A Biblical Study on When the New Covenant Comes In
The Central Question: When does the New Covenant come in?
This study addresses a critical distinction that modern Bible versions have obscured: the difference between the New Testament and the New Covenant.
The Thesis:
The Central Question: When does the New Covenant come in?
This study addresses a critical distinction that modern Bible versions have obscured: the difference between the New Testament and the New Covenant.
The Thesis:
• Jesus Christ brought in the **New Testament**
• Jesus Christ did **NOT** bring in the **New Covenant**
• The **New Covenant** is still **FUTURE** — it will come in during the time of Jacob's Trouble and be fully implemented in the Millennial Kingdom
Why This Matters:
Modern Bible versions (ESV, NIV, NASB, NKJV, etc.) incorrectly teach that Jesus brought in the New Covenant. This error stems from Vatican-influenced replacement theology that claims the Church has replaced Israel. This is a fundamental corruption that affects our understanding of:
1. God's plan for Israel
2. The timing of biblical prophecy
3. The distinction between the Church and Israel
4. The future Millennial Kingdom
Important: This study uses the King James Bible. Modern versions are corrupt on this very point and will lead you astray.
And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him. And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
Key Points:
• Moses is the mediator between God and Israel
• The covenant was sealed with **blood**
• The people agreed: "All that the LORD hath said will we do"
• This is called "**the blood of the covenant**"
And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Key Points:
• The **Ten Commandments** are explicitly called "**the words of the covenant**"
• This covenant was made with **Moses** and **Israel** (the Jewish people)
• Moses was the mediator
But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant...
And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land... And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant (which is unconditional and perpetual), the Mosaic Covenant is CONDITIONAL.
The Four Sets of Seven Judgments:
God warned Israel that if they broke the covenant, He would judge them SEVEN TIMES — and this phrase appears FOUR TIMES in Leviticus 26:
1. **Verse 18:** "And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you **seven times more** for your sins."
2. **Verse 21:** "And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring **seven times more** plagues upon you according to your sins."
3. **Verse 24:** "Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet **seven times** for your sins."
4. **Verse 28:** "Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you **seven times** for your sins."
The Judgments Include:
• Terror, consumption, fever (v. 16)
• Defeat by enemies (v. 17)
• Drought and crop failure (v. 19-20)
• Wild beasts (v. 22)
• Sword, pestilence (v. 25)
• Famine (v. 26)
• Cannibalism (eating their own children) — **this actually happened** (v. 29)
• Destruction of high places and idols (v. 30)
• Cities made waste, sanctuaries desolate (v. 31)
• **Scattered among the nations** (v. 33)
This happened — the Jewish people were scattered among the nations for centuries.
BUT — God remembers His covenants:
Leviticus 26:40-46 — God Remembers the Covenant
Even after all these judgments, God says:
Key Point: God will REMEMBER both the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant and restore Israel.
And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
Key Points:
• This is a **unique time** — "none is like it"
• It is called "**the time of Jacob's trouble**" (not the Church's trouble)
• This refers to the **Great Tribulation**
• **Jacob = Israel** (the Jewish people)
What Happens During Jacob's Trouble:
• The mark of the beast (Revelation 13)
• No buying or selling without the mark
• No job, no bank account, no grocery store, no gas station
• Persecution of those who refuse the mark
• God's attention turns **BACK to Israel**
"David their king" = Christ the Messiah ruling in the Millennial Kingdom
Important Theological Point:
Many Christians think:
• "We (the Church) have this special place with God"
• "God's plans revolve around us"
• "The Church age goes on forever"
This is FALSE.
The Truth:
• Yes, the Church has a special place in God's plan
• Yes, we are saved by grace through faith
• **BUT** when the Rapture happens (the catching away of the Body of Christ), God's attention **TURNS BACK to Israel**
• During the Tribulation (time of Jacob's Trouble), God deals primarily with **Israel**
• When Christ returns to rule and reign, He rules from **Jerusalem**
• The Millennial Kingdom is centered on the **restoration of Israel**
Key Distinction:
• God made **COVENANTS** with **Israel**
• God made the **NEW TESTAMENT** with **the Church**
• The Church does **NOT** replace Israel
• Replacement theology is **Catholic heresy**
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that 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 that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This is the KEY PASSAGE on the New Covenant:
For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
Context:
This verse connects to the New Covenant promise — God declares He will make an everlasting covenant, emphasizing truth and righteousness. This covenant is permanent and will never be broken.
Verse 31: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah"
NOT "with the Christian Church" NOT "with believers" NOT "with all who have faith"
With the HOUSE OF ISRAEL and the HOUSE OF JUDAH.
Test it against verse 33-34:
Verse 33: "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts"
Question: Is the law of God written in the hearts of the Jewish people today? Answer: NO. They reject Jesus Christ. They don't keep the law.
