Peter's views and desires were completely turned upside down by Christ's relentless teaching. In the Scriptures, after Christ's ascension, Peter never spoke again of any hope for that old kingdom of Israel in this world. Rather, Peter urged the Gospel upon everyone, and described a new people of God, both Jews and Gentiles together, saved forever by Jesus. In 1 Peter, the apostle addresses in particular the Jewish believers in the diaspora. They had already lost their natural inheritance of the land, when God sent them into exile. Exile was part of the curse God promised in the Mosaic Law to all those who rebelled against His commandments. But God had chosen these saved Jews from eternity past to be set apart unto Himself by the Holy Ghost, unto salvation by the blood of Jesus, and to obedience unto the Lord! This was that New Covenant promise of old, wherein God would change His chosen people to love Him, and to know His law, and to be conformed to it, and to be forgiven from all their sins by God. They were not chosen simply because they were rebellious Jews, but by the desire of God, both Jews and Gentiles were chosen unto salvation apart from the keeping of the law, which none but Christ could ever do. This effective election by God is far better than being amongst the physical nation of Israel. Experience had already shown that being a part of physical Jewry would get you nothing more than the curse of the law and judgment. But these believers were elect beforehand to be set apart unto God, that through the miracle of the work of the Holy Ghost in their cold dead hearts, they should be saved and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb unto obedience!