Tag Archives: Renewed Covenant

YHVH’s Covenants: Who Is at Fault and What Is Vanishing Away?

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Hebrews 8:13, Ready to vanish away. Many who read this verse assume that the writer is saying that the Torah-law was ready to vanish away ergo the law has been done away. This belief is orthodox Christianity! But is this what the author is saying here? Read it again? Is he saying that the law is vanishing away or the covenant is vanishing away? The latter! What is the difference between the two?

Contract form–21599635

The covenant was nothing more than a contract between YHVH and the people of Israel that he made with them at Mount Sinai (Exod 19–24). Think of a modern contract (e.g., buying a car, a house or agreeing to pay for services rendered). A contract is nothing more than an agreement between two or more parties. Then you have the terms of the contract. If one party fails to keep up his end of the agreement, does that mean that the terms of the contract are evil? Not at all. It means that one party failed to keep his word and the contract was then voided.

The same was true with the contract of the “Old Covenant” that YHVH made with the Israelites. The terms were that if they would worship him and obeyed his Torah-laws, he would bless them, and if not, he would punish them. They agreed to these terms three times (Exod 19:8; 24:3,7), yet they ended up not keeping their word and worshipping false gods and breaking his laws again and again. After hundreds of years of unfaithfulness, they finally totally abandoned YHVH. The covenant was broken for good. But did their unfaithfulness to his Torah-laws mean that his instructions in righteousness were evil, or that their hearts were evil? Logic dictates the answer to be the latter.

To say that the Torah was evil and needed to be obliterated (or done away with) is like saying when you get a speeding ticket, the speed laws should be eliminated. Of course, this is absurd, and so it is to say that the laws of YHVH need to be eliminated because the people violated the covenant thus rendering it null and void.

Here are some more observation on the subject of the Old Covenant vanishing away and giving way to the New Covenant: Continue reading →

 

The New Covenant? Now or Later?

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Jeremiah 31:31, New covenant. When does this new covenant take effect?

covenant

Yeshua initiated the new covenant at the Last Supper (Matt 26:28), and will finalize it as per this prophecy at his second coming. It will be finalized after YHVH has gathered (or redeemed, v. 11) all the families of Israel (v. 1; i.e., the houses of Ephraim or Israel­—loosely speaking, the Christians and Judah—loosely speaking, the Jewish people, vv. 9, 20, 27, 31) from the north country, the coasts of the earth and the isles (vv. 8, 10) where they have been scattered, and brings them back to Zion (the land of Israel) with joy, singing and dancing (vv. 12–13, 24). Obviously, this hasn’t happened yet in its entirety. This will occur after Ephraim (Christians) repents (v. 20, of Torahlessness) and YHVH’s daughter turns away from her backsliding (vv. 21–22), and comes out of her captivity (v. 23, in spiritual Egypt or Babylon the Great, see Rev 18:4).

At that time, YHVH will make (or finalize) a new or renewed covenant with the two houses of Israel (vv. 31–33).

Also at this time, all Israel will know Elohim from the least to the greatest. Again, this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. The writer of Hebrews quotes this verse in Hebrews 8:8. (See notes at Heb 8:8.)

 

Redemption: The Strong Arm of YHVH to Save His People (pt 2)

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Exodus 6:6–7, I will. Now let’s explore the concept of redemption as it applies to the four cups of wine drunk during the Passover (Pesach) Seder. The first four “I wills” of Exodus 6:6–7 are central to the Passover Seder. The four cups in the Passover Seder represent the four I wills that YHVH declares over Israel:

Yeshua the Redeemer is the Lamb of Elohim

Yeshua the Redeemer is the Lamb of Elohim

1. “I will bring you out” is represented in the Cup of Sanctification.

2. “I will rid you out of their bondage” is represented in the Cup of Deliverance.

3. “I will redeem you” is represented in the Cup of Redemption.

4. “I will take you to me” is represented in the Cup of Praise or Completion. This last cup is marriage language. He is taking Israel to be his bride. We still use this type of language in our modern marriage ceremony.

The Abrahamic Covenant has seven “I wills” from YHVH as well:

“And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” And Abram fell on his face, and Elohim talked with him, saying, “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations [Strong’s H14871, goyim]. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations [goyim, or “a nation, people, a confluence, a body politic”] of you, and kings shall come out of you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be an Elohim unto you, and to your seed after you. And I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their Elohim.” (Gen 17:2–8, emphasis added)

The Renewed Covenant of the Testimony of Yeshua also has seven “I wills” from YHVH:

“Behold, the days come,” says YHVH, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah; 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 break, although I was an husband unto them,” says YHVH, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days,” says YHVH, “I will put my law [or Torah] in their inward parts, and [I will] write it in their hearts; and will be their Elohim, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know YHVH,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says YHVH, for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer 31:31–34, emphasis added)

This last covenant is the one that Yeshua is in the process of making with redeemed Israel. He started the process at his last supper (Matt 26:28; 1 Cor 11:25). This process continues to this day (Heb 8:8–13), and will be finalized after Yeshua’s second coming (Ezek 34:25; 37:26; Jer 32:40; 50:5). This covenant is Yeshua’s marriage covenant with his blood-bought bride—redeemed Israel, the saints.

Please note that each successive covenant YHVH makes with his people is based on and is an expansion of the previous covenant/s. The concept of YHVH redeeming his people from sin is an ancient one, yet is constantly expanding and extending into the future. YHVH’s love and outreach to his people knows no limits!

 

Back to the Future with Moses at Mount Sinai

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Moses’s bringing the children of Israel into a covenantal (marriage) agreement with YHVH at the foot of Mount Sinai contains powerful prophetic symbolism that applies to us now. Point-by-point, it foretold the steps that Yeshua would take through his death on the cross as he brought the spiritually lost (you and me) into a covenantal (marital) relationship with him.

Exodus 24:6, Moses sprinkled half the blood of a sacrificed animal on the altar, which prophetically pointed to Yeshua shedding his blood on the cross, so that we might enter into a covenantal relationship with YHVH. The wine Yeshua drank at the last supper that ratified the Renewed Covenant signified the blood he was about to shed at the cross (Matt 26:26–28). When we as redeemed believers drink the third cup (i.e., communion) of the Passover Seder and eat the bread, we are signifying our marital commitment to YHVH-Yeshua. We are accepting the terms (our marriage agreement or ketubah) of the covenant—the Renewed Covenant, which includes the Torah being written on our hearts by the Spirit of Elohim (Jer 33:31–33; Heb 8:8–10).

Exodus 24:7, Israel agreed to the terms of the ketubah the third time (see also Exod 19:8 and 24:3). As Israel pledged loyalty and obedience to YHVH, even so, we also must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Yeshua was raised from the dead, and then walk in righteousness, which is obedience to the Torah (Rom 10:9–13; Ps 119:172).

Exodus 24:8, Moses sprinkled the blood of an innocent animal over the people, which is a prophetic picture of Yeshua shedding his blood at the cross for the redemption of sinners from the penalty of sin, so that they might enter in a sinless state into a covenantal relationship with YHVH (Heb 9:18–22).

Exodus 24:9–12, Only after the blood of the sacrificed animal was shed and sprinkled over the people were the elders permitted access into the Presence of Elohim. Only through the shed blood of Yeshua and through the veil of his flesh are we able to come boldly to Elohim’s throne of grace (Heb 10:19–20; 4:16).