Why We Believe with Certainty in the Premillennial View (Part 7)

The New Covenant, the Old Covenant, and the Church
So, how does this all come together and fit with the promises fulfillment in the end times? First, let’s make sure that we understand the relationship between the church and Israel. The covenant relationships were between God and the nation of Israel, including the New Covenant. In order to work through any questions related to this point one must consider the New Covenant as mentioned in the New Testament. First, let’s look at the fulfillment of the Old Covenant as mentioned in Heb. 8:6-8.

Hebrews 8:6-8 6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

What do these verses say? Does it say that God did away with the old covenant or that the old covenant had faults and the new covenant fulfilled those faults. Does this say that God made a mistake? I do not think so. God makes no mistakes. God from the very beginning, even in the Garden of Eden, at the fall of man, intended on sending a Savior. In Genesis 3:15 we see this.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Look. God told Satan that at some point in the future God’s seed, Jesus, would deal out a blow to the head of his seed, sin. Did the Old Covenant, the law, do this? No. The law demonstrated man’s slavery to sin (Rom. 7:7).

Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

What was the first covenant? Was it the Abrahamic or Mosaic? It was the law and that was the Mosaic. Therefore, the law or first covenant never had the purpose of saving anyone from their sin, but to demonstrate their need for salvation. The Law was perfect and achieved its purpose, but that was not enough to save someone and it therefore was weak. God promised that someone, the Messiah, would come and set them free from the slavery of sin through the sacrifice of His blood. Therefore, the New Covenant did not replace anything but actual fulfilled the picture of the Old. The picture being given through the sacrifices of the Old Covenant and the need for man to have blood shed for his sin. Jesus instituted the New Covenant in the upper room with the twelve as He shared the Passover just before His crucifixion. He took the cup and said to them,

Luke 24:20 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Jesus said it was not his purpose to destroy or replace the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Paul, when speaking of the Church's relationship to Israel, never says that the Church has usurped Israel's place, or replaced Israel as the covenant people of God. Rather, Paul speaks of us as being "grafted in" (Rom. 11:17), "brought near" (Eph. 2:13), "descendants of Abraham" by faith (Rom. 4:16), "heirs" of Abraham's promise (Gal. 3:29), and as "sharing" in Israel's blessings (Rom. 15:27). Because of God's grace and his plan to extend His blessing to all peoples, we have been included with the Jews into the New Covenant.