Another mystery that is revealed about us Gentiles is that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant
of this mystery [I want you to understand this mystery], lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits [so that you will not feel proud about yourselves]; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel [some of the people of Israel have hard
hearts], until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in [but this will last only
until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ]." - Romans 11:25 KJV
"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall?
God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles,
for to provoke them to jealousy [Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond
recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available
to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it
for themselves]." - Romans 11:11 KJV
"For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy:
and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be
broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and
with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not
against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the
root thee [But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches
that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root]." - Romans
11:16-18 KJV
As Gentiles, when we obeyed the gospel (Acts 2:38), we were
grafted in to the olive tree of Abraham and his descendants. (Romans 4:16). The natural branches are the people of Israel.
Paul warns us Gentiles to be faithful, and gives a hope for
Israel:
"Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and
thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the
natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut
off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in:
for God is able to graff them in again." - Romans 11:20-23 KJV
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