When we hear the term 'New Testament', we immediately think of the latter part of our Bibles. However, those writings contained in the section called 'The New Testament' are not the New Testament itself, but the writings of those Jews who had entered into God's 'Renewed Covenant'.
Often it is implied that the 'New Testament' is something different from the old. This is not the case. To begin with, the word 'new' in the context of the 'New Covenant' in both Hebrew (chadash) and Greek (kainos), means 'fresh'. The New Covenant (or Testament) is simply a refreshed, already existing Covenant.
We firstly read about the Renewed Covenant in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel:
"Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant (b'rit chadasha) with the house of Israel and the house of Judah... this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law in the midst of them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" Jeremiah 31:31-33.
"A new heart I will give you, a new spirit will I put within you; and I will remove the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit with you and cause you to walk in my commandments, and you shall keep my judgments and do them" Ezekiel 36:26,27.
1. Who is the Covenant renewed with? "The whole house of Israel".
2. What is the definition of the Renewed Covenant? "I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and cause you to walk in my commandments".
3. What is the evidence that a person has received the renewed Covenant? "And you shall keep my judgments and do them".
So what in fact is 'fresh' about the Covenant? Ezekiel clarifies this question in saying that the 'new' part is the state of the receiver's heart - no longer a heart of stone, but a heart of flesh; no longer just ritual and legalism, but faith, love and obedience. After years of backsliding, Israel certainly needed a Renewed Covenant.
When Moses had finished relating the words of the Covenant (Torah) to the people, it was sealed with these words:
"The people said, 'We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.' Then Moses took the blood (of the sacrifice), sprinkled it on the people and said, 'This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words." Exodus 24:7,8
Yeshua renewed this same Covenant with the same words: "This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you." Luke 22:20
Throughout Biblical history, YHVH entered into various Covenants (Testaments) with His people Israel. Only one of these Covenants was conditional - the Covenant at Sinai:
"IFyou shall hearken diligently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I commanded you this day, the LORD your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth; and all these blessings shall come upon you." Deut. 28:1,2. Because this Covenant was dependent on the behaviour of the people, only this Covenant required renewing.
Deuteronomy 28 sets out the consequences of the covenant, which in fact is a marriage contract between Israel and God. Israel, however, did not keep her marriage vow to God - "we will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey" - and so, in order for YHVH to fulfil all His Covenants with Israel, this one had to be renewed for all time.
As we have discussed in previous articles, Yeshua renewed the Covenant by paying the price of Israel's sin - death - with his own life. He also took upon himself the sin of Adam and once again restored the hope of eternal life. Through Yeshua, the price is eternally paid and the Covenant eternally renewed. This therefore, is YHVH's last Will and Testament.
The blood of Messiah sealed all the promises YHVH had made to the heir of the Covenants - Israel. Once this Testament was sealed, nothing and no-one could ever change it.
Hebrews 6:17,18 says: "Therefore, because God wanted more abundantly to show to the heirs of promise that his agreement was unchangeable, he sealed it by an oath. Thus, by the promise and by the oath, both of which are unchangeable, and in neither of which could God lie, we find courage to hold fast to the hope that has been promised by him in whom we have taken refuge."
Again in Hebrews 9:15-17, Paul makes an interesting statement concerning the Testament or Will:
"For this cause he (Messiah) became the mediator of the new (fresh) covenant and by his death he became salvation for those who transgressed the old covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a will is presented, it shows the death of its maker. For a will is of force only after men are dead, otherwise it is useless so long as its maker lives."
Paul is revealing the picture very clearly:
1. Messiah came to renew the Covenant. Which Covenant? The one which was broken, that is, the Covenant made at Sinai.
2. Yeshua's death became salvation for whom? For those who transgressed the original Covenant - Israel.
3. The inheritance (all the Covenants), could not be released until the testator (Yeshua) died. Upon his death, the beneficiaries (Israel) were able to receive the inheritance.
Another interesting point is that when the testator (one who makes a Will) dies, the Will cannot be changed! ALL that YHVH Covenanted with Israel - every promise, blessing, commandment and above all His betrothal to her - CANNOT BE CHANGED. Yeshua's death sealed the Last Will and Testament for all time - an eternal redemption!
How arrogant then, that some three hundred years later the Will should be contested. The Roman Church in fact contested the Will by declaring to be the "New Israel" - the new Bride of God. This is what "replacement theology" is all about. It is about another woman, claiming to be the heiress, and producing documents for the purpose of changing the content of the Will and Testament.
Keeping in mind that Yeshua said concerning the Torah, "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even a yod or a dash shall pass away from the law until all of it is fulfilled" (Matt 5:18), then what in fact the Church did through her teaching, was to attempt to change the Will. Of course, in God's mind the Will can never be changed, but the Church did manage to change the Will in the minds of her followers, even convincing them that they are the new Bride and heir. This is no small deception.
Even if (and I believe it is not the case), Paul did say the Torah was abolished, then Paul's words would be invalid, as they were written after the death of Yeshua. Paul never made any such statement, but rather his teachings have been misinterpreted.
Going back for a minute to the statement in Hebrews: "For a will is of force only after men are dead...." This tells us that the inheritance was released to Israel upon Yeshua's death - before the resurrection, before Pentecost and before a single word of the "Good News" was preached. The Last Will and Testament was sealed on Golgotha.
"When will the Kingdom be restored to Israel?" asked one of the Disciples. Well, I believe restoration began on the Day of Shavuot (Pentecost) almost two thousand years ago. It was then that the Torah was received on the hearts of the heirs of the Renewed Covenant. Many others have joined themselves also to the heir - Israel. All who have faith and who by the Spirit walk in the Commandments of YHVH, are partakers of the New Covenant and fellow-heirs with Israel.
In the last century, as YHVH promised Abraham, Israel has received more of her inheritance with the Jewish people's restoration to their land. And soon, as YHVH promised David, the Throne of Messiah will be established in Zion.
"I am the LORD, I change not." Malachi 3:6
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