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THE NEW COVENANT
The New Covenant promise of Jeremiah 31:31-32 has application to both
advents of the Messiah.
Many of the Old Testament prophecies have a two-fold application.
1. They see a fulfillment in the first coming of the Messiah. Some of the
details were not clarified UNTIL the Messiah came and gave us that
clarification.
Many details SEEM to have an application ONLY to the nation of Israel and
its future in David's earthly kingdom, when the Messiah will come as the
KING of Israel.
But actually they have application and fulfillment for Israel at the first
coming of the Messiah, when He comes as the suffering servant, to give His
life as a ransom for all.
And not only do these details find fulfillment for the people of Israel, but
also to the Gentiles; that is, to all who will trust in Jesus as the
Messiah-Savior.
Luke 24:44-47, " These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still
with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses
and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled . . . that the Christ
would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance
for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,
beginning from Jerusalem."
Acts 26:22-23, "stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was
going to take place, 23 as to whether the Christ was to suffer, and whether,
as first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim light both to
the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
Luke 2:30-32, "For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared
in the presence of all the peoples: A light for revelation for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
1 Peter 1:10-12, "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the
grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking
to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating
as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It
was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, BUT YOU, in
these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached
the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven."
Acts 10:43, "of Him all the prophets bear witness, that through His name
everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
Jesus stated that this salvation provision was fulfilled by His very
presence on the earth when He quoted from Isaiah 61 at the start of His
ministry.
As quoted from Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He
anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim
release to captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those
who are oppressed."
Verse 21, "today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears."
2. The second application is to the second coming of the Messiah. And again,
Jesus indicated this perfectly at the start of His earthly ministry when He
quoted from Isaiah 61.
At the synagogue in Nazareth, He quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2a, clearly
dividing between the redemptive work of the Messiah and a distant future
establishment of David's promised earthly kingdom.
Isaiah 61:2b-9 speaks of the earthly kingdom that will come from the
Messiah's second advent. Jesus stopped short of quoting this portion because
His ministry did NOT concern that earthly kingdom.
It is at the time of His second coming that He will extend the salvation
blessings of the New covenant to the ENTIRE nation of Israel. Many will
trust in Christ as SAVIOR after the rapture. Then, after Armageddon, all the
unbelieving among the Jews will be removed via the separation event of
Ezekiel 34:17-22. The only ones remaining on the earth will be believers.
Thus it will be stated at that time, "all Israel will be saved."
Paul makes a clear application of the new covenant to the nation of Israel
at a time when Jesus will return, "when the fullness of the Gentiles comes
in." Rom. 11:25.
"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written. There shall come out of
Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is
my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." Romans 11:26-27.
However, other than that specific application of the new covenant to a yet
future return of Jesus, every other reference to the new covenant applies it
directly to the church.
At the last supper, Jesus certainly made reference to the new covenant of
Jeremiah 31.
"This is My blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins."
Mat. 26:28 with Luke 22:20.
Two points of reference: (1) the covenant itself; new covenant. (2) the fact
of forgiveness of sins.
Two points of identification: (1) Jesus certainly knew what He was talking
about. (2) The disciples would have a frame of reference for the Old
Testament. They knew what the new covenant was.
One point of logic: God is not playing games with us. The diatheke kaine of
Jer. 38 (31):31 in the LXX surely is the same diatheke kaine of Luke 22:20,
1 Cor.11:25, 2 Cor. 3:6, Heb. 8:8, and Heb. 9:15.
And the diathekes neos of Heb. 12:24.
And the diatheke of Heb. 10:16.
And "the blood of the diatheke" of Heb. 10:29.
And the BLOOD of the diatheke aionios (everlasting covenant) of Heb. 13:20
is the same as "the blood of the diatheke" of Heb. 10:29.
And both are the same as 1 Cor. 11:25, "this represents the diatheke kaine
which is (in) by means of My blood;" and Luke 22:20 (Mat. 26:28), "My blood
of the New Covenant.
SPECIFIC APPLICATION OF THE NEW COVENANT TO THE CHURCH
HEBREWS 6:18, "we have strong encouragement, we who have fled for REFUGE in
laying hold of THE HOPE set before us."
Refuge from what? Refuge from the penalty of sin. Thus, "the hope" that we
have laid hold of must be "the hope of eternal life" that Paul mentions at
Titus 1:2, "the hope of eternal life which the non-lying God PROMISED before
the everlasting times."
And everlasting life includes the forgiveness of sins and justification as
at Titus 3:7, "so that having been justified by His grace we have become
HEIRS according to the hope of everlasting life."
Paul had this same hope in mind as he talked to Agrippa at Acts 26:6-7, "the
HOPE of the PROMISE made by God to our fathers."
And later at verses 22-23, he clarifies that this refers to what the
prophets and Moses said was going to take place, "that the Christ was to
suffer and that through resurrection from the dead He should be the FIRST to
proclaim light, both to the people and to the Gentiles."
HEBREWS 6:19 tells us that this is the HOPE that enters into the veil where
Christ entered first as our forerunner.
Heb. 9:11, Christ entered into the Holy place as our high priest and on that
basis became the mediator of the new covenant (Heb. 9:15), "in order that
those who have been called receive the eternal inheritance."
Heb. 6:15, Abraham "obtained the promise" but he died without receiving the
promise (Heb. 11:39), so that the Old Testament believers would not
experience heaven apart from the church age believers. Heb. 11:40, "so that
apart from us they should not be made perfect."
