This week will be the conclusion of the series on the New Covenant and the Kingdom offer.

The whole matter will come back to Moab. In 2 Macc 2.1-8 it says that Jeremiah hid the Mishkan (tabernacle) at Mt. Nebo. Many have heard about this when they study about where the Ark of the Covenant may be. But, nobody talks about why he picked Mt. Nebo in Moab! Because according to Jeremiah God was going to place that same law in our hearts someday, just like Jeremiah was placing the Covenant in the “heart” of the mountain in Moab where the New Covenant was described in Deut 29.1-30.20. Again, there is a connection between Moab and the Covenant with Moses. According to this book, the Mishkan (tabernacle) and all its items will be revealed to the world at the re-gathering of Israel, another element of the New Covenant. So, let’s review a few things. There are 2 covenants in the Torah. The New Covenant at Moab is distinguished from the “curse” of the Mosaic covenant. This new Covenant is tied to the work of the Messiah, or Yeshua. This New Covenant involves a change in the heart, or desires, and involves the Holy Spirit to guide us in these desires to observe the Torah. This covenant has been offered to Israel collectively on at least three occasions. The first was in Deut 29.1, upon entering the land. The second when returning to the land in Jer. 29.10, 31.30 and the third in the first century with the coming of Yeshua (Mt 26.27-29). While Israel may not collectively enter this covenant until Yeshua returns, individual people may enter early by becoming citizens of a Kingdom not yet established on earth. The New Covenant is God writing His Torah on our hearts. He did this by the work of Yeshua and the blood He shed on the cross as the pure “seed of the father” (Moab). This fulfills the promise to Abraham about how his “seed” (singular in Hebrew- Gal 3.16) would “bless the nations” (Gen 12.1-3). The Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2 on Israel and Acts 10 on the Gentiles. This covenant was cut and ratified like the covenant with Abraham and the covenant at Sinai, not with the blood of bulls, sheep, goats or birds, but with the pure blood of Yeshua. This covenant is repeated in Ezek. 36.22-38. The ultimate outcome of the covenant does not depend on Israel or their obedience like the covenant at Sinai (Heb 8.7-8), but on God and his faithfulness. As you can see, these concepts are very foreign to most reading this because it is not taught. What is usually taught is a remanufactured “New Covenant” made in man’s image and according to the bias of whatever religious institution that does not want to comply with what God has already said about it and gave to Israel. I hope this helps.

This week we will continue with last week's question about the New Covenant

We dealt briefly with what the New Covenant is and this week we will discuss Yeshua, Paul and the New Covenant. When Yeshua began His ministry He reads from Isaiah which is the Haftarah reading for the Torah reading which dealt with the Covenant of Moab. He said that it was fulfilled "today" in their ears (Lk 4.21). The Lord was going to "hasten" this restoration but if the people did not repent it would come in its due time (Isa 60.22). The offer of the Kingdom began with John the Baptist (Mt 3.2, 4.17). One of the elements of the New Covenant is the restored kingdom of Israel (Acts 1.6-7, Jer 23.5-6, Isa 9.6-7, 2 Chr 28.5, 13.8). But the kingdom was being rejected and Yeshua compared this rejection with "those who would not dance" (Mt 11.12-19). But the New Covenant still needed to be ratified in blood, which He did when he was crucified (Mt 26.27-29). The Kingdom offer was later extended and that is what is spoken about in the book of Acts. There was a national call for repentance in Acts 3.12-26 but the people did not respond and by Acts 28.17-28 the final curtain was being drawn on it ever happening in the first century. This brings us to Paul and the New Covenant and this was the basis for his ministry. He contrasts the circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit (an element of the Covenant of Moab) with those who were circumcised in the flesh (an element of the Covenant at Sinai) in Rom. 2.27-29. He spoke of the renewal of the Spirit (Moab) with the oldness of the writing of the Sinai covenant alone (Rom 7.6). In chapters 7 and 8 of Romans he contrasts the two Mosaic covenants when he said that walking by the Sinai covenant alone was a work of the flesh but walking by it in the Spirit was what the New Covenant was all about. You see, the Torah or Law of God was never done away with. It was how you walked in it that made all the difference. In Rom 10.4-8 he contrasts the "righteousness that is by the Torah" by quoting Lev 18.5 with the righteousness that is by faith by quoting from the covenant at Moab (Dt 30.11-14). He says that this covenant is the word of faith that "we proclaim" and said that the Covenant at Moab is the covenant of Messiah by which we are saved (Rom 10.9-13). In 2 Cor 3.3-6 he refers to the New Covenant when he contrasts the "letter" written on stone with the "spirit" of Torah written on our hearts. He says following the letter kills, but following the spirit of it gives life. In Galatians 3 he alludes to these 2 covenants. He says Messiah redeemed us from the curse (3.10-13). Jewish commentators tell us the word "besides" in Dt 29.1 distinguishes the covenant at Moab from the curse of the Law. In Galatians 4.16-31 he plainly compares the two covenants. The main thing to remember in all of this is that the Torah is what is being followed in both covenants. One is by the flesh (Sinai) and the other is being led by the Holy Spirit to keep the commandments (Moab). It all comes down to being "born from above" or not. The book of Hebrews is full of references to these covenants. Heb 8.1 begins with the "main point" then it quotes all of Jer 31.31-34 regarding the New Covenant. In Hebrews 8.8-11 and beyond he compares the first covenant at Sinai with the second at Moab (8.6, 7, 13, 9.1, 15, and 10.9). This second covenant differed from the first. The first (Sinai) was ratified with the blood of animals but the second (Moab) was ratified by the blood of Yeshua. Again, the Torah itself didn't change or was done away with (9.12-24) with the covenant at Moab, it was repeated or "renewed" with better promises and that is why it is called the New (renewed) covenant. In Heb 3.7-4.10 he says the "rest" we enter is like the entry of Israel into Canaan which took place at the death of Moses and after making the covenant at Moab. If you study out the names and places when Moses died you will see the whole picture of the covenant at Sinai and the covenant of Moab played out. Remember, the common element in both covenants is the commandments of the Lord. That hasn't changed. But instead of the Lord writing them on stone, He writes them on our hearts. This is made possible through the ratification of this covenant by the death, burial and resurrection of Yeshua. Next week we will review all of this and try to wrap it up nicely so it can be understood better and we will see the New Covenant all comes back to the Covenant at Moab in Dt 29.1 through 30.20. Click here for part 3

