Does 'All Israel' in Romans 11:26 mean every Israelite alive at that time?
No. In Romans 11:26, 'all Israel' does not mean every Israelite alive at that time. It refers to the believing remnant of Israel—all of believing Israel—while unbelieving Israel is excluded. Zechariah 13:8-9 is cited to show it speaks of a remnant, not the total number of Israelites then living.
Les explains that when Romans 11:26 says 'all Israel shall be saved,' it cannot mean every ethnic Israelite alive at that time. He asks, 'All Israel? Well hardly,' then points out that God's interest is in the believers. So all of believing Israel will be saved, but unbelieving Israel will not. He turns to Zechariah 13:8-9 to support that the phrase 'all Israel' speaks to a remnant, not the total number of Israelites living on the planet at the time. He also notes the number of Jews today is around 15 million, with only three or four million in Israel itself and the rest scattered in places like America and Russia, further showing that not every Israelite is meant.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
More Questions
Why does Les believe 'all Israel' in Romans refers to a remnant?
Les is sure 'All Israel' in Romans speaks to a remnant because Zechariah 13, verses 8 and 9, connect back to Romans 11 and the statement that all Israel shall be saved.
Does Romans 11:26 mean every individual Jew will be saved?
Les qualifies Romans 11's 'all Israel shall be saved' by pointing to Zechariah 13, which shows that the saved remnant is only one-third, not every individual Jew.