I have often wondered about this verse. Just what does it mean when it says, "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in?" If you step back and take a look at the full chapter 11 in Roman's you will see that the Apostle Paul is making an argument for how God has allow Israels partial hardening so that the gentiles will be grafted into His Mercy and Grace and also that Israels partial hardening will end under a certain set of circumstances, "when the fullness of the gentiles comes in.
While I'm sure that part of what it means for the "fullness of the gentiles to come in" is in regards to those who are not of Jewish decent and have made decisions to trust, follow, and obey Jesus as Lord and Savior. But I cannot help but to think that it also has to do with some other things.
As I look at the world around me and with the help of the internet, planes, TV, radio, etc we have become a united world. Not that we all march to the same drummer but that we are all connected, whether we like it or not.
I was just reading from Lifesitenews.com about the Copenhagen Conference meeting to discuss the issue of Climate Change/Global Warming. One of the main areas of discussions coming out of that meeting is on World de-population. Here is a quote from today's e-letter:
"That conference, and its now open emphasis on world de-population as a supposed solution to the supposed global warming crisis, is a likely prelude to even more abortion, infanticide, forced sterilizations, explicit sex-ed, promotion of homosexuality and other forms of sterile, childless sex, and on and on"
The world population in many of the major countries is already on the brink of disaster. Most of Europe and Russian is at a point where they cannot even sustain their current populations and withing the next 10 - 15 years or so will begin a dramatic decline in their total populations. China has it's own set of problems with so many men and no women for them to marry due to their one child policies. Japan's populations is already moving into it's demographic winter with an ever aging population. Even here in the good ole US of A we are just barely replacing our current population and we are getting much help from those immigrants who come here, regardless of whether they do it legally or not.
I wonder if there isn't a physical connection to that determination of "when the fullness of the gentiles comes in." Could it be possible that it also includes the reality that people will so reject God's first command given to Adam.
"God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Gen 1:28"
That we will continue to see de population such that the world population will actually begin to decrease and thus, the fullness of the gentiles will have come in. This will of course create more world problems than we have ever experienced to date.
If you think that the troubles that we have experienced in this last credit financial crisis have been bad. A decreasing world population will be absolutely devastating. It will unravel the world as we know it. Let me know what you think. I would love to here some feedback.
3 comments:
Funny, I've been interested in this subject for many years and the phrase "until the times of the gentiles is fulfilled" goes through my head when thinking about the decline of the post-Christian western society. Yours is the only other mention I have seen linking the two.
I am a bible believing family man one wife, seven children (not a mormon).
However after over a year of quite intense study of current social changes as well as an interest in the historical decline of different civilisations I have come to a shocking conclusion. Taking the Davidic Israel, Babylonian, Greek and Roman civilisations as examples; it is apparent that a civilisation buds and blossoms rapidly in only a handful of generations in a patriarchical, polygamous and strongly pro-family culture. Then there are several generations of stagnation and entrenchment of selfish anti-family anti-children values linked with a rise in feminist values. After this there is demographic and economic collapse. The collapsed nations never really rising again, unless the population is replaced with a new blood stock.
It is common to respond to the concept of polygamy with prejudice and irrational hatred, there is plenty of bad monogamous marriage but that doesn’t make marriage evil.
From a biblical point of view this is hard to justify, as nowhere in the old or new testament is there a clear condemnation of polygamy. I am reluctant to discuss this specifically as there are many (some a bit weird) in depth discussions on the web as to the biblical validity of polygyny.
The most interesting point from the contemporary Christian point of view is that in western churches single Christian women out number Christian single men by upto, 4 to 1, (30 years and over) and 2 to 1 as teenagers/early twenties
Practically polygamy can only work if cowives love and respect each other which is an interesting analogy to the various Christian denominations (and individual Christians) as parts of the bride of Christ.
Of course Patriarchy and Polygamy should never be used as an excuse for abuse, in the type of Christ the husband’s life should be a living sacrifice as a servant king.
Alex bluski on facebook
Hey Alex. Thanks for your response to my post on "The Fullness of the Gentiles."
I'm not quite sure I understand your comment.
I have wondered what this statement in scripture will really mean in reality. It must mean something, and when that something happens, it will end the time of partial hardening of Israel and then scripture goes on to say that "all Israel will be save."
What a glorious day that will be for the Lord. He wept over Jerusalem and someday in the not so distant future Jesus will rejoice.
What that day will mean for me personally? Who Knows.
Blessings to you and your family. Thanks for commenting.
Loons,loons,loons!!
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