Fate of the Jews

There are numerous Christians who are very supportive of the Jewish people and the modern state of Israel. I share that position. The afterlife and fate of the Jewish people is another issue that must be thought through to achieve a fully consistent theology. I advocate a position that the Jewish people are saved as Jews under the provision of the Abrahamic and Law covenants. As Moses and Daniel spoke of the book of life, it is a standard Jewish position that each of the righteous will have a place in the world to come. Christian eschatological exclusivism destroys this hope.

The largest community of Bible believing Christians who support Israel in this life also have a model of salvation that excludes Israel in the afterlife. The concept of explicit salvation in this life is a cornerstone of evangelical belief, i.e. that each human being has to personally accept the offer of life in Jesus Christ. If that isn't done then the person is usually considered lost, fates being eternally fixed at the moment of death. This is an inconsistency that needs to be corrected if Christian support for the Jews is to have any weight.

More directly the problem is even rooted in the dispensationalist prophetic scenario held by many evangelicals. The expectation is that Jewish conversion is needed for a successful restoration process. That is clearly evident by looking at the history of early prophetic interpretations of the Puritans and later of 19th and 20th century missionary movements to the Jews. This expectation continues today. Typically the tribulation scenario of the dispensationalists holds that 144000 Jews will be saved, I suppose the rest are lost in this view. The antichrist expectation is also linked to Jewish obedience/disobedience. In this approach is the constant threat of eternal punishment to Jews and all other non Christians. I recommend reading Sandeen's The Roots of Fundamentalism in this regard.

I believe that the Israelite covenant continues to operate on behalf of the Jews. It includes provisions for right living in the present life and it's prophetic statements extend hope that the God of Israel will save all of that nation in the age to come under Messiah. Christian hopes in Jesus Christ are complementary to this hope in light of the universal coverage of the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants which include the whole earth and all nations of the earth. Christians have not superceded Israel either in this life or the life to come. There will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust, God will deal righteously with all people and teach them the part to life in his earthly kingdom.