THE FOUR COVENANTS OF GOD
According to historical information, (data) when people or nations come to an agreement they used a number of different methods in order to materialize that agreement. In such arrangements and methods, some are formal and legal and others are informal and personal. Among such various methods used to deal or seal are Treaties, accords, contracts, compacts, promises pledges and covenants.
So when the everlasting and Almighty God chose to enter into a special relationship with man, He preferred to use the method of covenant. If you look into the Bible carefully, we can find especially God entered into four major covenants with the nation of Israel. And each of the four covenants was directly made through Biblical history’s most famous and important personalities.
As a matter of fact it is not at all an overstatement to note that an understanding of these covenants - how they would function and then what must be the meaning of them. That is the most important and ultimate priority of the whole humankind. With these covenants, God committed Himself to do certain things in relation to man. These covenants had directly influenced the life of man on earth. These covenants have been properly operated at any place whether the people are aware of them or not. If people wholeheartedly embrace them, the covenant would bring them peace joy and eternal life through the blessing of God. If people reject these covenants, they would experience sadness, turmoil, cursing and eternal separation from God.
Among the four covenants, the first one was called Abrahamic covenant. God made this covenant with Abraham the father of Jewish nations. The second, covenant was called the Mosaic covenant. God made this with Moses the lawgiver to Israel. The third one was called Davidic covenant and this was made with David the king of Israel, and a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). The
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The Four Covenants Of God fourth covenant was called the new covenant. This was unique of its kind, it was instituted by the son of God Jesus Himself.
The first three covenants are made during the period of the Old Testament and the fourth one was made by Jesus Christ at the time of the New Testament. It was in the following way. Jesus said for this is my blood of New Testament (covenant) (Matthew 26:28). It is no exaggeration at all if we said that within this sphere of the Abrahamic, Mosiac, Davidic and the New Testament, men and nations find their history and eternal destiny.
In the Bible the word covenant came from the Hebrew word “berit”. The word itself means to cut or to divide. These covenants anomaly entered into in connection with a solemn ceremony, which centered upon the death of an animal.
God said to the prophet Jeremiah , and I will give the men that had transgressed my covenant which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me. When they cut the calf in twine and passed the parts thereof ,(Jeremiah 34.18) and also (Genesis 15.9 to 17). In order to institute a covenant, an animal has to be cut and its pieces served and sent into two lines. This would be done because the animal must be killed in ancient Israel and the meaning of the very word covenant is to cut. But today we talk of making covenants and the essence spoke of cutting covenants because blood was the very essence of life had to be spilled.
Hence in the words of the Lord, for this is my blood of the New Testament. For 2000 years animals were sacrificed. All the sacrifices pointed out to Jesus the once and for all sin. His death on the cross instituted the New Testament or covenant. In most of the basic terms of Biblical covenant is a clear statement of God’s purpose and intention expressed in terms that God by solemn oath to perform what he has promised through all this covenants. Abrahamic covenant - the covenant of Abraham was the oldest one of the four major covenants. If you consider the face value of each of them, Abraham ie
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The Redemption Plan of God covenant ranked first in its importance. It would be first in the sense that in this covenant we can find the source of the next three covenants that followed it. It is certainly an exaggeration to say that all spirtiual blessings from their fountain head back to this covenant only including eternal life. Because of the covenant, God made with Abraham, he became father of all believers. Jews as well as Gentiles. All of them finally became one in Christ
The Lord first appeared to Abram (later called Abraham) while he was still living in the city of UR along the shores of the river Euphrates. God asked Abraham to leave everything including his kith and kin and the heritage of his father’s land to go to a distant place He would show him Genesis 12.1. In those days, traveling such a long distance was not an easy thing yet the greatness of Abraham was that he never said anything against God’s command He simply obeyed His word. So in his command, God gave Abraham five promises as listed below -God promised Abraham that He would make him a great nation. We all
know Abraham had no heir at that time. -He told Abraham that He would bless him abundantly and with that blessing
only he became a wealthy man. -God promised Abraham that He would make his name great. Accordingly
even today Abraham had a great reputation among the followers of Islam
who considered him as one of the prophets. Among Christians who form
the special heritage he was the embodiment of great faith. And among jews
he was called the father of their nation. -He promised Abraham that He would be a blessing. As he was blessed by
God that blessing had showed to others through the Lord Jesus Christ whose
humanity was found in Abraham.
