Israelās Restoration: Why Romans 11:25 Shows Itās Already Happened, Not in the Future
soteriology - Romans 11:26 reads āIn this way all of Israel will be saved;ā but in which way? - Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange
Is the building of a Third Temple necessary before the return of Christ?
Can someone please give me a quick rundown as to why so many Christians feel strongly about Israel/if the land promise still actually applies to Israel?
Many people think Romans 11:25 is about something that will happen in the future, like the spiritual renewal of Israel. But if we look closely at the words, history, and the Bibleās overall message, it seems this verse is not a prediction about the future.
Instead, it talks about how Godās plan was already fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
I believe Romans 11:25 is about the time before Jesus came. The āpartial hardeningā of Israel ended when people from all nations were welcomed into Godās covenant promises.
Hereās a clear version of the verse that focuses on its meaning:
āFor I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about this mystery, so that you may not be wise in your own sight: a partial hardening came upon Israel, until the fullness of the nations could enter.ā
Partial Hardening
This means Israel experienced a temporary āhardening,ā or resistance, to fully understanding Godās plan.
It wasnāt forever it was part of preparing the way for Jesus and opening salvation to everyone. āUntil the Fullness of the Nations Could Enterā This refers to people from all nations, not just Israel, being included in Godās promises.
The word ānationsā reminds us of Godās promise to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3).
The Past Action
The word ācameā in the original Greek means this hardening already happened in the past but had effects until Jesus came.
This shows the āhardeningā ended when Jesus started the new covenant and opened salvation to all people.
What Was Happening at the Time?
Paul wrote Romans 11 to help the early Church, which included both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) believers. Some Gentiles thought God had rejected the Jewish people forever because they didnāt accept Jesus.
Paul explained that this āhardeningāof Israel wasnāt permanent. Instead, it was part of Godās plan to bring salvation to all nations. Even during this time, a faithful group of Jewish believers (a āremnantā) still followed God. When Jesus came, the hardening ended, and Godās promise to bless all nations was fulfilled.
What Early Church Leaders Thought
Early Church leaders agreed that Romans 11:25 was about Godās promises being fulfilled through Jesus:
Origen (184ā253): Believed the āhardeningā was temporary, allowing people from all nations to join Godās covenant.
Augustine (354ā430): Taught that āall Israelā means everyone who believes in Christ, whether Jewish or Gentile.
John Chrysostom (349ā407): Thought this verse described events already happening in Paulās time, not something in the future.
These leaders saw Romans 11:25 as a reflection on what Jesus had already accomplished, not a prediction of what was to come.
Why This Matters
Paulās message in Romans 11 shows us how Godās plan unfolded:
Godās Promises Fulfilled
God promised to bless āall nationsā (Genesis 12:3). This promise was fulfilled when Jesus welcomed everyone into salvation.
Unity in Christ
The Church brings together people from all nations Jews and Gentiles into one family of faith (Galatians 3:28).
No Future Prediction Needed
Some people think this verse predicts Israelās future restoration, but the perfect tense of ācameā shows itās about the past.
The rapid spread of Christianity among non-Jews during Paulās time proves this fulfillment was already happening.
What Romans 11:25 Teaches Us
Romans 11:25 isnāt about something weāre waiting for itās about what Jesus has already done. The āhardeningā of Israel ended when Jesus brought salvation to everyone.
The Church is the fulfillment of Godās promises a place where people from all nations come together in Christ. It reminds us of Godās big plan and how central Jesus is to the story of salvation.
How does all of Israel get saved with the Gentiles joining the Church?
Itās first important to how the word āchurchā is being used, what it means and who it refers to. Church in Greek is āekklesiaā which means āassemblyā- which is referring to the assembly of the Israelitesā¦
There are Gentiles who are being grafted into the assembly of the Israelites. The Torah makes it much more clear as ācongregationā or āchildren of Yisraāelā whereas the NT uses āChurchā.
This is background on Romans 11:25-27: God gave His word that He would never make a full end of His Covenant people, the Israelites-It is important to be precise with terminology that can be confusing by saying "Jew-ish" as it brings about discord and there may truly be Jews who believe in Yahusha Ha Mashiach - but Scripture is clear that God's chosen people are Israelites.
