THE NEW COVENANT
The most important thing that a member of the Body of Christ needs to understand when it comes to the New Covenant is that the Church, the Body of Christ, cannot possibly be under the New Covenant. We, the Body of Christ, are not under the Law. The New Covenant specifies that the Law will be written on a person’s heart and that they will do the Law. We, the Body of Christ, do not have a land, but yet the New Covenant states “you’ll be brought into the land”. We, the Body of Christ, need teachers. Ephesians 4:11 (and 1 Cor 12:28) says that Christ gave the Body of Christ teachers for the Body’s edification. If we are going to be ambassadors for the Lord, we better study to show ourselves approved unto God, just as we are instructed (2 Tim 2:15 KJV).
The New Covenant is made exclusively with the house of Israel and the house of Judah (Jer 31:31, 33; Heb 8:8, 10). It has not and will not be made with Gentiles or with the Church which is His Body. Gentiles were “strangers from the covenants of promise” (Eph 2:12), and the Body of Christ has neither Jew nor Gentile designated within it (Col 3:11).
The New Covenant is God’s provision for Israel to do what they could not do under the Old Covenant: He writes His law on their hearts and puts His Spirit in them so they walk in His statutes (Jer 31:33; Ezek 36:26-27; Heb 8:10). The New Covenant includes national restoration to the land, forgiveness of Israel’s sins, all knowing the Lord so that they no longer need to teach one another, and Israel becoming the channel of blessing. It remains unfulfilled and incomplete until after the fullness of the Gentiles, when “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11:25-27).
The Body of Christ is not under the Law (Rom 6:14) and therefore cannot be under either the Old or New Covenant, both of which involve the Law. Believers today receive complete, present salvation, forgiveness, and all spiritual blessings in Christ by grace through the mystery revealed to Paul, without covenant terms or performance. Putting the Church under the New Covenant “robs” it of its already-complete position in Christ (Col 2:10).
When studying the New Covenant, there are certain questions that should arise within the mind of those who rightly divide the word of truth:
1) What are the specific “parameters” set within the New Covenant?
2) When will the New Covenant be instituted?
3) Was there a full or partial fulfillment of the New Covenant at Pentecost in Acts 2?
4) Were Peter, the 12 apostles to Israel, and the Little Flock operating under the specifications of the New Covenant before 70AD?
5) Did Peter, any of the 12, or a member of the Little Flock sin before 70AD, something that cannot be done once the New Covenant is implemented?
6) Can a member of the Little Flock, during Daniel’s 70th Week, sin?
The New Covenant – verses/passages that should be consulted when researching:
> Jeremiah 31:31-40
Who is this covenant made with?
See Jer 31:31 and Jer 31:33
A: Israel!
> Ezekiel 36:22-38
The New Covenant is reiterated, in greater detail, and notice that it is all about the nation Israel
> Joel 2:28-29
> Deuteronomy 30:1-8
> Isaiah 55:1-5
Isaiah 55:3 illustrates the relationship of the New Covenant to the Davidic Covenant
> Isaiah 59:20-21
Israel will be a nation forever
> Isaiah 61:1-62:5
This is all about Israel in their land, married to the land, and it is everlasting
> Jeremiah 30:22-31:4; 32:37-42; 33:14-18
> Ezekiel 11:16-21; 16:58-63: 34:25-31; 37:26-28
> Hosea 2:14-23
The New Covenant even affects the beasts (animals) of the earth
This certainly has not happened yet
> Hebrews 8:6-13
> Romans 11:25-27
God completely takes away their sins when the New Covenant is instituted
The following are a collection of passages that the student of the Bible must be familiar with in order to understand the New Covenant:
[Jer 31:31-34 KJV] 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.
[Eze 11:16-21 KJV] 16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. 19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord GOD.
[Eze 36:24-28 KJV] 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.
[Joe 2:28-29 KJV] 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.
[Rom 11:26-27 KJV] 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.
What are the particular features, the specifications, of the New Covenant?
Read all of the verses/passages provided above. The number one thing we must understand is that God gets all the glory in this subject! He says “I will” and not “if you will” … God does it all.
- The New Covenant is everlasting. (it is the final covenant and there will not be another one made with Israel)
- It fulfills everything and is perfect. (because God does it all)
- It is a covenant made by the grace of God. Yes, Israel has to do the Law, endure to the end, etc., but in the end, they do not deserve the New Covenant, and it is given to them by grace. (1 Pet 1:10)
- It is by the blood of Christ (Heb 12:24). It was the blood of bulls and goats in the Old Covenant, but it is by the blood of Christ under the New Covenant. It is blood that washes away all their sins.
- They (Israel) have all their sins blotted out. (Acts 3:19-21)
- The Lord will be their righteousness.
- They are born again of the Spirit of God. Their righteousness is God’s righteousness. It is God working in and through them. (1 Pet 1:3 – He “hath begotten us again”) See Exodus 4:22.
- The Law of Liberty is in place. The Law of Liberty that James talks about is the Law. Peter called it a “yoke upon the neck” in Acts 15:7-10. Paul called it a ‘yoke of bondage’ (Gal 5:1). It is a yoke of bondage to those who have to keep it in order to be saved. When the nation is saved and they are under a New Covenant, it is a Law of Liberty. Why? Because they are filled with the Holy Ghost and when you are filled with the Holy Ghost, it is not hard to keep God’s commandments. It will become a Law of Liberty to them (Israel) because it will be written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit. They will do His commandments perfectly.
- Israel will be married to the land, never to be taken out of it again.
- Israel will be remarried to God (the Bride of prophecy).
