No — Israel's blindness is temporary, not permanent.
Romans 11:25 describes it as "blindness in part" and sets an endpoint with the word "until." Les Feldick parallels this with Paul's words to Elymas the sorcerer, who was blinded "for a season" — the nation of Israel will likewise have its spiritual eyes opened one day.
Romans 11:25 — This verse directly says 'blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in' — the word 'until' shows the blindness is not permanent.
Acts 13:11 — This verse records Paul telling Elymas he would be blind 'for a season,' which Les uses as the picture of Israel's temporary blindness.
Romans 11:7 says, "What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." The following verse describes this as a God-given judicial blindness: God gave them "the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear." Romans 11:10 adds, "Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway." Then Romans 11:25 reveals that "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." The phrase "in part" and the word "until" show that the blindness is limited and has an ending point. In Acts 13:11, Paul tells the Jewish sorcerer Elymas, "thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season" — a temporary blindness, not a permanent one. Scripture therefore presents Israel's blindness as temporary and time-bound.
Les teaches that the blindness Paul inflicted on Elymas the sorcerer was a prophetic picture of the nation of Israel. Elymas was a Jew who withstood Paul and tried to turn the Roman deputy away from the faith; Paul told him he would be blind "for a season." Les applies this directly to Israel: the nation opposed the Gospel going to the Gentiles, so God set a judicial spiritual blindness upon them. That blindness is not forever — it has lasted over 1,900 years in human reckoning, but Romans 11:25 says "blindness in part" and "until," a time word. One day the blindness will fall and God will pick up where He left off with Israel. Les also emphasizes that this long season of Israel's blindness while God calls out the Gentiles was a mystery nowhere revealed in the Old Testament.
The key word is "until." Les calls it a "time word" that shows the blindness is not going to be final. Romans 11:25 says "blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." So the blindness has a limit in God's program. When the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, that season ends.
In Acts 13, Elymas — a Jewish sorcerer — withstood Paul and Barnabas and tried to turn the Roman deputy away from the faith. Paul told him he would be blind "for a season." Les says that is exactly what happened to Israel: the nation opposed the Gospel going to the Gentiles, and God set a season of spiritual blindness upon it. Just as Elymas's blindness was not permanent, Israel's blindness will not last forever.
Les says no. The Old Testament warned that Israel would be chastised and even spoke of blindness, but it never revealed that Israel would be judicially blinded for 1,900-plus years while God turned to the Gentiles. That is why Romans 11:25 calls this a "mystery" — something kept secret in the mind of God and now revealed by Paul.
Les teaches that the nation's opposition to the Gospel going to the Gentiles was the cause. Israel as a whole did not obtain what it sought; the election obtained it, and the rest were blinded (Romans 11:7). God sovereignly set a judicial spiritual blindness on the nation, just as Paul had judicially blinded Elymas for opposing the Gospel to a Gentile.
Elymas the Sorcerer Opposes Paul
Les shows that the Jewish sorcerer Elymas withstood Paul and Barnabas and tried to keep the Roman deputy from the faith — the starting picture for Israel's opposition to the Gospel going to the Gentiles.
Blinded for a Season, Not Forever
Paul gave Elymas a blindness "for a season," and Les applies this directly to Israel: the nation has been blinded for over 1,900 years, but not forever — one day its spiritual eyes will be opened.
God Blinded the Nation for a Season
Les connects Paul's act to God's act: Israel opposed the Gospel going to the Gentiles, so God set a spiritual blindness on the nation until this day — but it will not last forever.
Jewish Opposition in Paul's Journeys
Les notes that wherever Paul went, the Jews were his chief opposition, just as Elymas opposed him; this is what led to Israel being blinded for a season.
Blindness Falls; God Picks Up with Israel
One day that blindness will fall from Israel and God will pick up where He left off; the 1,900-plus-year blindness was part of the mystery, and "until" is a time word.
A Mystery Never Before Revealed
God sovereignly and judicially blinded Israel — something nowhere else in Scripture was revealed; the blindness in part is not forever.
A Secret Kept in the Mind of God
While God calls out the Gentiles, Israel is in spiritual blindness; this was a secret kept in God's mind, but "blindness in part" means not forever, but for a segment of time.
Until the Fullness of the Gentiles
Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in — "until" marks a specific time in God's program, not a permanent condition.
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.
This verse is where Paul says the election obtained it and the rest were blinded — the key verse Les cites when showing Israel as a whole did not obtain what it sought.
Romans 11:8: (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
This verse describes the judicial blindness God placed on Israel, quoting the Old Testament.
Romans 11:10: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
In his exposition, Les points to this verse as part of Paul's line of thought on Israel being blinded.
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 central verse answering the question — "blindness in part" until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.
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.
This is the verse behind Les's picture of Elymas being blinded "for a season" rather than permanently.
No. Romans 11:25 describes it as "blindness in part" that will last "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." Les Feldick compares it to Paul's temporary blinding of Elymas "for a season."
It has already lasted over 1,900 years in human reckoning, but God's Word says it will last only "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." When that point is reached, the blindness ends and Israel's spiritual eyes will be opened.
Les explains that it means "not forever" — it is a partial, temporary condition affecting the nation for a segment of time. The next word in Romans 11:25 is "until," which sets an endpoint.
Israel as a whole opposed the Gospel and tried to keep it from going to the Gentiles. Because of that opposition, God set a judicial spiritual blindness upon the nation, as Romans 11:7-8 describes. The election among Israel obtained it, but the rest were blinded.
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Was Blinded — Acts 13 & Romans 11 Explained