Recently I saw an article where the writer was commenting on the problems with the modern church. One of these was the ‘clergy vs. lay people’ system. His thought was that the clergy/laity system in an unfortunate carryover from the old covenant to the new. That is the system was part of the practices of ancient Israel erroneously adopted by the early church. This of course assumes that ancient Israel was under the old covenant and the early church was under the new covenant. My thought is that you can just as easily see this as indicating that we are still under the old covenant, not the new. Now I realize that this can sound a bit radical. In fact it represents a great departure from traditional teachings. So for this article we are going to see what exactly the bible says on the new covenant and see if we are under it or not.
The idea that is commonly taught is that the church began on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. When the Holy Spirit came, the new covenant took effect and we are no longer under the old testament and it’s law. We are said to be under grace. We need to look at that a lot closer to see what’s really involved.
The Millennial Kingdom
Let’s take side trip here; another example of a common teaching that doesn’t hold up too well when closely examined.
When Jesus returns to earth, he will set up his kingdom in Jerusalem, and reign for the next 1000 years on the earth. This is the beginning of the millennium, which is the 7th millennium and the third day of prophecy.
This is based on the following verse from Revelation 20. [The general context of Revelation 20:1-7 describing things after Jesus’ return also supports this idea.]
Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
To see where this fails to hold up compare it to these following scriptural passages:
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
This is saying his second coming will clearly be visible to all.
Luke 17:20-21
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
And now this is saying that the Kingdom of God is not something visible but it’s within a person.
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And here it tells us the coming of the Kingdom is tied to events in Revelation 12, the birth of the man child and casting down of the accuser. It’s linked to salvation.
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
And it’s linked to strength and ‘the power of his Christ’; it’s the day of thy power from Psalms 110.
Psalms 110:2-3
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The kingdom of God, then is not something visible, as the Second Coming of Jesus will be. And it comes at a point in time earlier than the Second Coming. So this common teaching about the Kingdom being set up when Jesus returns in Revelation 20 does not hold to further examination of the scriptures.
Understanding prophecy about the end times depends on your understanding the usage of God’s prophetic week, where the third day is also the seventh millennium, or the millennium. As you search the scriptures you can find there are a great many references to this. [See my article Rethinking the Millennium.] Some are direct and others allegorical. Many of these describe things that must happen in that day or on the third day, before Jesus returns. One of these is the new testament.
Where We Are Going
Now just to make it perfectly clear what we are trying to show here, I’ll spell it out carefully before getting into it any farther.
The Christian church operates under the idea that we are under the New Testament or the New Covenant. And that the old Testament or covenant was only with ancient Israel. We assume that the new testament took effect with the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is based on scripture such as these:
Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Hebrews 10:12-14
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
What we want to show here is that the New Covenant does not take effect until the end times. Therefore the church is still under the old covenant law, not new covenant grace. Of course this depends on what you mean by saying ‘under a covenant’. The basic idea is that under the old covenant means under the law. Under the new covenant means under grace.
Salvation Under The Old Covenant
One problem with our current view is how did someone get saved under the old covenant, since we know that no one can be saved by works of the law as we see by these verses following.
Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
So knowing this, how could someone be saved in old testament times, before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Under the Law, the old covenant, no one could be saved. And if the new testament has not taken effect, then how can anyone be saved? We read in Romans 4 as follows.
Romans 4:2-3
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Salvation By Faith
Abraham was justified or made righteous by faith. He believed God. His faith was in the promises of God. Even though he had no knowledge of Jesus Christ, somehow the ‘faith of Jesus Christ’ is part of the promises of God. Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, mentions Abraham and the long list of faithful ones. It tells us they had faith in the promises but never received them during their life times.
Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:39-40
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
In Genesis 49, Jacob says this.
Genesis 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation, O LORD.
The word for salvation in Hebrew is Y’shua, the name of Jesus! The same word is used here in Isaiah 56.
Isaiah 56:1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.
The word Christ means the Messiah; that is the anointed or consecrated one. So we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. Or we are saved by faith in the promises of God just as faithful Abraham.
So you can be under the law, but not saved by the law. But you can be under the law, and saved by faith in the promises. We are also told we are saved by grace. Can you be under the law and under grace at the same time? Let’s look at what Ephesians 2 say.
