Welcome to Episode #182 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our Twenty-Third mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ [2]. Today’s episode, our sixth in this second mini-series on the Day of the Lord, will address what Paul may have meant when he said in Romans 11:26, “All Israel Will Be Saved.”
The salvation of “ALL” that is Israel is central to the return of Jesus Christ on the Day of the Lord. Let’s look at the context of the statement by Paul from Romans 11:25-32 – I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
In Romans 11, Paul is closing a can of worms of the doctrinal issue that has severely divided the Church since the Reformation. Paul began Chapter 9 expressing anguish over his own people, the Jews, who were rejecting the gospel of Jesus. He then went on from Chapter 9 through 11 to point out the reason for their rejection. In these three chapters, the Holy Spirit had Paul lay a clear doctrinal landmine that has been picked up by theologians of every generation who have used it in an attempt to blow up unity within the body of Christ. We are not going to look at that today.
Paul made it clear at the opening of his letter to the Romans where the Jews stood in terms of the Gospel. Romans 1:16-17 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.
Here’s the key before we go any further. All mankind is born into sin and death. All people, nations, tribes, languages, etc., Jew and Gentile alike stand condemned before God unless redeemed by the Lamb.
The reason Jews and Gentiles alike are repulsed from each other is the dividing wall of hostility between us, which is the Law with its ordinances and regulations (See Eph 2:14-16). Let me see if I can summarize it such that I can continue without getting bogged down. This topic, by the way, is critical in understanding who we are in Christ and our relationship to the Father. But I digress. After the flood, when the nations rebelled at Babel, God chose one man from among the nations, Abram, and covenanted with him to give him a people, a land, and a seed who would bless all nations. The people were the descendants of Jacob, his grandson, whose name God changed to Israel.
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