Episode Details

God works with Israel at this present time during the church age. I considered two significant activities that God is doing with Israel during the church age to prepare them for salvation.

Making Israel Jealous and Saving a Remnant

In Rom 9–11, the apostle Paul articulates his faith that God has not nullified his promises with Israel but rather will keep them despite their present unbelief. Our purposes here is to highlight God’s present activity with Israel that will culminate in their salvation at the return of Jesus. Paul cites the following prophecy about God making Israel jealous through extending his salvation to the Gentiles:

But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me. (Rom 10:19–20; cf. 10:21—11:10)

Paul cites two Old Covenant prophets, Moses and Isaiah, and their prophecies concerning that grace would be found by others (i.e. the church). Paul responds to Moses’s and Isaiah’s prophecies exclaiming God’s faithfulness to his promise to Israel:

I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous. Now if their transgression means riches for the world and their defeat means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full restoration bring? Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Seeing that I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I could provoke my people to jealousy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” . . . For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (Rom 11:11–15, 25)

God is using the salvation of Gentiles as a means to provoke Israel to come to salvation, saving a remnant at this time. God is not inactive with Israel. He has not postponed his work with Israel absolutely. Rather, he is actively making them jealous at this time by extending his grace to the Gentiles. Further, while he is extending his grace to the Gentiles, he is saving Jews, because “a partial hardening has happened to Israel.” This partial hardening will be removed “until the full number of the Gentiles has come” (Rom 11:25), which at that time “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26). Paul and the Old prophets, therefore, believed that God works with both Israel and the church simultaneously in this present age.

While God continues to work with distinct Israel, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah prophesied that God would have Israel as a witness to establish the church: “Is it too insignificant a