Yes — Les Feldick teaches that Elimas the sorcerer is a picture of the nation of Israel because he opposed the Gospel going to the Gentiles and received a temporary blindness 'for a season,' just as Israel was blinded for a season.
Elimas, a Jewish false prophet, did everything he could to stop the Roman deputy from hearing Paul's message, mirroring the Jewish opposition Paul faced in every city he entered (Clips 1, 3, 7). When Paul pronounced judgment, Elimas was struck blind 'for a season' — not permanently (Clips 1, 2, 4, 5). Les applies the same pattern to the nation: Israel opposed the Gospel, did all it could to keep it from the Gentiles, and God set a spiritual blindness on the nation that is holding until this day but will not last forever (Clip 2).
Acts 13:8-11 — The account of Elimas withstanding Paul and being blinded 'for a season' is the literal event Les uses as the picture of Israel.
Romans 11:7 — Paul's statement that the rest of Israel 'were blinded' is the New Testament proof that God set the nation aside in blindness, exactly as Elimas was blinded.
In Acts 13:6-8, Paul and Barnabas crossed the island of Cyprus to the city of Paphos, where they found 'a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus.' This sorcerer, called Elymas 'by interpretation,' was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man who 'called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.' But Elymas 'withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.' In response, Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared 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.' The judgment fell immediately — 'there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.' The blindness was emphatically limited: 'for a season.' In Romans 11:7, Paul writes: 'What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.' He continues in 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.' And in Romans 11:10: 'Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.'
Les Feldick points out that Elimas was a Jew (Clip 0) — a vital detail, because the sorcerer represents the nation of Israel, not the Gentile world. Les shows that Elimas 'did everything he could to keep that Roman deputy from hearing the Word of God' and 'tried to turn away the deputy from the faith' (Clip 7). That, Les says, was 'a preview of what the nation of Israel would do from that point on' — because every place Paul went, if the Jews rejected him in the synagogue and he turned to the Gentiles, 'who would become his chief opposition? Well the Jews would' (Clips 1, 3). The judgment on Elimas is where the picture becomes prophetic. Paul pronounced that Elimas would be blind 'not for the rest of his life, but for a season' (Clips 1, 2, 5), and Les says this is 'exactly what God did to the nation' (Clip 2). Israel opposed the Gospel and 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' (Clip 2). Les cites Romans 11:7 — 'Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for... and the rest were blinded' — and notes that God Himself did the blinding (Clip 2). The blindness of Israel, like Elimas's, is temporary. Les says it has been 'over 1900 years' in human reckoning, 'but it's not going to last forever. One day... Israel will once again have her spiritual eyes opened' (Clips 2, 4). And in Romans 11, Les stresses that this passage 'is speaking of the nation of Israel, not the individual Jew, but the nation' (Clip 6).
Les teaches that wherever Paul and Barnabas (and later Paul and Silas) traveled, the Jews were their chief opposition (Clip 1). Elimas the Jewish sorcerer previewed that pattern: he 'withstood them' and did everything he could to keep the Gentile deputy, Sergius Paulus, from hearing the Word of God (Clips 3, 7). Les sums it up: 'That is a preview of what the nation of Israel would do from that point on' (Clip 3).
In Acts, Paul said Elimas would be blind 'for a season' — 'not for the rest of his life, but for a period of time' (Clips 1, 2). Les applies the same wording to Israel: God set a spiritual blindness on the nation that is holding 'until this day' (Clips 2, 6). Romans 11:7 says the election obtained what Israel sought, 'and the rest were blinded,' and Les emphasizes that God was the one who did the blinding (Clip 2).
Not forever. Les is emphatic that Elimas's blindness was 'for a season,' and Israel's blindness is the same: it has been 'over 1900 years' in human reckoning, 'but it's not going to last forever' (Clips 2, 4). He says, 'One day... Israel will once again have her spiritual eyes opened' and that we may be getting closer and closer as time runs out (Clip 4).
Elimas Was a Jew
Les points out that the sorcerer and false prophet Paul and Barnabas found at Paphos 'was a Jew' — the vital fact that makes him a picture of the nation of Israel.
Blind for a Season — the Picture of Israel
Les asks 'What's the picture of?' and answers 'The nation of Israel' — because everywhere Paul traveled, the Jews were his chief opposition, just as Elimas opposed him.
God Blinded the Nation, as Paul Blinded Elimas
Les directly applies the Elimas judgment to Israel: they opposed the Gospel to the Gentiles, so God set a spiritual blindness on the nation that holds 'until this day' but will not last forever.
A Preview of Israel's Opposition
Les calls Elimas's opposition 'a preview of what the nation of Israel would do from that point on' — everywhere Paul went, the Jews were his chief opposition.
Israel's Long but Temporary Blindness
Les says the blindness Paul gave the Jewish sorcerer was 'just indicative of the nation of Israel' — blinded for a season of over 1,900 years, but one day Israel's spiritual eyes will be opened.
The Hand of the Lord on Elimas
Les reads the judgment closely: Elimas was blinded for 'a season, a protracted period of time, but not for the whole man's lifetime' — a mist and darkness fell immediately.
Romans 11 Speaks of the Nation
Les walks through Romans 11:7-10 — Israel did not obtain, the election obtained, and the rest were blinded — and stresses this speaks of the nation of Israel, not the individual Jew.
Elimas Tried to Turn the Deputy from the Faith
Les describes how Elimas 'did everything he could to keep that Roman deputy from hearing the Word of God' and 'tried to turn away the deputy from the faith' — the very conduct that pictures Israel's opposition.
Acts 13:6: And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus:
Introduces Elimas as a Jew and false prophet — the essential fact that makes him a picture of the nation of Israel.
Acts 13:8: But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
Shows Elimas actively opposing the Gospel to a Gentile, paralleling Israel's opposition to Paul's message.
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 'for a season' is the phrase Les applies to Israel's present 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.
Paul's declaration that Israel as a whole was blinded while the believing remnant obtained the promise.
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.
Les notes this has not changed even today — the blindness persists on the nation.
Romans 11:10: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
The darkened eyes of Israel mirror the mist and darkness that fell on Elimas.
Yes. Acts 13:6 calls him 'a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew,' and Les Feldick emphasizes that fact because it is what makes Elimas a picture of the nation of Israel.
No. Paul said he would be blind 'not for the rest of his life, but for a season' — a protracted period of time, but not for the whole man's lifetime (Clips 1, 2, 5). This temporary quality is exactly what makes it a picture of Israel.
No. Romans 11:7 says 'the rest were blinded,' but Les Feldick points out that, like Elimas, the blindness is 'for a season.' It has already lasted over 1,900 years, but one day Israel's spiritual eyes will be opened (Clips 2, 4).
Les teaches that Israel opposed the Gospel and did everything they could to keep it from going to the Gentiles — just as Elimas tried to turn the Roman deputy away from the faith (Clips 2, 7).
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Was Blinded — Acts 13 & Romans 11 Explained