The role of the nation Israel in the redemptive plan of God is a significant issue, and one that has received much attention through the years[cite: 3]. A fundamental question in the discussion involves the future of Israel and whether or not she has a future[cite: 3]. According to Herman Ridderbos, “The church as the people of the New Covenant has taken the place of Israel, and national Israel is nothing other than the empty shell from which the pearl has been removed and which has lost its function in the history of redemption.”¹ In similar fashion, Bruce K. Waltke asserts that “national Israel and its law have been permanently replaced by the church and the New Covenant.”²

Is this true?[cite: 3] Did Israel permanently forfeit her privileged status by rejecting the Messiah and the gospel?[cite: 3] Or is she still God’s chosen nation?[cite: 3] Put another way, Is there yet a future hope for the nation of Israel in the redemptive plan of God?[cite: 3]

THREE VIEWS OF ROMANS 11:26A

At the forefront of the discussion stands the Apostle Paul’s declaration in Rom 11:26a: “And thus all Israel will be saved.”[cite: 3] As interpreters have considered this verse, three main views have emerged regarding the identity of the “all Israel” that will be saved: (1) “all Israel” is the church, consisting of both Jews and Gentiles who are saved throughout the present age; (2) “all Israel” is the elect remnant of believing Jews within the ethnic nation of Israel, which is saved throughout the present age; and (3) “all Israel” refers to the ethnic nation of Israel, which will be saved at the end of the present age[cite: 3].

View 1: “All Israel” Is the Church

The first view is that the “all Israel” of Rom 11:26 consists of both Jews and Gentiles who together constitute the church of Jesus of Christ.³ In other words, “all Israel” equals the church, which is the Israel of God[cite: 3]. According to this interpretation, even though a partial hardening has come upon ethnic Israel, a remnant of believing Jews is still being saved throughout the present age[cite: 3]. At the same time, Gentiles also are being grafted in among the Jews as they turn to Christ and are saved[cite: 3]. In the end, the full number of those who are saved, “coming in from both the Jewish and the Gentile communities, will constitute the final Israel of God.”⁴ In this manner, Paul writes in Rom 11:26, all the Israel of God will be saved[cite: 3].

According to this view, Rom 11:26 consists of “a typically Pauline polemical redefinition”⁵ of Israel in which the word “Israel” no longer refers to the ethnic nation[cite: 3]. As Irons explains, “Paul has literally redefined the term ‘Israel’ to refer to the New Testament church by arguing that God’s irrevocable promises to Israel are fulfilled by means of the salvation of both Jew and Gentile in the church age.”⁶ In this way, then, “all Israel” in Rom 11:26 refers to all the elect of God, whether Jew or Gentile, who are saved throughout the present age[cite: 3].

View 2: “All Israel” Is the Remnant

The second view is that “all Israel” in Rom 11:26 refers to all the elect Jews within the ethnic nation of Israel.⁷ In other words, “all Israel” is the believing remnant which is saved throughout the present age[cite: 3]. According to this position, the hardening of the nation Israel is only partial, and God will continue to save a remnant from among the Jews until the end of the present age[cite: 3]. The designation “all Israel,” then, refers to the totality of that believing remnant of ethnic Jews,⁸ and Rom 11:26 affirms “that there will always be a remnant of believing Jews until the end of time.”⁹

According to this view, the mystery alluded to in Rom 11:25 is not the fact of the remnant’s salvation, but rather the manner in which God saves them.¹⁰ As described earlier in Romans 11, God has purposed to use the salvation of Gentiles to arouse the Jews to jealousy that some of them might also turn to Christ and be saved[cite: 3]. This He will continue to do throughout the present age, and in this manner—Paul writes in Rom 11:26—all the elect Jews within ethnic Israel will be saved[cite: 3].

View 3: “All Israel” Is the Nation

The third view is that “all Israel” in Rom 11:26 refers to the entire ethnic nation of Israel.¹¹ According to this interpretation, the current partial hardening of Israel will persist until the end of the present age, when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in[cite: 3]. At that time, the divine hardening will be removed, and in this manner—Paul writes in Rom 11:26—the ethnic nation of Israel as a whole will turn to Christ and be saved[cite: 3].

