ARE JEWS WHO REJECT JESUS CHRIST STILL UNDER THE CURSES OF THE LAW?

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Recently, after preaching on Zechariah 1:1-6, I greeted a man after the service who told me he was Jewish. He was very angry, “incensed,” “outraged,” his words. Trembling with anger, he claimed I was promoting hatred towards the Jews. He called me an antisemite and accused me of preaching Zech. 1:1-6 “out of context” and “wrongly applying it to Jews today.” He said modern Jews who reject Jesus Christ are not under a curse, and that what I preached would encourage others to hate the Jews. He left in a rage. This is not the first time this has happened. The Scriptures record that Stephen, a Jew and the first martyr of the church rightly said to his brethren, “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become” (Acts 7:52). Israel’s history, as recorded in the inspired Word of God, shows a regular pattern of Jews rejecting and sometimes murdering God’s prophets for speaking the truth. It is a historical fact.

What did I say that so offended and infuriated the Jewish man? Are Jews today who reject Jesus Christ still under the curses of the Law of Moses? Does proclaiming the gospel, or the inspired facts and history of Israel promote antisemitism? These are important questions worthy of serious consideration from the Word of God. Yes, I could give a short answer, but it would be unsatisfying and unconvincing to most. Therefore, a detailed answer from Scriptures is needed.

Before I begin, let me lay my cards on the table and state unequivocally that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people and nation (Ex. 3:7, 10; 5:1; etc.). The Jews were chosen by God’s grace to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6), a light to the Gentiles (Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 51:4; 61:3; Acts 13:44-47; 26:23), to receive the Word of God, the covenants, promises, and glory, to produce the Messiah (Rom. 9:3-5), and to have an exalted place in Messiah’s kingdom (Isa. 19:23-25; 60:14; Ezek. 40-48; Zech. 8:23; Rev. 21:12). There is a special, salvific future for the ethnic nation of Israel (Isa. 45:17; Zech. 12:10; 13:8-9; Rom. 11:25-29). These things will never change for the Scriptures cannot be broken and abide forever (Ps. 119:160; Isa. 40:8; Jn. 10:35). Yet though these things are true, they do not excuse the sinful behavior of Jews at any point in history or even today. God, the prophets, Jesus, and the authors of Scripture constantly criticized and rebuked the Jews, especially the Jewish leaders, for their sinful and ungodly behavior. To desire the Jews to repent of their sin and believe in their promised Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is antithetical to being antisemitic.

I think what began to provoke the Jewish man mentioned above, even before I preached my sermon on Zech. 1:1-6, is when Mt. 23:1-36 was read for the Scripture reading before the sermon began. In Mt. 23:1-36 Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, condemns and exposes the evils and religious hypocrisy of first century rabbinical Judaism. Rabbinical Judaism added many man-made traditions and regulations to the Law of Moses and promoted all three kinds of legalism, i.e.:

Salvation by law-keeping (Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal. 2:16; 3:11).
Obeying God, but not out of love from the heart (Isa. 29:13; Mt. 15:7-9).
Elevating man-made traditions to the same authority as Scripture (Mt.15:3-6).

Rabbinical Judaism placed Jews under the Law of Moses and many extra-biblical man-made regulations, not as a means of showing love to the Lord (Ex. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; 6:1-5; 7:9; 11:1, 22; 30:16; Josh. 22:5; Neh. 1:5; Dan. 9:4), but as a means of earning or meriting salvation. Rabbinical Judaism is not to be confused with Biblical Judaism taught in the Law of Moses, which obeys the Lord out of love. Consider a bullet point summary of Jesus’ assessment of first century rabbinical Judaism in Mt. 23:1-36:

The Scribes and Pharisees appointed themselves to the chair of Moses’, vs. 2.
They taught the Law of Moses, but did not obey it, vs. 3.
They burdened others with their manmade traditions which they themselves did not keep, vs. 4.
They did all their deeds to be noticed by men, vs. 5.
They dressed to be noticed by men, vs. 5.
They loved the place of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men, vs. 7.
They shut off the kingdom of heaven from others, vs. 13.
They did not enter the kingdom of heaven themselves, vs. 13.
They didn’t allow others to enter the kingdom of heaven, vs. 13.
They devoured widows’ houses, vs. 14.
Their long prayers were a pretense, vs. 14.
They were slated to receive greater condemnation from God, vs. 14.
They took great pains to make one proselyte and to disciple him to become twice as much a son of hell as themselves, vs. 15.
They were blind guides who swore falsely, legalistically, and hypocritically, vss. 16-22.
They hypocritically tithed a tenth of all their spices, but neglected the weightier provisions of the law, i.e., justice, mercy, and faithfulness, vs. 23.
They were blind guides who strained out a gnat and yet swallow a camel, vs. 24.
They were religious hypocrites who were only concerned about their external appearance but not the robbery and self-indulgence of their hearts, vs. 25.
They were like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones, all uncleanness, hypocrisy, and lawlessness, vss. 27-28.
They honored the prophets by building fancy tombs for them, and they adorned monuments for the righteous, and claimed that they would have not shed the blood of the prophets, vss. 29-30.
They testify against themselves, vs. 31.
They were the sons of those who murdered the prophets, vs. 31.
They filled up the measure of their fathers’ guilt, vs. 32.
They were serpents, a brood of vipers, who would not escape the sentence of hell, vs. 33.
They were certain to kill, crucify, scourge in their synagogues, and persecute from city to city, the prophets Jesus would raise up to turn them back to the Lord, vs. 34.
They would be guilty of murdering the righteous, just as their fathers murdered the righteous, from Abel to Zechariah, vs. 35.
They would experience God’s judgment, vs. 36.

To be sure, there were some first century Jews who navigated around the treacherous waters of rabbinical Judaism. First century rabbinical Judaism might be compared to the overall state of Christianity in the world today. Yes, there are many gathering in church buildings who profess to be Christians, but their deeds deny Jesus Christ (Titus 1:16). The sad fact of the matter is most professing Christians are on the broad road to destruction, following false teachers to hell, trusting in their good works and profession of faith, having built their house of their life on the sand (Mt. 7:12-27). Among religious Jews, unbiblical rabbinical Judaism is still prevalent today.

We can trust Jesus’ assessment of rabbinical Judaism because Jesus is the Son of God (Ps. 2:7, 12; Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5), the promised Messiah (Gen. 3:15; 22:18; 49:10; 1 Chron. 17:11-14; Lk. 1:32), the Prophet God raised up from among the Jews (Deut. 18:15, 18; Mt. 21:11; Acts 3:22; 7:37). Jesus’ words are true (Lk. 20:21; Jn. 8:45-46; 18;37), and His assessment of rabbinical Judaism is accurate (Jn. 8:28; 12:49-50; 14:10). Rabbinical Judaism is demonic, a false distortion of Biblical Judaism. Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, wasn’t promoting “antisemitism” by speaking the truth. Jesus is the Holy One of God (Mk. 1:24; Lk. 1:35; 4:34; Jn. 6:69). Jesus came to set Jews free from the demonic legalism of rabbinical Judaism to which most were enslaved (Ps. 102:20; 147:7). Jesus wanted to stop rabbinical Judaism from making converts who were twice as much the sons of hell (Mt. 23:15). Jesus desires that the Jewish people be saved by grace, through faith in Him. Jesus was crucified for sinners, died, was buried, and three days later rose from the dead as the Jewish prophets foretold (Gen. 3:15; Ps. 16:10; 22:11-18; 118:22-24; Isa. 53:1-12; Zech. 13:7). I think the Jewish man perceived the Scripture reading from Mt. 23:1-36 as “antisemitic” because it exposed the errors of rabbinical Judaism. Yet, to expose error is loving, not hateful.

In my sermon on Zech. 1:1-6, I gave historical context, that the Jews had been told to rebuild the temple after returning from the Babylonian captivity, and that they started to do so in 536 BC (Ezra 3:1-4:5). In the first two years of construction, the Jews had finished building the altar (Ezra 3:3) and the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3:10-13). However, because of delays caused by Samaritan opposition and Persian bureaucracy, they had to stop two years into the temple project in 534 BC (Ezra 4:24; Neh. 2:19-20). It wasn’t until the second year of the reign of Darius the Great (Zech. 1:1; 522-448 BC), i.e., 520 BC, that Cyrus’ decree for the walls, city, and temple of Jerusalem to be rebuilt (Ezra 1:1-4; Isa. 44:28) was verified (Ezra 6:1-5). It was then, in 520 BC, that the Jews were able to resume construction of the temple, which they finished in 516 BC (Ezra 6:15). I don’t think any of these historic details offended the Jewish man.

The prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both raised up by God to confront the sin of the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian exile and to encourage them to finish building the second temple, which was necessary for worshiping the Lord according to the Law of Moses.[1] Zechariah warned the Jews that if they continued in sin, they would suffer the same curses that “overtook” their fathers (Deut. 28:15-68, *15, *45; Zech. 1:6). The returned Jewish exiles tried to rebuild the temple but were delayed (534-520 BC). During that time, they focused on building their own homes (Hag. 1:1-11). When permission was finally given by their Persian overlords to continue rebuilding the temple, they were unmotivated and distracted (Ezra 3:8-9; Hag. 1:1-11).

