No. God has not permanently removed Israel from His program; He has set the nation aside temporarily through a national spiritual blindness.
The spiritual blindness that has happened to Israel is 'in part' and lasts only 'until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in' (Romans 11:25). Les Feldick teaches that when the Body of Christ is complete, God will take believers out of the way and begin dealing again with the nation of Israel. Romans 11:26 then promises, 'And so all Israel shall be saved.'
Romans 11:25 — Paul's mystery reveals that blindness 'in part' has happened to Israel only 'until' the fullness of the Gentiles comes in — a time limit, not a final removal.
Romans 11:26 — Immediately after the fullness of the Gentiles, Scripture declares 'all Israel shall be saved' — confirming Israel remains in God's program.
Romans 11:7 reports the result of Israel's search for righteousness: 'What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.' Paul then reveals a mystery in Romans 11:25, telling believers that 'blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.' The verse does not say the blindness will last forever — it is limited by the word 'until' to a specific event. Romans 11:26 follows with the declaration, '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.' Scripture also shows the pattern of temporary blindness in Acts 13:11, where Paul tells Elymas, 'thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.'
Les Feldick teaches that God is not through with the nation of Israel, even though the nation has been set aside for a season. He points out that Israel 'dropped it' and 'blew it' — the nation opposed the Gospel and did everything it could to keep it from going to the Gentiles. Because of this, God set a spiritual blindness on the nation, just as Paul said to Elymas the sorcerer, 'you shall be blind for a season' — not for the rest of his life, but for a period of time. Les uses Romans 11:25 to show the blindness is 'in part' and will last only until God has finished His work with the Gentiles. The nation has now spent the last 1,900 and some years in that blindness, yet 'until' is a time word — one day the blindness will fall from the nation and God will once again pick up where He left off with them. Les identifies 'the fullness of the Gentiles' as the Body of Christ: when the Body is complete, God will take believers out of the way and start dealing again with Israel. Then, as Romans 11:26 says, 'all Israel shall be saved.' God still intends to use the nation of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles, and the return of the Jewish people to their homeland in our generation shows that God has not lost track of them.
The blindness that has happened to Israel is not absolute. In Romans 11:25 it is described as 'blindness in part' — not forever, not absolute from here to eternity, but for a period of time. Les emphasizes that a believing remnant within Israel, 'the election,' obtained what Israel sought, while 'the rest were blinded' (Romans 11:7). The blindness is a national condition that God Himself set upon the nation for a season.
Israel's blindness will remain until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in. Les teaches that the fullness of the Gentiles is the Body of Christ: 'So when the Body of Christ is full, then God will take us out of the way, and He will start dealing again with the nation of Israel.' The word 'until' in Romans 11:25 is, as Les says, a time word — it sets a limit on the blindness. The blindness is not forever; it is only for a period of time.
Yes. Les teaches that God 'will yet come back and restore the nation of Israel to its original promises, and to its covenant position.' One day the blindness will fall from the nation and God will once again pick up where He left off with them. He has not lost track of Israel — even now the Jewish people are regathering to their homeland. Romans 11:26 concludes that 'all Israel shall be saved.'
Les compares Israel's condition to what Paul did to Elymas the sorcerer on Cyprus. Elymas opposed the Gospel going to a Gentile, and Paul declared he would be blind for a season — not for the rest of his life, but for a period of time. Israel, Les says, did the same thing: 'they opposed the Gospel, they did everything they could to keep it from going to the Gentiles.' So God set a spiritual blindness on the nation that is holding until this day, but it is not going to last forever.
Why Israel's Fall Opened Heaven's Door for the Gentiles
on VCR tapes. We've put 12 programs on one 6-hour tape, and we can send them postage paid anywhere for $30. Now remember that's a 6-hour tape, 12 programs. And then the little books are a transcription of each 6-hour tape, and we can send them postage paid for $6. Now I always qualify that anytime people in prison write for these books, and we get a lot of them, we send them free to the prisons.
Israel's 1,900+ Years of Spiritual Blindness
Les explains that Israel has spent the last 1,900 and some years in a spiritual blindness that continues to this very day — even though Israel appears religious, the nation is blind to the truth about their Messiah.
The Mystery of Israel's Blindness Revealed
Les teaches that Romans 11 lays out the time frame for Israel's blindness: it is 'in part,' only for a period of time, and will end when God has finished His work with the Gentiles — then 'all Israel shall be saved.'
'Until' — A Time Word
Les stresses that the word 'until' in Romans 11:25 is a time word — it guarantees Israel's blindness will come to an end and God will once again pick up where He left off with the nation.
God Is Not Through With Israel
Les affirms God is not through with Israel: He has not lost track of them, and in our generation the Jewish people have been regathering to the homeland in preparation for God to resume His program with the nation.
The Fullness of the Gentiles Is the Body
Les identifies 'the fullness of the Gentiles' as the Body of Christ — when it is complete, God will take believers out of the way and begin dealing again with the nation of Israel.
God Still Intends to Use Israel
Although Israel dropped and 'blew' its prospect, Les says that does not cancel God's intention to still use the nation of Israel to bring salvation to the Gentiles.
The Elymas Analogy: Blind for a Season
Just as Paul blinded Elymas the sorcerer 'for a season,' not for life, so God has set a spiritual blindness on the nation of Israel — and it is not going to last forever.
Romans 11:7: What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Paul shows that while Israel as a whole sought righteousness and did not obtain it, the elect remnant did — the rest were blinded, which is the very blindness God set upon the nation.
Romans 11:25: 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.
This is the 'mystery' Paul reveals — blindness in part has happened to Israel only until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, proving the set-aside is temporary.
Romans 11:26: 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:
After the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, 'all Israel shall be saved' — showing God is not finished with the nation.
Acts 13:11: And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
The temporary blindness Paul pronounced on Elymas the sorcerer — 'for a season' — is used by Les as a picture of Israel's national blindness, which is also temporary.
No. God has set the nation of Israel aside temporarily through a spiritual blindness that is 'in part' and lasts only 'until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in' (Romans 11:25). When that time is finished, God will again deal with Israel, and 'all Israel shall be saved' (Romans 11:26).
Les Feldick explains that Israel opposed the Gospel and did everything they could to keep it from going to the Gentiles. God responded by setting a spiritual blindness on the nation as a whole — just as Paul told Elymas the sorcerer he would be 'blind for a season.' The blindness is not permanent; it will last only until God's work with the Gentiles is complete.
Les Feldick teaches that the fullness of the Gentiles is the Body of Christ. When the Body of Christ is complete, God will take believers out of the way and begin dealing again with the nation of Israel.
Yes. Romans 11:26 declares, 'And so all Israel shall be saved.' Les teaches that when the blindness falls from the nation, God will once again pick up where He left off with Israel, restore the nation to its original promises and covenant position, and bring about the salvation of Israel.
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel's Fall Opened Heaven's Door for the Gentiles