The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Twenty-Four

"All Israel Will Be Saved"


Romans 11:25-36 (NLT) I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,
   “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
     And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”
   Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.
   Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
   For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? 
   And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?
   For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

"Israel will be saved when Jesus Christ, the deliverer, comes from Zion and (1) takes away the ungodliness—that is, the hardening—from Israel and replaces it with faith [recall verse 23, “if they do not continue in their unbelief , they will be grafted in”), and so (2) their sins will be forgiven, and (3) they will be grafted in to the tree of salvation and promise as one people with the Gentiles who believe in Jesus." ~ John Piper

Jesus has already come but promised to come a second time. I like the way John Piper explains Romans 11:25-27. 
     1) Jesus will take away the hardening of the hearts of the Israelites and replaces it with faith.
     2) Their sins will be forgiven.
     3) Though they have been cut off, they will be grafted back in.
This all takes place after the full number of Gentiles accept Jesus. I believe this to be after, those who believe in Jesus and place their lives in His hands, are taken up in the Rapture.

As Christians we must continue to pray for the Jewish people. We are to never put them down with crude jokes. They are precious to God. The Messiah, who is Jesus, is our bridge to God. He is also the bridge to reconciliation with God's Chosen people, Israel. Be careful how you speak of  them, treat them and believe about them. We are to love them and respect their position as the Chosen of God.

"Salvation comes to Israel and to Gentiles in the same way—through faith in the Deliverer, Jesus the Christ, or it doesn't come at all." ~ John Piper

Most churches have given up telling the Jewish people about Jesus as Messiah. Some even believe that they will be saved because of their historical connection as the Chosen. This is known as “two-covenant theology”. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is only One way, one olive tree if you will, and that is Jesus. Those of the Jewish faith who don't believe in Jesus as Messiah have been cut of from this sacred root ~ Jesus. However, He will come again and remove the hardening from their hearts, replacing it with faith. They will have a chance to come to Him again.

'Not only is salvation for Israel only through the Deliverer Jesus Christ, but this salvation for Israel also is certainly coming. The salvation of Israel is not just a possibility but a certainty. God has given the promise, and God has called Israel for his own, and Paul says in verse 29, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."' ~ John Piper

This blows my mind. I had never realized this truth until I really studied Romans 11 in the past year or so. Usually, I skip past this chapter because I never got past Romans 8. The church has not done a good job of teaching this about Israel. We need to know this and understand God's plans for Israel.


Five Reasons Why I Believe Romans 11:26 Refers to the Nation of Israel as a Whole ~ John Piper

 (I take this on as my belief as well.)

So let me draw out several reasons again why I believe verse 26 (“And in this way all Israel will be saved”) means that someday the nation as a whole (not necessarily every individual; see 1 Kings 12:1; 2 Chronicles 12:1) will be converted to Christ and join the Christian church and be saved. And then we will conclude with some implications.


1. I think the term “Israel” in verse 25 and 26 most naturally refer to the same thing.


Verse 25: “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel. . . .” That must refer to the nation as a whole from generation to generation. He continues, “. . . until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved.” I don't think the meaning of Israel changes between verse 25 and 26. The hardened Israel (the nation as a whole) will be the saved Israel (the nation as a whole).


2. The reference in verse 26 to banishing ungodliness from Jacob fits with the national view of “all Israel.”


Verse 26: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.'” This seems most naturally to be a picture of Christ's return at the second coming, and banishing ungodliness from Jacob refers most naturally to the removal of the hardening referred to in verse 25. “Jacob” is not a natural or typical reference to the elect remnant of Israel. The hardening lasts until the full number of the Gentiles comes in (the climax of world missions), and then Christ comes and lifts the veil and removes the hardening—he banishes ungodliness from Jacob, from “all Israel.”


3. The parallel between the two halves of verse 28 point to all Israel as the nation as a whole.


Verse 28: “As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake.” Now that half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole—they are enemies of God. So the second half of the verse surely refers to the nation as a whole as well: “But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.” The point of this verse is to show that even though Israel now is a covenant-breaking, unbelieving nation, that is going to change. The nation that are enemies now, will be converted later because of election and love.


4. The parallels in verse 12 point in the same direction.


Verse 12: “Now if their [the Jewish nation's] trespass means riches for the world [salvation for the Gentiles], and if their [the Jewish nation's] failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion!” Here “their full inclusion” most naturally refers to the same nation as “their trespass” and “their failure.” So “their full inclusion” refers to the salvation of “all Israel” and is national.


5. The same thing is true about the parallels in verse 15.


“For if their [Jewish nation's] rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their [Jewish nation's] acceptance mean but life from the dead?” The nation now rejected will be accepted. So the “acceptance” of the Jewish nation most naturally refers to the salvation of “all Israel”—the salvation of the nation as a whole some day.


Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.” 

I'm not sure how all of this will play out, but I am certain of this, God will do it. While we are waiting our job is to bring others to a saving knowledge in Jesus the Messiah. Come soon Lord Jesus, come soon!