Zechariah the prophet reminded the Jews that “The LORD was very angry with your fathers” (Zech. 1:2). Why was the Lord angry with their fathers? Because they persisted in idolatry and refused to repent of their sin. Because of their idolatry the ten northern tribes were taken captive to Assyria in 722 BC (1 Chron. 5:25-26). Because of idolatry, Judah and Benjamin were later taken captive to Babylon, starting in 605 BC (2 Chron. 21:12-15). “The Lord was very angry with your father’s,” Zechariah reminds the Jews who had returned from exile (Zech. 1:2). They all knew why—their fathers refused to repent of their sin and idolatry. But why does Zechariah bring up the anger of the Lord against their fathers? Because the returned exiles were also disobeying the Lord by not finishing the temple. Zechariah was letting them know that if they continued in their sin, they too would suffer the same curses that fell upon their fathers (Deut. 28:15-69).

We might wonder why the Jewish fathers suffered any curses? It is not because God is “antisemitic” for being “very angry” with the Jewish fathers who sinned and would not repent. God is not “antisemitic” for sending the Assyrians or Babylonians against the Jews. But why would the Lord God of Israel bring such disaster, slaughter, and grief upon His own chosen people and the city He chose to bear His name?

God Made a Covenant with Israel

God was angry with His people because Israel entered into a “bilateral covenant” with the Lord at Sinai. A bilateral covenant is a covenant between two different parties where both agree to uphold the covenant and its stipulations. The bilateral covenant is also called a “suzerain vassal treaty.” The suzerain, in this case is God, who made a covenant with a vassal, an inferior or ruled over party, i.e., Israel.

Before the details of the covenant were even given, Israel said, “all the Lord has commanded we will do” (Ex. 19:8).
Twice Israel agreed to obey the Lord after the Lord spoke the ten commandments from Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:3 & 7).
Israel again agreed to abide by the covenant they made with the Lord after they broke the covenant by worshipping a golden calf (Ex. 34:32).
Israel again agreed to abide by the covenant before crossing the Jordan into the promised land on military conquest (Deut. 26:17-19).
Israel again agreed to abide by the covenant after crossing the Jordan, entering the promised land, and driving out most of its inhabitants (Josh. 24:19-24).

When the Jews agreed to be God’s people by covenant and become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6), they agreed to obey “all that the Lord commanded” in the Law of Moses and be blessed by the Lord, or if they disobeyed the covenant to suffer the curses of the law (Deut. 28:15-69). Let this fact be settled firmly in your mind, the Jews repeatedly agreed to be cursed by the Lord, as stated in Deut. 28:15-69, if they did not obey the Law of Moses. And God always keeps His Word. Selah!

These historical facts are not “antisemitic,” nor do they promote antisemitism. It glorifies the Lord to tell the truth. Satan is the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). A casual reading of Numbers, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, or the minor prophets reveal that the Lord was not making idle threats when He said the Jews would suffer the curses of the law if they disobeyed (Deut. 28:15-69). Thus, we read about Jews being persecuted, enslaved, and abused over millennia. It is a very sad fact. Consider that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is all powerful (Gen. 17:1; Job 42:2), all knowing and wise (Ps. 139:7-12; 147:5), all sovereign (Isa. 46:9-11; Dan. 4:35), sits in the heavens and does whatever He pleases (Ps. 115:3). He is the God who cannot lie (Numb. 23:19).

So why has God allowed the Jews to suffer so much throughout history? It is not that the Lord is indifferent towards Israel. It is not that He doesn’t care for Israel. It is not that Israel has lost its status as God’s chosen nation (Ex. 12:24; 2 Sam. 7:24; Rom. 11:1-2). The Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants which God gave to Israel are “unilateral covenants,” i.e., God is the only binding party. Since God is perfectly faithful, the unilateral covenants that the Lord made with Israel are sure to be fulfilled—to the Jews. The Jews suffered the curses they agreed to suffer under the bilateral covenant they made with the Lord if they did not obey the Lord. The Lord, as expected, was perfectly faithful to fulfill His Word and sent curses upon His people to motivate them to repent (e.g., Deut. 7:9; Ps. 33:4; 36:5; 89:8; 100:5; 119:75; Isa. 49:7).

Let me say it in another way, just to be clear, for many do not seem to understand that the Lord cannot lie or break His Word. When the Jews suffered the curses, that they agreed to suffer if they did not obey the Lord, they weren’t “victims,” but volunteers. They weren’t “hated” by the Lord, but loved by the Lord. They weren’t receiving “injustice” but justice to motivate them to repent so they could be blessed. When they willingly chose to disobey the covenant, to ignore the warnings of the prophets, and refuse to repent, they agreed to suffer the curses. In their disobedience to the covenant, they refused to believe the Lord. As a result, they suffered the curses of the Law of Moses. They repeatedly rejected the warnings from the prophets. They refused to repent after suffering minor curses. It was then that the Lord raised up enemies like the Assyrians, “the rod of God’s anger,” (Isa. 10:5-6) or the Babylonians and king Nebuchadnezzar, “God’s servant,” (Jer. 25:8-9; 27:6; 43:10; Hab. 1:5-6) to punish Israel and to motivate them to repent, as stated in the covenant. God used pagan nations as His instruments to curse Israel for their sin. These “instruments” of God’s judgment would be held responsible for their own sin and later punished (Isa. 10:7-19, chs. 12-15; 24-27). But the Scriptures are clear, God is sovereign over all the affairs of men (1 Chron. 29:11-13; Ps. 22:28; 115:3; 135:5-6; Isa. 46:9-11; Dan. 4:35). The Lord purposefully raised up enemies to afflict His chosen people for persisting in sin as He promised in the covenant He made with Israel. He brought curses upon Israel to humble and motivate them to repent, and place their faith in Lord’s Messiah, Savior, and deliverer. Yet, most refused.

If the Jews wanted to escape the curses of the covenant they made with the Lord, they had to either obey the law perfectly or be justified by faith in God’s promised Deliverer, the Messiah. As the Apostle Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, former Pharisee and disciple of Rabbi Gamaliel argues in Rom. 4:3, “Abraham believed God and it was reckoned [or imputed or credited] to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Abraham’s faith in the Lord’s promised Messiah, Deliverer, and King, led to his being justified, declared righteous before God on the basis of faith, not works. Abraham’s faith in his promised “seed” led to him receiving the imputed, reckoned, credited righteousness of the Messiah, the very righteousness of God Himself!

The Apostle Paul also reminds us that Abraham was justified by faith, apart from works, before being circumcised, and before the Law of Moses was given to Israel (Rom. 4:9-12). The point is that the righteousness of God can be acquired, apart from works, by grace, through faith in the promised Messiah. God also promised that Abraham would be “the father of many nations” (Gen. 17:5) and that in “Abraham’s seed,” i.e., the Messiah (Gal. 3:16), “all the nations of the earth would be blessed” (Gen. 15:6; 22:18). Paul’s point is that both Jews and Gentiles, who place their faith in God’s promised Messiah, like Abraham, are justified by grace, through faith, apart from works (Rom. 4:16-17). They receive “the righteousness of God” based on the person and work of Jesus the Messiah, not their own works (Rom. 1:17; 3:22, Phil. 3:9; Heb. 11:7; 2 Pet. 1:1). Yes, many Jews today still reject their Messiah and refuse to believe that Jesus, a lowly carpenter of Nazareth, who died as one accursed on a cross, is their Savior, Deliverer, and King. Yet Jesus’ perfect fulfilment of over one hundred prophecies at His first coming, prove unequivocally, that He is Messiah, the Prophet, and Savior of Israel.[2]

The Jewish Origin, Foundation, and Nature of the Church

For us who live in the church age, we receive the blessings of the New Covenant by grace through faith in Jesus, the Messiah (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:24-32). Jesus, in His blood, i.e., by dying on the cross (Isa. 53; Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 12:24), inaugurated the New Covenant as promised to the Jewish people, by the Jewish prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah (Ezek. 36:24-32; Jer. 31:31-34). Many Gentile believers in the church today fail to understand or acknowledge the Jewish origin, foundation, and roots of Jesus’ Church under the New Covenant. Consider:

