1. What does 'all' mean? It doesn't always literally mean all - not in the Prophets; not in the gospels; nor in the Epistles
2. What does 'Israel' mean. Even elsewhere within Romans itself, Paul discusses the topic in a special way
3. Paul said "...and 'so' (not, and 'then') all Israel will be saved..." Manner/not sequence
4. And Paul immediately proceeded to quote a couple of verses from the Prophets which, if they hadn't begun to be fulfilled already - if they were only about a time still-future - then no-one yet was saved!
5. Paul was likely therefore not forecasting a future dispensation, but explaining a reality that was intrinsic to the gospel-scheme itself
6. That is, he was explaining something that was already a reality about the gospel, and already seeing its outworking in the first-century AD, something pertinent to the congregation at Rome
7. So, what was the pertinent issue? In most cities, Paul had to deal with Judaizers. He dealt with them in his Epistle to the Romans too. But the city of Rome was unique in that Paul also wanted to nip in the bud an opposite problem: tinges of antisemitism. (Remember, this is the city from where Claudius had previously expelled all Jews.)
8. So Paul's objective in this section - and the immediate context in Romans also shows this - was to correct any misconception among the congregation at Rome that God may have been finished with saving Jewish people and that the mission may as well only be to Gentiles from now on.
If Paul's answer meant what the futurist Dispensationalist assert it means, then rather than proving that God was still just as much into saving Jews as ever, it would instead have confirmed the misconception that the gospel-program wasn't really so much for Jews anymore at least not for now anyway
9. And all of this built on his earlier explanation that God's promise to Israel hadn't failed, because the remnant had obtained it
10. Besides, many passages in the Prophets which futurist Dispensationalists take to be about Israel's grandiose future, didn't quite describe nationwide salvation - rather, they mentioned details like only a third of the population surviving; and anyone claiming to be a prophet being killed by his own family
11. John the Baptist; like Malachi before him; and our Lord Jesus Himself, portrayed a very different picture of Israel in the End Times, and warned that not all Israelis were automatically going to be saved and enter the kingdom
12. It's too late to get saved once Jesus comes. Because salvation is through faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Once He's seen, that's no more faith. So once He comes and they see His hands and feet, it will be too late to have a discussion leading to salvation. Even Jesus' parables warned of this.
13. Getting back to Paul. When he talked about God being able to graft them back in again, he meant it was still possible right there and then for any Jew who turned from unbelief to be saved. God hadn't shut that door to them. Paul (Saul) himself had been an example of that very thing.
And he said God was provoking Jews to respond, through Gentiles. That was a first-century reality.
And Paul said he himself was active in that task - making much of his ministry to Gentiles, in order to prompt some of his own countrymen to believe. So it was a process that wasn't about the future - it was going on already.
And Paul said this process - of Gentiles and Jews getting saved together at the same time - was to continue until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. God won't close the door to Jews or to anyone until then.
14. As Jesus said, This gospel of the kingdom would be preached among all nations and then the end will come. He didn't say, And then God will open the door to Jews again to get saved.
15. And Paul wound it all up exulting in God's goodness and wisdom! He was praising God for what was now possible in the gospel. Not for having closed that door to Israel until the end of the End.
2. What does 'Israel' mean. Even elsewhere within Romans itself, Paul discusses the topic in a special way
3. Paul said "...and 'so' (not, and 'then') all Israel will be saved..." Manner/not sequence
4. And Paul immediately proceeded to quote a couple of verses from the Prophets which, if they hadn't begun to be fulfilled already - if they were only about a time still-future - then no-one yet was saved!
5. Paul was likely therefore not forecasting a future dispensation, but explaining a reality that was intrinsic to the gospel-scheme itself
6. That is, he was explaining something that was already a reality about the gospel, and already seeing its outworking in the first-century AD, something pertinent to the congregation at Rome
7. So, what was the pertinent issue? In most cities, Paul had to deal with Judaizers. He dealt with them in his Epistle to the Romans too. But the city of Rome was unique in that Paul also wanted to nip in the bud an opposite problem: tinges of antisemitism. (Remember, this is the city from where Claudius had previously expelled all Jews.)
8. So Paul's objective in this section - and the immediate context in Romans also shows this - was to correct any misconception among the congregation at Rome that God may have been finished with saving Jewish people and that the mission may as well only be to Gentiles from now on.
If Paul's answer meant what the futurist Dispensationalist assert it means, then rather than proving that God was still just as much into saving Jews as ever, it would instead have confirmed the misconception that the gospel-program wasn't really so much for Jews anymore at least not for now anyway
9. And all of this built on his earlier explanation that God's promise to Israel hadn't failed, because the remnant had obtained it
10. Besides, many passages in the Prophets which futurist Dispensationalists take to be about Israel's grandiose future, didn't quite describe nationwide salvation - rather, they mentioned details like only a third of the population surviving; and anyone claiming to be a prophet being killed by his own family
11. John the Baptist; like Malachi before him; and our Lord Jesus Himself, portrayed a very different picture of Israel in the End Times, and warned that not all Israelis were automatically going to be saved and enter the kingdom
12. It's too late to get saved once Jesus comes. Because salvation is through faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Once He's seen, that's no more faith. So once He comes and they see His hands and feet, it will be too late to have a discussion leading to salvation. Even Jesus' parables warned of this.
13. Getting back to Paul. When he talked about God being able to graft them back in again, he meant it was still possible right there and then for any Jew who turned from unbelief to be saved. God hadn't shut that door to them. Paul (Saul) himself had been an example of that very thing.
And he said God was provoking Jews to respond, through Gentiles. That was a first-century reality.
And Paul said he himself was active in that task - making much of his ministry to Gentiles, in order to prompt some of his own countrymen to believe. So it was a process that wasn't about the future - it was going on already.
And Paul said this process - of Gentiles and Jews getting saved together at the same time - was to continue until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in. God won't close the door to Jews or to anyone until then.
14. As Jesus said, This gospel of the kingdom would be preached among all nations and then the end will come. He didn't say, And then God will open the door to Jews again to get saved.
15. And Paul wound it all up exulting in God's goodness and wisdom! He was praising God for what was now possible in the gospel. Not for having closed that door to Israel until the end of the End.
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