He not only preserved a remnant of Israelites whom Paul, Peter and James wrote to, they were prophesied about in Isaiah 6:13 and spoken of specifically by Paul in Romans 11:5.
The people youāve referenced in Romans 11:25-27 are also Israelites who seem to have been supernaturally but partially āhardenedā (Isaiah 6:9-10) and in some translations it says āblindedā while the Gentiles whom God has called come into full relationship with Him- or ācome inā. Acts 15:14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name & Ephesians 3:6.
HOW is he going to save all Israel? I canāt speak to His plan in its entirety, but here are some of the parts of the āhowā that I see.
- Renewal of the Covenant through the death of His Messiah
One clear "mission" statement comes from Yahusha himself in Matthew 15:24: This tells us that He knows who He was sent for and he slowly unfolds his plan to his disciples. He answered, āI was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.ā
2. It was prophesied that God would do exactly what He did and more of what He has yet to do.
In Isaiah 42:1; 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-21 He announced that He would send āhis anointed oneā to redeem His covenant people, the Israelites; while also proclaiming judgment on the Gentile nations who persecuted the Israelites and the unbelieving world.
Luke mentions "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" which led to the response from his audience in Luke 4:29. Genesis 10 is a good starting point to read descriptions of the Gentile nations.
The part I know must be true is that He did it by sending His Mashiach which is how weāre even having a conversation about being grafted in altogether.
If He did not renew the covenant to have the Israelites as a people unto Himself while also atoning for the sin of mankind, whereby those who repent, confess and walk in Godās ways by faith in Messiah will be saved- weāre having a very different conversation today.
Whatās more is that there would be no natural branch (aka. Israelites) for the wild olive tree (Romans 11:17-referring to the Gentiles) to be grafted into.
This is what the āglad tidingsā or in the āRenewed Covenantā is referring to as āgood newsā or āgospelā.
The fact that God would put His spirit in His Anointed and give Himself primarily to allow the Israelites to be back in relationship with Him ; enabling the believing Gentiles to be grafted in and the fact that God is going to judge the Gentile Nations who persecuted the Israelites (Joel 2 & Obadiah)- all of this comprises the Good News! This is why Jesus then went about announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand. Mark 1: 14-15.
More examples of the āhowā:
Ezekiel 20 KJV This is part of where He will ābanish ungodliness from Jacobā
20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out.
20:35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
20:36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
20:41 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.
20:42 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
Jeremiah 16:15 NIV 16:15 But it will be said, āAs surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.ā For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. Jeremiah 30:3 For behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.āā
Isaiah 11:11 which continues throughout the chapter. 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
Not so fast - let us examine what Paul is discussing. Paul's discussion of this tricky and controversial topic begins in Rom 9 and continues for three chapters! Very early in this discussion Paul defines the true Israel as:
Rom 9:6-8 - ... For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are Abrahamās descendants are they all his children ... So it is not the children of the flesh who are Godās children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
Again we read that:
Rom 10:11-13 - It is just as the Scripture says: āAnyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.ā For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, āEveryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.ā
In Rom 11 Paul, again, makes the point that Gentiles are "grafted in" to Israel (V16-21). That is, Gentiles become part of Israel - those who have faith in God's salvation. Again we read from Paul -
Gal 3:28, 29 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abrahamās seed and heirs according to the promise.
Paul makes a similar point in Eph 2:12, 13 and Gal 6:16 where Paul talks about the "Israel of God" - those that accept God's salvation by faith and do NOT distinguish between "circumcision nor uncircumcision", "What counts is a new creation."
Thus, the true Israel, by definition, will be saved in its entirety. I say this in part because I do not believe that being a biological Jew will, at least at some point in time, automatically provide access to eternal salvation, especially those disobedient Jews who refuse to accept Jesus as Messiah by faith.
For more information about the Bible's blurring of the distinction between Jew and Gentile and the composition of Israel, see Is there a difference between Israel of the flesh and the Israel of God?