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What is the difference between the Fullness of the Gentiles and the times of the Gentiles?
One reference has to do with Gentiles being saved, the other has to do with Gentiles, unbelievers ruling the world and its governments. In Romans 11 Paul states a hardening in part has befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved. In verse 25, Paul pointed out Israel's hardening was only temporary in part within a period of time. There was never a total hardening; Romans 11:1-10. God keeps his word. There has always been Jewish people coming to saving faith, since the beginning. In the first century the whole church began as believing Jews which proves this hardening was partial and is temporary, for thousands of years, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.fullness has the meaning of a full number or a completed number. God has a certain number of Gentiles that He has destined to save whom he alone knows, these are those who will be grafted into the Olive Tree of verses 16-24 of Romans 11.
After the fulness of the Gentileshas come in, which is when the set
number is reached, we read THAT: all Israel shall be saved. This
takes place at the end of the Tribulation period as 1/3 of Israel survives
the testing God gives on the world called the Tribulation, the 70
th
week of Daniel. According to Acts 15:14, one of the key purposes of the Church Age is to call out from among the Gentiles a people for His Name. This calling out from among the Gentiles continues until the fulness occurs, until it is completed, GOD DECIDES THIS. The Church will be completed and will be removed by the Rapture, and those who have died in Christ will be resurrected first as part of this permanent transformation event of their bodies (1 Cor. 15:52). Then God will deal with Israel as a nation again, not just as Jewish individuals during the era of the church. He will also deal with the nations that have come against both Israel and the church as a time of testing comes upon the whole world. Whom will they believe and serve, the false Christ or the true Christ? From the beginning of the Tribulation two prophets appear to preach to Israel. John is told to measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there (Rv. 11:1-2), but to leave out the measuring of court outside the temple, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. We learn the 3 rd temple is to rebuilt, but this is not a temple sanctioned by God, and it will soon be defiled by the new king (the ruler of the world) THE ANCIENT FALLEN ONE WHO WANTS TO BE WORSHIPED as God. Rom. 11:25-26 that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved It is when the fullness of Gentiles is accomplished that God will then turn his eye to Israel and save all of Israel together, as Zech. 12:10 describes (Rom.11). |
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