The church was established by the Jewish Messiah and His Jewish Apostles (Mt. 10:2-4; Lk. 6:13-16; Acts 2-4; Eph. 2:19-20).
The formation of the Church was God’s intended purpose and plan for Biblical Judaism after the inauguration of the New Covenant by the Messiah. Again, Biblical Judaism believes in Jesus as the Messiah, Lord, Savior, and King (Deut. 18:15, 18; Jn. 1:45; 5:39, 46; Lk. 24:27, 24; Acts 10:43; 1 Pet. 1:10-11). Biblical Judaism believes in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. Again, biblical Judaism is not to be confused with the false system of rabbinical Judaism, which rejects Jesus as the Messiah. Rabbinical Judaism was condemned by Jesus, the Jewish Messiah (Mt. 15:1-9; 23:1-39; Rev. 2:9; 3:9).
Think about it! You have the Jewish Messiah, prophesied by Jewish prophets, proclaimed by Jewish apostles, using the Jewish Scriptures, letting both Jews and Gentiles know that salvation is by grace, through faith, apart from works, in Jesus, as exemplified by Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation of Israel.
All believers in the church, Jew and Gentile, are under the New Covenant, a unilateral covenant promised by the Jewish prophets, for the Jewish people, and inaugurated by the Jewish Messiah, a covenant that benefits both Jews and Gentiles who repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
You have the birth of the church, founded upon Jewish apostles, chosen, trained, commissioned, and empowered by the Jewish Messiah (Eph. 2:20).
The early church was comprised almost exclusively of Jews who believed in their promised Messiah, Jesus Christ i.e., biblical Judaism. These Jews had the same faith as their father Abraham (Rom. 4:9-17).
Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, promised the Jews that He would build His church (Mt. 16:18) which Jesus started to fulfill in Acts 2 by the conversion of many Jews at Pentecost. Jesus continues to build His church today by saving both Jews and Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a disciple of Rabbi Gamaliel, and former Pharisee, reminds us that salvation is to the Jew first (Rom. 1:16). In the book of Acts, we see the Apostle Paul preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ first in the synagogues before preaching to the Gentiles (Acts 13:14-15, 46; 14:1; 17:1-2; 17:10, 17; 18:4, 6-8, 17-19, 26; 19:8).
The Jewish prophets foretold that the Messiah would come the first time in humility, to die for sin, as the Lamb of God, then rise again from the dead, and later to come again a second time in glory, to destroy the wicked and establish His kingdom in righteousness on earth (Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53; Acts 2:29-32).[3]
It was God’s intention all along for the Jews to be justified by grace, through faith, apart from works, just like Abraham (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4).
The Jewish Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, fulfilled many Jewish prophecies at His first coming in humility, to suffer and die for the sins of the Jewish people, as the Jewish prophets foretold (Ps. 16:10; 118:22-23; Isa. 53; Dan. 9:26).
Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, would inaugurate in His blood, i.e., His death on the cross for the sins of His people (Isa. 53), the New Covenant promised by Jewish prophets, to the Jewish people, for the hope and salvation of Israel (Ezek. 36:24-32; Jer. 31:31-34; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 8-9).
The Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, will later return in glory to save a remnant of Jews (Zech. 13:8-9), and establish His kingdom on earth, as promised by the Jewish prophets in the Jewish Scriptures (Isa. 11:5-11; Zech. 14:1-5).
During the church age, the Gentiles, “wild olive branches” are grafted into “the natural root” and “stock” of the unilateral Jewish covenants, i.e., the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants, by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah (Rom. 11:17). Thus, the church, the body of Christ, unites both Jews and Gentiles together in one body through a common faith in the Jewish Messiah (Eph. 2:11-22).
Gentile inclusion into the salvation plan of God through the Jews was established from the beginning. The Messiah would be the promised woman’s seed (Gen. 3:15), born to save “all nations” (Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Ps. 67:2), “the peoples” (Gen. 49:10) and to offer salvation to “all the ends of the earth” (Isa. 45:22). The Messiah came to be a “light to the Gentiles” (Isa. 9:1-2) and a “light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6), and to offer salvation to “the ends of the earth” (Isa. 52:10). The salvation of the people of Nineveh through the preaching of the Jewish prophet Jonah is one such example (Jonah 1-4).
The Apostle Paul warns Gentile believers in Romans 11:18, “do not be arrogant toward the branches [the Jews]; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root [the unilateral Abrahamic Covenant promised to the Jews], but the root [the Abrahamic Covenant promised to the Jews] supports you.” He also warns Gentiles who are saved by grace in Romans 11:20, “Do not be conceited, but fear.” Yes, the Abrahamic Covenant promised blessing to both Jews and Gentiles. But it was first given to Abraham, passed down to Isaac, Jacob, and then the nation of Israel, who produced the Jewish Messiah, “through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed” (Gen. 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Gal. 3:8). As Messiah said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Salvation is from the Jews” (Jn. 4:22).
After the birth of the “Jewish church” (Acts 2-4), promised and built by the Jewish Messiah (Mt. 16:18), through the preaching of the Jewish disciples, the church age began. Though the church was founded by Jews proclaiming salvation in the Jewish Messiah, the majority of Jews rejected their Messiah, and thus the gospel went to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3, 7, 12, 14, 17, 19, 23; 17:17; 18:6; 21:19; 22:21; 26:20, 23; 28:28). After the first century, primarily Gentiles were being added to the church and became partakers of the Jewish covenants and promises through faith in the Jewish Messiah (Gal. 3:29).

The Jewish nature and foundation of Jesus’ Church is indisputable to anyone who believes the Word of God. Sadly, most Jews then and now, still reject their Messiah. As Jesus taught in the parable of the landowner, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you” i.e., the Jews, the Jewish leaders, the nation of Israel, “and given to a nation [or peoples] producing the fruit of it” (Mt. 21:43). As the Apostle Paul explains in Rom. 11:11-15:

I say then, they [Israel] did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression [the rejection of their Messiah Jesus Christ] salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:11–15)

Notice how in the providence of God and the Jewish rejection of their Messiah has led to the salvation of the Gentiles. “By their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles” (vs. 11), “their transgression is riches for the world. . . for the Gentiles” (vs. 12), “their rejection is reconciliation of the world” (vs. 15). Yet, a remnant of Jews have continued to be saved by grace though faith in Jesus and added to the church throughout the church age. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that though the majority of Jews in the church age have rejected Jesus as Messiah:

God has not rejected His people Israel (Rom. 11:1).
God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew (Rom. 11:2).
God is still saving a remnant of Jews in the church age (Rom. 11:4-5).
Israel did not stumble so as to permanently fall (Rom. 11:11).
The fulfilment of Israel’s salvation will be surpassing riches for the world/the Gentiles (Rom. 11:12).
Israel’s future acceptance of the gospel is “life from the dead’ (Rom. 11:15).
Any Jewish person who repents of their sin and believes in Jesus Christ will be grafted into the blessings of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants (Rom. 11:23).
Israel’s hardening is only partial and will expire when “the fulness of Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25).
Then, after the church age when “the fulness of the Gentiles has come in,” “all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26).
The Lord will “remove ungodliness from Jacob” (Rom. 11:26).
The Lord will ‘take away Israel’s sin” (Rom. 11:27).
Israel is God’s chosen (Rom. 11:28).
Israel is “beloved for the sake of the fathers” (Rom. 11:28).
“The gifts and calling of God [to Israel] are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29).
“For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all,” i.e., both Jews and Gentiles (Rom.11:32).

Though the foundation of the early church was comprised of Jews who placed their faith in the Jewish Messiah (Acts 2-4), there would be a shift away from the Jewish people to the Gentiles who would become God’s primary target of salvation in the church age. Gentiles became the focus of God’s saving efforts, but only after the gospel was first offered to the Jews (Acts 11-28; Rom. 1:16). Thus, we see both Peter and Paul’s ministries in the book of Acts in which the gospel was offered to the Jews first and then later to the Gentiles. During the church age, many Gentiles have become partakers of the Jewish Messiah’s salvation and the Jewish promises to Abraham, David, and Israel, but only if they repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ. Sadly, many Gentiles in the church have become arrogant and have forgotten the Jewish origin, root, and foundation of their faith. They have forgotten they are the “wild olive branches” grafted into the Jewish “root” and “stock” of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants, by grace, not works (Rom. 11:18). They also forget the Apostle Paul’s warning,

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? (Romans 11:17–24)

One of the most “arrogant” (Rom. 11:18), “conceited” (Rom. 11:20), and yet prevalent beliefs today in the church age is that of replacement theology or supersessionism,[4] the false teaching that the church has replaced or superseded Israel as God’s chosen people. In short, supersessionism teaches that the Jewish unbelievers get all the curses, but Gentile believers in the church get all the blessings. Supersessionists teach there is no special salvific future for ethnic Israel, which is to believe the “gifts and calling of God” are revocable. To believe in replacement theology is to act arrogantly, to be conceited, to call God a liar by denying the unilateral covenants God made to Israel, by grace, apart from works. It is to deny that “the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). A casual reading of Rom. 11 reveals that God still has a salvation plan for ethnic Israel, which will be fulfilled (Rom. 11:25-29).[5]

Who Are God’s “Chosen People?”

It is necessary at this point to clarify what is meant by “God’s chosen people.” Many in the church today misunderstand the difference between Israel being God’s “chosen nation/people,” and believers in the church being “God’s chosen people.” The Bible uses the term “chosen people” in different ways in different contexts. For our discussion here, let me emphasize two different key uses of God’s “chosen people.”

