The New Covenant
by: EvedYah
©1999
The New Covenant is described for us in Jeremiah 31:
31 Behold, the days come, saith YHVH, 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 YHVH:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith YHVH, 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 YHVH: for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith YHVH: for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.
The chapter finishes out with G-d's promise that in that covenant, never again would His nation, Yisrael be removed from before Him.
We see very similar words repeated in the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 8:
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith YHVH,
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 YHVH.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith YHVH; 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 YHVH: 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.
The passage goes on to say:
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.
For centuries now, it has been taught that since the "New Testament" is the
"New Covenant" Scriptures and since the Ruach now resides in the fleshy temple
of the believer, that the Old Covenant is a thing of the past and we now
live in the New Covenant. It is plenty well past time to take a critical
look at this claim. And before anyone abandons reading this article
and condemns me as a "Judaizer" or preacher of works instead of grace, let
me remind you of Proverbs 18:
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame
unto him.
Let us begin by remembering that the Old Covenant deals with sinful man. It provides for a blood atonement, a priestly system and even a high priest. It mandates an Ark of that Covenant which is topped with a "Mercy Seat." The Old Covenant Scriptures speak of a coming Moshiach, Anointed One, a Restorer. The Old Covenant is the relational parameters between G-d and His people. Within it are Mitzvot to be learned and obeyed. And within it is a system for obtaining mercy / grace when those Mitzvot are violated.
Y'shua HaMoshach, the eternal Cohen Gadol, does not do away with those
parameters. Instead, He becomes the acting High Priest between the
covenanted people and G-d. His Blood is on the Mercy Seat, even at
this very moment that you are reading about it. If the Old Covenant
were a thing of the past, so would be our hope of redemption by Blood.
The parameters given regarding the New Covenant are...
1. ...made with Yisrael and Y'hudah.
2. ... not according to the Covenant made at Sinai.
3. ...YHVH will put His Torah in their inward parts, their hearts.
4. ...YHVH will be their G-d and they shall be His (and none other's)
people.
5. ...No one will be going about saying "know YHVH" (witnessing)
6. ...Everyone will know YHVH.
7. ...He will remember their sin no more.
Let us consider each of these points and determine if they have been enacted yet or if these are things yet in the future.
1. The New Covenant is made with Yisrael and Y'hudah. After reading the parameters of the New Covenant it would be foolish to claim that this has been put in place. The Restoration of Yisrael and Y'hudah has not happened. HaMoshiach is still seeking that which is lost, drawing men to repentance by the Ruach haKodesh. There are and have been millions of the descendants of Avraham that have rejected YHVH, been bitter toward Him, even a goodly number claim(ed) to be atheists. How can it be concluded that an atheist knows the L-rd? What atheist has Torah written on the heart?
2. The New Covenant will not be according to the one made at Mt. Sinai. The Covenant made there is one of a system of mercy and restoration. It defines how to make amends for violations (sins) and be restored. There is no mention in the New Covenant parameters of sin, blood, priests or a Mercy Seat. There are no promises of cursings for non-compliance (sin). The Old Covenant states that if the people of the Covenant do these things, they shall be greatly blessed and preserved and it goes on to promise that if they fail to live by that Covenant, they will reap sore consequences.
The Old Covenant requires sacrifice for atonement. Any notion that the Old Covenant is a thing of the past relegates the entire system of atonement to the past. Yes, the priesthood has changed. No longer does one approach a Levitical priest with an annual, temporal sacrifice. The Eternal High priest, of the Order of Malki-Tzedek, is currently officiating in that capacity. He is the High Priest that Covenant. And only when all have been atoned for, that is, when personal restoration is complete, He will then put in place the New Covenant of which He will be the Cohen Gadol (High Priest). It must be remembered that the New Covenant is not a covenant of blood.
3. YHVH will put Torah in the inward parts, in the heart. The Old Covenant requires that we study the Torah, learn it, hide it in our hearts that we sin not (don't violate it). RavShaul said to Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto G-d, a workman needing not to be ashamed, rightly giving out the Word of Truth (Torah). No, regardless of the voices of authority that shout that the Torah is now written on the heart, all evidence is to the contrary. Countless are the men who have come to YHVH seeking the atoning Blood of Moshiach Y'shua yet say foolish things like, We're not under Torah now; we're under grace. They fail to see that Torah is Grace, comes to us from a heart of Grace, provides a system for obtaining Grace, and that Torah Himself is the One Who mediates that Grace and that when we saw Him, Torah in Flesh, we saw that He was full of both Grace and Torah.
Y'shua, in response to the leadership of a Torah observant society reminded them that the objective of Torah is to love G-d with all the heart, soul, mind and strength and to love one's neighbor as himself. He did not suggest that love is all that one needs. He stated that if on perfectly loves, then all of his Torah observance will be anchored in love rather than Torah observance itself being the desired end. Love perfectly, and you will not violate Torah.