According to proponents of view 3, this eschatological salvation of the nation of Israel is rooted in the Lord’s faithfulness to fulfill the covenantal promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.¹² In other words, although the majority of Israel is currently the object of God’s rejection, He will not forsake His people but has pledged, in accordance with his covenantal love, to grant them salvation at the end of the present age.¹³

The difference in interpretation, then, is clear: Does “all Israel” in Rom 11:26 refer to (1) Jews and Gentiles who make up the church and are saved throughout the present age, (2) the elect remnant of believing Jews within ethnic Israel who are saved throughout the present age, or (3) the ethnic nation of Israel which will be saved at the end of the present age?[cite: 3]

In other words, is “all Israel” the church, the remnant, or the nation?[cite: 3]

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ROMANS 11:28

As interpreters have wrestled with this question, various aspects of the context of Romans 11 have received much attention[cite: 3]. For example, proponents of all three views have examined Paul’s question in v. 1a and the answer he provides in vv. 1b–10; Paul’s second question in v. 11a and the answer he provides in vv. 11b–24; Paul’s use of μυστήριον (mysterion, “mystery”) in v. 25; Paul’s use of ἄχρις (achris, “until”) in v. 25; Paul’s use of καὶ οὕτως (kai houtōs, “and thus”) at the beginning of v. 26; and the implications of Paul’s OT quotations in vv. 26b and 27[cite: 3]. Each of these issues is significant in determining the identity of the “all Israel” of Rom 11:26[cite: 3].

One verse in the immediate context, however, has direct bearing on the identity of “all Israel” in Rom 11:26 and yet has not received the amount of attention it deserves[cite: 3]. That verse is Rom 11:28[cite: 3]. The purpose of this article is to examine Rom 11:28 and to determine its contribution to the debate over the identity of “all Israel.”[cite: 3]

In Rom 11:28, Paul writes, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for the sake of you, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved because of the fathers” (writer’s personal translation, κατὰ μὲν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἐχθροὶ δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν ἀγαπητοὶ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας, kata men to euangelion echthroi di’ hymas, kata de tēn eklogēn agapētoi dia tous pateras)[cite: 3]. In this verse, Paul begins what may be viewed as a small, detached paragraph in which he grounds and elaborates his prediction of the salvation of “all Israel” two verses earlier.¹⁴ Although v. 28 begins with asyndeton and is not formally connected with the previous context, an implicit connection is forged by the need to supply the subject of v. 28—”they” in the translation above—from v. 27.¹⁵ In other words, “they” is not in the original and must be supplied[cite: 3]. The antecedent of the supplied “they” in v. 28 is “them” (αὐτοῖς, autois) in v. 27, which refers back to “Jacob” (Ἰακώβ, Iakōb) in v. 26b, which in turn refers back to “all Israel” (πᾶς Ἰσραήλ, pas Israel) in v. 26a[cite: 3]. This is significant because it indicates that the group of individuals described in v. 28 is the same group designated by the term “all Israel” in v. 26[cite: 3]. Put another way, Paul’s words in v. 28 describe the “all Israel” of v. 26 and help to establish its identity[cite: 3].

For this reason, it is imperative to determine which of the three proposed identities of “all Israel” in v. 26—the church, the remnant, or the nation—is most accurately described in v. 28[cite: 3]. Rightly understood, does Rom 11:28 describe the church, the remnant, or the nation?[cite: 3]

Romans 11:28 and View 1

In considering whether or not Rom 11:28 can be understood to describe the church, two difficulties arise for view 1[cite: 3]. First, the supplied subject of v. 28 (“they”) is set in contrast to Gentiles (“you”) in this verse and therefore must refer exclusively to ethnic Jews.¹⁶ In the first clause of v. 28, the people in question are described as “enemies for the sake of you” (ἐχθροὶ δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, echthroi di’ hymas)[cite: 3]. Because Paul uses the second person to refer exclusively to Gentiles throughout 11:11–32,¹⁷ his use of the pronoun hymas (“you”) in v. 28 must also refer to Gentiles, and the “enemies” must therefore refer to ethnic Jews[cite: 3]. In other words, the idea of the first half of v. 28 is this: “From the standpoint of the gospel they [ethnic Jews] are enemies for the sake of you [Gentiles].”[cite: 3] The “all Israel” of v. 26, in turn, must also be exclusively Jewish, which precludes the interpretation that equates “all Israel” with the church, for the church obviously contains Gentiles[cite: 3].

