Survey

If you go through Israel and ask random Israeli's what they believe, you will get a wide variety of answers. Some are religious, and that includes a wide range of religiosity. Some are secular but still keep traditional holidays. Some are Messianic, and that includes a wide range of truth and error, and is likely a mixture of Christianity and Judaism. A few are Christian, which includes Roman Catholic and different degrees of Arminians. Besides that there are JW's and LDS and Adventists. Some say Jesus is Messiah but not divine, or divine but not the Son of David. Then there are Buddhists, atheists, etc. etc. etc.
Why does an atheistic Jew fast on Yom Kippur? "Just in case." Ask people that don't believe in heaven and hell, "If there is a heaven and hell, where will you end up? "Gehinnom." Are we all sinners? Do we need an atonement? "Yes." How will we get this atonement? "I don't know." Do we need God's mercy? "God shows mercy on whom he will. But we can earn mercy by acts of repentance." [Earn mercy?]
It would be interesting to carry out the same sort of survey in the U.S. and see what you get. Many people who call themselves Christians don't go to church, and don't seem any different from non-Christians--they get drunk, they get divorced, they crave more fun and more money, they live for this world alone.
Can we find the answers to these things, or do we just say, "Everything will be right when Messiah comes?" What if he comes in anger and judgment, slaying his enemies with the breath of his mouth? What if we die before he comes? If he is going to slay his enemies, don't we need to make sure we are his friends? How can we be his friends? Keep the commandments? How can we keep the commandments? How well do we have to do? 51%? 90%? Or is the justice of God absolute? Does the Bible--the Torah, Writings, Prophets, New Testament--give us any clues? Would it do any good to read it?