Q. You have mentioned in past articles that the kingdom was being offered in the 1st century. What exactly do you mean?

A. To understand this I will have to go back and give some background. This will take several weeks so don't miss the next few articles. This will not be in massive detail but it will give you a better idea of what is going on, This week we will go over what the New Covenant is, next week we'll talk about Yeshua, Paul and the kingdom offer in relation to the new covenant and then the next week try to wrap everything up with a historical overview and show you it all comes back to the Covenant at Moab in Dt 29.1 through Dt 3.20. The "new" covenant is called the "Covenant at Moab." The Mosaic Covenant was made at Mt. Sinai and mediated by Moses, ratified with blood and given to those present at that time ( "in your ears" Dt 5.1-5). The Covenant at Moab ( Moab="seed of the Father") was made at Mt. Nebo (Nebo="prophet") shortly before entry into the promised land. This covenant is "besides" the Mosaic Covenant and includes Torah observance (Dt 30.10). Are you starting to see the connection? The people said they would keep the Mosaic covenant (Ex 24.7) but didn't. This brought on the need for the 2nd covenant at Moab. Both covenants are a work of God's grace (Jn 1.17). It's not like the Mosaic covenant because it had better promises, it was made with everyone, even those unborn (Dt 29 10-15). The Messiah (Yeshua) was the "surety" (Heb 7.22, 8.6, 12.24) and it would be ratified in His blood, not animals like in the Mosaic Covenant. The Moabite covenant had blessings, not just curses. Israel would be honored in the earth, the land would prosper, enemies defeated and they would be the head not the tail. It would be centered around repentance (Dt 30.2,8) and a circumcised heart ("desires"-Dt 30.26). The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah talked about this new covenant (Ezek 36.22-38, Jer 11.1-4). This is the new covenant Yeshua spoke about and it is based in the Torah (Dt 30.10, everlasting (Jer 32.40) and gives life (Dt 30.6,15,19). The difference between the "old" covenant and the "new" covenant is not what is written but where it is written. It won't be on stone this time but on the heart, through the Holy Spirit. Daniel was studying about the prophecies in Jeremiah (Dan 9.2) and knew that the curses had come upon Israel due to their disobedience (Dan 9.13, Lev 26.14, Dt 28.15). He also knew that it would be seven times worse if they didn't repent (Lev 26.18,21,24,28). In Dan 9 he prays for mercy because he knows Israel failed to repent and 7 x 70 equals 490 years. Gabriel comes with God's reply and Israel will fall into a 490 year cycle. But Messiah will come after 483 years and be "cut off." Israel would need to repent when he came and accept the Torah and then at the end of 490 years enter the new covenant, already promised in Dt 29.1-30.20). But the new covenant could not take place until it was ratified in blood and that brings us up to the coming of Yeshua. He came to offer the kingdom and to ratify this new covenant for the forgiveness of sins, to open the way up for the coming of the Holy Spirit who would circumcise the heart and write the Torah on the hearts of those "born from above" (Jn 3.1-21). This circumcision of the heart is the desire to keep the commandments and that could only happen after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit ( Jn 7.37-39). Next week we will pick up right here with the coming of Yeshua and His mission to offer the kingdom and to ratify the Moabite or new covenant and repentance.You see, the failure of the Mosaic covenant wasn't because the commandments were bad, it was the people who were at fault in Heb 8.8-13 and repentance was needed. That's why Jeremiah 31.31-34 is quoted by the writer of Hebrews describing the new covenant. Their desires needed to change and that could only be done through the work of God. So, hopefully, you have a better understanding of what the new covenant really is. It has nothing to do with the Law being done away with as is taught by many today but a new, circumcised heart to obey God and not make the same mistakes the people did under the Mosaic covenant. We'll pick up there next week with Yeshua and Paul in relation to the new covenant. Click here for Part 2