The New Covenant
In previous Dispensations studies, we have discussed the different covenants between man and God in the Old Testament, We will now commence with a brief overview of all of the covenants found in the New Testament.
By studying the New Testament covenants, as we have also seen with other covenants, you will find what makes many of the wrong doctrines of today false.
Now, we have discussed that the reason people fall into wrong doctrine is because of their lack of knowledge of the different covenants and their respective terms. Just as in other covenants, we will point out any of those false doctrines as they come.
Before we begin, it is important to stress that the covenants found in the New Testament are to be divided into two groups: Jews & Gentiles and Church. This is because God was still primarily dealing with the Jews through physical dealings (due to the dead spiritual nature of man ever since Adam). This changed, however, when Jesus came into the scene, therefore introducing many spiritual doctrines (He had the authority to do this because He was born of the Holy Spirit and could therefore give it).
New Covenant: Jews & Gentiles and the Church
Now, as we study the two parts of the New Covenant, you will realize that each covenant found here will not be just Jew & Gentile or just Church related. It will be a mix of both. Again, this is due to Jesus introducing spiritual doctrine while He was still focusing on the physical Jews.
That being said, the post-tribulation rapture and the physical kingdom on earth are for the Jews because they are not spiritual, and as we know, the Church is spiritual. You will also see this in the four Gospels where it is mostly doctrine for the Jews with some Christian elements found in the gospel of John. Note the beginning of the transition from physical to spiritual and from Jew to Christian respectively.
The 4 Gospels
Hyperdispensationalists believe that the four Gospels have nothing to do with the Church when in fact there are spiritual doctrines that apply to us. Most Churches today, however, believe that the entirety of the New Testament applies to them, even the physical parts, when it is not so; it’s for the Jews.
The Apostles
When the Apostles came in, it was still transitional. They were primarily dealing with the Jews physically but were transitioning to spiritual Christians. Because of this, many Christians believe the book of Acts and the general Epistles applies to them. Hyperdispensationalists believe that they apply to the Jews only. These two groups are both mistaken as the book of Acts and general Epistles apply to both the Jews and the Church, but only when separating physical and spiritual doctrine respectively.
The Apostle Paul
As Paul comes in we see a clearer focus on the Christian Church rather than the Jews because they are rejecting the spiritual doctrines more and more. This is why it makes sense that critics believe that Paul was the one that changed Judaism into Christianity. However, this claim is based on the lack of knowledge on dispensationalism and the difference between the covenants since Adam.
The reason Paul’s teachings were so ‘radical’ is that he was introducing so many spiritual doctrines for the Church. Now it makes sense why the Jews hated Paul but were more tolerant with the Apostles. Even the Apostle Peter called Paul’s writings hard to understand because they were spiritual. Because of the confusion on the two conflicting doctrines (physical and spiritual) a council was held to discuss which one was true in Acts 15.
However, although Paul’s ministry was directed primarily at the Christian Church, he did minister to some Jews as well. We see an example of this in Acts 19 where some Jews did not receive the Holy Spirit so he had to physically baptize them along with giving them physical signs. Other examples can be found in the book of Hebrews.
Church Age
Once we reach the Church Age, the Jews are done with. This is where replacement theology, Calvinists, and covenant theology believers mistakenly believe that God does not deal with the Jews anymore, but that the Church has replaced them as God’s people.
This is not so because during the Tribulation and Millennium, it will switch back to the Jews and the Church will be done with because of the Christian rapture. This is where post-tribbers and replacement theology wrongly apply these verses to the Christian Church.
Now, the Pauline Epistles are exclusively for the Christian Church. As mentioned before, some parts of the Four Gospels, book of Acts, and general Epistles contain spiritual doctrine and we know this when we compare them to the Pauline Epistles. By comparing these and other parts of the Bible (including Old Testament) we see many instances of spiritual doctrine found in many parts of Scripture, not just through Paul.