This distinction between Jews and Gentiles is the same one Paul has been maintaining throughout the chapter[cite: 3]. In fact, his point in the first half of v. 28 is a general summary of statements made earlier in Romans 11[cite: 3]. In v. 11 Paul writes that Israel’s transgression was the means by which salvation came to the Gentiles; in v. 12 he writes that Israel’s transgression and failure resulted in riches for the Gentiles; in v. 15 he writes that Israel’s rejection resulted in the reconciliation of Gentiles; and here in v. 28 Paul sums up these ideas by stating that those unbelievers who comprise the ethnic nation of Israel are enemies of God “for the sake of” or “with a view to the advantage of”¹⁸—the Gentiles.¹⁹ Again, the individuals described in v. 28 must be exclusively Jewish, and therefore so must the “all Israel” of v. 26[cite: 3]. This simply will not allow for the interpretation proposed by proponents of view 1, which sees “all Israel” as including Gentiles[cite: 3].

The second reason that v. 28 poses a problem for view 1 is that the two clauses in this verse simply cannot be said to describe the church[cite: 3]. The place to begin in considering v. 28 is the unmistakably parallel structure of its two clauses:[cite: 3]

The basic meaning of these two clauses is that on one hand the individuals who comprise the “all Israel” of v. 26 are enemies of God, and yet on the other hand they are beloved by Him[cite: 3]. From the standpoint of their rejection of the gospel, they are His enemies, and this for the sake of the Gentiles[cite: 3]. But from the standpoint of God’s election of them, they are beloved by Him, and this because of God’s promises to the Jewish patriarchs (“the fathers”)[cite: 3]. This is what has been called the “dual status”²⁰ of Israel, for it sets forth two apparently contradictory descriptions of the people, and yet both descriptions are simultaneously true of them.²¹

Put simply, it is difficult if not impossible to understand these two clauses as describing the church[cite: 3]. In what sense can those in the Body of Christ be described as the “enemies” of God?[cite: 3] Paul says in v. 28 that these individuals are enemies from the standpoint of the gospel (kata to euangelion), but it is specifically because of the gospel and their reception of it that believers are not God’s enemies[cite: 3].

Some proponents of view 1 interpret v. 28 as a description of ethnic Jews.²² The dilemma for these interpreters is that they must do one of two things to maintain their position[cite: 3]. Either they must deny that the supplied subject of v. 28 ultimately refers back to the “all Israel” of v. 26,²³ or they must contend that the “all Israel” of v. 26 includes Gentiles even though it specifically excludes them when it is described in v. 28[cite: 3]. Neither of these two options is defensible[cite: 3].

Other proponents of view 1 interpret v. 28 as a description of the church.²⁴ For these interpreters, the two insurmountable problems described above remain[cite: 3]. First, the contrast in v. 28 between the subject of the sentence and the second-person pronoun ὑμᾶς—which must refer to Gentiles—indicates that the subject is exclusively Jewish[cite: 3]. Second, it is not possible to describe the church as consisting of individuals who are enemies of God.²⁵ Rom 11:28, in other words, precludes view 1 as an interpretive possibility[cite: 3].

