Title: The Secret of the Restoration of Israel
Romans 87
The Secret of Israel's Restoration
Romans 11:25-27
1. When will Israel be restored?
Why is Paul here specifically emphasizing the restoration of Israel? It is intended to break the pride of the pagan churches that are proud of Israel by revealing to the Gentile churches that Israel must be grafted onto the trunk of a true olive tree. The Gentile Church, which was proud of Israel, needed to realize this mysterious truth of God.
(1) It is said, “In some cases Israel became hardened until the full number of the Gentiles came in.” This is precisely why Israel is stubborn. In other words, for the salvation of the Gentiles, Israel has come to a position of inevitability. In this way, some of the branches of the true olive tree were cut, and the branches of the Gentile stone olive trees were grafted into it, and the fruit of the true olive tree was produced. But the period is not indefinite. There is a time for the Gentiles. When the full number of Gentiles comes in, the original branches that have now been abandoned will be grafted back into the true olive tree, and Paul is clearly referring to the salvation of Israel that will be accomplished at this time.
(2) Then when will the full number of Gentiles be filled? When Paul said that Israel had become hardened, he meant that Israel had rejected the righteousness of God that saved them by insisting on legal righteousness. Israel knew that legal righteousness was the gift of grace that God had only given to them. So he insisted that only that righteousness was the righteousness of salvation. Their stubbornness resulted in them becoming hardened before God. Thus, this gospel, rejected by Israel, was preached to the Gentiles. The number of salvation that the Gentiles will receive is also determined. God fills those numbers with the Gospel. The gospel will be preached powerfully throughout the Gentile world until then. However, the day will come when the door of this Gospel will be closed. That's when the remnant of Israel will be saved by God's mercy, Paul is revealing the mystery here.
2. The day the Savior comes from Zion
Regarding the period Paul spoke of when Israel's hardened heart was converted and brought to salvation, he said, "The savior comes from Zion and turns ungodliness from Jacob."
(1) The word that the savior comes from Zion means the second coming of Christ. There is a time when the savior of Israel will come down from Zion, the throne of heaven (Revelation 19:11-21). At this time, this Savior will come as the Messiah of Israel, restore the remnant of Israel, and establish a new Messianic kingdom on this earth. That kingdom is the millennial kingdom revealed in Revelation 20.
Israel has been a nation that has been waiting for the Messiah since ancient times. Especially when their country was in trouble, they looked forward to the Messiah. However, their coffin of the Messiah was the idea that when the Messiah appeared, Israel would be restored and the Messianic kingdom would be built on this earth. Therefore, they could not have been their Messiah, Jesus, born the carpenter's son. Moreover, it was quite natural that Pilate's death sentence rejected the weak and unknown young man who was being crucified. But they will one day see the real Messiah coming down from Zion. And when you know that the Messiah is not someone else, but Jesus Christ, you will achieve a heartbreaking national repentance.
(2) It is said that when the savior comes, he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. These words mean that the final salvation for Israel will also be accomplished by God's grace. God turns them away from their unbelief, and that is also done by God. This is what Zechariah prophesied about this. “I will pour out upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, and they will look upon him whom he has pierced, and they will mourn for him as they mourn for their only son, and weep for him as weeping for the firstborn.” Yes (Zechariah 12:10).
(4) The Israel that Paul spoke of as all Israel refers to those who remain until the end. Israel still has to bear many crosses and reach the end of human history. Of course, before and after the Second Coming of Jesus, the Gentile churches also have to go through many tribulations, but the tribulation that Israel must suffer is even greater. Jeremiah describes this period as “the time of Jacob’s tribulation” (Jeremiah 30:7). Zechariah writes about what their condition is when they look to the Messiah coming from Zion.
“The day of the Lord will come, in that day your possessions will be plundered and divided among you, and I will gather the nations to fight against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the women will be reviled, and half of the people of the city will go into captivity, but the rest of the people will go out of the city. It will not be cut off” (Zechariah 14:1,2). And at this time, he prophesied about the number of the remnant of Israel. “Two-thirds will perish from all this earth, says the LORD, and one-third will remain there; and I will throw a third into the fire, refined as silver, and tested as gold” (Zechariah 13:8). ,9).
Conclusion: Now, the door of the time of the Gentiles is gradually closing. He said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). When the gospel is preached in all the earth and the Gentiles are filled, the end of mankind will come. Since this is the time when the grace of salvation will return to Israel from the Gentiles, God's unmerciful judgment will be handed down on all mankind who disobey the gospel. We must diligently preach the gospel in this given time of salvation.