Many expect a future, nationwide salvation of Israel, based on Paul saying, "...and so all Israel will be saved..."
Some expect it before a future second coming; others expect it at the second coming, or after the second coming, during a future millennium.
But what did Paul mean.
Notice Paul said, "...and so..." not, "...and then..."
He was explaining a scheme, not a chronology. A scheme which already existed in the first century AD - he wasn't adding an eschatological forecast.
He goes on to say, "...as it is written..." and then proceeds to quote an Old Testament prophecy which had already found its fulfilment before Paul wrote, in the first century AD.
Paul also uses his own conversion as an example of the scheme he was describing, which also of course happened in the first century AD.
By saying "all Israel will be saved" he was also alluding to Old Testament prophecies concerning the salvation which God would bring to Israel, such as:
"In the Lord shall all Israel be justified and shall glory".
It meant the salvation would be procured for all Israel; and offered to all Israel - but not necessarily that every last individual in Israel would believe it and receive it. Otherwise the Prophets conflict with their own forecasts, when they said, "Who hath believed our report?" and described "the remnant" who would believe and receive.
The same passage quoted immediately above goes on to describe the whole world confessing the Lord, in a pre-end-of-the-world context, not in a judgement-day context. That doesn't literally mean every last individual.
It's the same sense in which Paul said, "...the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them which believe".
Potentially everyone - but experientially only those who believe.
Paul often spoke in terms of salvation being universally available yet experientially limited to those who believe. For example, "sin came upon all, so righteousness could come upon all"; "that he might have mercy on all"; yet "all who believe".
John's Gospel records John the Baptist saying that Jesus "takes away the sin of the world" yet at the same time warning that ethnicity wouldn't cut it - they needed to repent - or else they could still end up in the fire.
So I don't think Bible-Prophecy requires a future, nationwide salvation of Israel - either in the Post-Millennial sense, or in the Pre-Millennial sense. Rather, the Gospel is the fulfilment of Israel's hope.
Bible-Prophecy was fulfilled on this wise:
Israelis who believed in grace were saved - the rest became hardened as a consequence of their unbelief - meanwhile Gentiles who believed were embraced - this didn't however mean Jews had forever lost their opportunity: some like Paul were provoked to envy and became believers. This is the scheme which fulfilled Prophecy, mercifully benefiting both Jew and Gentile.
And then the end comes.
Some expect it before a future second coming; others expect it at the second coming, or after the second coming, during a future millennium.
But what did Paul mean.
Notice Paul said, "...and so..." not, "...and then..."
He was explaining a scheme, not a chronology. A scheme which already existed in the first century AD - he wasn't adding an eschatological forecast.
He goes on to say, "...as it is written..." and then proceeds to quote an Old Testament prophecy which had already found its fulfilment before Paul wrote, in the first century AD.
Paul also uses his own conversion as an example of the scheme he was describing, which also of course happened in the first century AD.
By saying "all Israel will be saved" he was also alluding to Old Testament prophecies concerning the salvation which God would bring to Israel, such as:
"In the Lord shall all Israel be justified and shall glory".
It meant the salvation would be procured for all Israel; and offered to all Israel - but not necessarily that every last individual in Israel would believe it and receive it. Otherwise the Prophets conflict with their own forecasts, when they said, "Who hath believed our report?" and described "the remnant" who would believe and receive.
The same passage quoted immediately above goes on to describe the whole world confessing the Lord, in a pre-end-of-the-world context, not in a judgement-day context. That doesn't literally mean every last individual.
It's the same sense in which Paul said, "...the Living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them which believe".
Potentially everyone - but experientially only those who believe.
Paul often spoke in terms of salvation being universally available yet experientially limited to those who believe. For example, "sin came upon all, so righteousness could come upon all"; "that he might have mercy on all"; yet "all who believe".
John's Gospel records John the Baptist saying that Jesus "takes away the sin of the world" yet at the same time warning that ethnicity wouldn't cut it - they needed to repent - or else they could still end up in the fire.
So I don't think Bible-Prophecy requires a future, nationwide salvation of Israel - either in the Post-Millennial sense, or in the Pre-Millennial sense. Rather, the Gospel is the fulfilment of Israel's hope.
Bible-Prophecy was fulfilled on this wise:
Israelis who believed in grace were saved - the rest became hardened as a consequence of their unbelief - meanwhile Gentiles who believed were embraced - this didn't however mean Jews had forever lost their opportunity: some like Paul were provoked to envy and became believers. This is the scheme which fulfilled Prophecy, mercifully benefiting both Jew and Gentile.
And then the end comes.
No comments:
Post a Comment