It means God has sovereignly placed a partial, temporary spiritual blindness on Israel that will last until the fullness of the Gentiles—the Body of Christ—has come in.
The phrase from Romans 11:25 is part of a mystery Paul reveals: Israel is spiritually blinded for a period of time, not forever. Les Feldick teaches that the key word 'until' marks the endpoint, and the blindness will be lifted when God's present work with the Gentiles is complete.
Romans 11:25 — This is the verse containing the exact phrase 'blindness in part is happened to Israel' and states it will continue 'until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.'
Romans 11:26 — The continuation of the passage shows that after this period, 'all Israel shall be saved.'
Romans 11:25 contains the exact phrase and defines its time limit: '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.' The verse frames the blindness as a mystery and gives it an endpoint—the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles. Romans 11:26 continues: '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.'
Les Feldick teaches that this phrase refers to a sovereign, judicial spiritual blindness that God placed on the nation of Israel. He stresses that this was a secret or mystery never revealed before in Scripture—the Old Testament warned of chastisement, but did not reveal that Israel would be set aside for a long period while God turned to the Gentiles. According to Les, the words 'in part' and 'until' show that the blindness is limited in time, not permanent. It has already lasted more than 1,900 years and will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles—the Body of Christ—is complete. At that point God will remove the Body and resume His dealings with Israel, and the blindness will be lifted.
No. Les Feldick emphasizes that 'in part' does not mean 'forever,' but rather a segment of time. He points to the word 'until' in Romans 11:25 as a time word showing that the condition has an endpoint. The blindness may have already lasted more than 1,900 years, but it will not be the final status of Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that the fullness of the Gentiles is the Body of Christ. As Gentiles are saved in this age, they are placed into the Body of Christ. When that Body is full, God will take it out of the way and begin dealing with Israel again.
In Acts 13, the Jewish sorcerer Elymas withstood Paul and Barnabas and tried to keep the Roman deputy Sergius Paulus from the faith. Les describes this as a prophetic picture of the nation of Israel trying to keep Gentiles from salvation.
According to Les, when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, God will take the Body of Christ out of the way and return to His dealing with Israel. Romans 11:26 then declares, 'And so all Israel shall be saved.'
Elymas as a Prophetic Picture
Les shows that Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, tried to keep the Gentile deputy from believing, and calls this a prophetic picture of Israel's opposition to Gentile salvation.
The Mystery of Israel's Blindness
Les explains that Israel's blindness was a secret kept in the mind of God and revealed in Romans 11, and that 'in part' means 'not forever, but for a segment of time.'
The Time Word 'Until'
Les highlights the word 'until' in Romans 11:25 as a time word proving that Israel's blindness will come to an end.
God's Time Frame for Israel
Les connects the blindness to a time frame until God has finished His work with the Gentiles, after which the blindness is lifted and 'all Israel shall be saved.'
Fullness of the Gentiles is the Body
Les identifies the fullness of the Gentiles as the Body of Christ, and says when the Body is full God will take believers out of the way and start dealing with Israel again.
Sovereign Judicial Blinding
Les explains that Israel was sovereignly and judicially blinded by God for a long period now over 1,900 years, something never revealed in the Old Testament.
Gentiles Placed Into the Body
Les says Gentile believers are being added to the Body of Christ until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in, ending Israel's blindness.
Israel Blind to the Messiah
Les observes that Israel has spent the last 1,900-plus years in spiritual blindness and remains blind to the Messiah even when outwardly religious.
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 verse contains the exact phrase and gives the condition its time limit—the coming in of the fullness of the Gentiles.
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:
This immediately follows verse 25 and reveals that Israel's blindness ends in the future salvation of all Israel.
In the context of Romans 11:25, Les Feldick explains that 'in part' points to a limited period of time—'not forever, but for a segment of time'—rather than a statement about individual Jews. The word 'until' shows that the condition has an endpoint.
When the fullness of the Gentiles—the Body of Christ—has been brought in. At that point God will take the Body out of the way and resume His dealing with the nation of Israel.
Because it had never before been revealed in Scripture that God would set Israel aside for a long period while He turned to the Gentiles. Paul's statement in Romans 11:25 makes it known for the first time.
Watch the Teaching: Why Is Israel Blind? The Mystery of Romans 11 Explained