OBS: ACTS - The Transition (Part 5 - Insights into the New Covenant)

OBS: ACTS, The Transition (Part 5) The focus is not so much on studying Acts, as it is on using the book to teach us about dispensation truths.

Acts 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

See the video lesson of this study here.

Insights into the New Covenant

Jesus had been preaching about the Kingdom throughout His earthly ministry. The gospel message being proclaimed at the time was that the Kingdom was at hand and that it could come if all of Israel would believe. As we will see in some scriptures regarding the New Covenant below, one of the aspects of the covenant was an innate knowledge of the law, written on the heart, since God would place His Spirit within them. So, when Jesus told the 11 disciples that He would be baptizing them with the Holy Spirit, not many days after His ascension, one can understand the excitement and anticipation of the disciples, as seen in the next verse, (v.7). These 11-men, having been taught the New Covenant promises as young Jewish boys, having spent 3-years in training under Jesus' Kingdom ministry, would have known that the soon coming Holy Spirit could be the indicator and possible introduction of the this New Covenant, —the Kingdom from Heaven, —their inheritance, —their salvation.

What is the New Covenant?

The Mosaic Law, originating at Sinai on stone tablets, was the beginnings of the Old Covenant that God made with Israel. The Law was a heavy burden on Israel, and Peter, in Acts 15:10, plainly states that the Jews suffered under its heavy yoke. On the other hand, throughout the Old Testament, we find many prophetic references providing details of what the New Covenant is about, a few of which we will reference below. For the disciples, the New Covenant was their long-awaited hope, their salvation from the strains of the Law under the Old Covenant. For them, the news that the Spirit was about to be poured out over them would be similar to Jesus telling us today that not many days from now, He would be coming to fetch us in the Rapture! In other words, in their day, this was BIG news!!!

So what does the Bible say about the New Covenant? Let's read these two passages,

Ezek.36:26-28 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh [the law engraved in stone] and give you a heart of flesh [the law written in the heart]. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes [the Kingdom doctrine – see Gal.5:16; Phil.2:13; Heb.13:21], and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them [as it will be second nature to 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.

Jer.31:31-34 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 [they will know the law by heart]; 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. 

The passages above clearly provide two specific aspects of the New Covenant. First, that the law would be written on their hearts by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who would cause them to walk in that law and obey it without effort, as if it were second nature to them. Second, that the Lord will forgive them and remember their sins no more.

Before we look at these two aspects in more detail, I'd like to briefly digress here and bring to your attention the incredible status and pre-eminence of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom. This nation, as much as it has suffered and has been rejected throughout its history, will come full circle and be highly esteemed and exalted, as God's special people, in the Millennial Kingdom. It is during this time, during the 1000-year reign of Christ, that they will fulfil their purpose and become the people that God had previously desired of them.

Please take a moment to scan through the blessings of Deut.28:1-13. 

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

The full chapter contains the list of blessings and curses spoken over Israel. Blessings if they obeyed the law and curses if they didn't. These blessings and curses were upon Israel even in those early days, and Israel experienced a measure of both these during their long history, but, realize that when the New Covenant is activated upon them at the end of the tribulation, and the law is written on their hearts, and the Spirit will cause them to walk in the ways of the Lord, then they will experience the FULL extent of the BLESSINGS of the Lord upon them, WITHOUT the curses! Consider, the defeat at Jericho, when the walls came tumbling down. Consider the defeat of Goliath at the hand of a young David, and how the Philistines scattered in several directions, consider the riches of the promised land of Canaan that flowed with milk and honey, even in those days. If these were just 'a measure' of the blessings during their early years, how much GREATER will these blessings be when they come into their maturity, and into their inheritance, as God's blessed nation, when the Lord sets them on high above all nations of the earth and His blessings literally 'overtake' them, (Deut.28:1-2).

There is another verse, in Zach.8:23, which illustrates the absolute reverence (veneration, respect, and adoration) of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom. 

Zechariah 8:23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

I can just picture this scene, how Gentiles of all races during this time will sit at the feet of a Jew, listening intently at him teaching them about their King of kings, instructing them of the laws spoken by His mouth and informing them of His will and governance in that Kingdom. During this time of course, Jews will be fulfilling that role of priests (Exo.19:6), and mediating between Christ, as the Benevolent Dictator of earth, and the Gentile nations during the Millennium.

You might think that I have added over exaggeration in my description of the Jews during this 1000-year reign of Christ. You might even think that this sounds to much like a fable! Well, it's not. This is all from scripture. As a matter of fact, scripture embellishes it even more than I have here! Israel most certainly will be highly exalted in this time.

Hosea 6:1-2 [Israel speaking] Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day [the Millennial Kingdom] he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

New Covenant Aspect #1:
Knowing the Law intimately by the Indwelling Spirit.

I have already painted the picture of the status of Jews in the Millennium (see the green shaded paragraph above), and the fact that they will be priests unto their God and teach the nations of His will and ways due to their intimate knowledge of the Law upon their heart and the empowerment of the indwelling Hoy Spirit. 

However, there is an interesting issue that I'd like to address here. I'm not going to be dogmatic about it and I'll simply say that this is my current conviction on the matter. It is my understanding that these Jews who will be priests in the Kingdom will be the mortal Jews, those who enter the Kingdom as flesh and blood.

Who are the Priests in the Kingdom? (Mortal Jews?)