Ephesians 2:5-9
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Here the idea of salvation, as a gift of God, is conveyed by the key phrase For by grace are ye saved through faith. So there are three ideas here Grace, Faith, and being Saved. They are related but not identical. The relationships between the New covenant, and the promises of God, and being under grace are quite involved and require especially close examination. We will try to lay out the important scripture for you as we go along. You’ll find that the new covenant is not always described in exactly the same way whenever it’s mentioned. And that there will be places where it’s referred to but not expressly called a new covenant yet the idea is the same.
The New Covenant In The Old Testament, The Hebrew Part Of The Bible.
The first place you find it called a new covenant is Jeremiah 31.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
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.
There are several important things to notice here.
Verse 32 is careful to make it clear that this new covenant is clearly different than the one God made after the exodus on Mt. Sinai.
Next the use of the phrase After those days is a clue that he is talking about the end times.
Thirdly he lists several key features of the new covenant. These help us identify and define it.
1. the law will be put into us and written in our hearts
2. He will be our God, and we, his people
3. We all shall know him
4. He will forgive our wickedness and forget our sin.
While the new covenant is first so called in Jeremiah 31, we find mention of the same idea way back in Deuteronomy. You can refer to this article by Barbara Di Gilio who provides some interesting ideas on this subject. Did God Give Moses Two Covenants? Barbara Di Gilio - http://www.mayimhayim.org/Moses2.htm
We said above that God is careful to make it clear that this new covenant is clearly different than the one he made with Israel on Mt. Sinai [Horeb] after they left Egypt. Here is a mention of it in Deuteronomy 5.
Deuteronomy 5:1-6
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
5 (I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying,
6 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
He is talking about the old covenant here and makes it clear that this is not the covenant made with the Fathers, i.e. the patriarchs. This covenant was only with those who were at Mt. Sinai when He came down and the mountain burned with fire. Moses is speaking these words to Israel after they have completed their 40 years wandering and are then encamped in Moab. They are just about to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land. At this point God makes a second covenant with them. And this time there are a couple important differences.
Deuteronomy 29:10-15
10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,
11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day:
13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;
15 But with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day:
Let’s make note of some key elements here.
1. Those entering into the covenant include the strangers in the camp, i.e. some gentiles.
2. This is a covenant entered into on that day especially
3. He will be our God, and we, his people
4. This covenant contains the same promises as he swore to the fathers
5. This covenant is not exclusively with just those present there at that time but with others as well.
Then in the following chapter a promise is spelled out.
Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Here he is saying something about operating on our hearts. He promises to put the Law in our hearts. See how the law is expressed here: “love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul”. This is just what Jesus is saying in Matthew 22.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Another aspect of the new covenant is spelled out by the final phrase in verse 6, that thou mayest live. This new covenant imparts life, the old one, only death.
This covenant given in Moab, [seed of the father], is the same new covenant the mentioned in Jeremiah, except that in Jeremiah he says ‘after those days.’ So what is he getting at here? Lets look at the full context or our quote from Deuteronomy 30
Deuteronomy 30:1-6
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Verse 6 here contains the promise of the new covenant. The previous 5 verses put the fulfillment of that promise clearly into the end times. Then Israel will return to him when He gathers Israel from the nations and redeems Jacob from his troubles. This also is clearly an end time context.
There is also some prophetic typology here. Israel’s crossing the Jordan, and entering the promised land is a prophetic picture of the end times. This has been widely recognized. We won’t go into details on that topic here. The key point is that this Covenant given in Moab includes the promise of the New Covenant. And secondly that it comes at time that prophetically speaks of entering the end times.
The promise to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was a promise of inheriting the Land. And it was a promise of a blessing to all the nations. Prophetically, entering the land of promise speaks of entering the time and place of the blessing. The time is the end times and the place of the blessing is Mount Zion.
In the article we did on the feast of tabernacles, [Tabernacles by Bill Somers] we noted that when Moses came down from Sinai the second time he has the second set of stone tables with him. This is prophetic of the second or new covenant. The same holds true here speaking of the covenant given in Moab. It too speaks of the new covenant given to the Israelites as they enter the promised land, the end times.
Looking ahead in Jeremiah, we see the new covenant described again.