First, God chose Israel as His people by grace (Ex. 3:7, 10; 5:1; 6:7; 7:4, 16; 8:1, 8, 20-22; 9:1, 13; etc.). Moses explains God’s choice of Israel in Deut. 7:6-9:

6 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Thus, the Lord promised Abraham that His descendants through Isaac would receive the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 17:7-8). Israel as God’s “chosen people” means:

They are a chosen nation, ethnicity, and people group.
They are chosen to receive and preserve the Word of God.
They are chosen to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a light and witness to the Gentile nations.
They are chosen to receive the covenants and promises.
They are chosen to produce the Messiah, Savior, and Righteous King through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed.
They are chosen to have an exalted place in their Messiah’s kingdom.
They are chosen to receive the gospel first, before the Gentiles.
The Apostle Paul states some of these things in 1 Cor. 9:3-5:

3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Notice the Apostle Paul says “the adoption as sons” still belongs to Israel. Paul doesn’t say every Jewish person is chosen to salvation. Just because you are Jewish and have received many privileges from God by grace, does not mean you are automatically saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Each individual Jewish person must repent of their sin, stop trusting in their works, merit, heritage, or their God-given privileges, and place their faith in Jesus Christ alone to save them from their sin. They must, like Abraham, believe in God’s Messiah to receive “the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Gen. 15:6; Phil. 3:9).

Secondly, the Bible also speaks of believers in the church, both Jews and Gentiles, as God’s “chosen people” but the meaning relates to their salvation:

The “chosen people” of God in the church are those who have been predestined, chosen, elected, or called to salvation and adoption as sons, before the foundation of the world in eternity past (Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:29-31; Eph. 1:3-5; 2 Tim. 1:9).
The “chosen people” of God in the church have believed the gospel and been born again by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Jn. 3:1-7; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:17).

Many, assuming “God’s chosen people” always refers to salvation, reason that Israel can’t be “God’s chosen people” because they reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They confuse Israel being chosen by God to a privileged status, with Jews and Gentiles in the church who are chosen by God unto salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Consider that the vast majority of Gentiles, multitudes more than unbelieving Jews today, also reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. However, among those who are saved today in the church age, the majority are Gentiles. This is to be expected since there are far more Gentiles in the world than Jews. All who believe in Jesus Christ unto salvation are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works or merit. This is true of both Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 1:16; 2:9-10; 9:24; 10:122-15; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28-30; 5:6; 6:15; Eph. 3:5-10; Col. 3:11).

All that I have said up to this point is necessary prolegomena, i.e., the introductory words to the crux of this paper, i.e., “Are Jews who reject Jesus Christ still under the curses of the Law of Moses?

Jews Who Reject Jesus and the Curses of the Law

First, let’s consider some possibilities of whether or not Jews who reject Jesus Christ are still under the curses of the Old Covenant. The possibilities listed below are not comprehensive nor mutually exclusive. More than one option might be true. However, I want to prime your mind to think about the Jews rejecting Jesus Christ as “being under a curse” before we seek a biblical solution.

Jews who reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are still under the curses of the Old Covenant (Deut. 28:15-69).
Jews who reject Jesus Christ are no longer under the curses of the Law of Moses, but under a general curse of condemnation, also true of Gentiles.
Jews are under the curses of the Law of Moses and the general curse of condemnation, which falls on all who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Jews are no longer under any curse because Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant in His blood, a covenant that replaced and superseded the Old Covenant with its curses. Therefore, Jews who reject Jesus aren’t under any curse, but in a state of non-cursed limbo between the Old and New Covenants.
Jews who reject Jesus Christ suffer a unique curse, not the curses of the Old Covenant, but a special curse just for them, as God’s chosen nation, because of their privileged status and rejection of Jesus Christ.

There might be other options than those listed above, but those listed are sufficient to get you thinking about whether or not the Jews who reject Jesus are still under a curse/s in the Law of Moses. Now for those who haven’t read Deut. 28:25-69 recently, let me give you a sampling of the curses Israel repeatedly agree to suffer if they did not obey the Lord. I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Deut. 28 slowly and meditatively. Though the curses are grim and sobering, they remind us of what Israel agreed to suffer when making a covenant with the Lord. For an example, I am only going to reference the curses that relate to Israel being oppressed, killed, abused, and enslaved by Gentile enemies. As you read the curses below, think of what happened to Israel by the Assyrians and Babylonians as two biblical examples.

Deut. 28:25-26, “The LORD shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies. . . “Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth. (Israel agreed to this.)
Deut. 28:29-34, “. . . you shall only be oppressed and robbed continually, . . .” (Israel agreed to this.) “Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, . . . and you will never be anything but oppressed and crushed continually.” (Israel agreed to this.)
Deut. 28:36-37, “The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone.” (Israel agreed to this.)
Deut. 28:41, “You shall have sons and daughters, but they will not be yours, for they will go into captivity.” (Israel agreed to this.)
Deut. 28:47-48, “. . .you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, . . . He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.” (Israel agreed to this.)
Deut. 28:49-57, “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young. . . until you are destroyed, . . . until they have caused you to perish.” (Israel agreed to this.)

If you are Jewish and you do not believe the holy Scriptures, you might see the curses in Deut. 28 as “antisemitic” and “promoting hatred towards the Jews.” But remember, Israel repeatedly agreed to suffer all the curses if they did not obey the Lord. Before the Babylonian captivity Israel persisted in idolatry. They rejected many warnings of the prophets who called them to repent. In rejecting the Law of Moses and the prophets, they chose to suffer the curses. As Zech. 1:2 states, “the Lord was very angry with your fathers” because of their relentless idolatry and stubborn unrepentant hearts (Deut. 9:6, 13, 27; Neh. 9:16-17, 29; Ps. 78:8; 81:11-12; Isa. 46:12; Jer. 3:17; 5:23; 6:27-28; Ezek. 2:4; 3:7; etc.). Zechariah brings this sad historical fact to the attention of the Jews who had returned from the Babylonian exile to remind them that if they didn’t obey the Lord, they too would suffer the same curses! The Jews of Zechariah’s day were still under the same bilateral covenant of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience!

And this is why Zechariah writes in Zech. 1:4, “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the LORD.” The Lord was calling the Jews of Zechariah’s day to repent of not finishing the temple project, just as He had called their fathers to repent of their sinful idolatry. The father’s refused to repent, the curses of the covenant came upon them, and the ten northern tribes were taken captive by the Assyrians, and later Judah was taken to Babylon. As a result of their persistent idolatry and unrepentant hearts, many Jews in Jerusalem and the cities of Judah were slaughtered, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, and the remaining Jews were taken captive to Babylon for seventy years! Just as they agreed to have happen to them in the covenant they made with God. Is this “antisemitism?” No. It is the Word of the Lord, factual history, and a motivation for Israel to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

The Lord says to the Jews of Zechariah’s day, “Don’t be like your fathers!” (Zech. 1:4), i.e., and reject the warnings of the prophets Zechariah and Haggai now speaking to you from Me, or you will suffer the same fate. The Lord says in Zech. 1:6, “But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, overtake your fathers?” Here the Lord uses the same terminology Moses used when warning Israel of the curses of the covenant. Deut. 28:15, 45 says that if Israel failed to obey the Lord, the curses would “overtake” them. Because Israel did not obey the Lord, the curses of Deut. 28:15-69 “overtook” Israel. The Jews who had returned from the Babylonian captivity needed to be reminded that the curses of the Law of Moses would overtake them also if they did not obey the Lord.

Keep in mind, the Jews in the first century, before the death of Jesus Christ, were still under the same, bilateral covenant that the Lord made with Israel on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19-24) and which later included blessings for obedience and cursings for disobedience (Deut. 28:15-69). Consider that Jesus predicted the second temple would be destroyed because of the Jews rejected their Messiah (Mt. 24:2; Lk. 19:41-44). Was the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple the result of the curses of Deut. 28 being fulfilled again, as with Assyrian and Babylonians? If so, it would tell us that Jews who still reject Jesus as their Messiah in the church age are still under the Old Covenant, with its blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. It would mean that even after Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the birth of the church (Acts 2-4) the curses of the Law of Moses (Deut. 28:15-69) still abide on Jews who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What is clear up to this point is that:

All Jews who rejected Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, before Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, were still under the Old Covenant curses.
It is clear that Jesus Himself was under the Law of Moses during His earthly ministry (Gal. 4:4) yet Jesus obeyed the Law of Moses perfectly (Jn. 8:46; Acts 3:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5).
It is clear that Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple before the inauguration of the New Covenant, while under the Old Covenant. Jesus then spoke of the temple being destroyed and Jerusalem being overrun by enemies just as was promised in the curses of the Old Covenant (Deut. 28:25-69; Mt. 23:37; 24:2; Lk. 13:34; 19:41-44).
It is clear that what happened in 70 AD was similar to the Babylonians besieging and destroying Jerusalem and the temple in 605-589 BC. The Babylonian invasion and exile were clearly the fulfilment of the curses of the old covenant coming upon the Jews, curses they agreed to suffer if they did not obey the Lord (Deut. 28:25-26; 29-34; 36-37; 41; 47-48; 49-57).
It is clear that Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant by dying on the cross (Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
It is clear that one must repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ to receive the blessings of the New Covenant (Heb. 8-9).