With this in mind, let have a look at these two verses,

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth*. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Notice, 'kings' and 'priests'. Some might think that these two designations are both applicable to all the Jews of the Kingdom, and I won't argue with that. For example, David was both a king and a priest. But, I stand convinced that these two roles will be fulfilled by two different groups of Jews. Since mortal Jews will have the law written on their heart, they will be priests, mediating between Christ and the Gentile nations. The kings will be the Jews with resurrection bodies and it is they who will hold positions of power and authority under Jesus Christ, who is the "Prince of the kings of the earth".

*The Greek word translated "prince" (archon) refers to 'one who is a ruler, lord, commander, or a chief governor'. Jesus will therefore be commander and governor of the 'kings of the earth'.

Remember that when Christ comes in the second coming, to establish His Kingdom, there will be a resurrection. As part of this resurrection (known as the First Resurrection), Old Testament saints, Gospel saints, and Tribulation saints will be resurrected and receive resurrection bodies and enter into the Kingdom in this eternal state. But then we also have the 1/3 remnant of Jews, who escaped the Antichrist in the last half of the tribulation and who were protected by God in the wilderness. Now, stop the boat here!!! Doesn't this sound familiar? Didn't we have a whole nation of Jews out in the wilderness in the Book of Exodus, to whom God gave the law on stone tablets, and a promise of priesthood, (Exo.19:6)? Absolutely! Since God spoke over that flesh and blood Jewish nation, out there in the Sinai wilderness, that they'd be a kingdom of priests, I'd be led to follow the same pattern and see the mortal Jews at this period, just before the Millennium, as a kingdom of priests; only this time they will take possession of the 'Promised Land'. It is these mortal Jews who will now have the law in their 'heart of flesh' and the indwelling Spirit. They will enter into the Kingdom in mortal bodies, and it is they who will fulfil that prophesied priestly function. This is an event designed for the mortal Jews. The Holy Spirit will not need to indwell those Jews in resurrection bodies.

Here is the other scripture that mentions both kings and priests,

Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Who are the Kings in the Kingdom? (Resurrected Jews?)

Again, I'm not casting this view in stone! I'm just playing with the idea that it is quite possible that the resurrected Jews can be those referenced as kings. To support this notion, lets have a look at this verse in particular,

Matthew 19:27-28 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Does that description sound like a role of a priest? Do priests sit on thrones? Or conversely, will kings travel through the nations and speak to common folk who want to hear the word of the King of kings? I somehow doubt so!

The verse above talks about the 12-disciples of Jesus being rewarded for their faith and commitment in the Millennium. But there are other verses that typically speak of hierarchy, or rank and of government. Not every Jewish resurrection saint will be sitting on thrones, but they will be in some form or position of authority, ruling, managing or stewarding over varying degrees of the Kingdom. But they won't be priests!

New Covenant Aspect #2:
Forgiveness of Sins.

Don't you think it is strange that the Gospel of the Kingdom didn't speak at all about the blood of Jesus being shed for the forgiveness of sins? What the gospel instructed Jews to do was to repent, believe in the Messiah, get baptized, and receive the Holy Spirit. In order for Jews to have their sins forgiven, it required a trip to the temple and to sacrifice an animal, believing that its blood would cover their sin until the coming of their Messiah, who would set up a New Covenant, to take away their sins.

Luke 22:20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament [covenant] in my blood, which is shed for you. 

Till now, Israel's sin has only been covered by the sacrificial blood of bulls and goats, but "when" the New Covenant is activated (over the remnant of Israel in the wilderness at the start of the Millennial Kingdom), they will receive absolute forgiveness, by the blotting out of their transgressions.

Notice this verse that Peter preached in his second Pentecostal message to the Jews,

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; ... 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. 

The 'times of the refreshing', and 'the times of restitution of all things', are references to the Millennial Kingdom. Sins can only be 'blotted out', (ie: be completely eliminated), when the New Covenant is received at the start of the 1000-year Kingdom. Until then, these Jews who were listening to Peter's message had to continue to offer animals sacrifices for blood to cover their sins. This also indicates that Pentecost, in Acts 2, was NOT the beginning of the New Covenant and the fulfillment of prophecy, as in Ezek.31 and Jer.36. The purpose of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples (notice, not within them) was to empower them to be witnesses of the Kingdom Gospel and to provide the necessary signs and wonders, which Jews required as proof of God's dealings.

The New Covenant Blessings on the Body of Christ Today

Jesus Christ came to fulfil the Law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His chosen people. According to Ezekiel 11:16–20, Ezekiel 36:22–30, Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Deuteronomy 30:1–10, the Jewish nation will experience the effects and fulfilment of the new covenant during the Millennial Kingdom. However, because of Israel's temporary blinding and God's grace over the Gentiles, the spiritual blessings of this covenant (the indwelling Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sin) are made available to both Jew and Gentile believers of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:25; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 8:1-5; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Both you and I today can experience the living Spirit of Christ within us, with increasing effectiveness as we grow in wisdom by His Word, and we can enjoy that permanent spiritual position of absolute righteousness before God, having been clothed with Christ's righteousness and justified by His resurrection. We have the blessings of this New Covenant today, but when the Kingdom program is reactivated after the rapture of the Body of Christ, this covenant, which was made for and belongs to Israel, will come back into effect and will launch them into the esteemed position as the head nation in the Millennium, the kings and priests of God to the nations.

All honour and glory to our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.