Will All Israel Be Saved?

Paul said,  "...AND SO ALL ISRAEL WILL BE SAVED" (ROM. 11:28).

A lot of the current hysteria about Judaism seems to stem from that verse.

But I don't think it's clear from that verse that Paul thought there definitely must come a day when literally every Jew shall be saved.

The Lord wills all men to be saved, of course. But the end-times scenario described by Jesus didn't mention any such outcome - quite the opposite in fact.

Post-Millennialists believe the salvation of all Israel must literally happen before the end; while Pre-Millennialists believe it must literally happen at the second coming or afterwards during a future millennium - but I'm not convinced that either outcome is required in order to directly fulfil Bible-Prophecy.

Notice Paul said, "...and SO..." not, "...and THEN all Israel will be saved".

"And so..." usually means, "...in this way..."

That allows it to mean that Paul was explaining a scheme, not giving a chronology. He was describing HOW something happens, not WHEN it happens.

In likely support of that meaning, Paul then proceeded to quote two Old Testament prophecies:

 "...as it is written, 'There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob':  'For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sin' " (verses 26,27).

Those prophecies aren't awaiting some future scheme in order to be fulfilled: they were already fulfilled at the time Paul wrote. If the Deliverer had not already come, and if the New Covenant had not already been made - then everyone including Paul was still in their sin. But Paul (and each of the Apostles) taught that such prophecies had been fulfilled by the GOSPEL.  Thus Paul linked his statement (about all Israel being saved), to the fact that Israel's promised-salvation had ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED.                          

In other words, his treatment of the question of Israel explained HOW prophecy had been fulfilled - it wasn't to predict WHEN it was still to be fulfilled. Paul was describing an ongoing scheme which had been established through prophecy having been fulfilled - a scheme which was already a reality.

If Paul was instead describing some scheme which is still to come in the future, he could not have used his own conversion as a case in point (verse 1). And his discussion could not have served to address the particular issues which the first-century church at Rome was facing.

The background to Paul's treatment of the Israel question is this. He had just finished presenting his premise that the promised-salvation was received not on the basis of Jewish ethnicity, nor on the basis of the works of the Law, but by GRACE through FAITH - and Gentiles were also included (chapters 1-8). Naturally that gave rise to some questions,  in the mostly Gentile but mixed Jewish and Gentile congregation at Rome. Paul now addressed each of those issues - in order to avoid misconceptions, such as:

Did the outcome they were seeing mean Bible-Promises and Prophecies concerning Israel had somehow failed? No, because the Prophecies stated that although the promised salvation would be procured and offered for all Israel, not everyone would actually BELIEVE and RECEIVE the offered salvation (9:1-13).

Was it unrighteous of God not to save the Jewish nation despite their widespread unbelief? No, because it had been God's sovereign prerogative, and actually an act of His mercy, to preserve their physical nation alive for the purpose of introducing His salvation. It was a salvation which was to be received by those who BELIEVED - whether Jew or Gentile - and many failed to receive it, thinking it could be achieved instead through the Law (verses 14-33).

Had Israel been left in the dark that this would be the outcome of Bible-Prophecy - that only BELIEVERS in JESUS would experience the promised-salvation? and that Gentiles would be INCLUDED? No, because the Prophets decried Israel's unbelief, and foresaw that God would have to provoke Jews to jealousy through Gentiles (10:18-21).

Did that mean God wasn't willing to save Jews at all? No, Jews could get saved by BELIEVING. Paul himself was an example! Many other Jews likewise had been saved. They were the prophesied-remnant (verses 1-11). Meanwhile the rest of national Israel was suffering the consequences of their unbelief. 

Those who hadn't readily accepted the prophesied-salvation - had they lost their last chance? Was God over with them? No, because despite many of the Jews' failure to receive the promised-salvation, many Gentiles were experiencing it - and God was using that to provoke the Jews - to stir up some spiritual hunger in them.  God was still working on them (11:1-12)!

Paul himself strategized to provoke some of his own countrymen, by letting them see the success of his ministry among Gentiles. Any Jew could still repent and believe. And a Gentiles' salvation also was only through FAITH. Therefore a saved Gentile wasn't to gloat over an unsaved Jew. He could also fall away if he stopped believing. Gentiles could minister to Jews in order to help see them saved.  It would have been only natural for a Jew, when he started believing. Anything was still possible, but EVERYTHING hinged on FAITH - on one's relationship with JESUS.  (verses 13-24).

All the issues Paul dealt with, and the answers he gave, were first-century realities. And he consistently answered each issue by showing how Bible-Prophecy already foresaw such a scenario. The outcome the believers at Rome were seeing never meant the promised-salvation of Israel had failed or been delayed. According to the Prophets, it was always only ever going to be experienced by BELIEVERS - including Gentiles.

That whole outcome - scenario - scheme of things - had been a bit of a mystery in Old Covenant times - but Paul wanted his readers to grasp it: 

The prophesied salvation was indeed procured and offered for all Israel, but ONLY believers experienced it. Gentiles were included. And the rest were missing out. But Jews could still receive it if they repented and believed.  Gentiles could minister to Jews to help them get saved. And this is how things would continue to roll, right up until the end - when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. This is the manner in which the prophecies concerning all Israel being saved, have been fulfilled and are now finding their outworking around you. That's what Paul seemed to be saying to the church at Rome.

A lot of people stumble over the fact that the Prophets used the word ALL. For example:

"In the Lord shall ALL THE SEED OF ISRAEL be justified, and shall glory" (Isaiah 45:25).

I think it likely meant salvation would be procured for all Israel, and offered to all Israel - but not necessarily that every last Israelite would BELIEVE and RECEIVE it. Similarly to how Paul wrote:

"...the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, specially OF THOSE THAT BELIEVE" (I Timothy 4:10); and

"...by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon ALL MEN unto justification of life" (Romans 5:18), yet he didn't mean all men would experience justification, but only those who BELIEVE.

John the Baptist also said:

"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29)", yet only BELIEVERS truly experience their sin being taken away.

The Prophets described Messiah bringing salvation to Israel at a time when they would still be carrying out Moses' Law after having been restored to their land from captivity. The problem with relegating Israel's salvation to the future is that it implies the Messiah hasn't come yet, and implies that Israel must revert back under the Old Covenant in future. 

But Paul mentioned no such concept that a future, literal, nationwide salvation of Israel must come through the Law and through the second coming of Christ, in order to make sure the Promise. Rather, Paul taught that the promise was made sure by making it available on the basis of BELIEVING rather than on the basis of the works of the Law - and he proved that Gentiles were also included (Romans 4:16).

So even if Paul did envisage a future, nationwide salvation of Jews, it can ONLY come THROUGH BELIEVING IN JESUS, and NOT at all through Judaism.