Will ‘All’ Israel Be Saved?

Note: Romans 11:26 says: “And so all Israel will be saved.”  This phrase has led to great confusion over the centuries. For the upcoming issue of Zion’s Fire magazine, I have written an article by the same title as this blog.

I have posted the introduction to that article here. (The article, as per our magazine guidelines, is in the KJV). If you care to go beyond the intro and read the entire article, I have attached the Word file at the bottom, which you may click on and either read on screen or print out. Thank you, DE.

By David Ettinger

Misunderstood and Misapplied
It’s one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible. It’s Romans 11:26, and it reads this way: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of [Z]ion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” It’s the first part of the verse which is in question: “And so all Israel shall be saved.”

A brief definition of the word “Israel” is in order. Biblically, in broad terms, “Israel” refers today to the world’s Jewish population. However, the term should also be understood more specifically as a reference to the nation of Israel itself – therefore both are in view.

So, what of this enigmatic phrase, “And so all Israel shall be saved …”? Because it has become so unnecessarily baffling to so many readers of Scripture, it has also become unnecessarily misapplied. The primary misinterpretation of this verse is that every Jewish person who has ever lived will automatically go to Heaven. This unfortunate misinterpretation of Romans 11:26 has led to the equally unfortunate misconception that churches do not need to evangelize Jewish people because they are automatically saved.

Even more, these flawed ideas have advanced two faulty theological positions. The first, known as Replacement Theology, espouses the belief that the Church has replaced Israel. The second, which is championed by a segment of Israel-supporting Christians, advocates that there is a separate means to salvation for the Jewish people apart from the shed blood of Christ. Both of these completely miss the mark.

Let us affirm that the notion that anyone can be saved outside of the shed blood of Jesus Christ is heretical, false, and damning. Numerous verses point to Jesus as being the only way of salvation, among them John 3:18, John 3:36, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, and Romans 10:9.

And yet, Romans 11:26 says, seemingly without qualification, that “all Israel shall be saved.” This seems contradictory! Let’s see if we can unravel this enigma.

all israel saved article

Tagged: Bible study, christian living, Christianity, Devotion, Israel, Practical, prophecy, the end-times, theology, witnessing

Posted in: Ancient Israel, Apologetics, Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, Culture, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, End Times, Israel, Israel features, Judaism