In Matthew 12: 30-32 Jesus is talking to the Jews, explaining a sin that cannot be forgiven. I understand all sins were forgiven at the cross, but in verse 32b he mentions “the age to come”. I assume that age to be the Kingdom Age as being the next age to come for the Jews. Am I correct in this thinking? And if so what does this mean for the Jews?
Matt. 12:30-32 was directed toward the Pharisees who watched with their own eyes while Jesus performed miracles of various kinds. They refused to believe He was the Messiah their own scriptures had foretold so they attributed His miracles to the only other supernatural force they knew, the devil (Matt. 12:24). In other words, they didn’t do this out of ignorance but out of malicious intent.
When He took on human form, Jesus set aside His God-like power and performed His miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit, so these Pharisees were blaspheming the Holy Spirit. By saying they would not be forgiven in this age or the age to come Jesus was saying that by their deliberate unbelief they had sealed their eternal destiny.
Many Jews of the Lord’s time, and since, have come to faith in Him and had their sins forgiven. A significant number of Pharisees were included among them. It’s only those who knowingly blasphemed the Holy Spirit by attributing His miraculous work to Satan who were eternally condemned. All others have their lifetime on Earth to decide whether to accept the Lord’s death as payment for their sins and be saved, just like the Gentiles.
By the way, since Church age believers have the Holy Spirit sealed within us, it’s impossible for us to commit this sin, consciously or unconsciously. For example, some Corinthians accused other believers of cursing Jesus while speaking in tongues, but Paul in effect told them it was impossible because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within them. (1 Cor. 12:3) The same would hold true for us. For our age, the unforgivable sin is to reject the pardon Jesus purchased for us with His life. Doing so puts us outside of God’s forgiveness because the death of His Son is the only remedy He has provided for our sin problem.