The New Covenant

What is the New Covenant?

Does Israel receive 'favouritism'?

There are quite a number of covenants made in the bible. The one I am referring to is the central one made with Israel that flows continuously through the bible in both the Old and New Testament.

All of these questions are perhaps best answered by looking at the scriptures involved as a whole. This will allow us to apply the same principle used in the ‘Toolkit’ approach. Take every single part of the equation, look at it as a whole and then assemble it without leaving out pieces or putting extras in.
When ‘all the cards are on the table’ a more rational view of the big picture emerges.

What is the New Covenant?

Below is just a sample of the many scriptures on this subject. Collectively they make one clear picture. Something very fundamental is going to transpire between God and the nations of Israel.

Such is the volume and clarity of these scriptures; we are left in no doubt that this is a literal event that will take place when Christ returns.

The best-known New Testament reference for the New Covenant is in Hebrews 8:

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Heb 8:6

Again (abbreviated) later:
Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Heb 10:15

Just to emphasise the point and make sure we accept it as fact God lays his reputation on the line:

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah… 20 Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season… Jer 33:14, 20.

Here God is saying that if you can stop the sun or the moon in their orbit, you can stop My promise to institute this new covenant.

The Hebrews 8 verses are virtually word for word quotes from Jeremiah.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. 29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. 31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. 38 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. 39 And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever. Jer 31:27

In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. Jer 50:4

Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Hos 1:11

And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. 25 And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. Ezek 34:23

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Ezek 36:26

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. 5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Isa 55:3

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. 41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. 42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. Jer 32:40

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old. Micah 7:18

…In those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. Jer 3:16

For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land… 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Joel 3: 1, 16

Overall these scriptures are consistent and clear.
1) Israel and Judah have both been in captivity.
2) Both Israel and Judah will be brought out from captivity by Christ.
3) David is involved which means the resurrection has occurred. (David’s presence is symbolic for all the Saints being present including the twelve disciples, Paul, Timothy, Abraham etc.
4) This time the response from Israel is genuine and permanent. They will never fail God as a nation again. (The ‘end time’ has left an indelible impression, which was its purpose).
5) Jerusalem will be the capital city.
6) The Holy Spirit is now universally available to everyone. (By default since without Satan in the world there is no alternative spirit).
7) This is a culmination of long standing promises that God has particularly stated He would keep.
8) Wherever the nations of Israel have been, they will now reside in the ‘Promised Land’.
9) All the nations of the world are involved and benefit from the blessings also.

Summary

The New Covenant is a renewal of the ‘marriage covenant’ God made with Israel which they never adhered to. They will now be a special people to God (forever) obeying him and receiving the blessings for doing so. The ‘Promised Land’ will at last be inhabited.
The blessings that Israel enjoys will flow on to the rest of the world as they set the example for successful living.

Once the unified nations of Israel have settled into their new homeland (from the Euphrates to the Nile, Gen 15:18) other nations will through their example share in the same blessings.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. Ezek 37:26

And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Isa 49:6

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. 9 And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it. Jer 33:6

Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Zech 8:22

One Bad Apple

One of the most significant advantages a bible believing Christian has is the awareness of Satan.
As the ‘prince of the power of the air’ and the ‘god of this world’ he has been able to influence man’s thinking all the way through history. Once Satan has been completely removed and rendered totally unable to influence humanity, this alone would result in the most fundamental change of circumstances.
The following verses show Satan as the one the world follows. For a Christian to go in a different direction is a full-scale battle requiring a spiritual suit of armor. Without God’s spirit this battle is a lost cause.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Eph 2:2

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Cor 4:4

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph 6:11

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 1:6

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.
Gal 1:4

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. John12:31

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. John 16:11

Satan being the father of all lies and murder is the source of all the worlds’ problems. Even before the earth was created and mankind was on the scene he took one third of the angels into rebellion against God.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

The Kingdom of God established in its fullness is a very different world. Satan has been banished and is no longer present to influence the world.
The first stage of Satan’s ‘immobilisation’ was his defeat headed by Michael and his angels.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Rev 12:7

Does Israel receive Favouritism?

For the short while Satan’s presence is confined to the earth the great tribulation is the result. This is the final testing for Israel as a nation. If they are to receive the position of ‘favoured nation status’ they must repent and ‘overcome’ while they are still under the circumstances of this world. While Satan is present with his influence, they must choose of their own free will to accept and follow Christ in order to qualify for their future position.
This is the same process for all the ‘first fruit’ Saints. They must ‘overcome’. What they ‘overcome’ is the influence of Satan. Instead of the 'easy way out' they choose to make a stand and 'fight'. If they persevere with the help of the Holy Spirit and succeed, then they receive the ‘well done faithful servant’ badge of honour.

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matt 25:21

Israel and by that term it should be remembered that we are talking about many nations in the end time, are the only people referred to as a nation that turns fully to God in the end time.

After years of brutal treatment in captivity Israel finally ‘sees the Light’. They seek Christ before He arrives, if only just before.

The Overall Purpose

When you look at the basic facts it all becomes disarmingly transparent.
The Saints over time throughout all of history have been a separate group called for a very specific purpose. After overcoming this world they are ready for positions of leadership. Who will they lead? Who are to be the people they are kings and priests over? Without a ‘kingdom’ they are out of a job. Their purpose would have been thwarted.
Israel must succeed in making the transformation. This is so important that in Malachi we are warned should they not complete the journey set before them, God will call His whole plan off.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. Mal 4:5

Before we conclude this thought, who are the ‘children’ being referred to in this passage?
It would not be those that have been ‘called, chosen and faithful’; they were given God’s spirit to lead and guide them. They are responsible for making their ‘own election sure’. No one else can do it for them. If they needed someone to ‘turn their heart to the fathers’ they will never have what it takes to make it to being a ‘first fruit’ in the first place.
This passage in Malachi is about another group that must turn to ‘the fathers’ meaning the spiritual ‘founders’ or foundations of faith as found in the bible. They must turn back to believing and acting on what God’s word says. The ‘fathers’ are the current day ministry, the ‘children’ are Israel as a whole.
Once the end time starts, the ministry will be held responsible for leading God’s people back to Him. Without turning to God they have no way of surviving through the end time.

Here is the point being made in Malachi. The expression ‘smite the earth with a curse’ is accurately rendered in English as: ‘I will smite the earth with utter destruction’.
Should a failure occur at any of the links in the chain, (a) someone to come and stir the ministry (fathers) up (b) the ministry to pull their weight and (c) the population as a whole to respond, then the earth is destined for complete destruction.

To ensure Israel does not make a mistake this time, the circumstances are such that they have every incentive or no option, whichever way you wish to describe it, to ensure their success.
In the end, God is love.

After Christ’s arrival back in Jerusalem Satan and his angels (demons) are banished and ‘bound up’ for one thousand years.
The world is now free from the weight that had them shackled to a life of never-ending struggle. (None of this however gives us an excuse. We were always free to ignore Satan).

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Rev 20:1

Life without a severe handicap may seem a huge relief, more than enough to get on with living. That is just the start however. Not only is Satan gone, now we go from one extreme to the other. From having a severe handicap living with crutches, to being an Olympic runner.
Christ is with us, in Person.

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Isa 9:2