The Old Covenant requires that we study it, learn it, hide it in our hearts. The Apostles and Y'shua support that activity. When the New Covenant is put in place, no longer will it's subjects be required to hide it in their hearts. No longer will be heard words like, Thank G-d we're not under that Old Testament Jewish bondage. YHVH Himself will write Torah on hearts. Men will be in a new environment. The present heavens and earth will pass away with fervent heat and be replaced with new.
4. YHVH will be their G-d and they shall be His (and none other's) people. YHVH states plainly that in the New Covenant He will be their G-d and they shall be His people. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, we see these same words in Revelation 21 with regards to the New Heavens and New Earth (all things restored):
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.
These are the words we read in Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8. "I will be their G-d and they shall be my people." Someone might say, this has always been true. No, not when they served other gods and and made themselves people of other gods. Yes, it is true that there is not G-d but YHVH in the "long haul." But if that idea is to be the only thought, then the First Commandment would not be necessary, which forbids other gods. In the New Covenant, there will be no more "other gods." YHVH will be their G-d and they shall belong to none other but Him.
5. No one will be going about saying "know YHVH" (witnessing) Moshiach, the
Progenitor of the New Covenant said these words in Mt 28:
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
RavShaul, the Apostle to the Goyim, said of himself, years after the Resurrection
and Ascension of Moshiach in 1 Cor 9:
16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity
is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
If the New Covenant is in place now, how come it is that we are to go about "saying Know the L-rd?" The New Covenant plainly says that no one will be witnessing, preaching the Gospel, attempting to get people to "know the L-rd." The very fact that today, the people of G-d are to be proclaiming the Good News and bringing sinners to the Truth of the Gospel is bold evidence that the New Covenant is not yet in place.
6. Everyone will know YHVH. Remember that the New Covenant is made with "the House of Yisrael and the House of Y'hudah. And it says "THEY shall all know me, from the least of THEM to the greatest of THEM." If the New Covenant is in place now, then the Baptists can forget their "Jerusalem First" campaigns and the Messianics can dispense with their efforts to reach their fellow citizens. The fact stands that all Yisrael and all Y'hudah do not "know the L-rd" and do not have Torah written on their hearts. Many of them violate Shabbat, Laws of Kashruit, and much more. This point that everyone will know YHVH proves beyond doubt that the New Covenant is not the current economy.
7. He will remember their sin no more. The L-rd looks on us every day we live. He sees our actions. He knows our thoughts, fears and inhibitions. How can He who reads the heart and mind not see those thoughts and memories there. How many people have prayed for forgiveness of some deed over and over again? With every remembrance of an evil deed, the Omniscient One knows those thoughts.
Furthermore, all the works will be brought up in judgment. Some will be gold, silver and precious stones. Others will be wood hay and stubble. These things will be subjected to fire and only the precious metals will endure it. This is yet to happen. Today, we have the promise that G-d will not remember our sins "against us" any longer. If our sins have been judged on the Cross of Calvary, then they will no longer be remembered "against us." The repentant has been purged of them. But they are not yet forgotten. Only after all judgment has been done and all things restored will all memory of sins be wholly forgotten. This is the promise of the New Covenant for the New World.
So then, if the New Covenant is not yet in place, what do we have? We
have the wonderful Instructions given us from Mt. Sinai. They tell
us we are sinners and are in need of a Blood Sacrifice. They tell us
of G-d's great love for us and His provision of atonement. And more
than that, since the Ruach HaKodesh moved on His people in Yerushalayim as
recorded in Acts 2, G-d has given His people His Spirit to indwell them.
This is done as a seal, a guarantee of the New Covenant and the Olam
haBa, World to Come. The New Testament Scriptures reveal the coming
of Moshiach and His meeting the requirements of the Old Covenant. They
reveal how that He is the Cohen Gadol of the Order of Malki-Tzedek. They
reveal the giving of the Ruach HaKodesh. They reveal more about the
Olam haBa and the New Covenant to be in place when the old earth is past
along with the Old Covenant. Note the words in Hebrews 8:
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
We are NOT told that the Old Covenant is a thing of the past. The concept presented is that we have been told of a New Covenant, therefore the existing covenant is considered the old one. This is only to distinguish between the two Covenants. Note the words: "Now that which decayeth and waxeth (present tense - is waxing) old is ready to vanish away. He did not say that it has vanished away. Rather it is waxing old and is ready to vanish away. RavShaul says in Romans 8:22 "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." All is ready for restoration. When the work of seeking the lost sheep has been completed, then they all will be brought into the fold of a restored earth and a New Covenant. Until then, we rest in the atonement of the Passover Lamb's Blood on the Mercy Seat and rely on Him as our Mediator between us and the Father. Baruch atah Ad-nai Eloheynu, Melek ha Olam for the Covenant He has made with us through the Fathers and ratified in Y'shua HaMoshiach! And Baruch atah Ad-nai Eloheynu for giving us His Ruach as the guarantee, our sealing until the Day of Restoration when all will be made new!
Y'varech'cha Adonai v'yishm'recha Ya-ayr Adonai panav aylecha veechunnekka
Yissa Adonai panav aylecha v'yasaym l'cha shalom. B'Midbar (Numbers)
6:24-26
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