1.7. The Fullness of the Gentiles

We are witnessing in these times, the fulfillment of one of the most amazing Prophecies in all the Bible – the re-identifying and Return of a major section of ancient Israel which had been ‘lost’ for more than 2 millennia, the “Lost Ten Tribes” of ancient Northern Israel.  The Bible is brimful with Prophecies which predict the ultimate Return and, in the ‘End Time’,  the re-unification of these Tribes with the Jews (the Tribe of Judah) which remained identified throughout the ages. (Refer also to our special section of comprehensive studies on The Return of the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel )

Absurd and impossible as this re-unification of the millennia long greatly estranged two Houses of Israel may seem, the problem is greatly amplified today by the evangelizing and proselytizing spirit and efforts of these ‘returning’ Messianics – the seeming spearhead of this Prophetic fulfillment.

The questions which we will confront and attempt to resolve in this study, are:

• Why are Christians so insistent on evangelizing Jews?
• If the New Testament is so clear and emphatic that ‘God blinded the Jews’  to the recognition of the Messiah,  is their proselytizing zeal then not tantamount to a challenge against the Decree of God?
• Should Jews accept the ”Christian’ Messiah’ (Messiah ben Yosef) as a pre-condition to re-unification of the 2 Houses of Israel?
• Should Messianics reject the ‘Deity’ or Divinity of their Messiah to comply with Jewish Rabbinical requirements to unite with Judah (the Jews)?
• Are the Jews ‘lost’ for having rejected the Messiah?
• Do Messianic believers have an advantage over Jews?
• Do Jews have to accept Messiah to be ‘saved’?

These and other questions are addressed in an informative discourse which forms the subject of 3 chapters in the NT book of Romans – chapters 9,10 & 11.

This discourse concludes:  Romans 11:25  “For I do not want you to be ignorant of this Sacred Secret, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. One section of Israel has become blind.  But this will last only until the Fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  And then after this, all Israel will be saved.” (KJV, Jerusalem Bible, D.Stern & NWT).

The term ‘Fullness of the Gentiles’ used in this text, is rendered by various translators as:

• ‘the whole pagan world’ – Jerusalem Bible
• ‘the Gentile world’ – D. Stern
• ‘full number of people of the nations’ – New World Translation

Thus, initially (at the time of writing of this text, shortly after the Advent of and upon acknowledgment of the Messiah) only a part of Israel would be saved.  The rest, would be blinded until the full number of ‘people of the nations’ (or whatever this term may refer to) will have come in, and then only, the rest and all of Israel would be saved.

In order to fully understand the national specifications in this important verse, which implies to reveal ‘a Sacred Secret’ in reference to ‘Israel’ and ‘the gentiles/pagan world/nations’, it is vital that the latest revelationary concept is applied, which modern Bible students have come to grasp.  We are referring to the concept which lay hidden in the Scriptures unto these ‘times of restitution of the Original True Faith’ (Daniel 12:4,  Ezek. 37:15, etc.).  According to this concept it is clear and we now realize,  that the Biblical references to ‘Israel’ do not refer to Jews only, but more specifically to Jews (from the Tribe of Judah) as well as (and mainly) to the Ten ‘Lost’ Tribes of Israel which are destined to be revealed,  re-identified and re-united with Judah in ‘the End Time’ – which we now seem to have reached.  (Refer to our special section of comprehensive studies on The Return of the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel ).

In the above quotation, the author seems to have been speaking to his Jewish compatriots of that time – i.e. those Jews who had accepted and acknowledged the Messiah Who had been crucified in Jerusalem.  His reference to ‘one sector of Israel’ which would be blinded to Messiah must have been referring to ‘the rest of the Jews’ who did not accept Messiah and who persecuted the Jewish sect of Messianic believers in their midst.

It is extremely important to get the following point clear:  The initial Messianic congregation was not a Christian non-Jewish congregation (Christianity only came 3 centuries later), but it was a ‘sector’ within Judaism.  One sector of Judah would accept Him, and the rest would be blinded, with a  ‘veil’  which only Messiah could remove – but at a specific time only (2 Cor. 3:14-18).

When will this veil of blindness be removed?  When “the Fullness of the Gentiles have come in.”  Thus, when the period of Exile of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel (which the NT refers to as ‘ the gentiles/pagan world/nations’),  have expired – then only will complete Redemption come to “all of Israel”.   Up until then, ‘one section of Israel’ would remain blinded to the recognition of the Messiah.

Christianity and Hebraic Roots Messianics generally have a spiritual urge to ‘bring their Messiah to the Jews’.  Throughout the centuries multitudes of Jews have been killed for their refusal to accept the “Christian Messiah”. To this day, most Messianics still persist in ignoring the Message of these 3 chapters which confirm repeatedly, that God has chosen to blind the Jews to the Advent of Messiah 2000 years ago.  They do not seem to take the Prophecy to heart that the blindness of this section of Israel will last until “the Fullness of the Gentiles have come in”. Refer also To the Jews first

Perhaps this is because they do not really fully know what this Prophecy refers to.  It is therefore important, that in order for us to recognise who, what, why and how this factor will assist in opening the eyes of those who are blinded,  we need to identify this body or event referred to as ‘the Fullness of the Gentiles’.  In this study, we will delve into this question and also why this blindness came about, and how it will be removed.

In order to understand the full Purpose of God’s Plan for mankind (for all the nations), we shall give but a brief summary here so as to guide the reader in his/her studies of the Bible.  Truth should be confirmed by the full context of the entire Bible.