Around the time when ancient Israel and Judah were being carried away captive throughout the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, the Prophets encouraged them that God was nevertheless going to be faithful to His promise.
While they were in captivity, God was going to rid them of their penchant for idolatry. Then they would be regathered to their land and reunited as a nation, their temple would be rebuilt, Levitical sacrifices would resume - even proselytes from the nations would begin making annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the feasts.
All that came to pass, while the Old Covenant still stood, while the genealogical records required to authenticate the Levitical priests were still in tact.
But there was more. By the last century BC and first century AD, Jews were hoping for a greater deliverance from their enemies - a greater salvation. According to the Prophets, God Himself was going to come and deliver their nation from its sins, and therefore from it's enemies, and reign over all the earth from among them. A 'river' was going to flow to all nations bringing healing. Even the dead would be raised to inherit the earth with the Messiah.
John the Baptist began to prepare Israel for that, with his baptism of repentance. He warned that just being ethnically Jewish wasn't going to cut it. Malachi hard earlier issued the same warning. Messiah was indeed going to come: but the outcome wasn't all going to be roses for everyone in Israel. John the Baptist's unique privilege among other prophets was to actually identify the Messiah to Israel. The One who would take away the sins of the world. JESUS!
After John's imprisonment, the Lord also began to preach, declaring that 'the time is fulfilled' and 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'. He also explained that entering the kingdom wasn't going to be automatic upon Jewish ethnicity. That wasn't an unheard of concept: numbers of sects within Judaism each had their own version of who in Israel might qualify to enter the kingdom and why.
Jesus He performed many of the expected Messianic signs, such as healing the sick - and His disciples believed on Him.
But strangely, Jesus began to predict that He would be crucified, and that He would rise again. When this came to pass, many of His disciples were afraid and disillusioned. It was only after His resurrection that His disciples understood that this also had been predicted in their Scriptures. Messiah died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures.
After His resurrection the graves were opened and many of the saints who had died came out of their graves and were seen in Jerusalem.
Seeing the prophesied Messianic sign of resurrection begin, meant that Jesus had been vindicated; He was declared to be the righteous Son of God; His death had been vicarious; our sins had been dealt with - death itself had been conquered - the kingdom was indeed being inaugurated among them.
For 40 days after His resurrection Jesus spoke to His disciples about the theme of none other than the 'kingdom of God'. But they were told that the kingdom-scheme wouldn't be completed until a Day which only the Father knows. Meanwhile they would be empowered by the Spirit - to be witnesses unto Jesus.
Jesus ascended to reign from heaven, until the time appointed by the Father when all enemies will finally be put under Him (including the enemy of death and decay).
Ten days later the Spirit fell - fulfilling another Messianic theme in Prophecy, that of Joel's - and they continued preaching the gospel 'of the kingdom', beginning in Jerusalem.
But not all Jews believed the report. And then the Spirit led the Apostles to announce the same kingdom-scheme for non-Jews also. Without requiring them to become proselytes to Judaism. The disciples came to understand that this scenario also had been foretold by the Prophets, as part of the manner in which the promises which Israel were custodians of, would all unfold.
It was also well-known (from Daniel), that the Jews' temple was again going to be destroyed, and their city and nation scattered. Jesus declared that it was going to happen within that generation. (Which did come to pass.)
None of this meant however that God was no longer interested in saving Jewish people. The Apostle Paul nipped that misconception in the bud, in his letter to the congregation at Rome. For as long as God was still saving Gentiles, He was also still reaching out to Jews. Still saving Jews. In fact, God was even using the testimony of Gentiles to try to provoke Jews to respond, and this also had been anticipated in Prophecy. It was with that scenario that God was carrying out His promise to save Israelis, precisely as predicted: He wasn't finished with Jewish people.
To Jews first and also to Greeks, the good news of the Messianic kingdom was being announced - and powerfully experienced by the Spirit. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
But for the meantime, the disciples also shared not only in the hope of Messiah's glory, but also in His sufferings. The reign of evil was understood to be temporary and really a farce: Jesus - the beginning of new creation, the first to rise from the dead - was in reality reigning from heaven. Only, God was giving space for more people to repent.
But soon, Jesus will come. He will bring the dead in the Messiah with Him. The dead will rise. Death will be defeated. Creation itself will be delivered from decay. The just will be vindicated. The wicked will be judged. The new heavens and earth will be complete. God will dwell with us.
He is gathering together in one all things in the Messiah. This is the bigger picture which Abraham's promise was really all about. The true Jerusalem, city, Zion, mountain, land, country, kingdom, 'temple', 'nation' of kings and priests, and river - which are really bigger and eternal and heavenly in origin and character. The real thing, which the temporary Levitical Law only foreshadowed. What Prophecy was ultimately always going to end up being all about.
That way of unfolding Prophecy, is the story the New Testament is telling. It's the claim the Apostes were asserting, as eye-witnesses. The Holy Spirit confirmed it with Messianic-kingdom signs all based on prophetic foresight.
The future isn't intended to be about reverting back under quasi-Levitical Law with nations being required to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to a replica-temple to offer animal sacrifices during imitation 'feasts', as if we are still back on the wrong side of the prophetic-fulfilment of that.
It's all about JESUS now. The GOSPEL. For all nations. Without anyone needing to become proselytes to Judaism.
That's how the Apostles' unpacked Old Testament Prophecy. The 'gospel' is the very scheme that faithfully fulfilled (and fulfils) Israel's promises.
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