How does one understand the salvation and destiny of Jews living today?

How does one understand the salvation and destiny of Jews living today?

QUESTION:

Are Jews who are living today under the Torah part of the Kingdom program to inherit the earth? What about Messianic Jews who are saved by the grace gospel? How does one understand their salvation and destiny?

ANSWER:

In order to answer these questions, we must first understand two very important things:

Number 1

Israel is blinded today, Rom 11:25, and they are not the special people of God (as in the Old Testament and in the Gospels when Jesus was on earth). When God blinded them, He actually disowned them. We find this in Hosea's prophecy,

Hosea 1:9 Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.

Loammi was one of Hosea's children born from a prostitute according to God's will. Loammi represented Israel according to this prophecy. God was using this scenario to show Hosea that He would later abandon Israel due to their unbelief. So, since Acts 7, after Israel killed Stephan, God strated to lift His hand off them and abandon them. Paul's ministry towards the Gentiles was further proof of this blinding. keep this in mind as we progress through this reply.

Number 2 

Since Acts 15, there is only one gospel by which people can be saved. In Acts 15, we have the Jerusalem council meeting that came together to discuss and resolve disputes in the differences between the Kingdom gospel that the 12 apostles preached, and the Grace gospel that Paul preached. Without going into all the details, it is Peter who closed the Kingdom (with the keys of the kingdom, Matthew 16:19) by saying, "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ WE SHALL BE SAVED, EVEN AS THEY [Gentiles]." Acts 15:11. Effectively, Peter said that Jews from that point on would be saved by grace alone through the sacrifice of Christ. --Simply put, the Kingdom gospel focused on the identity of Christ, and proving works, for salvation, whereas the Grace gospel focused on what Christ did alone, without further works, for salvation. Peter's statement was a powerful declaration that reverberated throughout earth and heaven. The Kingdom gospel was suspended, and Jews would now be saved by grace alone in what Christ did according to Paul's grace message. 

A short time after this council meeting, we can understand why Paul could so confidently declare that the Galatians would be accursed if they followed any other gospel other than that which Paul preached. Paul knew that there was only ONE gospel message based on what was settled at the council meeting. The Galatians were trying to add works to their faith (by circumcision), so Paul had to correct them in the Galatians epistle concerning the grace only requirement of the gospel he preached.

Now, let's take these two important points and learn what changed, and how Jews are saved since that time and even today.

Since the Kingdom gospel is closed (temporarily suspended until the Tribulation), all people (of all nations, incl. Jews) can only be saved by the Grace gospel. This means that since Acts 15, people are added to the Body of Christ. People who were saved under the Kingdom gospel were added to the "Little Flock" (the believing remnant of Israel) and would inherit the earth. But since this gospel is suspended, all people can only be saved by the Grace gospel, and are thus added to the Body of Christ, and they belong to the heavenly inheritance. 

Consider also the following. The Kingdom gospel relied on animal sacrifices to stay in righteousness. Remember how Jesus preached that one had to leave their gift at the alter and first go and reconcile with their brother before returning to sacrifice, cf. Matt 5:22-24. Well, since 70AD, the temple has been destroyed and there has not been any form of sacrificial system for the Jews. Thus, this also provides insights that they cannot be saved by the suspended Kingdom gospel, but only by the Grace gospel which does not require such ordinances.

To end this reply, Jews today do not belong to that special nation that God called out in Exodus 19:5-6, which is currently 'Loammi'. There is no kingdom of priests and a holy nation today. Jews are on the same level as Gentiles today. As Paul says, there is not Jew or Gentile, ... Gal 3:28-29. Today, Jews can only be saved by believing in the cross work of Christ and trusting in that perfect work that Jesus did. They are added to the Body of Christ just like all Gentiles that get saved today. If Jews do not receive the grace gospel today and continue to believe in their Orthodox ways, they will be eternally lost if they die, or if they live into the Tribulation, they will have opportunity to get saved in that time by the preaching of the 144000 or the 2-Witnesses.

What happens AFTER this Grace program? It is only after the rapture of the Body of Christ that things change back to the Kingdom program again and ushers in the prophetic program and the Tribulation. The Grace gospel ends, and the Kingdom gospel is reactivated and preached again. This is when both Jews (and proselyting Gentiles) will be saved again by means of the identity of Christ, confessing Him as their Lord and the Son of God. This will continue until the second half of the Tribulation when a new gospel is preached by angels from heaven, Rev 14:6-7. It is in the Millennial Kingdom (after the 7-year Tribulation) when Israel will again be preeminent above all nations, the special people of God and the kingdom of priests.

It’s a long reply, but I trust this gives you the insights you need about how Jews are saved today and into which program they are added. If you have more questions, please let me know.