If it could be shown that unbelieving Jews today are still under the Old Covenant, it would also mean they are still under the curses as well. Next, let’s first consider the culpability and guilt of the first century Jews and following generations of Jews who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior, and King.

First Century Jews Had Ample Evidence That Jesus Was the Messiah

Jews living in the first century heard, watched, and observed “the Prophet” God raised up from among them (Deut. 18:15, 18; Mt. 21:11; Acts 3:22; 7:37), but most refused to believe in Him. Why? In short, they couldn’t swallow Jesus’ gospel, teachings, humility, and non-aggressive actions towards Rome. Many first century Jews were self-righteous and wouldn’t accept that they too were sinners, like the Gentiles, and in need of a Savior. They were convinced they were not “blind guides of the blind” nor “Satan’s children,” as Jesus claimed. Many were respected religious leaders in Israel! How could they be sinners and Satan’s children? To them, it was ridiculous and demonic to even consider such things! Yet Jesus’ assessment of them was true and they hated Him for it. Satan had them turned around and upside down, so they clung to their hypocritical, legalistic, rabbinical Judaism, and rejected their own Messiah!

Any observant Jew can see that Jesus fulfilled over one hundred Messianic prophecies at His first coming alone. The probability of even ten Messianic prophecies being fulfilled by the same person is 1-1017 or one in one quadrillion! Consider some of the prophecies fulfilled concerning Jesus’ birth alone:

Jesus was the woman’s seed (Gen. 3:15).
Jesus was born the promised seed of Abraham (Gen. 15:6).
Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10).
Jesus was the Son of David (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Chron. 17:11-14).
Jesus was born to rule all nations (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 9:6-7; 42:1; Mt. 2:2).
Jesus was conceived in a virgin’s womb (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23).
Jesus was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Mt. 1:23).
The virgin’s Son is called Immanuel, “God with us” (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23).
Jesus was the child born and given (Mt. 9:6).
Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2).
Jesus, when born, had already gone forth from eternity (Mic. 5:2).
Jesus was the prophet whom God raised up from among the Jews (Deut. 18:15-18; Mt. 21:11; Act 3:22; 7:37).

In addition to these prophecies, angels visited both Joseph and Mary. An angel appeared to Zacharias in the temple (Lk. 1:5-17). Zecharias, John the Baptist’s father, was made mute until John was born (Lk. 1:18-25). John the Baptist’s miraculous birth, ministry, preaching, and baptizing people in the Jordan confirmed he was “the voice crying out in the wilderness” and the one “preparing the way of the Lord” (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1; Mt. 3:3; Lk. 7:27; Jn. 1:23). Think about the angels who spoke to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth (Lk. 2:8-14), the magi who came to worship the one who had been born “King of the Jews” (Mt. 2:2). These things were not done in secret. In fact, the gospels reveal that Jesus’ birth, identity, and miracles verified that He was the Messiah. John the Baptist twice declared publicly that Jesus was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29, 36). Consider the statements below:

“All Judea and the district around the Jordan” went out to hear John the Baptist preach (Mt. 3:5).
Early in Jesus’ ministry Luke records in his gospel, “There was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon” (Luke 6:17).
“News about Him spread throughout all Syria” (Mt. 4:24).
“News about Him spread throughout all that land” (Mt. 9:26, 31).
“Herod the Tetrarch heard the news about Jesus” (Mt. 14:1).
Concerning John the Baptist’s miraculous birth, “All these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea” (Luke 1:65).

The prophecies fulfilled and miraculous events surrounding Jesus’ birth alone was sufficient for the first century Jews to know He was the Messiah, Lord, King, the Son of God, the Son of Man, and promised Savior of Israel. In addition to all these things, there was Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry, e.g., His miracles, healings, teachings, and self-declaration as the Messiah (Jn. 4:25-26), the Son of God (Mt. 26:63-64), Son of Man (Mt. 9:6), and Savior of Israel (Mt. 11:28; Jn. 6:35; 7:38). And on top of all that, Jesus fulfilled prophecy concerning His death (e.g., Ps. 22:11-18; Isa. 53; Mt. 16:31; 17:22-23; 20:17-19) and resurrection (Ps. 16:10; Lk. 9:22; 18:31-34; 24:6-7).

The Bible predicted the Messiah’s death (Dan. 9:26; Isa. 53:8). Yet the Scriptures also teach us that the Messiah would reign forever on David’s throne over the house of Jacob (1 Chron. 17:11-14; Lk. 1:32). For both prophecies to be true, the Messiah had to both die and be raised from the dead. The Jewish leaders who plotted to put Jesus to death knew all these prophecies. The Scriptural evidence for Jesus being the Messiah was overwhelming. Yet, most of the Jews still rejected Jesus as their promised Messiah.

First Century Jewish Leaders Knew Jesus Was the Messiah

In Jn. 3:2 the Pharisee Nicodemus says to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” A few verses later in vs. 10 we learn from Jesus that Nicodemus was “the teacher of Israel,” i.e., the head teacher of the Pharisees! Thus, when Nicodemus says to Jesus in vs. 2, “we know you are from God” he is speaking as the lead teacher of the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew Jesus was sent from God, spoke the truth, and wielded the power of God. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, Son of God, Son of Man, and the Son of David. It was prophesied that God’s Messiah would perform miracles, which Jesus did (Isa. 29:18-19; 35:5-10; Mt. 11:2-6).

Second, consider a statement by the Scribes and Chief Priests in Mt. 22:15-16; Mk. 12:13-14, and Luke 20:21,“They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth” (Lk. 20:21). Granted, they were trying to trap Jesus in a false statement. Yet we know from Nicodemus’ statement in Jn. 3:2 they knew Jesus was from God. They also knew about and witnessed Jesus’ many miracles which also testified that Jesus was the Messiah (Isa. 29:18-19; 35:5-10; Mt. 11:2-6; Jn. 10:25).

Third, consider Jairus “the synagogue official,” a person who took care of the synagogue facilities, conducted synagogue meetings, and oversaw the teaching in the synagogue (Mt. 9:18; Mk. 5:21-22, 35-36, 38; Lk. 8:41, 49). Jarius came to Jesus because he believed Jesus was the Messiah and could heal his daughter who was on the verge of death. Even after she died, Jarius believed Jesus could raise her from the dead. Jarius knew Jesus wielded the power of God, as prophesied of the Messiah, and that is why in desperation he sought out Jesus for help. If Jarius truly believed the smear campaign against Jesus by the religious leaders, i.e., that Jesus was demon possessed (Jn. 7:19-20; 8:48-49; 10:20-21) and did miracles by the power of Satan (Mt. 12:22-32), he would not have sought Jesus out for help. Jarius, the synagogue official, believed Jesus was the Messiah of God.

It is clear from the three examples above that those who knew the Scriptures the best, knew Jesus was the Messiah, and yet most still rejected Him. It was not that the Jews didn’t have enough evidence to believe Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus performed many miracles and fulfilled many prophecies. Many knew Jesus was the Messiah, but most didn’t want to part with their extrabiblical traditions and sin. They couldn’t accept that a lowly, humble, and meek ex-carpenter from Nazareth was their longed-for Messiah and King. Jesus’ first coming in humility, to die for their sins, didn’t fit their biblical hopes of the messianic kingdom. They didn’t see two comings of the Messiah in the Scriptures. Desperate to be freed from Gentile oppression, they clung to and put their hopes in the Messiah’s second coming in glory to establish His messianic kingdom, rule over all the earth, and exalt Israel (Isa. 2:2-4; 45:23; Zech. 14:9, 16-17). Not perceiving Messiah’s first coming in humility to die as the Lamb of God (Isa. 53), they could not accept that Jesus was the Messiah.

The Historical Fact That the Jews Killed Their Messiah

Many today try to minimize or deny the historical fact that the Jews killed their Messiah. Most Jews then and now deny that Jesus is the Messiah. The first century Jews didn’t want to own up to their own sinfulness, that they were lost and perishing sinners in need of a Savior. They didn’t want to accept they were not qualified to hold the religious positions, titles, and privileges that they enjoyed. Their entire lives were built on a false, twisted, legalistic, rabbinical Judaism that had departed far from biblical Judaism. They saw themselves as keeping the Law of Moses, not straying from it. So, they rejected and plotted against Jesus to have Him put to death (Acts 7:52).

The Jewish rejection of their Messiah was prophesied. “The builders,” i.e., the Jewish leaders, would reject “the Chief Cornerstone,” i.e., their Messiah (Ps. 118:22-24; Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph 2:20; 1 Pet 2:7). Some falsely claim that to declare the truth about the Jews killing their own Messiah is “antisemitic.” It is not. It is to state the truth, what was prophesied, and what historically took place. The Messiah had to die to make a perfect atonement for sin so that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have eternal life (Isa. 53:4-6, 10-11; Jn. 3:16; Rom. 6:10; Heb. 7:27; 9:12; 10:10; 1 Pet. 3:18).