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He promised Abraham that He would bless those who blessed them and curse those accused him ( Genesis 12.3) and this principle can be traced through history to man and nations in relation to their treatment of the Jewish people. Anyhow, sometime after the death of his father at Haran, Abraham with his wife and nephew Lot reached the land that God directed them. The name of that land was canaan which was inhabited by wicked people at the time called canaanits. But in the Bible it is said Abraham passed through the land into the place of sichem unto the plain of Morea. And the canaanits were there in the land. The place which Abraham came for the first time was located between Mount Ebal and Mount Jerzim near the modern city of Nablus.
After Abraham reached the promised land, God appeared to him for the second time. The Bible this event is described and recorded with minimum number of words, and the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto thy seed will I give this land there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him, (Genesis 12:7). This is really wonderful that this land is at the very center of Biblical Judea and Samaria where God appeared to the father of the Jewish nations and promised the land to his seed to receive as an everlasting inheritance.
Again God appeared to Abraham for the third time and He reiterated the promise of a land. And the Lord said unto Abraham after that Lot was separated from him. Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward Eastward and Westward for all the land that you seeist to thee will I giveth, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, Then they shall also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land and the length of it and in the breath of it for I will give it unto thee. (Genesis 13.14 to 17).
The Lord appeared to Abraham for the fourth time. In the meantime the patriarch Abraham had to fight with four powerful kings of the east. They happened to take Lot his nephew as captive with his property. And Abraham
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The Redemption Plan of God successfully fought with them and returned home. He happened to meet the high priest Melchezidec on the way who was also called King of Salem. The priest blessed him and served him bread and wine. And as a memory Melchezidec gave him his shepherd stick also. In return Abraham gave tiths to the priest.
After he returned with great victory over the enemy, he pledged to ELEOYM the (most high God) and refused spoils of the battle. But as time went on Abraham began to think seriously whether he was hasty and foolish enough to refuse the spoils of the battle acknowledging the most high God as his master. Then one day God appeared to Abraham in a vision and told him that he should not be afraid of anything because He was a shield and would protect him from all dangers. God also said he did not make any mistake in taking pledges with loyalty to ELEOYM as he was always protecting him.
Regarding the war spoils, Abraham refused to take, but God said he would get greater rewards for rejecting the spoils. For what all God promised Abraham’s response was unique and important testimony of faith from anywhere in the Scripture. God said, and the believer in the Lord’s promise of the seed from his own body that would eventually become as numerous as stars of heaven and God counted Abraham’s faith for righteousness.
The word believed in the expression and “he believed in the Lord” came from Hebrew root from which we get the word Amen. So literally it can be said Abraham Amened or affirmed the Lord’s promise of a seed that should come from his own Loins and through the word he would experience blessing. In addition to the promise of the seed, God promised Abraham some land as well.
And he said unto him “I’m the Lord that brought thee out of Ur the Chaldies to give thee this land inherited (Genesis 30.710).
Abraham thought for a while and asked the Lord again that he wanted some affirmation a covenant as a proof of his promise. As an answer to question of Abraham, God asked him to kill some animals and cut them into two pieces.
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Then God caused a deep sleep to fall on Abraham while and he was in deep sleep the presence of the Lord who was there in the form of a smoking furnace and the burning lamp the glory of God passed between the cut pieces of animals.
The covenant cut in blood was official substantiation of God’s promise to Abraham of a nation. Israel of the seed would come through that nation and a blessing would follow to people from every kindred tongues and tribes who led the patriarch himself and also who would believe in God’s word and provision for sin through Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary.
