Israel In History and Prophecy: The New Covenant

The ultimate spiritual meaning and purpose of "Israel" will be addressed in the next, and last, study of this series, however prophecy plainly explains how physical Israel is not yet fulfilled either. It will not be so until after the return of the Messiah, when the Kingdom of God will be established on Earth (see the Fact Finder question below).

The human known as Jesus of Nazareth existed long before, eternally before, He was born as a mortal man (see When Is The LORD's Day? and What Is The Day Of The LORD?). Jesus Christ was "the LORD God" of Creation. Jesus Christ, as the LORD God, created Israel from the man Jacob (see Where Jacob Became Israel), and centuries later delivered the Israelites in the Exodus (see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Exodus).

"^10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; ^10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses [see Israel In History and Prophecy: Moses] in the cloud and in the sea; ^10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; ^10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 KJV)

But what happened when the Israelites refused to obey the LORD? "They were overthrown in the wilderness" and "were destroyed of serpents." It was a carnal spirit of rebellion that persisted, from the ancient time to the present, in the minds of those who regard "Israel" as an end in itself, which it became for those people - a dead end.

"^10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness [see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Sinai Journey].

^10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. ^10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. ^10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. ^10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. ^10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

^10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. ^10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:5-12 KJV)

"I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah"

Much has been written and taught about the "old covenant" and the "new covenant," but just who was it that broke the old covenant with Jesus Christ? And with whom did Jesus Christ make the new covenant? The Scriptures state the answer to both questions very plainly: "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: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord" (verses 8 and 9 below). Israel and Judah broke the Old Covenant, and it's with Israel and Judah that the New Covenant offer will be made.

"^8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; ^8:2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man [see The Holy Place In History And Prophecy].

^8:3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer [see The Blood Of Bulls And Goats]. ^8:4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: ^8:5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. ^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.

^8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. ^8:8 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 [see Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel and Judah]: ^8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. ^8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: ^8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. ^8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

^8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:1-13 KJV)

Many prophecies of the Holy Bible are dual. For example, Jeremiah prophesied about Judah's return from the Babylonian exile. Judah has once again however begun to return, physically, from "Babylon" (see What And Where Is Babylon Today?), while their Christ-rejecting religion still has them spiritually in "Babylon" (which means confusion). As we will get to, Judah was the first to return, not the return entirely.

"^50:4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. ^50:5 They shall ask the way to Zion [see A History Of Jerusalem: Zionism] with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

^50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray [see Israel In History and Prophecy: Judaism], they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. ^50:7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers." (Jeremiah 50:4-7 KJV)

Some dual prophecies weigh more in the original event, while some expound greater in the later fulfillment. Jeremiah did both.

"^31:7 For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. ^31:8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. ^31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn [see Israel In History and Prophecy: The Lost Ten Tribes].

^31:10 Hear the word of the LORD [see What Does Word of God Mean To You?], O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. ^31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. ^31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. ^31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. ^31:14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 31:7-14 KJV)

"I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel"

Ezekiel's famous "dry bones" prophecy about the physical resurrection of the entire people of Israel from throughout history describes a great awakening event that will occur after Christ's future return.

"^37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, ^37:2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. ^37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?

And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

^37:4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. ^37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you [see What Does The Bible Really Say About Your Soul?], and ye shall live: ^37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

^37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. ^37:8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

^37:9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. ^37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

^37:11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. ^37:12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. ^37:13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, ^37:14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD." (Ezekiel 37:1-14 KJV)

At that time, Israel and Judah, who have been divided for about 3,000 years as of now, will be reunited: "they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all."

"^37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, ^37:16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: ^37:17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

^37:18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? ^37:19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. ^37:20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. ^37:21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: ^37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all [see Israel In History and Prophecy: Israel Of Judah]: ^37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezekiel 37:15-23 KJV)

At that time, Israel, all of Israel, will obey the LORD in the way that they did not ever do before.

"^37:24 And David my servant shall be king over them [see Israel In History and Prophecy: King David]; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. ^37:25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. ^37:26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. ^37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ^37:28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore." (Ezekiel 37:24-28 KJV)

Fact Finder: How will the Kingdom of God begin on Earth with both physical and spiritual inhabitants?
See The Church In The Kingdom Of God and The Church: Mission Accomplished

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This Day In History, August 22

476: The barbarian Odoacer was proclaimed Rex Italiae ("the king of Italy") by his troops.

565: Columba, a prominent Irish monk of the Church of Rome, reported seeing a monster in Loch Ness - one of the earliest of such recorded sightings.

1138: The English battled the Scots at Cowton Moor. Banners of various supposed "saints" were carried into battle, which led to its being called the Battle of the Standard.

1350: John II, also known as John the Good, succeeded Philip VI as king of France.

1485: Richard III of England was defeated and killed at The Battle of Bosworth Field, the last of the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster and York.

1567: The Duke of Alba, sent to re-establish Spanish authority in the Netherlands, instituted the Council of Troubles at the start of his tyrannical rule. It was nicknamed the "Council of Blood."

1642: The Civil War in England began between the supporters of Charles I ("Royalists" or "Cavaliers") and of Parliament ("Roundheads").

1846: The U.S. annexed (a political term meaning "take by conquest; as of territory") New Mexico from Mexico.

1864: The Geneva Convention for the protection of the wounded during times of active warfare was signed, leading to the formation of the Red Cross.

1910: Korea was annexed by Japan after five years as a protectorate.

1922: Irish politician and Sinn Fein leader Michael Collins was killed in an ambush. He was largely responsible for the 1921 Anglo-Irish treaty.

1939: Foreign ministers Molotov of Russia and Ribbentrop of Germany signed a non-aggression pact which paved the way for the German invasion of western Poland and for Russia to take eastern Poland and the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Germany and Russia soon thereafter declared war on each other.

1941: Nazi troops reached the outskirts of Leningrad. They eventually surrounded the city on September 8 at the start of the siege which lasted until January 1944.

1942: Brazil declared war on the Axis powers. It is the only South American country to send combat troops into Europe during the Second World War.

1944: German officer Heinz Stahlschmidt deliberately blew up a bunker full of detonators, effectively preventing the planned destruction of Bordeaux by his own retreating German army.

1968: Pope Paul VI became the first pope to visit Latin America, in Colombia.

1971: Bolivian President General Juan Jose Torres Gonzalez was deposed in a coup by Colonel Hugo Banzer Suarez.

2003: Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended after refusing a federal court order to remove a rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building (see also Turning The Tables to understand what the Ten Commandments actually looked like).