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a nation, and will as a nation turn to the Lord. Some Old Testament prophecies seem to predict
this, but these should be read in the light of the New Testament. Does the New Testament
justify the expectation of a future restoration and conversion of Israel as a nation? It is not
taught nor even necessarily implied in such passages as Matt. 19:28, and Luke 21:24, which are
often quoted in its favor. The Lord spoke very plainly of the opposition of the Jews to the spirit
of His Kingdom, and of the certainty that they, who could in a sense be called children of the
Kingdom, would lose their place in it, Matt. 8:11,12; 21:28-46; 22:1-14; Luke 13:6-9. He informs
the wicked Jews that the Kingdom will be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth
the fruits thereof, Matt. 21:43. And even when He speaks of the corruptions which in course of
time will creep into the Church, of the troubles it will encounter, and of the apostasy which will
finally ensue, He does not hint at any prospective restoration and conversion of the Jewish
people. This silence of Jesus is very significant. Now it may be thought that Rom. 11:11-32
certainly teaches the future conversion of the nation of Israel. Many commentators adopt this
view, but even its correctness is subject to considerable doubt. In the chapters 9-11 the apostle
discusses the question, how the promises of God to Israel can be reconciled with the rejection
of the greater part of Israel. He points out first of all in the chapters 9 and 10 that the promise
applies, not to Israel according to the flesh, but to the spiritual Israel; and in the second place
that God still has His elect among Israel, that there is among them still a remnant according to
the election of grace, 11:1-10. And even the hardening of the greater part of Israel is not God’s
final end, but rather a means in His hand to bring salvation to the Gentiles, in order that these,
in turn, by enjoying the blessings of salvation, may provoke Israel to jealousy. The hardening of
Israel will always be only partial, for through all the succeeding centuries there will always be
some who accept the Lord. God will continue to gather His elect remnant out of the Jews during
the entire new dispensation until the fulness (pleroma, that is, the number of the elect) of the
Gentiles be come in, and so (in this manner) all Israel (its pleroma, that is, the full number of
true Israelites) shall be saved. “All Israel” is to be understood as a designation, not of the whole
nation, but of the whole number of the elect out of the ancient covenant people.
Premillenarians take the 26th verse to mean that, after God has completed His purpose with
the Gentiles, the nation of Israel will be saved. But the apostle said at the beginning of his
discussion that the promises were for the spiritual Israel; there is no evidence of a change of
thought in the intervening section, so that this would come as a surprise in 11:26; and the
adverb houtos cannot mean “after that,” but only “in this manner.” With the fulness of the
Gentiles the fulness of Israel will also come in.
3. THE GREAT APOSTASY AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION.
These two may be mentioned
together, because they are interwoven in the eschatological discourse of Jesus, Matt. 24:9-
12,21-24; Mark 13:9-22; Luke 21:22-24. The words of Jesus undoubtedly found a partial
fulfilment in the days preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, but will evidently have a further