- They will be doubly blessed in their land. Job is a picture of the Godly remnant of Israel going through Daniel’s 70th Week and they are blessed double afterwards, in the land.
- Temple worship will be more glorious than ever.
- There will be world peace and even the animals will be at peace.
- There will be no need for teachers amongst them. They will be the teachers, filled with the Holy Spirit. That is what Matthew 28 (teach all nations (about the Law of God)) is all about.
When will the New Covenant be instituted?
A: at the Second Coming of Christ. (Rom 11:25-27)
God will make the New Covenant with the nation Israel after the 70th Week of Daniel (Dan 9:24). There is a seven-year period that God is going to bring Israel through. He is going to chasten them. They must go through that time of chastening. They will repent and He will bring them under the New Covenant. Once the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in, this age will end with the PreTrib Rapture of the Church, Israel will be chastened, and Israel will be saved and will be placed under the New Covenant (Rom 11:27).
Was there a full or partial fulfillment of the New Covenant at Pentecost in Acts 2?
The Little Flock was operating in some sort of quasi–New Covenant environment, realizing some of the promises, but they were certainly not fully under the New Covenant, and will not be until they are spiritually regathered back into the land at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period. Acts 2 (Pentecost) was an event for Israel’s remnant (the Little Flock), involving Spirit empowerment tied to New Covenant promises. The New Covenant itself is not fully instituted or realized for the nation Israel until Christ’s Second Coming.
Pentecost empowerment was a prophesied result of the institution of the New Covenant made with Israel. The spirit-filled, single-minded life of the disciples was supernaturally caused by the contract of the New Covenant (Ezekiel 36:24-27 – new heart and new spirit). This produced fruit expected of New Covenant participants, yet their salvation remained held in abeyance until the return of the Lord. The full national implementation (no more teachers needed, sins remembered no more for the whole nation, gathering to the land, etc.) is still future.
The Little Flock “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42), and when they were scattered the apostles had to write to them, instructing them how to live among the gentiles. The specification of the New Covenant would make these things unnecessary and under the New Covenant no one would need to teach them.
The concluding verses within Acts 4 certainly paint a picture of at least a “partial fulfillment” of the New Covenant being implemented:
[Act 4:32-35 KJV] 32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
…but immediately following these verses, we read the account of Ananias and Sapphira:
[Act 5:1-4 KJV] 1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
Also, within Acts 6, there was a murmuring within the Little Flock (Acts 6:1). That doesn’t fit into the description of the New Covenant’s specifications.
Keep in mind that Peter wasn’t proclaiming the New Covenant to Israel within the book of Acts, he was preaching the kingdom. The New Covenant won’t be applied until after Israel accepts their Messiah and the kingdom.
Were Peter, the 12 apostles to Israel, and the Little Flock operating under the specifications of the New Covenant before 70AD?
Keep in mind that the specifications of the New Covenant include the fact that they, the nation Israel, will have all of their sins blotted out, they will be sinless, and that Israel will be within its prophesied boundaries of its promised land and will be doubly-blessed within the land. The following assortment of verses do not describe that arrangement:
[Act 5:11 KJV] 11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
[Act 8:1 KJV] 1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
[Act 11:19 KJV] 19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
[Act 12:12-15 KJV] 12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. 14 And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. 15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
Did Peter, any of the 12, or a member of the Little Flock sin before 70AD, something that cannot be done once the New Covenant is implemented?
[Act 10:13-15 KJV] 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
[Gal 2:11 KJV] 11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Putting aside the actions of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and avoiding the debate of whether they were saved or not to begin with, we do have to ask the question of whether or not the Bible represents that Peter sinned within the first half of the book of Acts, the portion of Scripture in which he was given the keys to the kingdom (Mt 16:19), but later we see James taking his place as the head of the Little Flock church that was in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13; 21:18). These verses do indicate that Peter was in sin within those accounts.
Can a member of the Little Flock, during Daniel’s 70th Week, sin?
The book of Revelation is one massive warning about being an overcomer, not taking the Mark of the Beast during Daniel’s 70th Week, and enduring to the end – the “end” being Christ’s Second Coming. If the “terms” of (the conditions described within) the New Covenant are in place during Daniel’s 70th Week for those who will enter the Kingdom then there would be no need to warn them about taking the Mark of the Beast, falling away from the faith, and thus forfeiting salvation.
Conclusion
Pentecost in Acts 2 was a real but limited experience of New Covenant-related blessings (the Spirit poured out, one heart, signs and wonders) for the Little Flock, while the complete New Covenant – God writing the Law on every heart so they will keep it perfectly, no teachers needed, national restoration, sins taken away for all Israel – awaits the Second Coming after Daniel’s 70th Week.
The New Covenant was confirmed/mediated by Christ’s blood (Lk 22:20; Heb 8–9; Heb 12:24) but not yet fully instituted or realized for the nation of Israel within the book of Acts. Fulfillment occurs at Christ’s Second Coming, at Israel’s future national salvation, and not at Pentecost in Acts 2. Pentecost belongs to Peter’s remnant ministry to Israel (the Little Flock). There were some signs and a “quasi” or partial experience of New Covenant promises, but it was not a full implementation in Acts 2. The remnant still needed teachers, experienced sin and murmuring, suffered persecution and scattering, and Israel was not gathered into the land under the New Covenant’s terms. Peter preached the kingdom, not the New Covenant as fully applied, in Acts 2.
The Body of Christ and the mystery begin later with Paul (Acts 9). The book of Hebrews and the other Hebrew epistles (Heb – Rev) address this remnant of Israel transitioning toward the New Covenant, not the Body of Christ.
Interested in learning more about the New Covenant?
See our article: The New Covenant According to Prophecy