Greetings again Right Divider, The believers, both Jews and Gentiles, were the body of Christ and they were also the bride of Christ. John the Baptist speaks of Jesus as the bridegroom, and the disciples of John who had switched their full allegiance from John to Jesus were the bride of Christ.
John 3:26–30 (KJV): 26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
These included four of John’s disciples, Andrew and Peter, James and John. Thus the Apostles were part of the bride of Christ, and the 3000 baptised at Pentecost joined the Apostle’s fellowship and also became part of the bride of Christ.
There was a little bit more happening on this particular Day of Pentecost. A few weeks earlier Jesus had been crucified and died, he was buried but on the third day God raised him from the dead, and after forty days Jesus ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Jesus then sent forth the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and then Peter addressed the assembled multitude to teach them about Jesus and his resurrection. Peter was not there to teach this multitude about the basics of the Day of Pentecost. There were 3000 that responded to Peter’s message, and they repented and were baptised in water, and then joined the Apostle’s fellowship, and thus became the body and the bride of Christ.
No, Israel was at that time a separate entity, and as a whole the nation had rejected their Messiah. These new believers formed the Ekklesia, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ.
Kind regards
Trevor
The total that heard and believed Peter's Gospel was actually 8,000. 3,000 on the day of Pentecost and 5,000 on the day after, Acts 4:4.
Regardless, the Gospel gave birth to the New Testament church. Things in Jerusalem were never the same after that.