It is undeniable that the religious leaders plotted with Judas and Rome to put the man they knew was their Messiah to death, just as their prophets foretold (Ps. 2:1-2; 16:10; 110:1; 118:22-25; Isa. 53:2-4). These historical facts are not “antisemitic.” The Antidefamation League denies the clear teaching of the Word of God and the facts of history. Hatred towards God and Israel is what antisemitism is. Granted, the children of Satan and some who have professed to be “Christians” have used many excuses to persecute the Jews. The true believer in Jesus Christ doesn’t hate the Jews, though they must hate the sins which Jews commit. It must be acknowledged that all who refuse to repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ are Satan’s children, his tools, pawns, and slaves (Jn. 8:44; 2 Tim. 2:26; Eph. 2:1-3; Jn. 5:19). This is true of both Jew and Gentile unbelievers.

The Bible teaches there are multiple parties that are responsible for Jesus’ death, i.e., the Jewish leaders of the first century, the Jewish people as a nation; Judas Iscariot, Rome, Pilate, Herod, all of Adam’s sin cursed race, Satan, and ultimately God. Consider some of what the Word of God says about God being ultimately responsible for Jesus’ death.

Isaiah prophesied in Isa. 53:10, “the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief, if He would render Himself a guilt offering.”
Jesus was “the Lamb of God” i.e., the sacrificial Lamb that was sent, came from, and was given by God to die for Adam’s sin-cursed race (Jn. 1:29, 36; 3:16; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rev. 5:12; 7:14; 12:11; 13:8).
Jesus taught in Jn. 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
Jesus emphasized His death by divine decree and also the culpability of Judas in Lk. 22:22, “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”
The Apostle Peter preached to the first century Jews during Pentecost in Acts 2:23 that Jesus was crucified “by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.”
Peter later preached to the Jews at Pentecost in Acts 3:18, “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.”
Peter also preached in Acts 4:27-28, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”

We have already seen that the Jewish prophets predicted the Messiah’s rejection and death at the hands of the Jewish leaders, for the sins of Israel (Ps. 118:22; Isa. 53). Now let’s consider nine clear statements from the Word of God about the part the Jews played in the death of their Messiah.

In Jesus’ parable of the landowner, Mt. 21:33-46, Jesus predicts “the owner’s Son” would be killed by “the vine dressers,” i.e., the Jewish leaders, who were responsible to take care of “the owner’s vineyard,” i.e., Israel. The Jewish leaders understood that Jesus spoke the parable against them (vs. 45).
In Mt. 27:24-26 the Jewish people cry out for Jesus to be crucified, even though Pilate declared Jesus to be innocent. They said, “His blood [a figure of speech for someone’s violent death] shall be on us and our children.”
Peter preached at Pentecost that the Jews killed their Messiah. He said in Acts 2:22-23, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
Peter finished his sermon to the “men of Israel” in Acts 2:36 affirming that the Jews killed Jesus saying, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
After healing a lame man, in his second sermon at Pentecost, Peter said in Acts 3:13-15, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.”
Peter, preaching to the Scribes and Pharisees (Acts 4:5), says in Acts 4:10, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified,whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.”
The Jewish leaders understood that the apostles were preaching that the Jews put their own Messiah to death. We read in Acts 5:26-32, “When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Stephen preached to the high priest, Jewish leaders, and brethren (Acts 7:1-2), and concluded his sermon in Acts 7:51-53 with these words, “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. 52 “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; 53 you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Let us not lie against the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and history by denying the fact that the Jews were responsible for the death of their own Messiah as prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures (Ps. 118:22). Let’s not let those who have rejected Jesus Christ tell us it is “antisemitic” to speak the truth. Satan would have us lie to please men. But the Jews must hear and accept the truth if they wish to escape eternal judgment. Every Jewish person who wishes to inherit eternal life, must “look on Him whom they have pierced,” repent of their sin, and believe in Jesus as Messiah (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 1:16).

Again, the responsibility of the Jews in killing their Messiah does not erase the responsibility of other parties, e.g., Judas, the Romans, Satan, Pilate, Herod, etc. It is also true that God Himself is ultimately responsible for Jesus’ death as we have already considered. But if any Jewish person wishes to be justified before God, they must own up to the fact that the Jews of the first century “put to death,” “rejected,” “asked to be crucified,” “had nailed to a cross,” “disowned,” “betrayed and murdered” the Righteous One, the Messiah. It is a historical fact beyond attestation and to recall the Word of God and facts of history is not antisemitic but the most loving thing to say to the Jews.

Having hunted down several related issues, we are now ready to address the bull’s eye of this paper, namely, “Are Jews who reject Jesus Christ today, in the church age, still under the curses of the Law of Moses?”

Jews and the Old Covenant in the Book of Acts

It is clear that before Jesus’ death the Jews were under the Old Covenant and its curses. But are Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah in the church age still under the Old Covenant curses? Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant in His blood (Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Heb. 9:15). The Holy Spirit was given as promised in the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:26-27) and as predicted by Jesus (Jn. 14:16-17, 26). But are all Jews under the New Covenant, even if they reject the Messiah who inaugurated it? The short answer is, “no.”

The Jews who argued with Stephen accused him of speaking against and blaspheming the Law of Moses (Acts 6:8-15). The Jews still believed they were under the Law of Moses. Stephen later preached to the Jews that they were under the Law of Moses but did not keep it (Acts 7:53). In Acts 13:15 the Jews in Pisidian Antioch, who had not yet repented and received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, still met for synagogue worship and believed themselves to be under the Law of Moses. The Apostle Paul preached to them in Acts 13:39 that through Jesus, “everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” Paul’s words indicate that Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah were still bound by the Law of Moses and subject to its curses.

The reason for the Jerusalem counsel in Acts 15 was to address whether or not Gentiles who believed in Jesus Christ needed to keep the Law of Moses. Acts 15:5 reads,

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed [in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Savior, and Lord] stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” Here we see that some Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah still saw themselves as under the Law of Moses. These new Jewish converts believed that it was necessary for Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses. This idea the council rejected as false, “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they [the Gentiles] also are (Acts 15:10-11).

The counsel concluded in Acts 15:19-21,

Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles [i.e., trouble them by requiring them to obey the Law of Moses], but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

So as not to offend Jews who had not yet believed in Jesus, who still held to the Law of Moses, Gentile converts were asked to “abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood” so as not to hinder their witness to the unbelieving Jews.

The unbelieving Jews in Achaia (Acts 18:12-13) saw themselves as under the Law of Moses. Jews in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah are described as “zealous for the Law” (Acts 21:20-21). Some complained that the Apostle Paul was teaching that their children didn’t need to be circumcised, i.e., obey the Law of Moses.

We need to remember that the book of Acts records a time of transition away from the false system of rabbinical Judaism and being under the Old Covenant, to believing Jews embracing biblical Judaism, which includes believing in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah and coming under the New Covenant. Paul had taken a Jewish vow (Acts 18:18) and since he had been preaching to Gentiles, and also desired to evangelize Jews who were still clinging to the Law of Moses, he agreed to pay the fee and undergo the ceremonial cleansing according to the Law of Moses (Numb. 6:1-21; Acts 21:23-26). As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 9:20, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law.” Here we see that the Apostle Paul acknowledges unbelieving Jews were “under the law” i.e., the Law of Moses and its curses.

In Acts 21:28-29 unbelieving Jews still saw themselves as under the Law of Moses and accused the Apostle Paul of preaching against the Law of Moses and defiling the temple by bringing an uncircumcised Greek into the Jewish court of the temple. In Acts 22:12 Paul recalls how Ananias, a believing Jew, was sent by the Lord to give Paul back his sight. Ananias is described by Paul as “devout by the standard of the Law” i.e., the Law of Moses. In Acts 24:6 unbelieving Jews wanted to try Paul according to the Law of Moses. In Acts 24:14 the Apostle Paul defends himself before unbelieving Jews saying, “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets.” As a Jew who believed in the Messiah, Paul saw himself as doing what the Law of Moses and the Prophets instructed him to do, which is believe in, follow, and obey the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. In the mind of the Apostle Paul, God honoring Jews believe in Jesus, the Messiah, for that is who Moses and the prophets wrote about (Lk. 24:27, 44; Jn. 1:45; 5:39, 46; Acts 10:43; 1 Pet. 1:10-11).

In Acts 25:8 the Apostle Paul would say in his defense, “I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” Biblical Judaism believes in Jesus as Messiah. In Acts 28:17 Paul was under house arrest and called the leaders of the Jews in Rome to come to him and in vs. 23 Luke writes, “When they [the Jewish leaders in Rome] had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.” Notice that the Apostle Paul taught that if the Jews rightly understood the Law of Moses and the Prophets, they would see that biblical Judaism means repenting of their sin and placing their faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah, Savior, and Lord. It means being saved by grace, through faith, apart from the works of the Law of Moses. Biblical Judaism believes the Old Testament Scriptures speak of Jesus, the Messiah (Jn. 1:45; 5:39, 46; Lk. 24:27, 44; Acts 10:34; 1 Pet. 1:10-11). Seeing Jesus Christ in the Law and prophets, repenting of sin, and believing in Jesus as “the Christ” is “biblical Judaism.”

