God's Plan for the Jews
A Sermon on God's Plan for the Jews
Originally preached Jan. 21, 1955
Scripture
Sermon Description
The world will end one day. It is more than a movie plot; it is God’s plan. But what happens? Will all of Israel be saved? Will Jesus come at any time, or are there signs that will precede His coming? In this sermon on God’s plan for the Jews, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones begins with a warning against being overly-dogmatic on views of the end times since Scripture itself is so vague about what specifically will happen. Many of the passages and books in the Bible regarding the end times and the second coming of Jesus can be confusing, and Paul’s statement in Romans 11:26 that “all Israel will be saved” falls into such a category. How should Christians approach this verse and God’s plan for the Jews? Dr. Lloyd-Jones takes the listener through three main views regarding this verse and gracefully demonstrates from Scripture which view is the closest aligned to biblical teaching, centering his argument around another of Paul’s verses where he writes that there is a spiritual Israel distinct from those who are Israelites by blood. In other words, God’s promises here are referring to His spiritual Israel, those who are God’s people and thus Israelites by heart. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tackles this subject and more in this helpful sermon regarding the Jews and the promises made to them.
Sermon Breakdown
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones introduces the topic of the second coming of Jesus and the time of his coming. He notes that it is an extremely difficult and controversial topic.
- His main goal is to show that dogmatism is unjustified on this topic and that there are many possible interpretations by godly scholars. He uses the example of four lengthy volumes on prophecy to illustrate how complex the topic is.
- There are three main views on what "all Israel will be saved" means in Romans 11:26:
- It refers to the completed Christian church of Jews and Gentiles
- It refers to the nation of Israel, either a large number or all Jews at the end times
- It refers to the total number of elect Jews saved throughout history
- Dr. Lloyd-Jones does not think "all Israel" can refer to the Christian church based on how "Israel" is used in the surrounding context in Romans 9-11.
- The Old Testament prophecies are complex, but the New Testament helps interpret them. Some prophecies assumed to be about Israel are applied to the church, e.g. Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:16-21 and Amos 9:11 in Acts 15:15-17. The prophecies must be understood spiritually, not literally.
- Jesus never spoke of the restoration of the Jews to the land of Israel. His teaching in Matthew 8:11-12 suggests the opposite.
- Paul teaches there is no longer Jew or Gentile in the church (Galatians 3:28). It is impossible to give the Jews a separate position.
- Romans 11:25-26 does not teach a chronological sequence of the salvation of the Gentiles first, then the Jews. "And so" means "in this way."
- The context of Romans 9-11 shows Paul is answering the objection that God's promises to Israel seem to have failed. Paul shows God's promises were to the spiritual remnant, not the entire nation. "They are not all Israel who are of Israel" (Romans 9:6).
- The promises to Abraham's seed are to those who share the faith of Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9, 29), not physical descendants.
- "All Israel" refers to all elect Jews throughout history, including a future large-scale Jewish conversion to faith in Christ. But they will join the church like all other believers. There will be no separate position or way of salvation for the Jews.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the Second Coming: Questions and Answers
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe is the most important attitude to have when studying end-time prophecies?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, dogmatism is "never less justifiable than it is with regard to this subject" of end-time prophecies. His main concern is not to present a specific viewpoint but to persuade his listeners that absolute certainty on these matters is inappropriate. He finds it "tragic" when people have "cut and dried theories" about end-time events which they consider "absolutely and inevitably right." He emphasizes that many "saintly, godly, scholarly, consecrated men throughout the centuries have grappled with this problem and have arrived at very different conclusions."
What evidence does Dr. Lloyd-Jones present about the complexity of studying biblical prophecy?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes four volumes of a work called "The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers" that total over 3,650 pages (900+ pages in volume one, 800+ in volume two, 750 in volume three, and 1,200 in volume four). These volumes represent research on what different teachers in the Christian church have thought about prophecy throughout history. He confesses that despite studying this subject for 25 years, "if there is any department or realm of truth in which I feel that I am but a child, it is in this one." This underscores his point that simplistic or brief treatments of prophecy cannot possibly be comprehensive.
What are the three possible interpretations of "all Israel shall be saved" in Romans 11:26?
The three interpretations Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents are: 1. "All Israel" means the completed Christian church consisting of both Jews and Gentiles who are saved. 2. "All Israel" refers to Israel as a people and nation, with two sub-views: a) A large number of Jews will be converted, essentially constituting the nation's conversion, though not every individual. b) Every single Jewish individual alive at that time will be converted, with some even suggesting past Jews will be resurrected for a second chance. 3. "All Israel" means the total number of elect Jews, the sum of chosen saved Jews from every generation until the end.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones interpret the Old Testament prophecies about Israel?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that many Old Testament prophecies that seem to refer exclusively to the physical nation of Israel are applied to the Christian church in the New Testament. He gives two key examples: 1. Peter's sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2), where he claims the outpouring of the Spirit fulfills Joel's prophecy that originally seemed to apply only to Israel. 2. James's statement in Acts 15:14-18, where he applies Amos 9:11 about rebuilding "the tabernacle of David" to the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. This demonstrates that even seemingly material references like "the tabernacle of David" are given spiritual interpretations in the New Testament.
What is Dr. Lloyd-Jones's conclusion about the meaning of "all Israel shall be saved"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that "all Israel shall be saved" means "the total of all believing Jews in all ages and generations." He bases this on Paul's consistent argument about the "remnant" throughout Romans 9-11 and the key statement in Romans 9:6 that "they are not all Israel that are of Israel." He believes this means God's promises never applied to the entire physical nation but to the spiritual Israel, the remnant chosen by grace. While he believes there may be "large numbers of conversions amongst the Jews" before the end, they won't be in a special position separate from the church but will enter the kingdom through the same means as everyone else—"by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.