Tribulation & Christ’s Millennial Reign
After the Christian rapture, it goes back to dealing with the Jews. If you want to find the correct doctrine for this particular time period, you need to find every verse concerning end times. When we compare said verses to the general Epistles, we see that these epistles mention a lot of end-times doctrines. Not only that, but the four Gospels also mention end-times doctrine as well as the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning apocalyptic events.
The 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ also deals with the physical nation of Israel, again, because the Christians have already been raptured.
Now that we have covered the covenants of the New Testament, let’s go back to the beginning of the New Covenant.
Physical Dealings of the Jews
Into the beginning of the New Testament, God is still primarily dealing with the Jews physically. Thus, they are looking for a physical Messiah to rule over their physical kingdom. Because of this, it is not out of the ordinary that they have to practice physical things in order to prepare for their physical kingdom. This is done through physical water baptism, works of repentance, and confessing their sins in order to retain their salvation. This is why John the Baptist told the Jews to do something physical because their kingdom was physical.
Matthew 3:1-12 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. ”
The kingdom of heaven is mentioned, which is a physical kingdom as it is for the Jews. More evidence on the kingdom of heaven being a physical kingdom can be found in the Dispensationalism playlist.
Now that we have established that it is a physical kingdom, what do the Jews have to do in order to see it? Verse 6 provides us with the answer.
“ And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins“
We Christians do not do confess our sins before baptism but these Jews have to.
“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “
When Pharisees and Sadducees come to John the Baptist, he tells them they aren’t worthy of physical salvation. What they have to do is in the following verse.
“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:”
The Jews had to do physical works of repentance.
Verses 9-12 connect to Jews’ salvation.
“And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Recall that God will transition from dealing with the Jews to dealing with the Christian Church soon. This was a warning sign of that.
“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
If the Jews did not bring forth good fruit they went to hell. This is different from the Christians where many don’t bring many good fruits and still are saved from hell.
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance.”
John the Baptist is dealing with them physically through water baptism but he is also introducing something spiritual.
“but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
We see the introduction of a different baptism from the physical one of John the Baptist, not of water but of the Holy Spirit. Fire refers to hell here given the context of the next verse.
“Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
To sum it all up, during John the Baptist’s ministry, the Jews are expected to physically confess their sins, have a physical water baptism, and show their physical actions of repentance. Otherwise, they are not worthy of their physical kingdom, which is connected to their salvation.
Now, physical water baptism was not exclusive to John the Baptist’s ministry but was also practiced during Jesus’ ministry. Thus, Jesus was still dealing with the physical nation of Israel, not Christians.
John 3:22 “After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized.”
Jesus practices water baptism.
Now, we have seen that water baptism for salvation was a condition for the physical salvation of the Jews. Some cults, however, will use these verses to apply water baptism to a Christian’s salvation. This can be avoided through knowledge of the different covenants, time periods, and people for which this particular term is required for salvation.
Matthew 4:23-25 “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.”
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
Jesus was preaching in the synagogues about a physical kingdom for the Jews. This is why there were physical signs as well.
“and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.”
Many cults use this passage to prove that the Christian Church has physical healings today. However, they are applying this to the wrong time period, group of people, and covenant. This is for the Jews because the signs are for them. Christians are contrary to this because we walk by faith (spirit), not by sight (physical).
The Complete Salvation through Jesus’ Sacrifice
Recall the practice of animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin during the Old Testament. This is very different from what we have today, in that Jesus was the Lamb that was sacrificed so that His blood could cleanse humanity’s sins. We see this change in the New Testament.
Why is Jesus the lamb of God?
John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
This verse shows that physical animal sacrifice will no longer be required because Jesus is the sacrificed Lamb. This is the beginning of many changes that occurred when Jesus came along.
Now, recall that animal sacrifices cannot take away sin, they can only forgive it. During the Old Testament, God counted these sacrifices as righteousness for their salvation. However, animal blood could not physically take away their sins. This is why Old Testament saints could not technically enter Heaven but instead went to Abraham’s bosom, which was located in hell. Now, hell is a place where all sin goes but we know that Abraham’s bosom was a place of comfort, not torment.
We see that the blood of animals is an invalid way of cleansing sins in the following verse.