To sum up, the book of Acts describes a time of transition away from corrupt rabbinical, legalistic, hypocritical, and self-righteous Judaism under the Law of Moses to biblical Judaism which repents of sin and believes in Jesus Christ. There is a shift away from being under the Law of Moses to being under the Law of Christ and the New Covenant (Mt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2). We learn that both believing and unbelieving first century Jews thought it was necessary to obey the Law of Moses. Unbelieving Jews under rabbinical Judaism (Mt. 23) obeyed the Law of Moses as a means of earning salvation or meriting righteousness before God. Biblical Judaism saw the Law of Moses pointing them to Jesus and obedience to the Law of Moses as a means of expressing love to the Lord (Ex. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; 7:9; 11:1, 22; 30:16; Josh. 22:5; Neh. 1:5; Dan. 9:4; Jn. 14:15, 21; 15:10; 1 Jn. 5:3). What is clear from the book of Acts is that the Jews who rejected Jesus Christ still saw themselves as under the Law of Moses.

Jews and the Old Covenant in the Letters to the Churches

Though many texts reference the Law of Moses, I am only going to consider texts which indicate unbelieving Jews are still under the Old Covenant and its curses. In Romans, the Apostle Paul speaking of the guilt of all Jews and their need for a Savior, says in Rom. 2:12 “all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.” Here Paul says Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah will be judged by the Law of Moses, curses included. He also says those who try to be justified by law will suffer God’s wrath (Rom. 4:15). God’s wrath is expressed toward guilty Jews in four ways.

First, in the curses built into the Law (Deut. 28:15-69).
Second, in the temporary consequences of sin in this life (Ps. 32:3-4; 38:1-8; Gal. 5:16-23).
Third, in the end times wrath of God during Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 9:24-27; Rev. 6-19).
And fourth, in the eternal state in the lake of fire (Rev. 14:10-11; 20:15). Paul says in Rom. 7:4-6 that Jews who believe in Jesus Christ as their Messiah “die to the law” (vs. 4) and are “released from the Law,” i.e., when saved by grace, to “serve in the newness of the Spirit, not the oldness of the letter” (vs. 6). By implication, if you reject Jesus Christ and seek to be justified by the law, you are still “bound by the Law,” and a target for the Law’s curses.

The book of Galatians emphasizes justification by grace through faith apart from the works of the law (Gal. 2:16, 19; 3:2-5). The Apostle Paul is confronting the Judaizers who taught that salvation was by grace, but maintained by the works of the Law. In Gal. 3:10 Paul says, “For as many as are of the works of the Law [those who trust in their obedience to the Law of Moses to be justified before God] are [presently, in the church age] under a curse.” Here we have a clear statement that Jews who reject Jesus Christ, “are of the works of the Law,” i.e., they attempt to be justified before God by observing the Law of Moses, and are presently “under a curse.” The Apostle Paul tells us what “curse” he is referring to by quoting Deut. 27:26, the preamble to all the curses of Deut. 28, “for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” Paul says the curses of the Old Covenant still abide on Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah. Believing in Jesus is the only way for Jews to enter into the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:24-32; Jer. 31:31-34; Lk. 22:20; Heb. 8-9). Paul goes on to say in Gal. 3:13 that, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” Jews who place their faith in Jesus Christ are “redeemed. . .from the curse of the Law.” Jesus, in dying on the cross, became a curse for us. He suffered as one who was accursed, hung on “a tree.” Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah reject Jesus as their curse bearer and are still under the Old Covenant and its curses. By rejecting Jesus, they fail to come under the New Covenant and remain under the Old Covenant.

The Apostle Paul references Deut. 21:22-23, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” a text in the Law of Moses that taught when a Jew was executed for a capital offense, their body was to be hung on a tree all day long as a warning and deterrent so that everyone could see the one who was “cursed of God.” Their body was to be taken down and buried before sunset. Paul’s point is that Jesus was hung on “a tree,” as one who was “cursed of God.” Jesus’ body was taken down before sunset and buried. Yet Jesus didn’t die for His own sin, for He was sinless (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5), the Righteous One (Acts 3:14), and the holy One of God (Mk. 1:24; Lk. 4:34; Jn. 6:69). Jesus died to rescue Jews who were under the Law of Moses and its curses (Gal. 3:13). Paul explains the happy result in Gal. 3:14, “in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we [Jews and Gentiles] would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith,” i.e., the Spirit that was promised in the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28-29).

In Gal. 5:3-4 Paul warns, “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision [an outward sign of one’s commitment to keep the Law of Moses (Gen. 17:9-12)], that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law [or suffer its curses]. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” Wow! Those are strong words. The Apostle Paul is clear—Jews who do not repent of their sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone as Messiah, but trust in their obedience to the Law of Moses have “fallen from grace” i.e., from God’s saving grace. They remain subject to the curses of the Law of Moses.

In Heb. 5:6-10; 6:20; and 7:1 the author of Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.” In Gen. 14:18-20 we learn about Melchizedek who was the king and priest of Salem to whom Abraham gave a tenth of his war spoils. In doing this Abraham acknowledged Melchizedek was greater. Since all Jews come from the line of Abraham, they must acknowledge there is a superior and everlasting Melchizedekian priesthood. Since Jesus is a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” Jews who place their faith in Jesus as Messiah, switch priesthoods as well as law systems or covenants, i.e., Old Covenant for the New Covenant. Heb. 7:12 says, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.” When a Jewish person repents and believes in the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, they embrace a new and eternal priesthood with a new law system, the New Covenant Law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:20; Gal. 6:2). The New Covenant is a better covenant because it is a unilateral covenant with God being the only binding party. The New Covenant is a better covenant because it is a covenant of grace, not works or merit, and contains no curses for disobedience (Heb. 7:15-22; 8:4-13). In Heb. 10:1-4 the author of Hebrews reminds us that the Old Covenant Law of Moses can’t make people perfect, i.e., sanctify them, or take away their sins (Heb. 7:11, 19). We are not made holy by the blood of bulls and goats, but by precious blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:10-14, 19; 1 Pet. 1:18-19), the Messiah’s shed blood inaugurated the New Covenant (Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25).

Because of the texts above we can say with certainty that Jews who reject Jesus as their Messiah remain under the Old Covenant with its curses. The only way Jews can escape the Old Covenant curses is to come under the New Covenant through faith in their Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, crucified for sinners, dead, buried, resurrected from the dead, ascended into heaven, and coming again a second time in glory to judge the living and the dead, establish His kingdom on earth, exalt Israel, and reign with the saints forever from Jerusalem on David’s throne.

Implications of Being Under the Curses of the Old Covenant

Why consider the subject of Jews being under the curses of the Law of Moses? For several reasons. First, because many today are accusing those who speak the truth as being “antisemitic.” Yet, they never mention that the nation of Israel entered into a bilateral covenant with God at Sinai that included curses. The nation of Israel repeatedly agreed to abide by the covenant stipulations as we have seen, which included being cursed by the Lord for disobeying the covenant (Deut. 28:16-69). Israel entered into the Old Covenant through blood (Ex. 24:6-8). They agreed to be God’s people, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, and a light to the nations (Ex. 19:6; Isa. 42:6; 49:6; 51:4; 61:3; Acts 13:44-47; 26:23). Yes, they agreed to suffer the curses if they continued in disobedience to the Lord. They said, “all that the Lord commanded we will do”:

Before God spoke to Israel from Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:6-8).
After God spoke to Israel from Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:3, 7).
After they broke the covenant by worshiping the golden calf (Ex. 34:32).
Right before entering the promised land (Deut. 26:17-19).
And after conquering and settling into the promised land (Josh. 24:19-24).

The Lord keeps His Word, and He expects the people of Israel to keep their word or suffer the curses of the covenant which they agreed to suffer if they did not obey the Lord (Deut. 28:16-69). I have never heard anyone, even religious, devout, practicing Jews, speak of Israel being under the curses of the Law of Moses—ever! God has not forsaken Israel His chosen people (Rom. 11:1-2). Yet God has also not forsaken the covenant He made with Israel at Sinai. It is clear from Scripture that the Lord “raised up” enemies, “sold” or “gave up Israel,” into the hands of their enemies. The Lord “strengthened” Israel’s enemies against them, to punish them, humble them, motivate them to repent, and so they would seek salvation in the promised Messiah. Consider some of the examples of the Lord fulfilling the covenant He made with Israel.

