(Romans 11:25-27,29) “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 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. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins…for God’s gift and his call are irrevocable”

When Rabbi the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Assembly at Rome he apportioned a significant part of his letter addressing the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers in the Messiah (Romans chapters 1-4; 9-11).

The Jews were expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius around AD 49 and were likely allowed to return after his death in AD 54, resulting in an expulsion period of approximately five years. During this time the Gentile New Covenant Assembly at Rome started to entertain thinking that they were more favoured by God than their Jewish brothers and sisters. What was being birthed in embryonic form was an early version of replacement theology. When the Roman Emperor Nero came to power in Rome he brought all the Jews back to Rome. Possibly he was thinking about how profitable the Jews were for Rome’s economy?

Today replacement theology has a long history in Christendom going all the way back to St Augustine and the early Greek and Latin Church fathers that started to remove the scriptures from their Jewish roots and started to re-interpret them through the lenses of the Greek way of thinking.

It was actually Augustine (354–430) who spiritualised the Millennium. He and his contemporaries started the idea of spiritualising the plain texts and future promises to Israel in the Old Testament referring to a literal restoration of Israel and applying them to the Church, consequently producing the idea that the Church had replaced Israel. This is a major theological position within reformed theology today that’s roots can be traced back to Augustine.

Replacement theology is becoming an infestation within wider Christendom today and in line with Anti-Semitic thinking in the unsaved Gentile nations. We know from the Word of God that God has not finished with Israel as Rabbi the apostle clearly states in his letter (Romans 9:1-5; 11:1-6).

When you look at all of the Old Testament passages clearly enunciating the spiritual and national restoration of Israel in the last days and God’s promises to them as a nation, it is ludicrous to try to apply the promises made to Israel to the Church and in doing this relegate Israel and the Jewish people to having been abandoned by God because of their rejection as a nation of the Messiah our Lord Jesus.

Rabbi the apostle Paul clearly writes about the fact that Gentile New Covenant believers are spiritually grafted into Israel and partake of the blessings promised to Abraham and to his decedents, both Jews and Gentiles who believe in the Messiah our Lord Jesus (Romans Chapter 4; 11:15-21) (Ephesians 2:11-22). This truth was recognised and established by the apostles at Jerusalem and endorsed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:14-21) (Amos 9:11-12).

However, nowhere do we read in either Testament where God has done away with Israel as a nation. Their ultimate spiritual and national restoration will happen in the last days as foretold in the Old Testament in numerous passages of scripture in both the Major and Minor Prophets. The restoration started in 1948 as we read about in Isaiah (Isaiah 66:7-9).

Now looking at our text we will see that Israel’s hardness of heart towards the Messiah is a partial hardness, meaning that their hearts can be changed and will be changed at the end of this present age. Let’s look briefly then at our text…

“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved.”

One of the major problems we have today within and without Christendom is that their thinking concerning Israel is being ‘hijacked’ by the mainstream media with their primarily ‘fake’ news and bias against Israel, and by church leaders and ministers teaching replacement theology. Many ministers think that because Israel by and large as a nation are rejecting the Messiah that God has laid them aside and is now dealing with the Church and calling it “the New Israel” or “Spiritual Israel” while dismissing their complete national and spiritual restoration at the end of this age. Those who hold to this view cannot accept the literal Millennial Messianic reign of the Messiah on earth for 1,000 years.

Now Rabbi the apostle says five things in our text. Firstly; those who deny Israel’s place in the prophetic end-time purposes of God are warned not to be ignorant concerning God’s purpose for His people Israel. The word “ignorant” contains the idea of “one who does not know a truth for lack of information or intelligence, and by implication to ignore through reluctance with a disinclination, to not know or understand.” Such are those who do not see what God says in His Word about Israel in the end-times or who choose not to see it.

