By The Venerable Dr. Ifechukwu U. Ibeme
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THE MEANING OF A
COVENANT: Covenant (Hebrew= berit, Greek= diatheke)
is a solemn agreement between two parties for
self-giving, sacrificial intimacy. A covenant is jealously guaranteed by the covenanting parties with an oath. It
may be:
1.
mutually agreed between two equals (also
Greek= suntheke as in
peace treaties for civil alliances, compacts for social relationships and
self-plighting troths for
marriages).
Here,
blood covenants are cut to bind the
parties into a lifelong brotherhood/friendship/partnership/union and carry the penalty of condemnation and ostracism
on the violator. (Gen. 31:44-54; Joshua 9).
2.
unilaterally stipulated by a superior (e.g. God
or any potentate) with the inferior
graciously invited to pledge consent (as in Divine or worship Testaments and Suzerain or royal Ordinances).
Here,
blood covenants are cut to bind to
irrevocably unending allegiance and usually impose the curse or sentence of death
on the violator, who is inevitably the inferior party. (Exd.
24:4-8; Jer. 34:18). But there is usually a provision for atonement.
Unilaterally
stipulated Covenants could be:
1. conditional law (promises
with
commandments – “If you will …, then I
will …”) for regulation of
hard-heartedness and lawlessness; or
2.
unconditional
grace (promises without commandments)
either as:
(i)
reward for past merit (“Because
you have …, I will surely …”) or
(ii)
grant for no merit
(“Because I have …, I will surely …”).
Christian
marriage is a good example of mutual
covenant between a husband and a wife plighting
their life and love to each other in the
Lord, (NOT demanding love and
service from each other). The New Testament of salvation in Christ is unilaterally granted by God to all who pledge their
commitment to Christ.
Christ is
both the Mediator (Finisher/Perfecter) of the New Covenant (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) and
the Testator (Author/Pioneer) of the
New Testament (Heb 9:16-17; 12:2). Through His death Christ activated His
Gospel Testament once-for-all: and
by His resurrection from death, He lives forever to administer His New Covenant
perpetually.
WITH THE
ENACTMENT OF THE NEW COVENANT, EVERY OTHER COVENANT VANISHES AWAY (Heb 8:13).
No wonder the New Covenant was, in apostolic times, known even among Jewish
Christians as the covenant which is “better”
(Heb 7:22), “second” (Heb 8:7) and “new” (Heb 9:15).
Covenants
have four elements shared by the covenanting parties:
1.
the
terms or responsibility and benefit as agreed/stipulated
and consented;
2.
the
curse or penalties for violation;
3.
the
oath or binding pledge in God’s name for accepting
responsibilities, benefits and penalties;
4.
the sign or rite/symbol of
ratification and commemoration.
Covenants
with God involve God taking the
initiative to graciously make promises
and issue commandments (and curses), with invitation to man who then pledges
to keep the commands, accept the promises as well as the penalties.
A. COVENANTS IN THE SCRIPTURE: God made what the Scripture calls “covenants” with:
1.
Noah for preservation from
universal deluge (Gen. 9:9-17) – Unconditional Covenant.
2.
Abraham for descendants with
Messianic Spiritual blessings for all nations (Gen. 17:2-21; 12:2-4) – Unconditional
Covenant.
3.
At Sinai
for conditional heritage of Canaan-land temporalities as God’s special people (Exd 24:4-8; 34:10-28) which was thereafter reenacted severally:
-
at
-
under Joshua (Josh 24),
-
under Jehoiada (2Chron 23:3),
-
under Hezekiah (2Chron 29:10),
-
under Josiah (2Kin 23:3),
-
under Ezra (Ezr 10:3).
4.
Levi (Malachi 2:4) and Phinehas (Num 25:12-13) for Israelite priesthood –
Unconditional Covenant.
5.
David (2Sam 7; 1Chron 17) for
Israelite and Messianic rule – Unconditional Covenant.
6.
The New (Internalised,
Eternal, Universal, Final) Covenant with BOTH Israel and All
Peoples through Christ for ALL Spiritual
blessings (Lk 1:72-79; Matt 26:26-29; John 1:29;
Isa 49:8; 56:3-8; Jer 31:31-33; Rom 4:13-14; Gal
3:8,29; Heb 8) – Unconditional Covenant.
NOTE: The Scripture shows that God comes redemptively to man by means of covenant relationship as the sure and intimate way of
revealing Himself and dispensing His riches. Otherwise,
worshipping God would be a fruitless guesswork – a mere uncertain groping as in the dark (Acts 17:27). Through His Covenants, God graciously invites us to
obtain His superlative blessings: (i.e.
-
restoration
to life of fellowship with God,
-
heritage of God’s Kingdom and
-
possession of spiritualities
– purity & power,
and temporalities – protection &
provision)
through our singular commitment (i.e.
faith and obedience).