The Lord “sold them [Israel] into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim of Mesopotamia” (Judg. 3:7–8).
“The Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel” (Judg. 3:12–14).
“The Lord sold them [Israel] into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan” (Judg. 4:1–3).
“The Lord gave them [Israel] into the hand of Midian seven years” (Judg. 6:1–6).
“The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon” (Judg. 10:6-9).
“The Lord gave them [Israel] into the hand of the Philistines” (Judg. 13:1).
“Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite” against King Solomon (1 Kings 11:14).
“Thus says the LORD, ‘You [Rehoboam, king of Judah] have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak.’” (Shoshenq I) of Egypt — c. 925 BC. (1 Kgs. 14:25–26; 2 Chron. 12:1–5).
“So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Aram, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael,” Syria— 9th century BC, (2 Kings 13:3; 8:12; 10:32).
“God also raised up another adversary to him [King Solomon], Rezon the son of Eliada (1 Kings 11:23).
The Lord raised up the Assyrians under Tiglath-pileser III 734–732 BC and Shalmaneser V / Sargon II 722 BC against Israel. “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hands is My indignation, I send it against a godless nation [Israel] and commission it against the people of My fury [Israel] to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets” (Isa. 7:17–20; 8:4–8; 10:5–6; Hos. 11:5-7; Amos 3:11-15; 2 Kgs. 15:27- 30; 17:1–23). “The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the LORD removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day” (2 Kings 17:22–23).
The Lord “sent for” or “summoned” “Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant” against Judah” (Jer. 25:8–11). “Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him” (Jer. 27:6). “I am raising up the Chaldeans” against Judah (Jer. 43:10; Hab. 1:5–6; 2 Kgs. 24–25; 2 Chron. 36:15–21). The Babylonians took Israel captive in three deportations 605, 597, and 586 BC and destroyed the temple in 586 BC.
“When He [Jesus the Messiah] approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you [Israel] had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! [repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ] But now they have been hidden from your eyes [spiritual blindness as a form of judgment]. “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation [the Messiah’s first coming]” (Luke 19:41–44). The Roman forces under Titus in 70 AD slaughtered many Jews, destroyed the temple “until not one stone was left upon another” (Mt. 24:2), and Jerusalem was laid waste.

After condemning the legalistic, hypocritical, false system of rabbinical Judaism in Mt. 24:1-33, Jesus concluded His condemnation and woes against rabbinical Judaism with this prophecy:

Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. (Mt. 23:34–36)

Titus’ forces fulfilled Jesus’ words in 70 AD. The Lord is perfectly faithful to the covenant He made with Israel at Sinai. The Jewish people have been overrun by enemies, slaughtered, persecuted, enslaved, and scattered among the nations during the times of the Gentiles, just as God stipulated in the covenant He made with Israel (Deut. 28:25-26, 29-34, 36-37, 41, 47-48, 49-57), which was predicted by the prophets (Dan. 2-7), and Jesus himself (Mt. 23:34-36; Lk. 21:24).

Time would fail us if we surveyed the history of Jewish persecutions, slaughter, enslavement, and dispersion during the last 2,000 years. But what I don’t hear anyone talking about, not even devout Jews who say they love the Law of Moses, is that Israel agreed to suffer the curses of the Law of Moses if they failed to obey the Lord. Curses that include being attacked, slaughtered, oppressed, and enslaved by Gentile enemies. We saw above, beyond attestation, that the Lord raised up enemies against Israel because of their sin. Israel repeatedly agreed to have curses come upon them if they did not obey the Lord (Deut. 28:15-69). The Lord has not, will not, and cannot forget or forsake His Word! Israel has been in sin and rebellion against the Lord for the last two-thousand years. The greatest act of Jewish sin is their rejection of their Messiah, the Prophet God raised up among them, the Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of David, Jesus of Nazareth, crucified for sinners, dead, buried, and resurrected from the dead, just as the prophets foretold. There is still hope for the Jews, however. There is a way for Israel to escape the curses of the covenant they made with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Jews must realize that the Law of Moses was not given to impart eternal life (Gal. 3:21), but to serve as “a tutor” to lead them to faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:24). If a Jewish person repents of their sin and places their faith in Jesus Christ, they come under a new priesthood (Heb. 7:17, 24), the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:24-28; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:13; 9:15), and a new law system (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:6; Heb. 10:19-22). They escape the curses of the Law of Moses by believing in Jesus who became a curse for them (Gal. 3:13)! Yet many Jews today are non-religious. Among religious Jews, most still reject Jesus as their Messiah and still practice a form of rabbinical Judaism which was condemned by Jesus the Messiah (Mt. 23:1-33). They remain under the curses of the law (Deut. 28:15-68).

Many Jews today hope the Messiah will come a first time, just like the Jews in the first century hoped the Messiah would come. Yet most rejected the Messiah when He came the first time. They didn’t recognize the day of their visitation (Lk. 19:41-44). Israel wasn’t looking for the Messiah to come in humility, charity, and kindness, to die on the cross as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. But there is still hope in the woman’s seed, Abraham’s seed, and the Son of David. Whenever a Jewish person repents of their sin and turns to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, the spiritual veil that blinds them from seeing Jesus as their Messiah is taken away (2 Cor. 3:16).

The greatest act of antisemitism is not telling Jewish people the truth, to refuse to call Jews to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior, Messiah, Deliverer, and King. As long as God’s chosen nation rejects their Messiah, they are kept under the Law of Moses and its curses. The church, founded by Jews who believed in and proclaimed Jesus as Savior and Lord, is called upon to bless Israel with the gospel of Jesus Christ.[6] Israel will always be God’s chosen nation. But the Jews must repent of their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ to escape the curses of the Law of Moses, so they can come under the New Covenant and the Law of Christ which has no curses.

Yes, history has shown that many who have professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior or donned the name of “Christian” have persecuted the Jews. But a false profession of faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t negate a true profession of faith in Jesus Christ. All are to be evaluated by the Word of God to see if they bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance. Instead of looking at those who failed to behave in a Christlike manner, Jews should look to Jesus Christ the promised woman’s seed (Gen. 3:15); Shiloh (Gen. 49:10), the Prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), Messiah the Prince (Dan. 9:25; Mt. 2:4; Jn. 1:41; 4:25-26), the Son of God (Ps. 2:6-12), the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14), the righteous Branch of David (Isa. 4:4; 11:1-5; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-17; Zech. 3:8, 6:12-13), the suffering Servant (Isa. 53:1-12), and the one who was born King of the Jews (Mt. 2:1; 27:11, 37). But what if Israel continues to harden their hearts against their Messiah? What if they don’t repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church age? Hope remains for the Jews still![7]

The church, comprised of both Jews and Gentiles, will be taken up and glorified in the first stage of the first resurrection. They will meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air (1 Cor. 15:50-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18), and then be taken to the Father’s house (Jn. 14:1-3). At that time, the church age will have come to an end and “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), Daniel’s 70th week (Dan. 9:24-27), the tribulation (Mt. 24; Rev. 6-19), will begin. Seven years of unprecedented judgment from God on those who dwell on earth (Dan. 12:1; Isa. 26:20-21; Jer. 30:7; Mal. 4:1; Mt. 24:21; Mk. 13:19; Lk. 21:23-24; Rev. 16:17-21). During the time of Jacob’s distress, many Jews will turn in faith to Jesus Christ and be saved. In fact, the Lord will raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists sealed by God, to proclaim the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ (Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1-3).[8]

Yet the nations will gather against Israel at the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-16).[9] And when things seem to be at their worst, the Lord God of Israel will save the remnant of His people. The Lord speaks through Zechariah the prophet:

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zech. 12:10).

At that time the Lord declares of Israel:

That two parts in it [Jerusalem] will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The Lord is my God’” (Zech. 13:8–9).

Then Jesus, the Messiah, will return the second time in glory:

Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! (Zech. 14:1–5)

Jesus the Messiah will return a second time as a warrior in blazing glory to defeat Israel’s enemies and establish His kingdom on earth (Zech. 14:1-9; Mt. 24:29-31; Rev. 19:11-16). The veil of spiritual blindness that has kept the Jews from seeing Jesus as their Messiah in the Law and the prophets will be removed (Lk. 24:27, 44; Jn. 1:45; 5:39, 46; Acts 10:43; 2 Cor. 3:15-18). Jesus said to the Jewish leaders in Jn. 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” The Apostle Paul wrote these encouraging words about his people Israel:

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:25-29)

[1] In the future, the Jews will build the third temple and during the reign of Jesus, a fourth temple (see this blog post).

[2] See Walter C. Kaiser’s The Messiah in the Old Testament, or E. W. Hengstenberg’s Christology of the Old Testament.”

[3] In the sermon linked here, I survey the Scriptures to show that Jesus the Son of David, and Messiah, had to die and rise again so He could rule forever, https://-ZS928T.subspla.sh/v6qvgrh .

[4] See Michael Vlach’s Has the Church Replaced Israel, for a detailed discussion of replacement theology or supersessionism and why it is unbiblical and contrary to the Word of God.

[5] Listen to my sermon, “The Church Age and Israel’s Future,” (click here.)

[6]See this blog post on whether or not Christians in the church should bless Israel: https://www.drivennails.com/for-everyone/should-christians-bless-israel10282025.

[7] Listen to this sermon on the church age and Israel’s future, https://anchorbiblechurch.subspla.sh/r6ynbxn.

[8] Listen to these two sermons to learn more about the 144,000 Jewish witnesses, https://anchorbiblechurch.subspla.sh/b5fk3br and https://anchorbiblechurch.subspla.sh/ss5v8rt.

[9] Listen to this sermon to learn more a out the battle of Armageddon, https://anchorbiblechurch.subspla.sh/27hn5qy.

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ARE JEWS WHO REJECT JESUS CHRIST STILL UNDER THE CURSES OF THE LAW?

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