The Eternal State: Jews in Heaven
By Nathan Jones
Is every Jew who has ever lived going to Heaven?
(Note: This series of questions about Heaven and the Eternal State were sent in to Lamb & Lion Ministries and answered by Dr. David Reagan, Nathan Jones, and Tim Moore on our television program Christ in Prophecy.)
Dr. Reagan: Romans 11:26 says, “all Israel will be saved.” But, does that mean that every Jew who has ever lived is going to go to Heaven?
Tim Moore: Sadly, no. The nation of Israel will exist into the Millennial Kingdom, but Scripture teaches that only a remnant of the Jewish people will be saved. We know that during the Tribulation period tragically many Jews will die. There will be a remnant who will then look upon Him whom they have pierced, and when they come to the end of themselves, just as a Gentile who must come to the end of themselves, they will come to recognize that Jesus Christ is the only Way, the Truth, and the Life and embrace Jesus Christ for their salvation. So, when it comes to the Jews, a remnant will be saved, but not every Jew who has ever lived.
Dr. Reagan: We can find the context of that statement found in Romans 11:26 within the overall context of Romans 9-11, three chapters all about the Jewish people. Paul in Romans 9:27 quotes Isaiah who prophesied, “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved.” Paul is referring here to the remnant of the Jewish people who will still be alive by the end of the Tribulation and who will have at last accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Tim Moore: Yes, this is the prophesied remnant who will become saved at the end of the Tribulation. Zephaniah 3:12-13 prophesies: “But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.” It is that remnant who will persevere and will be saved and go to Heaven.
Dr. Reagan: The salvation of the Jewish remnant is one of the major purposes of the Tribulation. The Tribulation will bring a remnant of the Jewish people to the end of themselves. When Jesus Christ breaks out of the clouds at the Second Coming, the remnant will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and weep and wail and mourn and repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Nathan Jones: It’s been prophesied that by the end of the Tribulation two-thirds of the Jewish people, that would be nine million people in today’s numbers, will be dead by the hand of the Antichrist. But, the remnant that sees Jesus will cry out because they will, at last, realize that Jesus has long been the Messiah they have been waiting for. As Jesus prophesied concerning His Second Coming in Matthew 23:39, “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” A remnant of the Jews will “look upon Him whom they have pierced” and will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6 and 25-29.
The Jewish people have been given only one way of salvation, just like Gentiles, and that is by faith in Jesus Christ alone. As Ephesians 2:8-9 reveals, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Nathan Jones: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” That is what the Jewish remnant will say when Jesus returns at the Second Coming.
Tim Moore: An application presents itself in this teaching, even for Gentile believers today who sometimes are in angst over the lost condition of their children. Parents often send their college-age children a stipend to keep them strung along in their depravity, but I say, “Don’t do that! Rather, allow the Lord to deal with them. Force them under the Lord’s hand to come to the end of themselves and find Jesus Christ as their Savior.” That is the model that Jesus uses to bring people to Him.
Dr. Reagan: Just like the story of the Prodigal Son. The father allowed his youngest son to go his own way, and when the young man eventually hit rock bottom, the Prodigal Son realized his terrible mistake and returned to his loving father.
Tim Moore: Pray for your children. Encourage them. But, don’t string them along in their depravity. In other words, allow them to come to the end of themselves so that they can call out to their Savior, Jesus Christ.
In the fifth part of this series answering questions about the Eternal State, we will explore what our glorified new bodies will be like.