Romans 11:28 and View 2

Because Rom 11:28 indicates that the “all Israel” of Rom 11:26 is exclusively Jewish, view 2—which sees “all Israel” as the Jewish remnant—begins as a distinct possibility.²⁶ Adding further support, some proponents of view 2 believe Rom 11:28 specifically points to the remnant interpretation of “all Israel,” insisting that the verse describes those who were once God’s enemies but who are now beloved by Him[cite: 3]. For example, according to Lenski, Rom 11:28 is a fitting description of the elect remnant within the nation of Israel—those who were at first “enemies” (echthroi) because of their personal hostility to the gospel are described as “beloved” (agapētoi) when regarded according to God’s election of them.²⁷ In similar fashion, Hendriksen notes, “these ‘enemies’ and these ‘beloved ones’ are the same people, namely, the elect. At first they were hostile to the gospel, but later on, because of the wonderful manifestation of God’s mercy… they become friends.”²⁸ In other words, the first clause describes the elect prior to their conversion, while the second describes them after[cite: 3]. Hendriksen explains:

The same Jews who at one time had been enemies of the gospel had become friends, beloved of God and fellow-believers[cite: 3]. This great change had been brought about because of the fact that these former enemies had been designed by God, in his eternal decree, to become friends.²⁹

The difficulty with this understanding of Rom 11:28 (and therefore the difficulty with view 2 in general) is that the two clauses in this verse—kata men to euangelion echthroi di’ hymas and kata de tēn eklogēn agapētoi dia tous pateras—set forth two descriptions of Israel, and both descriptions are true of them at the same time[cite: 3]. This is indicated by Paul’s use of the correlative conjunctions men…de, which express the idea: “On the one hand… but on the other hand.”³⁰ In other words, Paul’s use of the correlative conjunctions indicates that these individuals are simultaneously “enemies” and “beloved,” not enemies for a time and then later beloved[cite: 3].

Had Paul intended to refer to a people who were previously enemies but who are now beloved, he would not have used the combination “on the one hand… but on the other hand”[cite: 3]. Instead, it would be more likely for him to have used the combination ποτέ… νῦν (pote… nun, “formerly… now”) or ποτέ… νῦν δέ (pote… nun de, “formerly… but now”), for Paul often uses this combination to highlight the contrast between the pre-conversion past and the post-conversion present[cite: 3]. For example:

• Rom 11:30: “For just as you once [pote] were disobedient to God, but now [nun de] have been shown mercy because of their disobedience….”[cite: 3]
• Gal 1:23: “… but only, they kept hearing, ‘He who once [pote] persecuted us is now [nun] preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.'”[cite: 3]
• Eph 2:11–13: “Therefore remember, that formerly [pote] you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now [nuni de] in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”[cite: 3]
• Eph 5:8a: “For you were formerly [pote] darkness, but now [nun de] you are light in the Lord.”[cite: 3]
• Col 1:21–22a: “And although you were formerly [pote] alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now [nun de] reconciled you in His fleshly body through death….”[cite: 3]
• Col 3:7–8: “… and in them you also once [pote] walked, when you were living in them. But now [nuni de] you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”[cite: 3]
• Phile 10–11: “I appeal to you for my child, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, Onesimus, who formerly [pote] was useless to you, but now [nuni de] is useful both to you and to me.”³¹

Other times, Paul employs a different combination to indicate the temporal contrast between the pre-conversion past and the post-conversion present[cite: 3]. For example, in Rom 7:5–6, he uses the imperfect active indicative of εἰμί (ἦμεν, ēmen, “we were”) in combination with nuni de (“but now”):³²

Rom 7:5–6: “For while we were [ēmen] in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now [nuni de] we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”[cite: 3]

Elsewhere he establishes the same temporal contrast with the combination of τότε (tote, “at that time”) and νῦν δέ (nun de, “but now”):[cite: 3]

Gal 4:8–9: “However at that time [tote], when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now [nun de] that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?”[cite: 3]

In Rom 11:28, however, rather than using one of these (or a similar combination) to establish a contrast between the pre-conversion past and the post-conversion present of the individuals in question, Paul uses the correlative conjunctions men…de to indicate two simultaneously existing states[cite: 3]. Romans 11:28, therefore, cannot refer to individuals who were once enemies prior to their conversion but who are now beloved after their conversion—as view 2 says it does—and view 2 cannot be considered a plausible interpretation of the “all Israel” in Rom 11:26[cite: 3].

