Romans 11
9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
Romans 11
1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
The Gentile harvest is complete except for the poor and the stranger.
Clearly you do not understand Romans 11:25-26 exactly talked about:
Romans 11:25-26
- "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
- And so all Israel shall be Saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:"
Israel, in part, is blinded. The question is, what Israel is this? Well, we have to remember that Paul is talking to the Romans (Gentiles), saying that they have no reason to boast, and declaring that part of Israel (the election) obtained the promises, and the rest were blinded. So clearly we see that the Israel in part that were blinded, are the majority of Israel. And just as clearly we see that there is an Israel that obtained the promises, which God calls the election, or the Chosen. Both God calls Israel. One may ask, how can that be? It can be because they all were collectively the olive tree Israel, or corporate covenant Israel. For the Jewish people in part who rejected Christ, judgment has come upon them for the hardness of their heart, as they are pictured as branches broken off or blinded. That is the reason that Paul was sorrowful when he was explaining that, "
all are not Israel who are of Israel." And note he is also referencing two Israelis' there. He spoke in Romans 9:6 of Israel, the corporate entity. And He spoke of the Israel within "that" Israel, which he declares is the only "real" Israel of God. By saying they are "not" all Israel, which are of Israel, God makes it perfectly clear that there are two Israelis. And only one of them is the Israel of God. The one who "are" the Israel of God is the remnant within that Israel that are not blinded. They are the election which have obtained the promises.
The meat of the controversy comes in the phrase, "
Blindness in part has happened unto Israel till the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Many people are confused as to what this declaration really means? But it is simply building upon what Paul has just stated. He said he doesn't want them to be ignorant of "the mystery" which is that the Gentiles are to be part of this very same "One Body," which is Covenant Israel. He has spoken of the revelation of the mystery that has always been God's plan. Jew and Gentile alike as one people together as one family of God.
Ephesians 1:9-10
- "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in Himself:
- That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:"
In the fullness of time, it was revealed that the Gentiles would also be a part of Covenant Israel. That is the mystery kept secret from the foundation of the world, but is now revealed. Salvation to the Jew first, and
then salvation to the Gentiles. There is no special dispensation of time for a third salvation for Jewish people after the Gentiles. It is the Jew first, and then the Gentiles. Thus all have the same opportunity to be Children of God. God has revealed the mystery that has been hid from other ages, and Paul doesn't want the Romans to be ignorant or unknowledgeable about this mystery. Gentiles are the fellow heirs with the Jews, not a body apart from the Jews.
This is the same mystery Paul wrote to the Ephesians about:
Ephesians 3:3-6
- "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
- Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
- Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
- That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"
Not a different body, not a different family, not a different congregation, nor a separate inheritance apart from the Jews, but the
Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body, and partakers of the "same" promises to their fathers, and enjoying the same fatness of the Covenant Olive tree. They are being grafted into this same Covenant Israel. History shows Salvation went to the Jews first, but
because of unbelief, the Jew is blinded. And that
blindness will last until the Christian Gentiles coming in to their full state. For example, there are no more Gentiles coming in after their "fullness," and this rules out any alleged program of evangelization of the Gentiles by the Jews after their blindness is supposed to be lifted. Their corporate blindness will remain until there is not one other Gentile left to be saved. Until the fullness of the Gentiles have come in. This does not mean that there would be a conversion of the majority of the Jewish nation sometime after this fullness of the Gentile like the Dispensationalists believe, rather it illustrates their blindness or hardness of heart would last until no more Gentiles are being saved.
So the overview of verse twenty-five is that God doesn't want us to be ignorant of this mystery concerning the Gentiles that they would have a high opinion of themselves because they were grafted in, and the majority of the Jews were cut off from the tree because of unbelief. Because in man's ignorance, he will often become wise in his own conceits and formulate doctrines which are biased and contrary to what God's Word declares about there being no distinction between Jewish children of covenant Israel and Gentile children of covenant Israel (Romans 16:25; Colossians 1:26-27; 1st Corinthians 15:51; Mark 4:11; Ephesians 1:9, 3:3). They are
one tree and
one body, and no ignorance can change that truth that was once kept a mystery before. They are not better just because (except for the election) a
spiritual blindness has come upon the Jewish nation. We are told that this blindness will last until the totality or fullness of the Gentiles have come into Covenant Israel, symbolized by this tree. It will last until there is not another Gentile branch to be grafted in. Those who look for Israel to bear fruit in the future concerning Christ are looking in vain (Matthew 21:9).
After all Gentile Elect be secured, THUS (not "then") ALL COVENANT ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED. Nothing to do with 70AD or future salvation program for national Israel.