Abraham’s falling into a deep sleep supernaturally imposed in God alone passed through the slaying and cutting of animals. All those were the clear indications as God alone had passed between the slaying and the severed sacrifice. The main point here is neither the patriarch nor his descendents had to do anything to keep the covenant to be more effective and binding upon God. Therefore that might be called unconditional covenant. It is a critical point to know faith in the covenant was the requisite qualification for the participation in the promised blessing of the covenant.
Actually lineal descendent of Abraham Isaac and Jacob did not bring blessing as a worshipper had to exhibit faith in the provision of God’s covenant. In the later days Abraham demonstrated his unchangeable faith in God’s promise by showing his willingness of offering his son Isaac who also showed his willingness to be offered as sacrificed to God.
God was very much pleased with the willing obedience of Abraham as evidenced by his faith and God took oath on his servant himself because no one was greater than him. He sovereignly gave promises to Abraham with covenant and then as a direct result of Abraham’s faith God did unnecessary but wonderful things of guaranting His promises with oath. He said to Abraham by myself have I sworn saith the Lord (Genesis 22.16).
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The Redemption Plan of God
Even the author of the epistles to the Hebrews gave a wonderful description of God’s promises and His oath to Abraham. Therefore according to this author, “The hope set” before us is the return of Christ to consummate the blessing promised in the Abrahamic covenant. So all the spiritual blessings that men have known for the last 4000 years every joy and confidence all believers in the church possessed so far are all completely depending upon the covenant which God had made with the Father of the Jewish people Abraham .
According to the Scripture Jesus Himself became the promised seed from the loins of Abraham. So whatever spiritual beliefs the believers have been experimenting are only because of the unconditional character of Abrahamic covenant. Mosiac covenant - The second covenant called Mosaic covenant which took place a little more than four hundred years after the Abrahamic covenant. The first covenant was made with Abraham the patriarch of the Jewish people before the existence of their nation. But this second covenant was made with the nation itself. Jacob had 12 sons and their families altogether 70 souls went to Egypt for their survival because of the famine at that time.
Joseph their brother was in a very high position and they could prosper well. But after some years all the descendents of Jacob became slaves because the new Pharoah did not know who Joseph was.
Yet God did not forget his chosen people and decided to liberate them from the affliction of slavery in Egypt as per the covenant God made with Abraham. God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and said I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and I am come down to deliver them. (Exodus 3-7,8).
The Jews were really peculiar people. They forgot the God of their forefathers who had been guarding them and began to worship Egyptian heathen Gods and Goddesses who were approximately 80 in number. They were
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The Four Covenants Of God uneducated and dusty to look at. So the Hebrews meaning to Jews was “dusty ones” and at that time people understood them like that.
Now the condition became very pathetic and hope against hope. Since the time of Abraham more than 400 years passed and nobody wanted them on the earth. But God said they are my people, He had not forgotten them. He had not forgotten His covenant with Abraham. He remembered the promise through the nation of Israel and the nations of the world would be blessed. So God entrusted this noble task to Moses to deliver Israel from slavery with His mighty hand. For some centuries and some generations of them remained as slaves without education and worst of all they forgot Yahweh which is God of their forefathers.
Anyway such neglected and unwanted stuff was brought to Mount Senai by Moses. These people from slavery in Egypt came to the desert and from the desert they would become a, nation in the promised land of Canaan.
Then the process of making them civil, moral, ceremonial, religious and stability to the mixed multitude began in the wilderness. They would finally enter the promised land promised to Abraham and his seed in due course.
Then the God of their forefathers entered into a second covenant with his people. Since Moses was divinely appointed leader for this people the covenant could bear his name the Mosaic covenant. And Moses is also known as the lawgiver.
