Christianity and Israel – Linked From
the Beginning - Part Two
In the first
part of this post, I tried to further establish the link between the Nation of
Israel and the nature of Christianity in this present time. In doing that I quoted
the following scripture:
The Scripture
of Romans 11: 25 says: “For I would not, brethren,
that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in.”
I
then focused on the last phrase of that quote to interpret it as saying that
the fullness of the Gentiles would take place when the complement of the
Gentiles in the Body of Christ was filled; the Body of Christ would be
complete; those events would trigger the “Rapture of the Church”; and then
Israel’s “blindness” could come to an end. However, in my continuing study I’ve
found another interpretation of that scripture that seems at least as feasible,
if not more so, than my statements. The source of that differing opinion is
found at this site: https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/fullness-of-the-gentiles-romans-11-25/
The author
of that article makes a very sound argument that the “fullness of the Gentiles”
could / should be more accurately compared to the Old Testament scripture of
Genesis 15: 16, which reads: “…for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” The author stresses that it was the “iniquity”
of the Amorites that was not yet full, and argues that it could / should be
similarly translated in Romans 11: 25 to read: “…the fullness of the iniquity
of the Gentiles be come in.” Considering the continuing moral and ethical
decline being seen in this country and globally, there is little room to refute
her logic. On reconsideration, I am
inclined to agree with her interpretation.
Further,
though, I would not completely discount the interpretation I made earlier. To fully appreciate the context for the
discussion above, I encourage you to read the entire Chapter 11 of the Book of
Romans. The Apostle Paul is apparently
writing to a group of believers consisting of both Israelites and Gentiles. Note
Paul’s “Old Testament references” best understood by the Jews, in the early
verses (verses 1 – 10) , and then the transition to his remarks to the Gentile
believers (verses 13 – 28). The phrase in question is found in Verse 25, during
which Paul was speaking specifically to the Gentiles in the audience. It is not
unreasonable to think that his remarks were to get them as a group to focus on
their roles and positions, having been specifically targeted by the Lord for inclusion
into His Body.
My “take-away”
conclusion is that both interpretations have merit. Do you have an opinion? That is what makes Bible study so
interesting, as we try to understand what the scripture is telling us.
Dr. W. A.
(Bill) Robinson
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