All Israel Will Be Saved
Four Views on Luke 13 and Romans 11
| Passage | Restorationist | Dispensational Premillennial | Postmillennial | Amillennial (non-Restorationist) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke 13:35 – | - "House" = Temple/Jerusalem, desolate in A.D. 70. - "Until…" fulfilled at the Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:37–38). - No future national acceptance of Christ implied. | - "House" = Temple/Jerusalem, but desolation is temporary. - "Until…" points to Israel's national recognition of Christ at His Second Coming. | - "House" = Jerusalem under judgment. - "Until…" points to a future revival and conversion of the Jews as part of global gospel success leading into a golden age. | - "House" = Temple/Jerusalem judged in A.D. 70. - "Until…" either fulfilled at the Triumphal Entry or symbolically in the church's confession of Christ. - No specific national Jewish conversion expected. |
| Romans 11:25-27 – | - "All Israel" = spiritual Israel (the church of Jew + Gentile believers). - Refers to the completion of the redeemed. | - "All Israel" = ethnic/national Israel. - Future mass conversion of Jews after the "fullness of Gentiles." | - "All Israel" = primarily ethnic Jews. - Predicts a future large-scale conversion of the Jews, sparking worldwide gospel expansion and ushering in a millennial age of Christian dominance. | - "All Israel" = the whole people of God (spiritual Israel). - Refers to the completion of salvation history, not national conversion. - Future Jewish conversion may occur, but not dogmatically required. |
| Eschatological Framework | - Amillennial in practice. - Kingdom is present in the church. - Promises to Israel fulfilled in Christ and His people. - A.D. 70 = major prophetic marker. | - Premillennial & Dispensational. - Israel and church distinct. - End-times involve a Jewish tribulation, conversion, and literal millennium with Christ ruling from Jerusalem. | - Postmillennial. - Gospel will triumph in history. - Jewish conversion is a milestone leading to a worldwide golden age before Christ's return. | - Amillennial. - Kingdom is present, unfolding spiritually. - Promises to Israel fulfilled in Christ/church. - "All Israel" = fullness of believers, not a national event. |
Summary
- Restorationist: Historical fulfillment (Triumphal Entry + A.D. 70); "Israel" = church.
- Dispensational Premillennial: Future national conversion of Jews at Christ's return; Israel central to prophecy.
- Postmillennial: Future Jewish conversion sparks worldwide revival and ushers in golden age. -
- Amillennial: "All Israel" = spiritual Israel; no national restoration required, though some expect many Jews will turn to Christ before the end.
Why the Restorationist View Has Textual and Contextual Advantages
The Restorationist position takes Luke 13:35 and Romans 11 in their immediate context rather than projecting them into speculative future timelines. In Luke 13, the reference to "your house left desolate" naturally connects to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, a judgment historically fulfilled within that generation (cf. Luke 21:20-24).
Likewise, the phrase "Blessed is He who comes" fits seamlessly with the Triumphal Entry in Luke 19:37-38, where Psalm 118 was explicitly applied to Jesus. This eliminates the need to postpone fulfillment thousands of years into the future. Similarly, Romans 11:25-27 is best read in continuity with Paul's earlier argument: the true Israel consists of those who are "children of promise" (Romans 9:6-8). Thus "all Israel" is not a national entity awaiting conversion but the full number of God's people—Jew and Gentile alike—redeemed through Christ.
By reading these texts in their first-century and theological context, the Restorationist view preserves both the immediacy of Jesus' warnings and the inclusiveness of Paul's gospel without adding external eschatological systems.