All Israel will be Saved

Romans 11:25-26

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

What does apostle Paul mean by all Israel will be saved? Is he talking of spiritual Israel (Jews and Gentile believers) or is he talking on national Israel.

According to John Calvin, he said, “the word Israel to be the peoples of God, according to this meaning.”

I would say Calvin is wrong, first I will show you why John Calvin is wrong. I believe according to this chapter, Romans 11, when apostle Paul said, “All Israel will be saved” I believe he is talking of nation of Israel. Here is why I believe that way.

Context overrules all interpretations! When you read Romans chapter 11 there is a clear distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Paul’s first question is verse one.

Romans 11:1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

It’s very clear on this verse, his people are the Jews, and he testify that he is also a Jew, and God has not rejected his people. (Not Jews and Gentiles but Jews)

Verses 3-5 Paul use the example of Elijah, when Elijah said, he is the only prophet left as they have killed God’s prophets, God’s answer was he has kept 7,000 prophets whom did not bow down to Baal. So Elijah was wrong. God always has a remnant chosen by grace.

Verses 7-10 apostle divides the Jews into two, the elect where some Jews came to know Christ, (Remember in Acts where 3,000 were saved were all Jews) and the rest, the rest were hardened. The rest were blinded. The rest became a stumbling on a rock of offense.

1 Peter 2:8 “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”

Verses 11-24 Paul talks of the Olive Tree, how the Gentiles were grafted as a branch from the wild olive tree, This is a metaphor. The meaning of wild is Gentiles lived in idolatry, superstition, ignorance and wicked lifestyle. Now they received the grace of God and were grafted to the tree. Many of the Jews rejected Christ but the Gentiles were grafted in.

Verse 24, specifically talks on natural branches as the Jews and the wild branch as the Gentiles, so as in the context of the whole chapter it is very clear of the two groups, Jews and Gentiles.

Verse 24 - For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Natural branches, the Jews will be grafted back into the olive tree. So Jews and Gentiles will be all one in Christ.

Gentiles receiving the gospel was a mystery See verse 25

Romans 11:25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Temporary there is a partial hardening for the Jews, but there is going to be a mystery, what is a mystery, something hidden in the past but now revealed, that one day, Gentiles and Jews will be all in one in Christ.

Mystery of the gospel is where Gentiles received the gospel.

Ephesians 3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

When will the Jews be grafted back into the olive tree? See the last part of verse 25

…until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in

We are told to preach and witness the gospel to all people. Gospel has gone to almost all of the hidden corners of the world, where God has the full number of the Gentiles recorded, when the last of the Gentiles receive the Lord Jesus Christ, then the Jews will be grafted back again. Let’s see the end.

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Romans 11:26 And in this way all Israel will be saved…

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Once that last Gentile is saved, all Israel will be saved. From the beginning of the chapter there were two people groups, Jews and Gentiles, and it’s very clear according to context this is talking of the nation of Israel. As God has not abandoned them.

According to John Gill (23 November 1697 – 14 October 1771) Reformed Bible scholar and theologian said on this verse the following.

“Meaning not the spiritual Israel, Jews and Gentiles, but the people of the Jews, relating to the latter days a nation shall be born again.”

John Gill was right in May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation. And in 1967 June 5^th, Egypt, Syria, Jordon and other Arab nations went to war against Israel. Against all the odds, Israel won the war in 6 days, without the help of the Americans, that was a miracle how God protected this little land, since then the Arab nations always wanted to wipe Israel out of the map, but who is preventing it? I believe God Almighty is not finished with Israel. As majority of the Jews doesn’t believe in the Messiah. There will be a time, anytime where according to God’s time clock the restoration of the Jews will begin very soon.

I personally believe context rules and Gill is right and Calvin is wrong. In the last days, many Jews are going to be saved, this will lead us to Revelation chapter 14, which is another subject.

NOTE, I believe there is a spiritual Israel, where the true believes of Gentiles and Jews together.

During the time of apostle Paul’s ministry Jews said they are the true Israelites as they come from Abraham, they boasted of their heritage linking to Abraham. They even declared they are saved as they have been circumcised.

Galatians 3:28-29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Whether you are a Gentile or a Jew, if you are in Christ, you belong to Abraham’s offspring.

Romans 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, ⁷ and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ⁸ This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Gentiles and Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus are the spiritual Israel.