Secondly; For Rabbi the apostle Paul as a practicing Jew he had received the revelation from the Holy Spirit that God had spiritually grafted Gentile New Covenant believers into the Commonwealth of Israel, “a mystery” hidden in God for centuries until it was fully revealed to him supernaturally by the Holy Spirit affirming his call and gifting to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15) (Romans 11:13).

Thirdly; He tells them that Israel’s “hardness of heart” is partial or temporal and not complete allowing for that partial hardness to be removed and it will be completely removed at the end of this present age!

Fourthly; Paul tells those Gentile believers leaning towards a replacement theological way of thinking not to be conceited, holding an unduly high opinion of themselves and with a somewhat condescending manner towards their Jewish brothers and sisters in Messiah.

One just has to look at Church history to see how Jews were treated within wider Christendom. One such luminary was Martin Luther whose book “The Jews and their lies” actually influenced Adolph Hitler in his hatred of the Jews and everything Jewish. Hitler had a Lutheran religious background.

Fifthly; Paul says that this partial hardness will continue “until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved.” Since 70AD for almost 2,000 years of exile the nation of Israel was reborn in a day in 1948, an event prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 66:7-9). For this intermittent period of time between 70AD and 1948 God’s grace was being released to the Gentile nations and unnumbered multitudes by faith were being spiritually engrafted into the Commonwealth of Israel being made one with their Jewish Messianic brothers and sisters in Messiah (Ephesians  2:11-13).

We know that the LORD is starting to turn His saving grace back towards His people Israel and using the hostility of the spiritually uncircumcised hearts of the Gentile nations to bring His people to the point where a surviving remnant will be saved (Zechariah 13:8-9). Israel today is centre stage in world affairs. And then we read…

“As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins… for God’s gift and his call are irrevocable”

Paul understood through the revelation of the blessed Holy Spirit from the Old Testament scriptures that God would ultimately bring salvation to Israel. The deliverer, being the Messiah our Lord Jesus, will come from the heavens or from Zion where in heaven all of the redeemed of the ages, and where all of the hosts of heaven reside with God the Father and God the Son and with the presence of God the Holy Spirit, He who being omnipresent dwells in heaven and on earth living in the hearts of both Messianic Jews and Gentiles who have been saved.

When the resurrected Messiah our Lord Jesus returns He will turn godlessness away or banish it from the people of Israel when they see Him coming again to earth because God will at that time pour out upon every Jew still living in Israel the Spirit of grace with petitions for mercy as they look upon Him they have pierced, and mourn for Him with tears of repentance and joy where in that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great (Zechariah 12: 10).

At this time they will have the supernatural revelation of the New Covenant made with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah forever! (Jeremiah 31:31). God did not make a covenant with the Church! Gentile Messianic believers, having been spiritually grafted into the Commonwealth of Israel, share in the blessings of Abraham, (Ephesians 2:11-13) (Romans 11:15-18).

That pure cleansing fountain in the blood of the Passover Lamb, our Lord Jesus shed at the cross will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1).

Finally we read that “God’s gift and His call are irrevocable.” This not only applies to Israel but to all of Abraham’s decedents both Jew and Gentile that through a saving faith in Messiah are one new man in Him (Ephesians 2:14-18). God never reneges on any of His covenants but keeps them!

As it is written; “He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant” (Psalm 105:8-11).

Replacement Theology is an unbiblical diabolic doctrine from hell. It has been spawned by Satan to destroy Israel because he knows that the Second Coming of Messiah depends on the survival of Israel. Of course Israel will survive to be the greatest nation on earth in the Messianic Kingdom to come (Isaiah 2:1-5).

Satan hates the Jews because it was a Jew that defeated him at the cross, and it will be a Jew that will destroy his works at the end of this present age and send him into the lake of fire forever and ever! (1 John 3:8) (Revelation 20:10). Indeed for Israel in that day when Israel’s acceptance in the Messiah comes, it will be for the nation “Life from the Dead!” (Romans 11:15) Selah.

Click here to read the commentary on Romans Chapters 9-11