The main structure of Mosaic covenant was not unknown to the people of his time. In ancient Middle East, the covenant was made between the ruler and the subject the people. According to history, these agreements are known as Suzerainty treaties. The major components in a covenant between the ruler and the Mosaic covenant and its God and the subjects the Jews are conspicuous in the Scripture.
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1)This covenant had a preamble and the author of this covenant was identified
in the following verse. God said “The Lord thy God which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt” and out of the house of bondage (Exodus
20.2)
2)This covenant had historical prologue it is dealt with the activities of the
ruler on behalf of its people and why they wanted to enter into His covenant.
You have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bear on Eagle wings
and brought you. Now therefore yee will obey my voice indeed and keep
my covenant then yee shall be a particular treasure unto me above all people,
for all the earth is mine. (Exodus 19.4-5)
3)This covenant had stipulations. These are the principles that control between
the Lord and His people. This covenant contained and included the 10
commandments and laws in general. As a matter of fact the ancient Rabbi
said there was a total of 613 laws given to Israel by God.
4)This covenant had the promise of blessings and cursings. In this part blessings
are promised to the people if they hear and obey His instructions and if not
they would be cursed. Blessing indicates everlasting life and goodness where
as cursing indicates death and badness.
5)This covenant had an oath which is blended with pledge on the part of
people to observe everything in this covenant. Moses came down from God
on Mount Sinai and told them everything that God wanted to and also
about the judgment. And people in one voice said “All the words the Lord
had said will we do”. (Exodus 24.3.)
This shows people wholeheartedly accepted the covenant and what it contained. The covenant of Abraham and Moses were confirmed in blood. Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on people and said, “Behold the blood of covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.”
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The Four Covenants Of God
The Devidic covenant – This third Biblical covenant is called Devidic covenant.. As per the Biblical history the 12 tribes of Israel joined together and formed into a nation. And David would happen to defeat the warlike people called Jebusites. Who dwelt in the middle of the land of Israel. Then David fortified the city of Jebusites and renamed the city as “City of David which became his capital”. The King Hiram of Tyre provided to King David beautiful cedar wood, carpenters and masons and with that help David built the Royal Palace.
Now the King planned to bring the Ark of covenant which was taken away by the Philistines at the time of high “priest Eli” and then it remained in the house of Abinadab. The earlier defeat of Israel army by the Philistines and loss of covenant had clearly gives us the idea that God’s presence and blessings have been withdrawn from them. But David with his great military defeated the Philistines and got a wonderful victory over them. Then he thought that God’s blessing came back to the nation and this truth prompted him to get back the Ark and keep it in the center of the Capital city. Accordingly the ark was brought and housed in the tabernacle that the King provided.
Then the seed of concept began to develop in the heart and mind of David. And it came to pass when the king sat in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies then he said to Nathan the prophet “ now I dwell in the house of cedar a posh palace but the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains in the tabernacle a portable and temporary house. (Samuel II 7: 2)
Finally David wished to build the temple to his God to dwell in. He remembered how all heathen nations had their magnificent temples to their dieties and felt much. He understood that those God’s were weak and perverted. They were made of stones. They could not see nor move.. They were lifeless and unable to deliver in times of need. King David realized that his God was a holy one of Israel a true and living God. He thought the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had no permanent house. He sincerely decided to build the great Temple in which his God could dwell in the midst of his nation.
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But God informed through the prophet Nathan as David would not be permitted to build the house for Him. God declared that only his son Solomon would build God’s temple. Amazingly God said he would build a house for David more than that in eternal Kingly dynasty. So God said “When thy days be fulfilled and thou shall sleep with thy fathers before throne will be established for ever” (Samuel II 7.12 - 16) This amazing promise included the following facts.
1)David’s son would succeed him on the throne and establish his kingdom.
2)Instead of David, Solomon would build God’s temple.
3)Solomon’s throne would be established for ever.
4)If Solomon sinned there would be an appropriate punishment for him but
God’s Mercy joy and loyal love would endure forever.
5)David’s house, kingdom and throne would be established for ever.