This recognizes the view that Old Testament believers went to Paradise in
the heart of the earth before the resurrection of Jesus, and that they were
taken to the third heaven by Jesus when He ascended on high." Ephesians
4:8-10; Luke 23:43; 16:22ff; 2 Cor. 10:1-4.
And of course, they are NOW considered in that "complete" condition in
heaven as per Heb. 12:22-24, "You have come . . . to the spirits of
righteous men made perfect."
Christ is able to enter into the holy place and be our mediator because of
his sacrifice for sins "since a death for redemption has taken place." Heb.
9:15.
Jesus is mediator of a NEW COVENANT.
This means that Jesus instituted the covenant between God and man.
Heb. 9:26, "but now one time at the consumation of the ages, He has been
manifested for a removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
Heb. 10:12-13, "But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time .
. . for by one offering He has perfected for all time, those who are
sanctified."
Those who are sanctified (set apart as holy) refers to all who have trusted
in Christ; both Jew and Gentile, and they are all united in one spiritual
body; the body of Christ; the church.
And this is the PRESENT fulfillment of the new covenant, as the writer
indicates at verse 15-16, "and the Holy Spirit bears witness to US, for
AFTER SAYING this is the covenant that I will make with them."
The writer then quotes the part of the new covenant from Jeremiah 31 that
refers to the START of the kingdom, when EVERYONE of Israel will be a
believer, for "all Israel will be saved." Thus, EVERYONE will have the laws
upon their heart and written on their mind. This is how the kingdom starts -
with all believers.
BUT then at verse 17, he quotes the part of the new covenant that is
fulfilled FIRST by the Messiah generation; then believers through all of
subsequent history; and finally to Israel after the return of Jesus.
"And there sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
For as at Acts 10:43, "of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His
name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
And as Paul wrote, quoting David, "Happy are those whose lawless deeds have
been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Happy is the man whose sin
the Lord will not take into account." Romans 4:7-8 (Psalm 32:1-2).
Summary
1. The New covenant is the promise
to Israel of national salvation, blessing and prosperity as the doorway to
fulfilling the covenants to Abraham, Moses and David. Jer. 33:14-16
2. This national salvation is
represented by 3 basic things.
A. Physical restoration of
Israel to The totality of the Palestinian land grant. Ezek. 36:28 (Gen.
15:18; Josh 1:4)
B. Personal salvation of all
those re-gathered to the land. Ezek. 36:25-36
C. Personal indwelling of the
Holy spirit for all those who are re-gathered. Ezek. 36:27
3. This will not take place until
Messiah returns at 2nd advent and sets up his 1000 year kingdom. Joel 2:28; Is.
59.:6-21; Rom. 11:26-27
4. But the basis for the
fulfillment of the New Covenant is Messiah's work on the cross at the first
advent. Heb. 9:11-28; 10:1-18; Is. 53 with 54:2-3
5. And on the basis of that
salvation provision, the spiritual blessing of the Abrahamic covenant in the New
is extended to all mankind - even before it is physically fulfilled to Israel.
Heb. 2:9; Is. 54:1; Gal. 4:21-31; Is. 65:1; Acts 2:38-39
6. Thus comes the church age and a
spiritual fulfillment of the New covenant to all who trust in Christ. Heb. 9:15
7. Trusting in Christ spiritually
identifies the believer with Christ so that he becomes a partaker of the seed of
Abe and heirs according to the promise. Heb. 2:9-11; Gal. 3:7, 25-29
8. But the Church is not a sharer
of the physical blessings of an earthly kingdom as Israel is.
A. The physical promises were
given to Abe and his seed. Gen. 12:1-3
B. That seed will share in the
blessings as they are identified with Messiah at his coming. Gal. 3:15; Is.
59:20
C. The fulfillment was future
to the prophets.
D. The fulfillment is future
to the Church. Rom. 11:26-27
E. The New Covenant is
basically a spiritual provision that paves the way for physical blessing.
F. The spiritual provision of
the New Covenant is universal. Gal. 3:8
G. The physical blessing that
results is restricted based on God's plan for each of the participants.
1. For Israel, it is
national prosperity in a physical kingdom.
2. For the Church, there
is no physical kingdom while in mortal bodies.
3. The Church is not a
physical entity, but a spiritual one, with a heavenly citizenship - not
an earthly one.
Phil. 3:20; 5 Pet.219 Thus aliens - I Pet. 1:1; 2:11
4. The kingdom that is
taken from Israel and given to the church (Mt. 21:43) is the spiritual
commission of the kingdom and spiritual fellowship within it. Not the
physical promises. Rom. 1:6-27
H. However, in resurrection
body, the physical promises are extended to the Church as they share in
Christ's ruler ship Lk. 22:26-30; Rev. 5:10; 20:4
9. And so, the Holy Spirit is
provided as the agent of the New covenant blessings to the church.
A. And although His presence
and activity is similar to what He will do in the kingdom, it is not a
fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him.
B. The baptism of the Holy
Spirit does not take place at the Spirit's 2nd advent in the kingdom age.
That was only for the Church age as the mechanics for building the new
priestly body. 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Pet. 2:9, Eph. 2:19-21
C. The activities mentioned in
Joel 2 as quoted by Peter in Acts 2, did not take place at that time nor
anytime during the Church age.
10.
The New Covenant By Dwight Pentecost,
from Things to come
See Book Of Hebrews
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