“Bottom line is, Jesus never said anything about going to the gentiles; on the contrary, he forbade it. He also specifically picked 12 disciples for each tribe of Israel. He never said anything about having more. The whole thing is a story that was ad-libed as time went on.”
You won’t be surprised that we disagree again!
“17The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” - Gen 18:18
The prejudice of the Jews didn’t negate God’s plan. The ministry of John the Baptist was a sign. Jews had started baptizing converts to their faith, but didn’t baptize themselves since they had already arrived, so to speak. For John to insist they needed baptism and repentance and a new start was radical.
Jesus concentrated on ministry to the Jews, because it was through the Jews that all nations would be blessed. He had to get them ready for the indwelling Holy Spirit, who would take them where they needed to go - reluctantly, at times, but I can be pretty reluctant in following God myself, so I can’t point fingers!
Nor was it just Jesus that concentrated on the Jews. Paul ALSO went first to the Jews: “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
Yes, Jesus’ earthly ministry was to Jews only, with the exception of one Gentile woman and one Gentile man who confessed their position under Israel.
And the “church” discussed in Matthew 16 describes the called out assembly of a believing Israeli nation, and that will take place in the future.
The “church” of Matthew 16 doesn’t describe anything we see on earth today that calls itself a church.
That was during His earthly ministry to the nation who should have received Him first.
Paul went to Jews first because Israel should have received Christ first. Then Israel would have been the evangelistic people to the remainder of the world.
The temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for ALL nations. It was unbelieving Israel that prevented this.
I don’t know if you quoted Geneis 18:17, 18 as a proof text that God doesn’t hide anything from anybody. That reference refers only to Abraham about the matter of Sodom. It doesn’t refer to every one of His servents in every situation in all times.
The disciples asked Christ (just prior to His Ascension) whether He would AT THAT TIME restore the kingdom TO ISRAEL. Our Lord told them that God was keeping that in His own power. Christ didn’t tell them whether it was now or later. The timing remained hid — a mystery.