Jeremiah 32:40 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.
Here the key aspects are these.
1. The new covenant is an everlasting one, not one that will pass away
2. The Lord will not turn away from us
3. He will do us good
4. He will impart his fear, the Fear of the Lord into us with the result that
5. We shall not depart from him.
The Fear of the Lord is one feature of the Holy Spirit as spelled out in Isaiah 11.
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Then in Isaiah 59 the covenant is mentioned again.
Isaiah 59:19-21
19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
This passage from Isaiah is the one quoted in Romans 11 which tells us that the promise of this covenant will be fulfilled in the end times when the fullness of the Gentiles comes in.
Romans 11:25-27
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 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:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
So once again the scripture is saying the new covenant takes effect in the end times.
Ezekiel 36 has this to say about it.
Ezekiel 36:24-28
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 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.
Lets list the key elements here:
1. The lord gathers his people from all countries
2. He cleanses us from our sin
3, He gives us a new heart and a new spirit
4. He puts his Spirit within us to cause us to obey his law
5. He gives us the promised land
6. He will be our God and we, his people.
Now in this case it’s clearly stated that he puts his Spirit in His people.
Much of this is repeated here in Ezekiel 37.
Ezekiel 37:19-28
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26 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.
One added feature is that he will set his sanctuary or tabernacle in the midst of his people forever. This is mentioned in Revelation 21:3, an end time context.
Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Ezekiel 39 also pertains to the new covenant, though it’s not specifically mentioned.
Ezekiel 39:25-29
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;
26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.
27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;
28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
So far we have seen several places where the new covenant is linked to imparting the Holy Spirit. This last one from Ezekiel spells it out clearly in verse 29.
Joel chapter 2 also prophesies that the Lord will pour out his spirit in the end times. This was foreshadowed by a partial fulfillment in Acts 2.
Joel 2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Hebrews 8 has a long passage which is quoting from Jeremiah 31.
Hebrews 8:6-13
6 But now hath he [Jesus] 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.
This last verse 13 here mentions that the new covenant makes the first one old and ready to vanish away. But this also carries the idea that the old covenant is still in effect until the new one comes in, which means it’s still in effect now!
The Promise to The Fathers
In Galatians the Lord speaks about the promises to the patriarchs and then relates them to the new covenant. First look back at the promise in Genesis.
In Genesis 12 the Lord makes a multi part promise to Abraham.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Notice the final part of that promise, the blessing to all the earth. Galatians 3 makes reference to it as follows.
Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Here the meaning of the blessing is spelled out. That God would justify the heathen by faith. Also in verse 8, this promise is described as the gospel! [In old testament texts you will find the phrase glad tidings.]
The gospel, then is a promise to the nations that they would be justified and receive this blessing, if they have faith like Abraham. For Abraham believed God and this was accounted as his righteousness, verse 6.
The Blessing Of Abraham
Galatians 3 speaks of the blessing of Abraham as The Promise Of The Spirit in verse 14, a very interesting connection. In verse 17, the Lord refers to the law as the covenant that came 430 years later, saying it could not cancel out the promise.
Galatians 3:14-17
14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.
Galatians goes on to talk of the promise and relate it to the two covenants.
Galatians 4:21-26
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Now verse 24 gives us the idea that the promise to Abraham is also related to the new covenant or new testament. The two mountains, correspond to the bond woman and the free woman; the old covenant and the new covenant. Scholars like to make lists of multiple covenants. You hear about the Adamic Covenant, the Noahide [?] covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, the Davidic covenant, and on and on. This only brings us complication and confusion. Galatians 4:24 tells us that there are just two covenants. They are described and compared in differing ways throughout scripture. Still there are just two, just as there were two trees in the garden. You can see their contrast laid out in Hebrews 12.
Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Note that here the mountain that burnt with fire is the Mt. Sinai; and Mount Zion is the heavenly Jerusalem, Jerusalem which is above as mentioned in Galatians 4.
In Mathew 24, this promise is clearly linked with the end times.
Mathew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
The promise that the nations would be justified is called the gospel of the kingdom. The terms ‘nations,’ ‘heathen,’ ‘Gentiles,’ and ‘families or tribes of the earth’ all mean the same. In Revelation they are spoken of as of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Today missionaries speak of them as people groups or ethnic groups.
