Thanks for your great illustration regarding “the fullness of the Gentiles” from Romans 11:25 in which you wrote, “According to my research the phrase “full number” is a nautical term that describes the number of soldiers and sailors necessary to operate a ship under sail. The ship couldn’t sail until they had the full number of crewmen. Once the full number was reached, off they went…” Obviously, God is waiting for that specific number to be reached before He calls us home. My question is what will the purpose of the church be once that number has been reached?
Romans 11:25 says that Israel had been hardened in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. The phrase “come in” means to arrive at its scheduled destination, as in “what time does the train come in?”
The Church’s scheduled destination is Heaven. (John 14:2-3) Once the full number has been reached we’ll set sail for there. After we arrive we’ll begin serving as the example of the incomparable riches of God’s grace for the ages yet to come (Ephes 2:7) while Israel resumes the position of God’s chosen people on Earth.