Romans 11:28 and View 3

In contrast with the first two views, the dual status of “all Israel” as portrayed in Rom 11:28 fits perfectly with the interpretation of view 3, the view that sees “all Israel” as a reference to the nation of Israel as a whole[cite: 3]. This can be seen by considering the first half of the dual status in v. 28a, the second half the dual status in v. 28b, and the ground of that status in v. 29[cite: 3].

The First Half of Israel’s Dual Status (v. 28a)

According to view 3, Israel presently exists in a state in which a majority of the nation is hardened (Rom 11:25).³³ This majority has rejected the Messiah, a rejection that is described in Romans 11 as a stumbling (ἔπταισαν, eptaisan) in v. 11, “their transgression” (παραπτώματι αὐτῶν, paraptōmati autōn) in v. 11, “their transgression” (παράπτωμα, paraptōma) in v. 12, and “their rejection” (ἀποβολή, apobolē) in v. 15.³⁴ Paul describes this present state of hardening in the first clause of Rom 11:28, where he refers to the nation of Israel as God’s enemies—those who stand under His enmity and displeasure.³⁵ They are enemies, Paul writes, “according to the gospel” (κατὰ μὲν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, kata men to euangelion)[cite: 3]. The preposition κατά (kata) here indicates the norm or the standard “according to which a judgment is rendered”³⁶ and therefore “defines the rule by which God’s relation to Israel is determined.”³⁷ In other words, when regarded according to their rejection of the gospel, they are considered God’s enemies.³⁸

Paul continues this first clause and writes that they are enemies “for the sake of you” (δι’ ὑμᾶς, di’ hymas)[cite: 3]. The second-person pronoun here refers to Gentile believers, as it does throughout the chapter[cite: 3]. Paul’s point is that Israel’s rejection of the gospel was not without benefit—it was “for the sake of” or “with a view to the advantage of”³⁹ the Gentiles[cite: 3]. “All Israel,” in other words, is presently the enemy of God, but this rejection has led to the salvation of Gentiles (see Rom 11:11–12, 15)[cite: 3]. The unbelieving Jews that make up the nation of Israel, then, are enemies according to the gospel and for the sake of the Gentiles[cite: 3]. This is the first half of Israel’s dual status[cite: 3].

The Second Half of Israel’s Dual Status (v. 28b)

At the same time, however, Paul writes that they are not only enemies of God, they are also beloved by Him[cite: 3]. In the second clause in v. 28, the apostle again uses two prepositional phrases to explain Israel’s status[cite: 3]. First he writes that they are beloved “according to election” (κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογὴν, kata de tēn eklogēn)[cite: 3]. Here Paul uses the preposition kata in the same way he did in the first clause of the verse to indicate the norm or the standard “according to which a judgment is rendered”⁴⁰ and therefore to define “the rule by which God’s relation to Israel is determined.”⁴¹ The phrase “according to election” (kata de tēn eklogēn), then, indicates that although they are considered enemies when regarded according to their rejection of the gospel, they are considered beloved when regarded according to God’s choice—His corporate election of Israel as His chosen nation.⁴² As Murray notes, the word “beloved” indicates “that God has not suspended or rescinded his relation to Israel as his chosen people in terms of the covenants made with the fathers.”⁴³ Israel, although hardened and unbelieving, is still God’s chosen and beloved nation.⁴⁴

Paul emphasizes this point further with the second prepositional phrase in this clause—”because of the fathers” (διὰ τοὺς πατέρας, dia tous pateras).⁴⁵ The word “fathers” is a reference to the patriarchs of Israel—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob⁴⁶—and more specifically to the covenant promises God made to them.⁴⁷ As Morris writes, “Paul is appealing to the covenant God had made with Abraham and the promises he had made again and again to Abraham’s descendants.”⁴⁸ The essence of this second clause, then, is that when regarded according to the standpoint of God’s corporate election of the nation, “all Israel” is beloved by God because of the covenant promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob[cite: 3].

