The concept of the “fullness of the Gentiles” comes from Romans 11:25, which says “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”
To understand this verse, we need to look at the broader context of Romans 11. In this chapter, Paul is grappling with the relationship between the church (composed largely of Gentile believers at the time) and ethnic Israel. He affirms that God has not rejected his people Israel (v.1-2), even though the majority of Jews at that time had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. A remnant of Jewish believers had accepted Christ, but the rest were hardened against the gospel.
Paul explains that this “hardening” of Israel is partial and temporary. Its purpose is to make room for the incoming Gentiles to also become part of God’s people through faith in Christ. He uses an olive tree metaphor, where some of the natural Jewish branches have been broken off, and wild Gentile branches have been grafted in (v.17-24). But God still loves Israel and wants to show them mercy (v.25-32). When the full number or “fullness” of Gentiles has come into God’s kingdom, then God will restore Israel and bring them to salvation in Christ.
So what does “the fullness of the Gentiles” refer to? There are several main interpretations:
- A certain number or percentage of Gentiles God intends to save before Christ returns.
- The full inclusion of Gentiles with Jewish believers in the church.
- The fulfillment of God’s purpose for the Gentile world to hear and respond to the gospel before the end comes.
- The times of the Gentiles taking prominence over Israel until those times are fulfilled.
The first view sets the fullness of the Gentiles as a definite number. Once that number is reached, God will turn his focus back to Israel. But the text does not specify an exact quantified number. The second view emphasizes Gentiles and Jews united in the church, which is an important concept but not the specific focus of this passage. The third view gets closest to the meaning – God intends for Gentiles to fully hear, understand, and respond to the good news during this partial hardening of Israel.
The fourth view fits nicely as well. Christ stated that “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). This hardening of Israel began when their rejection of Messiah allowed the gospel to spread widely among the nations instead. Paul says Israel’s hardening will last “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). So this fullness marks the end of the times of Gentiles’ prominence and restoration of Israel.
Background – Israel’s Rejection Led to Gospel for Gentiles
Paul views the gospel going to Gentiles as a mystery not fully revealed in the Old Testament (Eph 3:4-6). Israel’s rejection of their Messiah opened a door of faith for the rest of the nations. Though Old Testament prophecies spoke of Gentile inclusion (Zech 2:11, Is 42:6), the overwhelming focus was on the Messiah coming to deliver Israel.
Jesus’ earthly ministry was directed only to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Matt 15:24). He sent his disciples out to preach only to Jews during that time (Matt 10:5-6). But after his resurrection, Christ commissioned them to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19, Acts 1:8). The book of Acts chronicles the gospel spreading beyond Israel to Samaritans and Gentiles.
The Jewish people as a whole rejected Jesus and the message about him. As a result, the gospel went out to the Gentiles instead. The purposes of God were bigger than one nation. His plan extended to redeeming people from every tribe and language out of His love and mercy (Rev 5:9). But as Paul asserts clearly in Romans 11, this hardening of Israel is temporary, not a complete rejection.
Partial Hardening of Israel Until the Full Inclusion of Gentiles
In Romans 11, Paul is explaining the shifting focus regarding God’s people. Unbelieving Jews have been partially hardened to the gospel, while believing Gentiles are being grafted in. Gentiles have “come near” and are partaking of the covenants and promises that had belonged to Israel (Eph 2:12-13).
But Israel still has a hope and future when the Deliverer comes out of Zion (Rom 11:26-27). God still desires Israel to be saved (v.26). Their stumble has brought riches to the world, and their full inclusion will be even greater, like life from the dead (v.12,15). But for now, this partial hardening remains until the full number of elect Gentiles comes to salvation.
Romans 11:25 – Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
The ESV translates the key phrase as “fullness of the Gentiles.” The Greek word is pleroma meaning fullness, completeness, or the whole measure. It conveys the full number God intends to save among the nations. Other versions translate it as “full inclusion” (NIV), “full number” (NASB), or “complete number” (CSB). The point is that the gospel will run its complete course throughout the Gentile world before God restores Israel.
Supporting Views on the Meaning
There are several good interpretations of what precisely the “fullness of the Gentiles” signifies. Here are explanations of the main views:
A Definite Number Whom God Will Save
This view takes the term “fullness” in a mathematical sense. Just as God set a number of elect Jews and saved them (Rom 11:5), so He intends to save a certain number of Gentiles. Once the full quotas of Gentile believers are reached, that completes the period of Israel’s hardening.
Variant views see this number as either a fixed total, a percentage of Gentile population, or a ratio of Gentiles to Jews in God’s kingdom. But Paul does not specify any set number or ratio here. The text simply denotes a fuller measure that will come to completion. There is a predetermined number of the elect (Acts 13:48, Eph 1:4-5), but no biblical evidence to confine this to a mathematical figure.