The promise given to Abraham and the fathers is the gospel of the kingdom. The fulfillment of that promise is the new testament.
In Romans 8 the two covenants are explained as laws. One is the law of sin and death, the other is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Being free from sin and death is the liberty that comes in Christ. Second Corinthians 3, in talking about the ministration of the spirit, concludes with these verses.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Colossians 1:13 contrasts the two covenants another way, likening the new covenant as the Kingdom of God.
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Results
The New Covenant has an end time fulfillment which we have found mentioned or implied in six different places.
What Is The New Covenant?
We have seen so far that the New Covenant means that the law will be put into us and written in our hearts. He will do this by putting his spirit into us, in such a degree that it will give us the Fear of the Lord. This will cause us to obey with the result that we shall not depart from him.
This is like saying we will automatically know his will and it will be impossible for us to sin. Now that’s pretty amazing. The full impact of this will prove to be totally awesome.
So are we under the law, old covenant, or under grace, the new covenant? What does the bible say?
Romans 6:14
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Here Romans 6 is saying just about what we said above. That is those under grace do not sin. A lot of people want to take this verse, Romans 6:14 and run with it. But if you check out what it says in Galatians 5, you will see that there is a condition for all this, being led by the Spirit. The text in Romans is addressed to those led by the spirit.
Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
So the safe conclusion is this: In so far as you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. When the Spirit is poured out in the end times, those who walk in it will not be under the law. As the Holy Spirit moves in our lives before that time, we have a foretaste or sample of the New Covenant. That is, insofar as we are led by the Spirit, we have a foretaste of the New Covenant. In the End times when we are to be led by the Spirit on a continual basis, that will be the fulfillment of the New Covenant.
Now to put it another way, for clarity’s sake, the promise of a new covenant has been with us since Genesis 12, the promise to Abraham. We are still waiting in faith on that promise. Let us not confuse the promise with the fulfillment. By faith in that promise, we have a hope of being saved by grace. The fulfillment of the promise, is the confirming of the covenant, the salvation revealed in the last days. This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The New Covenant As Covered In The New Testament!
In the New Testament writings, the Greek part of the bible, the effects of being under the New Covenant are described in a great many more ways. All of these are a part of the new covenant and will be aspects of the end time church.
We are going to summarize these quickly and skip the usual scripture references. This will let you get a quick idea of the many things that are included in the new covenant, which still await their end time fulfillment.
Summary
To be under the New Covenant includes the following ideas; and lots more besides.
The Law is in your heart, so you cannot sin.
Sin has no dominion over you.
You are dead to the flesh; dead to self.
You are not under the law [the fig tree], you are under grace.
Perfect love casts out all fear.
You have reached maturity of the believer and have put away childish things.
You are crucified with Christ.
You are in Christ therefore You are a new creation, old things have passed away.
You have the mind of Christ.
You have entered the Kingdom of God.
You are ruling and reigning with him in heavenly places.
You are hidden in Christ.
You have become a member of the Body of Christ, assembled and fitted into your proper place.
You are part of the Bride of Christ.
You are the temple of the Holy Ghost.
You belong to the household of God.
You have the Fear of the Lord abiding in you.
You have gone through the baptism of fire, and you are baptized into Christ.
You are partaking in the Divine Nature, and the Holiness of the Lord.
Righteous, peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost are your continual companions.
You have become a Son of God.
You are free from sin and death through life in Christ Jesus.
God is dwelling in your midst.
You have been made perfect in obedience.
You belong to the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn.
You have gone up to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Zion, the Holy Hill.
You are resting in the Ark of Safety, the ship of the Lord.
You have come to God’s resting place and entered into his rest.
You have been clothed in righteousness, the full armor of God.
You have ceased from your own works, the dead works of the flesh.
You have been conformed to the image of his son; going from glory to glory.
You shall be like him, for you shall see him as he is.
You have hidden the word in your heart. Christ in you, the hope of Glory.
You have reached promised land, the place of the blessing, The Blessing of Abraham, the fulfillment of Psalm 133.
Psalms 133:1-3
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
One more thing needs to be emphasized pertaining to the New Covenant.
Revelation 1:1-3
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.