Hebrews 10:4 “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
This sets the stage for Jesus’ coming; why it was necessary for His sacrifice. Only His blood could fully cleanse us of our sins. Otherwise, we would still be practicing animal sacrifices today.
Why did Jesus have to die for us?
Now, because God is perfect, anything man does in his physical state is deemed filthy rags. However, because God was dealing with the Jews physically, He still counted their physical works, sacrifices, etc. towards their righteousness. This means that in the standard of men, they were considered perfect.
In God’s standard, it was impossible, with God being a perfect Spirit. This is why Jesus’ coming was so important. Not only did His death (via His blood) cleanse us from our sins, we also received the Holy Spirit from Him meaning that our spiritual nature that had been dead since the time of Adam was now made alive. This means that we can now be perfect in terms of God’s standards because we have His righteousness through the Holy Spirit, thus making our salvation complete.
Hebrews 9:15-17 “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.”
This passage shows that a new testament was made when Jesus died. Because of His death, we now have a perfect, complete salvation. This is different from the salvation of the Old Testament saints where they had to rely on their physical works. This salvation was not even complete because they could not attain the spiritual perfection Christ’s death provided.
What did Jesus mean when he said “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”?
But let’s take a look at what Jesus could now do with those found in Abrahams’s bosom because He was able to complete everyone’s salvation.
Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Jesus tells the thief on the cross that he will join Jesus in paradise ‘today’, the same day they both die. Paradise is in hell and we know this because Jesus spent time in the lower parts of the earth when He was buried for three days and three nights. Thus, Paradise is also Abraham’s bosom. Now, let’s see what happens when Jesus visits the lower parts of the earth, where all of the Old Testament saints were.
Ephesians 4:8-10 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”
Did Jesus descend into hell?
When Jesus ascended, He took all of the captives or Old Testament saints that were below the earth with Him to Heaven.
“(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
To sum it all up, Jesus first descended into the lower parts of the earth (hell) in order to free the Old Testament Saints from their captivity in Abraham’s bosom or Paradise and bring them to Heaven. When He took the saints up, Paradise was relocated to Heaven and we know this because of the following verse.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
We see that Paradise is now located in the third Heaven, where God is. If one were to read this without acknowledging dispensationalism, they would think this verse was random and without reason.
However, God never puts things without a reason and dispensationalism helps us to make sense of these verses. It is also how we can avoid falling for wrong doctrine. Now that we know that Abraham’s bosom or Paradise was relocated to Heaven, we can now make sense of why the Old Testament saints had to do physical things and why they could not directly go to Heaven. This is only possible through dispensationalism.
Transitioning from Jew to non-Jew
1. Jesus’ Ministry
Jesus’ ministered to the Jews because His ministry was based on physical dealings (the gospel of the kingdom, physical signs and wonders, and the physical law of Moses for salvation).
Matthew 10:5-6 “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”
“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:”
Jesus tells the disciples not to go to anyone that isn’t a Jew.
“But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Jesus ministered to the Jews. Many churches today misapply the physical doctrines that were meant for the physical Jews, as these verses state, and apply them to themselves, the spiritual Church. This isn’t to say that Jesus did not introduce spiritual doctrines as well, which we know He did. This means that although Jesus’ ministry was primarily for the Jews, there are some spiritual applications that are for non-Jews (spiritual nation).
Why did Jesus minister to the Gentiles?
In the following verse, the Jews are warned of the transition from a physical nation to a spiritual one because of their rejection.
Matthew 8:8-12 “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
The nation of Israel was having a hard time accepting Jesus; teachings. The switch occurs in verses 11-12.
“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”
The ‘many’ refers to non-Jews that will come from the east and the west. These non-Jews will sit with the Jewish fathers.
“But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
But the Jews, the original children of the kingdom, will be cast out. Thus, this verse shows the transition from Jew to non-Jew.
Did the Church replace the Jews permanently?
Today, God is done with the Jews, only because He is dealing with the Church now. This is where replacement theology believers come in and say that the Church has permanently replaced the Jews, which is untrue.