Full Inclusion and Equality of Jews and Gentiles in the Church
This view emphasizes Paul’s argument in Galatians that Jews and Gentiles are united as one in the church: “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). The “fullness of the Gentiles” happens when Gentile believers are fully and equally fellow heirs along with Jewish Christians, not second-class citizens.
Colossians speaks similarly of Gentiles who were once excluded now included and sharing the covenants (Col 1:21-22, 2:11-14). Ephesians 2 describes unity of Jews and Gentiles in the church (Eph 2:14-18). So full equality is an important concept.
However, this does not seem to be the specific focus of Romans 11:25. Paul is addressing Israel’s temporary hardening while the gospel spreads to the nations. The focus is on God’s plan to bring salvation to the Gentiles during the time of Israel’s resistance.
Completing the Mission to Reach the Nations for Christ
Several verses in Romans tie the concepts of the full number of Gentiles coming to faith and preaching the gospel through the whole world:
Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. (Rom 10:18)
The gospel…which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven. (Col 1:23)
Jesus said the gospel must be preached to all nations before the end comes (Matt 24:14). Paul saw his mission as preaching to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and bringing to light this mystery of the gospel (Eph 3:8-9). He aspired to fully proclaim Christ where he had not yet been named (Rom 15:20-21).
This view fits well with “the fullness of the Gentiles” referring to the completion of God’s purpose for the nations to hear and respond to the gospel in the time allotted. When that period ends, Israel’s hardening will be removed. The timing is not specified, but the end point is the full inclusion of Gentiles who will come to faith.
Completion of the Times of the Gentiles
As discussed earlier, Jesus said Jerusalem would be under Gentile authority until “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). This period is marked by the setting aside of Israel while God works through the church to reach the world.
Romans 11 explains partial hardening has come upon Israel “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom 11:25). The emphasis is on the temporary nature of Israel’s condition during this timeframe allotted for Gentile prominence. When the fullness or completion of that era arrives, God will remove Israel’s hardness, bring redemption to Zion, and turn His focused attention back to them.
This fits well with Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks marked out for Israel to accomplish redemption purposes (Dan 9:24-27). 69 weeks transpired before Messiah was cut off. Afterwards, God turned attention to the building of the church. Israel’s timetable pauses at that point until the times allotted for the Gentile church age conclude. Then the 70th week will commence as focus returns to Israel.
So the fullness of the Gentiles signifies the conclusion of that distinct time period when the gospel goes out to all nations rather than one. It marks a transitional turning point after which Israel comes back into specific focus.
Timing of the Fullness
When exactly will “the fullness of the Gentiles” occur? At what point will Israel’s partial hardening be removed? The timing is not precisely identified in scripture. But we know it will precede God’s restoration of Israel as depicted in Romans 11.
Some tie it to the rapture of the church ending the church age. That’s feasible but still speculative. The fullness could also simply refer to accomplishing the Great Commission mandate to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20). Either way, complete Gentile inclusion will be followed by salvation coming back to Israel.
God knows the precise timing He has decreed. Our task is to faithfully participate in His mission to reach the world, both Jews and Gentiles. As we labor in gospel ministry among all peoples, we can trust God to work out His unfolding plan right on schedule.
After the Fullness – Salvation Comes Back to Israel
The hardening that has come upon Israel is only partial and temporary. God still desires for Israel to be saved and grafted back into His olive tree (Rom 11:23-24). In fact, Paul says their acceptance will be like “life from the dead” (11:15).
When the full number of Gentiles has come in, “all Israel will be saved” (11:26). The Deliverer will come out of Zion and remove their sins (11:26-27). God’s gifts and call are irrevocable (11:29). He will be faithful to His covenant people. The time will come when Israel embraces Yeshua as their long-awaited Messiah.
The church has not replaced Israel in God’s program. Both Jew and Gentile have been disobedient at times, but God shows mercy to all (Rom 11:30-32). Ethnic Israel still has a glorious future destined by God’s unwavering promises. He will graft natural branches back in and bring redemption to the nation through the New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34).
Gentile believers owe a debt to Israel as the ones through whom God’s plan of redemption has come. As Paul says, “Through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles… if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!” (Rom 11:11-12)
The full inclusion of Israel will usher in greater blessings we can only imagine. The partial hardening that allowed Gentiles to come to faith will be wonderfully reversed. Israel’s redeemer will come to deliver them. And God’s mercy will be displayed among all peoples – to the Jew first and also to the Gentile (Rom 1:16).