But ultimate fulfillment of promise to David of a house, kingdom and throne which remain forever would be successful only at the end of the age in connection with Christ’s second coming and his millennial kingdom. As prophet Nathan said, King Solomon built the costliest house to God in the world in seven and a half years.
But to his bad luck Solomon committed great sin by taking many heathen women as wives. So God punished him by dividing his kingdom into two in 922 BC as the northern kingdom of Israel with 10 tribes and Samaria as their capital, and the southern kingdom of Judea with two tribes and Jerusalem as their capital.
Then the northern kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians and with that they were spread into different places and as a result they completely forgot the God of their forefathers.
The southern royal kingdom continued for another 136 years. During that short period about nineteen kings of David lineage ruled that kingdom.
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And out of them only eight kings ruled as God wished but the other 11 kings became very wicked and caused God’s anger.
So in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked this land and destroyed the city and took away all the costly vessels from the Temple and also many intelligent people were taken as captives. With that memorable incident all the Davidic rule came to an end in Jerusalem. Since then the northern and southern kingdoms were in the control of Gentile rulers as clearly written in the Scripture.
It is really astonishing to see from that day until the present history for a period of 2600 years no divinely appointed king of the tribe of Judea the family of David ruled over Israel.
Yet God is faithful to his covenant promise. At the same time people are aware of events that have been occurring around the world and particularly in the middle east. From the human perspective the world is becoming out of control, from the divine perspective always being prepared for the coming of “The Messiah “ who is from the tribe of Judea in the family of David.
His name is ‘Wonderful counseller , Mighty God, Everlasting father, and Prince of peace”. He was soon end the time of Gentiles nations and bring peace and blessing to the earth. As mentioned in the last book of the Bible “ And one of the elders saith unto to me weep not behold the lion of the tribe of Judea the root of David had promised to open the book and loose the seven seals thereof. (Revelation 5.5)
Jesus has final authority on the planet Earth so He said of himself in the last chapter of the Bible “I Jesus have sent mine angels to testify unto you these things in the churches the root and offspring of David and the bright morning star “ (Revelation 22.16) We should not forget this eloquent and wonderful testament of God’s faithfulness in fulfilling the promise He made in the Devidic covenant.
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The new covenant - The son of God sat down in the upper room on Mount Zion on the night before He was crucified. It was the Passover day then all Jews were observing that with sanctity. Jesus was also with His followers doing the same. And Dr. Luke describes this event in the following way ‘And when the hour was come He sat down and the 12 apostles with Him. And He said unto them with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22.14,15) The expression with desire I have desired is a strong idiom. Its literal meaning is with great or strong desire.
The words of the Lord can be understood in this way with great desire I have desired to eat this. The lamb that was slain in Egypt on the first Passover did not die in vain. With great faith the blood was applied to the door posts and lintels thereby the first born of each and every family experienced redemption.
Jesus took bread on the Passover day , blessed it and gave it to the disciples. Then he said take, eat this is my body and the bread was unleavened .
It comprised three essential elements of the ancient passover along with the passsover lamb and bitter herbs. For about 1500 years for Moses until Jesus Christ the Jews have been killing the animals as the memory of the first Passover. But Jesus Christ realized this fact on the next day.
He would die as the Lamb of God who takeeth away the sin of the world and the four footed lamb is no longer required. The death of Jesus would be infinite in worth and eternal induration. It would not require any repeating.
Jesus therefore took the unleavened bread from the Passover table blessed it broke it and gave it his disciples and said “take eat this is my body” (Mattew
26.: 26) The lamb became unnecessary since then and unleaven bread which spoke of sinlessness would be the perfect replacement. The concealed idea was this “take this unleavened bread which replaces the Passover lamb.
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It represents my body which will be broken for you. As the Passover was specifically said to be memorial ( Exodus 13.9) so also the unleavened bread was given as a memorial.