People who believe this are only focusing on one of the many covenants in the New Testament. Not only that, recall that the covenant between God and the Jews is everlasting, meaning that it is forever. We see this as we read the later books of the New Testament, where God, once again, focuses on the Jews. Again, this is why dispensationalism is needed to correctly interpret and apply the doctrine to the correct people, time period, etc.
Here’s another example of Jesus ministering to a non-Jew.
Matthew 15:22-28 “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts”
Non-Jewish woman.
“and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.“
Jesus states here that He is to only minister to the Jews.
“Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.”
‘Children’ refers to the Jews while the non-Jews are dogs.
“And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith:be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”
Here we see another transition from the physical to the spiritual and from Jew to Gentile. God is going from the unreceptive to the receptive, in this case, Jew and non-Jew respectively.
2. The Apostles’ Ministry
Jesus introduced some spiritual dealings that were carried on through the Apostles, most notably Paul, as we will see later when we cover Paul’s ministry.
Now, being disciples of Jesus, it was given that they were going to teach what Jesus taught. This was done by primarily focusing on the Jews while teaching the newly introduced spiritual doctrine to the best of their understanding (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit). That being said, a transition from Jew to non-Jew will also be present during the time of the Apostles.
Now, a key point in understanding dispensationalism is to not focus on how people move but rather how God moves. This coupled with what the Apostles went through historically gives us a better understanding of why their ministry was the way it was and why the Apostles taught in the way they did.
That being said, the Apostles’ ministry is not contradictory (Paul and the other Apostles) as critics will argue. Even though physical and spiritual doctrines were taught, through dispensationalism, God’s movements (covenants) are made clear to us.
Acts 2:1-4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Recall that Jesus promised the Apostles the Holy Spirit. Here they finally receive it. Now, recall that their ministry was primarily directed toward the Jews and for many centuries, God was dealing with them physically. So, because the Jews did and received everything physically, many of the spiritual dealings that came from the Holy Spirit were going to be physical outward things so the Jews could understand. An example of this is water baptism.
Acts 2:36-38 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Notice that their receiving of the Holy Ghost was dependent on their water baptism.
Do we receive the Holy Ghost with the laying of hands?
The laying of hands was also an important physical demonstration done by the Holy Ghost. Now, many Charismatics today believe that in order to receive the Holy Ghost, they have to lay hands on a person so that the other person can receive it. As we will see in the following verse, it was something only for the Jews, given that it was something physical that needed to be done. Today, we don’t need to do anything physical to receive the Holy Spirit, we receive it by faith.
Acts 8:14-17 “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”
“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem“
The Apostles were with the Jews.
“heard that Samaria”
Samaritans were half-Jew half-Gentile.
“had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
These Samaritans had been baptized but had not received the Holy Spirit.
“Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”
Thus, the laying of hands was for people of Jewish blood at the time of the Apostles.
Do healing signs and miracles still exist in the church today?
The Apostles also did healing signs. Now the reason that the Christian Church does not have these signs is that they are physical (we are spiritual) and they are for the Jews (stated back in Exodus). This is why you will notice that healing signs and miracles weren’t just cut off but disappeared gradually, as were the Jews.
Acts 2:4-5 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
“And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,”
They were filled with the Holy Ghost so physical signs could ensue.
“and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The speaking of tongues means that the languages are audible languages that can be understood, not gibberish.
“And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”
Dealing with Jews.
Do you have the Holy Ghost only if you speak in tongues?
Charismatics claim that you don’t have the Holy Ghost until you speak in tongues.
First of all, this is wrongly applied to the wrong group of people. If we revisit the previous passage, we see that the sign of speaking in tongues was for the Jews, not the Christian Church.
Second, it is applied to the wrong time period, this was during the time of the Apostles, not the Church age.
Third, the understanding of the situation (why they were speaking in tongues in the first place) is incorrect. The Holy Spirit allowed them to speak in tongues not the other way around and the reason they could speak in tongues in the first place was that it was used as a physical sign to those Jews around them.
Again, this is why dispensationalism is needed in order to correctly interpret and understand each and every covenant and its respective terms.