Romans 11 and the future of ethnic Israel

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2000 by Merkle, Ben L

First the promises as well as the Messiah were given to Israel. Then, somehow in God's mysterious plan, Israel rejected its Messiah and was cut off from its position of distinctive privilege. As a result, the coming of Israel's Messiah was announced to the Gentiles. The nations then obtained by faith what Israel could not find by seeking in the strength of their own flesh. Frustrated over seeing the blessings of their messianic kingdom heaped on the Gentiles, Israel is moved to jealousy. Consequently they too repent, believe, and share in the promises originally made to them. "And in this manner" (cat ouT(Oq), by such a fantastic process which shall continue throughout the entire present age "up to" (5... ok)) the point that the full number of Gentiles is brought in, all Israel shall be saved.35

Following the above interpretation, it is natural to take "all Israel" as referring to the elect of ethnic Israel throughout history. Furthermore, since we have determined that Paul does not have in mind a special future for Israel it does not seem likely that he is referring to the salvation of the nation of Israel at a future time. Horne comments: " . . . when Paul states that `all Israel shall be saved' he means to refer to the full number of elect Jews whom it pleases God to bring into his kingdom throughout the ages until the very day when the full number of Gentiles also shall have been brought in."36 Likewise Hendriksen writes:

It is evident ... that the salvation of "all Israel" was being progressively realized in Paul's own day and age, and that it will continue to be progressively realized until "all Israel" shall have been saved. When the full number of elect Gentiles will have been gathered in, then the full number of elect Jews will also have been gathered in.... In Elijah's day there was a remnant. In Paul's day there was a remnant. In the years to come there would be a remnant. These remnants of all the ages taken together constitute "all Israel.""

Furthermore, if "all" meant a great number of Jews at the end of time, does that interpretation do justice to the meaning of all? It would in fact only include a small fraction of Jews which is not as climactic as it might first appear. 38 In addition, one must wonder if a future mass conversion of Israel fits Paul's theology revealed elsewhere. In 1 Thess 2:14b-16 we read,

For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the end.

Paul states that the wrath of God will come upon the Jews until the end (Eig Tik0q). It seems clear from this text that Paul does not imagine a time when this judgment will be reversed with a special dispensation for the nation of Israel.

IV. ANSWERS TO POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS