Romans 11:25-33 (NIV)

Romans 11:25-33 (NIV)
25 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.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,
29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience,
31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you.
32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

I really like a good mystery and in the Bible we have more than one. Paul reveals to us a mystery and reveals the answer for the mystery. The mystery is that Israel is only hardened in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. The exact number has not been revealed to us. Then Paul comes back with this staggering news, "...all Israel will be saved." Paul then quotes some O.T. verses to show that this was part of the plan all along. Does all of Israel, mean all of Israel? I do not know the answer to that question. Here is what I have come to believe about Paul's statement. In the book of Revelation John says that there will be people in heaven from every tribe and nation. As you know, John also talks about the 144,000 that will be sealed and therefore saved in the end times. Most agree that the 144,000 are Jews. A little math shows us that would be 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. I will go that far and that is at least 144,000 Jews will come to faith when Jesus comes back. This means all the tribes that received the promise are represented. I do not have the time to go into how "all" is used in the Word of God. It has come to my attention in different readings that sometimes depending upon the context "all" does not always means "all." This has to do with the way Eastern people think. Now here is something we kind of understand and that is God's mercy. Paul is letting us in on the way God has worked and that is on the basis of mercy. God has made sure that we all need it. No one can say that they somehow have proved themselves and therefore are exempt from needing God's mercy. We have all sinned and therefore we all need mercy. The more you are in touch with your sin the more you will be be glad for God's mercy. It is also in God's mercy that the Lord has kept us from becoming what we could have become. We have every reason to thank God for His mercy that He has poured upon us.



Whoever falls from God’s right hand

Is caught in his left.

Edwin Markham (1852–1940)