What’s Going to Happen to Israel?

We are incredibly, incurably addicted to working for our salvation. We struggle to say to God, “I am not good enough, but I accept your gift.” Instead, we want to be worthy of it. We want to be right with God on our merit. But that never works.

Paul desperately wanted Israel to be saved, but he showed them their heritage wasn’t enough.

You can be religious and lost. Israel had more from God than any other nation, but they were lost. They can be saved; we should share the gospel. But the ground at the foot of the cross is level.

You might have zeal but not knowledge. Often we want to do what’s right, but we don’t understand what God says in His Word. The Jews didn’t correctly understand the Torah, and it caused them to reject Jesus as Messiah.

Our mouths and our hearts must agree. What we say and what we believe should be the same. If you confess Jesus Christ without faith, you are either fooling yourself, or you’re a hypocrite. You may be a coward if you have faith but don’t confess it.

What about Israel’s future? What about God’s promises? Does this mean that God is so fed up with Israel that He has walked away from them? Hardly. He’s proof that God saves an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, out of the tribe of Benjamin.

God always has a remnant in Israel. Today, that remnant is made up of those Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What will happen to those who do not believe Jesus is their Messiah? The remainder of Israel is hardened. They are hardened because they fail; they do not fail because they are hardened. They have been exposed to the gospel as no other people have. Israel has had plenty of opportunities to listen and respond to God. He has been patient with them. They are blinded because they would not accept the light He gave them.

God has set the Jews aside. Their rejection has prompted God to open the gates of salvation wide to the Gentiles. What they thought only could come to the Jews, God is now blessing the Gentiles. He’s not dealing with Israel as a nation right now, but He keeps all His promises. He will return to them once the church is taken off the earth.

Today, the church benefits because of the nation Israel. We owe them so much. They were set aside because of their unbelief. We now stand on faith in Jesus Christ alone. This grace brought us into the family of God and has given us privileges and blessings.

The child of God has a glorious future ahead. From man’s point of view today, the future is dark. The world is quite a mess. But God is on the throne, and He will straighten it out. Our greatest days are ahead.

Next: Present your whole self to God. Explore God at the center of your relationships.