Here the concept of bread is becoming the literal body of Christ has no warrant in Scripture. Such thinking is like the corrupted fruit which comes from an attempt to interpret the new covenant and the New Testament in isolation from the Abrahamic Mosaic and Davidic covenants.
But the Lord had not ended his saying He took the red wine which was a traditional drink for the Passover then he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying,” Drink ye all of it “ (Matthew 26:27) 4 cups of wine is part of the Passover observance and this importance can be found in Exodus.
God said I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egyptians and I will rid you out of their bondage and I will redeem you with stretched-out arms and with great judgment I will take you to me. For your people and I will be with you a God . (Exodus 6:6-7)
Here the four wills, I will bring you, out I will rid you, I will redeem you and I will take you are formed with rabbinic basis of Passover summary.
They are called in sequence , the cup of sanctification I will bring you out or separate you, the cup of praise I will rid you. the cup of redemption I’ll redeem you and the cup of acceptance I’ll take you.
It must be the fourth cup, the cup of acceptance that we come across in (Matthew’s 26.27). Jesus himself did not drink of the fourth cup because it was the cup of acceptance and His nation did not accept Him at that time as the Messiah. But only at the end of the age when Israel recognize Him who He was and understood the new covenant, Jesus will drink the fourth cup. There are four facts that came with the understanding of God’s covenant. They are:
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1) The law, covenant was a shadow of things to happen the new covenant is
substance under the law covenant the payment for sin was anticipated under
the new covenant it is realized.
Under the law covenant the sacrifices were provisional under the new
covenant the sacrifices through Jesus death is eternal and totally sufficient.
Under the law covenant man’s lamb could only cover sin but a new covenant
God’s lamb could take away sin.
2)The new covenant totally and forever superseded the old covenant the Mosiec
covenant. However the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants are understood
and still in effect. In the new covenant no way superseded the Abrahamic
and Davidic covenants they are still in full force. Some people are under the
impression that Old Testament is only for Israel and has no direct implications
for Biblical Christianity. This grievous error that has robbed the church of
crucial truth and Biblical balance.
So to understand the New Testament correctly one must understand the Old Testament. Then only a faithful pastor can preach with passion both the New and Old Testaments. As we understand Jesus is the seed of Abraham who brings blessings to all men of faith is also the son of David in whom the covenant promise of throne and kingdom will be fulfilled forever.
Today we find some changes among the believers. They’re not following the Sabbath day the journey of 3/4th mile. We do not bring animal to the Temple for sacrifice on thee Passover.
They have no high priest to sacrifice a lamb or goat on our behalf on the day of atonement. We do not stone an adultrous woman as per the Mosaic law. The law was a conditional covenant. Israel themselves did not give the condition and Christ is the end of the law. Under these circumstances men are not in any obligation to observe the sabbath day as regulated by the Mosaic law.
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But the new covenant has a better priesthood “ Melchezidec”. It has a better high priest {Jesus} and a better sacrifice the lamb of God. Finally it rests upon better promise {Hebrews 7.19}. In this context, apostle John spoke about the law. He praised the greatness of all messages with thirteen words only. If the son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed. (John 8.36).
It is true that the church is the body of Christ. It is quite different from Israel’s nation. Then the promises given to the nation will be fulfilled by the remnant of Jews through the believing at the end of the age.
We must be reminded of one thing that is every blessing that the true churches experiencing finds its origin in Abrahamic covenant. So this information we can conclude by saying that all believers are the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham and in nutshell spiritual Israelites.
As Abraham was accepted by God for his spotless faith, men also must place their faith in the word of God.
But it is a fact that New Testament believers do not stand in the place of the descendents of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The church is not inherited the promises of blessings given to Israel nation for obedience, nor the church received any curse for its disobedience. “The church is the church and Israel is Israel”. There are two different entities but in the end two of them will be blessed by God.
The conclusion is that before we understand the covenants we must understand the whole history. The new covenant through faith in Christ alone is to experience life with God eternally. There is nothing better than this in the world.
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