Israel Restored
ISRAEL RESTORED
"And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?" (vv. 23-24). Although Paul seems to be speaking on behalf of the Gentiles, he is actually more in favor of the Jews because he was a Jew himself. Underlying his words concerning the Gentiles is his burden for the Jews.
"For I do not want you, brothers, to be igno rant of this mystery, lest you be wise in your selves, that hardness has come upon a part of Israel until the fullness of the nations comes in" (v. 25). The "fullness of the nations" refers to the converts among the Gentiles. Now is the time when a great many Gentiles will be converted. Hence, the "fullness of the nations" has not yet been completed; it is continuing at the present time. The "fullness of the nations" is different from the phrase "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). Some Christians con fuse these two phrases. The words "until the times