Israel
See Also: State of Israel, JEWS, Jewish, Judaism
The term "Israel" carries significant geographic and political connotations, particularly within contemporary discourse concerning the State of Israel.
The theological understanding of "Israel" is that the people of God, are the true Israel, Israel is the Body of Christ: The Orthodox Church.
There exists no special dispensation outside of Christ, and those who reject Him, whether Jew or Gentile, consequently reject salvation.
The notion of a great conversion of Jews in the end times has already occurred, exemplified by the apostles and the first Christians, who were all Jewish converts. Since the day of Pentecost, humanity has been living in the end times, and the Church is regarded as the saving ark against widespread deception.
Dispensationalism is a doctrine asserting that a distinct future for ethnic Israel, however this is a recent theological development, having appeared only in the 1830s.
It is entirely absent from the writings of the Church Fathers.
Early Christian thinkers, such as Justin Martyr, explicitly stated that: the church is true Israel, declaring that Judaism, as a faith and religion, ceased to be in Christ.
Within Christian theology, particularly as articulated in the epistle to the Galatians, there is no distinction between Jew or Greek in Christ; all who are in Christ are considered Abraham's offspring.
Before God, there is no distinction between Gentile or Jew; humanity is united as one people called to have faith in Christ. Jesus, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, describes the sons of the kingdom being cast into outer darkness, indicating that previous heritage or tribal privileges do not exist in Christ.
Nothing can save those who reject faith in Christ. Any individual of Jewish descent who claims faithfulness to the Old Testament but rejects Christ inherently contradicts themselves.
Modern Judaism is distinguished from the faith of the patriarchs and prophets from whom the Lord emerged.
The Talmudic faith is considered alien to Moses, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets. Christians must understand that the Talmud blasphemes Christ and the Mother of God.
There is no separate, secondary, or different salvation; the economy of God resides solely in Jesus Christ. This theological error, if adopted, invariably leads to further doctrinal inaccuracies.
A significant number of American evangelicals mistakenly believe that Christ's commands regarding virtuous living and the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount apply exclusively to Jews, asserting that they, as Christians, are saved by faith alone, while Jews must adhere to these "new laws".
However, faith without works is considered dead. Without repentance and genuine attempts to obey Christ's commands, there is no true faith or love for Him, as Christ Himself stated, "If you love me, you will follow my commands".
The profound danger of this modern heresy of Dispensationalism, is not primarily its misguided allegiance to the modern State of Israel, but rather that it compels those who seek salvation in Christ to abandon His fundamental commands.
These commands include forgiveness, repentance, humility, and mourning over sins—all tenets taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Such doctrinal deviation diverts individuals from the narrow path of salvation.