25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” (Isaiah 59:20-21)28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!34 “For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?” (Isaiah 40:13; Jeremiah 23:18)
35 “Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?” (Job 41:11)36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
God has a certain number of Gentiles whom He has elected to salvation and when that last Gentile is saved He will open the eyes of the Israelites. When that is complete, God will show the Jews plainly that Jesus is their appointed Messiah and that they will turn in worship to Him. God has saved some of these Jews and they’ve started many Messianic Jewish fellowships around the world – some of the largest denominations are in Israel and the United States. I’ve spoken to a few of them and their heritage comes alive when they talk about the fulfillment of God’s promise to their people. Talking with Messianic Jews is easily one of the most edifying things that any Christian can take part in. I cannot recommend it enough. Due to this spiritual hardening of their hearts, however, the Israelites were enemies to the gospel and to Christians in particular. This is for the sake of the Christians as we saw in Romans 5 that persecution produces perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope in God that He will do what He has promised and hope toward our eventual joining with Him in Heaven for eternity. The calling of God to salvation as well as the gifts which He has produced in us (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control Galatians 5:22-23) cannot be taken away or rejected by the person who was saved by God. We were just as the unrepentant Israelites are and God showed mercy to us, just as He shows mercy to them – we should use the mercy that we’ve obtained to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel of God so that more may be saved from their sins. God has placed into the hearts of all people a disobedient and unrepentant heart so that He may show mercy to all and save as many has He has elected. Who can know the mind of God? No one. To whom does God turn when He seeks an answer? No one. To whom does God owe anything? No one. God is the grand author of all of creation, and all things exist for His good pleasure and to bring Him glory. What an awesome and perfect God we serve. 🙂