The Greater Riches of Israel's Reception (Romans 11:12-15) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. The Fulness of the Jews
II. The Life From the Dead
III. The Way of Its Realization
Herman Hoeksema: "Now, then, our text speaks of 'their fulness', that is, of the fulness of the Jews. the meaning is, therefore, that by which the number of the Jews is filled, that by which their number is fully completed. And the question arises: what number constitutes the measure that must be filled? Does the text refer to the Jewish nation as a whole as the measure that must be filled? This is the view of some. A time will come when all the then living Jews will be saved, and every last one of them will be converted and drawn into the kingdom of God. But this interpretation meets with too many and weighty objections. First of all, it may be said that this view rather arbitrarily limits the complete number of the Jews that must be filled to those Jews that shall live at a certain period. if the 'fulness' of them means all the Jews there is no valid reason thus to limit their number. Besides, this interpretation is quite contrary to all that was taught us in this section of the epistle to the Romans. Emphatically we were taught that not all are Israel that are of Israel. Only the children of the promise are counted for the seed. This truth stands. It was true in the old dispensation, it is true today, and it will be true to the end of time. In the light of this emphasis on the children of the promise as the only true seed, it would be very strange if the apostle here by 'the fulness' of them would refer to all the Jews living at a given time. And, finally, in the twenty-sixth verse we read of the 'fulness of the Gentiles'. And the meaning is, evidently, that by which the number of the Gentiles is filled. But does this mean all the Gentiles then living? Does it mean that every last one of those Gentiles must be saved before 'the fulness of the Gentiles' is come in? You know better. Scripture too plainly teaches that this will never be the case. The 'fulness of the Gentiles' signifies that which fills the number of Gentiles that must be saved. And the measure of this number, according to all Scripture, is God's own election. But if this be true of the 'fulness of the Gentiles', the same truth must be applied to the expression 'their fulness', that is, the fulness of the Jews. The very last Jew that must be saved according to God's election will fill their number. And it is of this fulness that the apostle is speaking in our text. And the meaning of our text, therefore, is that the receiving of the very last of the Jews that must be saved according to God's election will be life from the dead" (God's Eternal Good Pleasure, pp. 396-397).
O. Palmer Robertson: "The 'full number' in Israel will be realized by the same process in which Jews are currently being received and added to the number. For the 'remnant according to the election of grace' encompasses the same individuals as the 'fullness' (i.e., full number) of Israel" (The Israel of God, p. 175).
Geerhardus Vos: "The climacteric nature of the event to be expected as the issue of the unfolding ways of God forbids to tone down this phrase to the purely-metaphorical, making it fall within the terms of mere spiritual revival. 'Life from dead' must refer to the resurrection specifically so named, and so understood it presupposes the beginning of the closing act of the eschatological drama" (The Pauline Eschatology, pp. 87-88).
Herman Hoeksema: "The glory of Israel's reception is life from the dead, that is, the resurrection life. That will be more glorious. There is one thing that is greater than the reconciliation. It is greater because life out of the dead is the ultimate fruit of the reconciliation. The objection has been made that then the apostle would have said 'the resurrection.' The reason why he does not use the word resurrection is that the apostle does not have in mind the moment of the resurrection, but the glorious state into which the church is to be resurrected" (Righteous By Faith Alone, p. 538; www.cprf.co.uk/bookstore/righteousbyfaith.htm).