The mystery in Romans 11:25 is that Israel's spiritual blindness is only partial and temporary — it will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles (the body of Christ) has been brought in.
A mystery, as Les Feldick explains, is a secret kept in the mind of God until He reveals it through the apostle Paul. The revealed secret is that God sovereignly blinded Israel 'in part' — for over 1900 years — while He turned to the Gentiles with the Gospel of grace. The word 'until' shows the blindness is not permanent; when the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, the blindness will be lifted from Israel.
Romans 11:25 — This is the verse in question — it names the mystery as Israel's partial blindness lasting until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.
Romans 11:25 declares, '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 itself states three things: there is a 'mystery'; blindness 'in part' has happened to Israel; and this condition continues 'until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.' The following verse, 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.' The sequence in the text moves from Israel's partial blindness and the completion of the Gentile fullness to the salvation of all Israel.
Les Feldick explains that the Greek word translated 'mystery' means 'secret' — something held in the mind of God until He chooses to reveal it, and this kind of truth is especially associated with the apostle Paul. In Romans 11:25, Paul reveals the secret: Israel's spiritual blindness is partial and temporary, lasting now for over 1900 years, until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in. Les stresses that this is the core of the mystery — that the nation of Israel would be sovereignly, judicially blinded by God for a long period of time, something nowhere else in Scripture was ever revealed before. Les also points out that the Old Testament understood God would one day save Gentiles, but it had no idea that salvation would go to the Gentiles without Israel after Israel rejected Him and was dispersed. The fullness of the Gentiles, Les teaches, is the body of Christ — as Gentiles are saved, they are placed into the body of Christ. When God has finished His work with the Gentiles, He takes the church out of the way, the blindness is lifted from Israel, and then, as Paul writes in Romans 11:26, 'all Israel shall be saved.'
Les Feldick explains that the other word for 'mystery' is 'secret,' and it was held in the mind of God until He revealed it through the apostle Paul. Paul writes, 'I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits.' What was kept a total secret, Les explains, was that God would go with salvation to the Gentiles without Israel, even though Israel rejected Him and was dispersed into the nations of the world. That secret is now revealed.
Les teaches that 'in part' means 'not forever' — the blindness is limited to a period of time. The core of this part of the mystery is that God would sovereignly, judicially blind the nation of Israel for a long period — now over 1900 years. The Old Testament warned Israel that disobedience would bring chastisement and enemies, but nowhere did God tell Israel that a day would come when they would be spiritually blinded. That is why Paul calls this a mystery: it had never been revealed anywhere in Scripture before.
Les identifies the fullness of the Gentiles as the body of Christ. As Gentiles are saved, they are being placed into the body of Christ. One aspect of the mystery is that Israel is spiritually blinded for almost two thousand years; another is that Gentiles come into a privileged position with Israel's God in the form of the body of Christ. Israel's blindness continues until that fullness has been brought in.
The verse itself provides the answer: 'until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.' The word 'until' is a time word — it marks a specific period in God's program, not an endless condition. Les points to the same 'until' pattern in Christ's words when He told Israel they would not see Him again until a future day, and that Jerusalem would be trodden down of the Gentiles. Les explains that when God has finished His work with the Gentiles, He takes the church out of the way, and then the blindness is lifted from the Jew. Paul's next verse states, 'And so all Israel shall be saved.'
'Until' as a Time Word in Christ's Prophecies
Les shows how Jesus Himself used 'until' to set time limits on Israel's rejection and Jerusalem's subjection to the Gentiles, illustrating the kind of time word used in Romans 11:25.
The Mystery as a Secret Revealed Through Paul
Les defines 'mystery' as a secret held in God's mind until the apostle Paul, and applies it to Romans 11:25 — Israel's blindness in part has now lasted 1900 and some years until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in.
Israel's Sovereign, Judicial Blindness
Les explains that the core of the mystery is that God would sovereignly, judicially blind the nation of Israel for a long period — now over 1900 years — something nowhere else in Scripture was ever revealed.
The Fullness of the Gentiles Is the Body of Christ
Les identifies the fullness of the Gentiles as the body of Christ — as Gentiles are saved they are placed into that body — and says Israel remains spiritually blind until that fullness is brought in.
'Until' Sets a Specific Time in God's Program
Les stresses that the word 'until' in Romans 11:25 is a time word marking a specific point in God's program when the fullness of the Gentiles is reached.
Another Aspect of the Mystery: Gentiles' Privileged Position
Les shows that the same mystery includes both Israel's spiritual blindness for almost two thousand years and the Gentiles coming into a privileged position with Israel's God as the body of Christ.
Blindness Lifted When God's Gentile Work Is Finished
Les explains that Israel's blindness is not forever; when God has finished His work with the Gentiles, the church is taken out of the way, the blindness is lifted from Israel, and all Israel shall be saved.
The Totally Secret Plan of Salvation Going to the Gentiles
Les explains that it was kept a total secret in the mind of God that He would take salvation to the Gentiles without Israel, even after Israel rejected Him and was dispersed; this is the mystery now revealed.
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 verse at the heart of the question — it names the mystery, describes Israel's partial blindness, and attaches the 'until' time limit.
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:
Les points to this as the immediate sequel to the mystery — once the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, Israel's blindness is lifted and 'all Israel shall be saved.'
The mystery is that Israel's spiritual blindness is only partial and temporary — it continues until the fullness of the Gentiles has been brought in. A mystery, as Les Feldick explains, is a secret kept in the mind of God until He reveals it through the apostle Paul.
Les teaches that 'in part' means the blindness is not forever — it is for a period of time. Israel has been judicially blinded by God for over 1900 years, but the blindness is limited, and it will be lifted when God's work with the Gentiles is finished.
Les identifies the fullness of the Gentiles as the body of Christ. As Gentiles are saved, they are placed into the body of Christ, and Israel's blindness continues until that body is complete.
No. Les explains that while the Old Testament knew God would one day save Gentiles, it never revealed that Israel would be set aside and spiritually blinded while God went to the Gentiles without them. That is why it is called a secret or mystery.
Yes. The word 'until' in Romans 11:25 sets a time limit. When the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in, God takes the church out of the way, and the blindness is lifted from Israel — then 'all Israel shall be saved.'
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Rejected Their King — Matthew 23 Explained