Read 343a.) Romans 9:1 through 11:36. We have read in 9:1-5 of Paul's heart for his people Israel, and how that in 9:6-29 God had sovereignly used Israel and Pharaoh in His Plan to bring Messiah into the world to be the Savior that Gentiles might be saved, too. We also noted again in 9:30-10:13 how that righteousness credited to a sinner comes about by faith in Jesus Christ, as he stated before with 3:20-5:2. Taking up at 10:14, we learn of how the Good News is spread, that others might believe, too… There is a need for preachers, missionaries, and evangelists to share it, and it is a beautiful thing!
Going right back to Israel, he says they heard it… but they would not believe! For the rest of chapter 10, Paul notes Israel's stubbornness and hardness of heart. It has been that way throughout nearly all their recorded Bible history. This is a key evidence in the support of the contention that the Bible IS the Word of God, as no people would ever write of themselves and be seen by all the world in the light that Israel is portrayed in… in their very own history and holy book! Which brings us to chapter 11.
The question is asked, has Israel sinned away any hope of ever regaining favor with God again? The same Calvinist and Reformed that mistook chapter 9 concerning God's sovereignty, saying it was speaking of each individual person's salvation being a matter of God's choice, also mistakenly says that God is through with Israel, and that all God had in mind is now with the Church alone. Not so fast! See Jeremiah 31:35-37 and 32:37-42. If God has utterly rejected Israel, that would make Him out to be a LIAR!
Chapter 11 is all about God's sovereign future plans for His people Israel. God is NOT through with Israel. There are at least 225 unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel found among the writings of Moses and her 4 major and 12 minor prophets. All these will be fulfilled, as will what we read here, which is only a confirmation of those things we find among their prophets of the OT. As part of God's Plan, Israel would be largely rejecting of the Messiah… but, only so that the message of Good News would go out to all the rest of the world! And what is 11:17-21 about? Only about, again, those whom God sovereignly chooses for service! Israel would not serve, so now we Gentiles who get converted are to do God's bidding, and if we can't or won't, He will revert back to Israel… and, so He will! That's what Revelation 7:1-8 is about. In the end-times, after the Rapture of Christ's Church, God will use 144,000 Jewish evangelists to finish the task of bringing the Gospel to all the remaining peoples of the earth!
Romans 11:25-30 is a sort-of end-times prophetic capstone of all those remaining unfulfilled OT prophecies concerning Israel. That remnant of Israel, which is still alive at the time of Christ's Return will all be saved in a day, and then He will establish His 1,000-year earthly Kingdom. It's what the Book is all about!
ForeverKingdom,
Harold F Crowell
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