He enters through faith in Christ and the transforming work of God. This becomes even clearer after the cross and Pentecost. Peter did not stand before the people and invite them to join a newly restored political kingdom of Israel. He called them to repent, believe in Jesus Christ, receive forgiveness, and receive the Holy Spirit. Three thousand people responded. They were not added to a political nation; they were added to the community of believers in Christ.
Paul later described this spiritual transfer:
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”
—Colossians 1:13
Notice that Paul speaks of this as something believers have already experienced. They have already been transferred into the kingdom of Christ. Paul also wrote:
“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
—Romans 14:17
The kingdom is therefore already present wherever Christ rules through the Holy Spirit in the lives of His people. Yet it has not reached its final and visible completion. Christ will return, judge all opposing powers, and openly establish His everlasting dominion.
The New Testament consequently presents the kingdom in two stages. It is already present spiritually, but it has not yet been fully consummated. The King has come, salvation has been accomplished, and believers have entered His kingdom. But the final victory and visible reign still await His return. This helps us understand why Jesus redirected the disciples in Acts 1. They were thinking about borders, Jerusalem, Israel’s throne, and the timing of national restoration. Jesus directed them toward the Holy Spirit, the gospel, and a mission extending to the end of the earth. Instead of focusing upon political control, Jesus repeatedly emphasized:
repentance,
faith,
new birth,
eternal life,
the indwelling Holy Spirit,
and the making of disciples among all nations.
This does not mean that Israel no longer matters. Paul specifically asks:
“Has God cast away His people?”
His answer is:
“Certainly not!” —Romans 11:1
Paul also speaks of Israel’s present blindness and of a future work of God involving that people. We should therefore be careful not to claim that God has no remaining purpose for ethnic Israel.
Nevertheless, after the cross, national Israel is no longer the doorway through which people must enter God’s redemptive kingdom. Christ Himself is now the center. Jew and Gentile enter the same body in the same way—through faith in Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. This distinction fits naturally with the larger message of Daniel. If Daniel’s seventy weeks lead to the coming of the Messiah, then the cross becomes the decisive turning point in the prophetic timeline. Before the cross, Israel is restored to the land, Jerusalem is rebuilt, the temple is functioning, and the people are awaiting their Messiah. But after the Messiah comes, dies, rises, and sends the Holy Spirit, the emphasis moves outward from national restoration to worldwide salvation.
The apostles are not commissioned to rebuild Israel’s political kingdom. They are commissioned to proclaim Christ:
“You shall be witnesses to Me … to the end of the earth.”
The kingdom of God had drawn near in the person of its King. It was inaugurated through His ministry, death, and resurrection, Daniel 2:34. It was manifested in power at Pentecost through the Holy Spirit. It is entered now by everyone who believes, and it will be visibly consummated when Christ returns, Daniel 2:35. Viewed this way, Acts 1 records more than a correction concerning timing. It records a correction of emphasis. The disciples asked about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. Jesus pointed them toward the present mission of the kingdom of God. He did not necessarily deny that God still had a future purpose for Israel. He showed them that their immediate responsibility was not to speculate about when Israel’s national kingdom would be restored. Their responsibility was to receive the Holy Spirit and proclaim the risen Messiah to the entire world. That shift—from national expectation to worldwide gospel mission—becomes one of the defining themes of the remainder of the New Testament.