The Ground of Israel’s Dual Status (v. 29)

To support his assertion that Israel is still beloved by God as His chosen nation, Paul provides in v. 29 a reason for his assertion in v. 28b.⁴⁹ He writes: “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις τοῦ θεοῦ, ametamelēta gar ta charismata kai hē klēsis tou theou)[cite: 3]. Although Paul does not define what he means by “gifts” (ta charismata) in this context, it is likely that he uses the word to summarize those privileges of Israel enumerated in Rom 9:4–5.⁵⁰ The “calling” (klēsis) of God, however, is clear, for it “refers to the election according to which the Jews are beloved.”⁵¹ In other words, it refers to “God’s calling of Israel to be His special people, to stand in a special relation to Himself, and to fulfil a special function in history.”⁵²

Paul’s point in v. 29 is that the gifts and calling of God are “irrevocable” (ametamelēta)[cite: 3]. This adjective, which Paul places at the beginning of the verse for emphasis, is best translated “irrevocable,” for it describes something that “one does not take back.”⁵³ How can Paul’s readers be certain that Israel is still considered beloved by God when regarded from the standpoint of His choice of them?[cite: 3] Because God does not take back His promises—His gifts to Israel and His calling of Israel to be His chosen nation are irrevocable[cite: 3]. As Moo states, this word “emphasizes the point that Paul made at the beginning of his argument: ‘The word of God has not failed’ (9:6a)…. Israel still has a place in God’s plan because God is faithful.”⁵⁴ In other words, “God has not abandoned the promises given to the fathers; they have not been nullified by Israel’s unbelief; God is still faithful.”⁵⁵

According to Moo,

Paul’s assertion of Israel’s dual status in v. 28 succinctly summarizes the dilemma that drives the whole argument of these chapters: the Israel now at enmity with God because of the gospel is nevertheless the Israel to whom God has made irrevocable promises of blessing[cite: 3]. In broad terms, as 9:30–10:21 has elaborated the former, negative side of this dilemma, so 9:6b–29 and 11:1–27 have explained the second, positive side.⁵⁶

In similar fashion, Murray writes,

Israel are both “enemies” and “beloved” at the same time, enemies as regards the gospel, beloved as regards the election[cite: 3]. This contrast means that by their rejection of the gospel they have been cast away and the gospel had been given to the Gentiles but that nevertheless by reason of election and on account of their relation to the fathers they were beloved…. “Beloved” thus means that God has not suspended or rescinded his relation to Israel as his chosen people in terms of the covenants made with the fathers[cite: 3]. Unfaithful as Israel have been and broken off for that reason, yet God still sustains his peculiar relation of love to them, a relation that will be demonstrated and vindicated in the restoration (vss. 12, 15, 26).⁵⁷

The description of “all Israel” in Rom 11:28, then, not only indicates that the unbelieving nation as a whole is in view, but also points to the fact that that nation will one day be restored[cite: 3]. God made specific promises to the nation of Israel, and her refusal to embrace Christ and the gospel did not mean that the gospel had failed or that God would fail to fulfill those promises[cite: 3]. In the words of Bloesch: “His rejection of his people is not final but only provisional. In the No of God’s rejection is hidden the Yes of his election.”⁵⁸ All Israel will be saved[cite: 3].

CONCLUSION

It is clear that only the interpretation of view 3 corresponds to the dual status of “all Israel” as portrayed in Rom 11:28, for only this interpretation envisions a scenario in which both clauses of the verse are simultaneously and presently true of the entity “all Israel.”[cite: 3] On the one hand the unbelieving nation of Israel is an enemy of God, but on the other she is beloved by Him[cite: 3]. When the partial hardening of Israel is removed at the end of the present age (Rom 11:25), her present “transgression” will give way to her “fulfillment” (Rom 11:12); her present “rejection” will give way to her “acceptance” (Rom 11:15); and the natural branches will be grafted back in (Rom 11:23–24)[cite: 3]. And in this manner, all Israel will be saved in accordance with God’s covenantal love and in fulfillment of His promises (Rom 11:26–27)[cite: 3]. God has not, and will not, forsake His chosen nation[cite: 3].