After learning that the fulness of the Gentiles has already taken place back in the first century when God used Gentile Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem, we will now look deeper at Romans 11:25-27 in its entire context. One will see in God's Word that "all Israel" in Romans 11:26 is describing the New Covenant church (the True Israel of God) that consists of Jew and Gentile as the people of God by faith. The New Covenant church is in full continuity with faithful Israel (True Israel) under the Old Covenant that also consisted of Jews and Gentiles who made up the righteous remnant. The apostle Paul's natural Olive Tree analogy supports this understanding!

Once we can acknowledge this important truth, we can then receive the understanding that there is no such thing as a "Gentile" church or a "Gentile church age" as some mistakenly teach from Romans 11:25-27. Ephesians 2:11-22 reveals the church to be Jew and Gentile reconciled to God in one body through one and the same gospel. Any theological belief system that teaches there is a different path (a different gospel) of salvation for Jews than there is for Gentiles is in extreme error, as we will learn it contradicts Romans 9-11, as well as much of what is written in Paul's other letters to the churches.

In order to understand Romans 11:25-26, we must understand that Paul is not revealing a new mystery that is separated from verses 11-24. He is actually summarizing the mystery he has already talked about in verses 11-24. Paul is simply building upon what he has already said and established earlier in his letter to the church in Rome. The phrase "all Israel" must also be understood in light of Paul's redefining of the term "Jew" in Romans 2:28-29. The 2 references to "Israel" in Romans 11:25-26 mirrors the dual use of the word "Israel" in Romans 9:6. Paul is, therefore, simply moving from speaking of national unbelieving Israel (natural Israel) in Romans 11:25 to the remnant of faithful Israel (spiritual Israel/the True Israel of God) in verse 26. This understanding also aligns with what we've already learned in this series regarding Galatians 4:22-31 and how that reveals born again believers (both Jew and Gentile) to be the children of promise. Philippians 3:1-3 reveals how born again Jews and Gentiles are the true "circumcision" and looks at natural unbelieving Israelites who are circumcised of the flesh as the "false circumcision." This was because it all had to do with faith! In Galatians 6:16, Paul refers to the church as the "Israel of God." Romans 4:1-16 shows us that Abraham's true descendants are composed of all the faithful (both Jews and Gentiles), helping us to see that it's not about a bloodline.

We MUST understand the Olive Tree analogy that Paul uses earlier in Romans 11 in order to fully understand Romans 11:26. Why? Because this analogy establishes that there is only one true Olive Tree (representing the True Israel of God/people of God), while still distinguishing between believing Jews at that time (referred to as natural branches that remained on the natural Olive Tree) and believing Gentiles (referred to as wild branches grafted onto the natural Olive Tree). Romans 11:17-24 points towards Gentile inclusion, helping us to see that the natural Olive Tree represents True Israel and how Gentiles of faith join True Israel before the salvation of "all Israel."

Romans 11:26 points back to verse 25, which is a summary of verses 11-24 with regards to being grafted into the natural Olive Tree through faith in Jesus Christ and as a result of Gentiles hearing and obeying the gospel through faith, many Jews would hopefully be provoked to jealousy (as in verse 11) and that would be the manner in which all Israel would be saved. "And so" at the beginning of verse 26, speaks of the manner in which all Israel would be saved, referring to what precedes this statement in the entire context of Romans 11:11-24 that clearly outlines Israel's salvation (the natural Olive Tree/True Israel of God).

The Deliverer coming out of Zion is referring to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer who came with the gospel from earthly Jerusalem (the location of Jesus' ancestral descent from David as well as the location of His death, burial, and resurrection) to the world and turned away ungodliness from Jacob through the remission of sins in His blood.

Romans 9:24-29 helps us to see that faithful Gentiles are definitely a part of the remnant of Israel. Romans 9-11 reveals the remnant to be a sign of hope for unbelieving Israel, helping them to see that God has not abandoned the natural branches in favor of the wild branches. Blinded Jews could still join the remnant (Olive Tree/True Israel of God) by faith, even though they were cut off for unbelief. Faithful Gentiles joining God's people would be the means by which more Jews were hoped to enter into the body of Christ (the True Israel of God), AND IN THIS MANNER ALL ISRAEL WOULD BE SAVED!