All the other covenants are
unconditional except the covenant with
B. THE CLASSICAL VIEW
on covenants was that there are two principal covenants:
1.
Covenant
of Works with Adam i.e. Old or Legal Covenant promise of
eternal life based on obedience to the Law. Rom 10:5; 5:12-14;
2.
Covenant
of Grace with Christ i.e. New or Gospel Covenant promise of
eternal life based on faith in Christ. Rom 10:4; 5:15-21.
C. THE DISPENSATIONALIST
THEORY, a fascinating doctrinal reengineering newly developed
in the past one hundred years, has devised their seven/eight covenants and
their so called seven “dispensations” (Not same with dispensation in the Scriptures). The chief propagator of this new revelation was Scofield who wrote that there are seven dispensations: of innocence, of conscience, of civil
government, of promise, of law, [of grace], and of the kingdom. These
correspond to the seven/eight covenants:
Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Palestinian,
[New (Messianic)] and Davidic Covenants. Dispensationalists reinterpret the
Scriptures in the light of these dispensations and other perceived
ultra-dispensations.
NOTE: The biggest problematic of the innovations of the Dispensational
casuistry however, is segregation of redeemed
THE NEW COVENANT OF CHRIST (WITH HIS BELIEVING
SAINTS) CANNOT GIVE WAY OR BE TAKEN AWAY FOR ANY OTHER COVENANT TO BE FULFILLED
THEREAFTER IN THEIR ABSENCE. The New Testament Church of Christ was understood
(even by Jewish Christians) in apostolic times, as the predetermined Universal Agency of the Heavenly Messianic Kingdom of God, based on the ultimate and final (New) Covenant, which both replaces and perfects (NOT INTERRUPTS) the older or other Covenants
(Heb. 8:16; 11:39-40).
The Apostles unambiguously taught that the New
Covenant gives way to none other, rather all
other Covenants give way for or find fulfillment in the New Covenant (Gal
3:15-4:7). The Dispensationalists however are of the opinion that this New
Covenant will “give way” so that the political State of
Harm should not be done to the truth of the
Scriptures in order to protect certain unnecessary fears about tribulation and
unfounded motives about
Before Christ comes, the Man of Sin (Antichrist)
MUST COME FIRST (2Thes 2:1-4), and he will be destroyed at Christ’s coming
(2Thes 2:8). We can only hazard guesses, but only the Thessalonians knew the restrainer that will be taken out
of the way (2Thes 2:5-7). What is clear is that the restrainer could never have been the Church or the Holy Spirit.
It will pay us better to take the Apostles at their words if we truly believe
the Scriptures else you may find yourself among those with strong delusion to
believe lies unto your damnation (2Thes 2:9-12). To be sure, the rapture into the AIR to “welcome”
(“meet” compare 1Thes 4:17 and Matt 25:6) Christ our Bridegroom, on His
glorious arrival to the earth is NOT
rapture to go back into HEAVEN, but to triumph with Him at His COMING to earth (not going to heaven) to reign over all the kingdoms of the earth.
Reserved for this one Church, as the only Bride
of the Lamb, is the one heavenly, bridal Jerusalem without structural Temple
but with God and the Lamb dwelling in it
as its Tabernacle and glorious
illumination (Rev 21:3, 22-23). This one Bride Church includes ALL THE
REDEEMED registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life – the 12 Tribes of Israel as its pearl Gates (Rev 21:9-13, 21), the 12 Apostles as its precious-stone wall
foundations (Rev 21:14-20), and all
Nations and their Kings as contributors to its glory and honour (Rev 21:24-27), with no walls
of partition (Eph 2:11-22; 3:4-6; Gal 3:26-29).
This composite One True Church shall be raised once in open, visible glory (at the blast of the angelic LAST trumpet)
as One Body and One Bride, at the One glorious Second Coming and One rapturous
First Resurrection (1Cor 15:22-26, 50-53; 1Thes 4:14-18) – not two separate
second comings, two separate first resurrections nor two separate brides as if
to a polygamous Lord! The first resurrection of the Just, “IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THE TRIBULATION”, will be glorious, rapturous and will usher in the millennial
subduing reign of Christ and His raised Saints “ON THE EARTH” (Matt 24:21-31;
Luke 14:14; Rev 5:9-10; 20:4-6). This reign shall be operated from the Saints’
Camp which is the beloved city from heavenly founded by God (Rev 20:9; Heb
11:10). Then comes the final, futile Magog rebellion
against the Saints in their ruling Camp City (Rev 20:7-10) and the inglorious
resurrection of the Unjust, to face the final judgment of reward/retribution of
all works leading to the final destinies of bliss and doom for eternity (Dan
12:2; John 5:29; Rev 19:11-21:8).
This is the simple plain reading of the
Apostolic Scripture without any difficulty, theories, assumptions or clever
casuistry. Why would any true believer
have difficulty agreeing with the Apostles?
VEN DR I.
U. IBEME
Last revised: September 24, 2009
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