Verse 34: "They shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them"
Question: Do all Jewish people know the LORD today? Answer: NO. Most are secular. Many are atheists. They are still in unbelief.
Verse 34: "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more"
Question: Has God forgiven the nation of Israel and forgotten their sin? Answer: NO. They are still scattered. They are still under judgment for rejecting the Messiah.
Some say: "Well, the New Covenant is for the Church. 'Israel' here means the Church (spiritual Israel)."
This is REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY — a Catholic heresy.
Test this claim:
IF the Church received the New Covenant in the 1st century, then:
1. **The law should be written in Christians' hearts and minds** (v. 33)
• Question: Do all Christians perfectly keep the law? Is it written in their hearts?
• Answer: **NO.** Christians sin. Christians struggle. Peter said "we cannot keep the law" (Acts 15).
2. **They shall ALL know the LORD** (v. 34)
• Question: Do all people in the Church know the LORD?
• Answer: **NO.** The Church is full of tares (Matthew 13). Many are false converts.
3. **They shall teach no more every man his neighbor, saying, Know the LORD** (v. 34)
• Question: Does the Church still need teachers and preachers?
• Answer: **YES.** We have pastors, teachers, evangelists (Ephesians 4:11).
Conclusion: The New Covenant has NOT come in yet — not for Israel, not for the Church.
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. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 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..." [quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34]
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.
Key Points:
• The writer quotes Jeremiah 31 **IN FULL**
• The **OLD** Covenant is **decaying**, **waxing old**, **ready to vanish away**
• A **NEW** Covenant is **COMING**
• But has it come in yet? **NO** — verse 13 says it is "ready to" vanish (future)
And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
KEY DISTINCTION:
• A **COVENANT** is an agreement between two parties
• A **TESTAMENT** is a **will** — it goes into effect when someone **DIES**
Jesus brought in the NEW TESTAMENT through His DEATH:
• His death activated the will
• We receive the inheritance through His blood
• The New Testament is in effect **NOW** for the Church
BUT the NEW COVENANT (Jeremiah 31) is STILL FUTURE for ISRAEL.
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
"After those days" — This is FUTURE.
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Verse 25: "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in"
Verse 26: "And so ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED"
Verse 27: "For THIS is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins"
When does God take away Israel's sins?
• When **the Deliverer comes out of Zion** (v. 26)
• When **Christ returns** to deliver Israel
• At the **Second Coming**
• During the **time of Jacob's Trouble**
• Leading into the **Millennial Kingdom**
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
Key Points:
• Right now (Church Age): Jews are "enemies" concerning the gospel
• BUT: They are still "**beloved**" because of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob)
• God has **NOT** cast away His people (Romans 11:1-2)
• The **covenants** still belong to Israel (Romans 9:4)
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
Key Points:
• 144,000 **Jewish** men
• 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes
• Sealed by God
• Appear during the Tribulation period
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Evidence:
1. **"Without fault before the throne of God"** (v. 5)
• How can they be without fault?
• **IF** the law of God is written in their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33)
• **IF** they all know the LORD (Jeremiah 31:34)
• **IF** they need no man to teach them (Jeremiah 31:34)
2. **"No man could learn that song but the 144,000"** (v. 3)
• They have special knowledge
• They have a unique relationship with God
• This matches the New Covenant promise
3. **They appear during the Tribulation**
• The time of Jacob's Trouble
• When Moses and Elijah (the two witnesses) appear
• Moses could announce: "The Old Covenant is done. Here is the New Covenant. Here are 144,000 proof that it works."
Possible Timeline:
1. Rapture of the Church
2. Tribulation begins
3. Two witnesses appear (Moses and Elijah?)
4. 144,000 sealed
5. New Covenant initiated with the 144,000 as firstfruits
6. Christ returns
7. New Covenant fully implemented in Millennial Kingdom
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing...
Evidence from the text:
1. **"My servant David"** — Christ ruling as King (v. 23-24)
2. **"Covenant of peace"** — No more war (v. 25)
3. **"Evil beasts cease"** — Animals at peace (v. 25)
4. **"Dwell safely in the wilderness, sleep in the woods"** (v. 25)
5. **"Showers of blessing"** — Agricultural abundance (v. 26)
6. **"The tree of the field shall yield her fruit"** (v. 27)
This describes the MILLENNIAL KINGDOM:
• Christ ruling from Jerusalem
• Peace on earth
• Animals tame
• Agricultural blessing
• Israel restored
The New Covenant comes in at the BEGINNING of the Millennial Kingdom — after the Judgment of the Nations (Matthew 25:31-46).
| Version | Reading | |---------|---------| | KJV | "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament" | | ESV | "Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant" | | NIV | "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant" | | NASB | "For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant" | | NKJV | "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant" |
The Corruption:
By changing "testament" to "covenant" in Hebrews 9:15-17, modern versions teach that:
• Jesus brought in the New Covenant
• The New Covenant is for the Church
• The Church has replaced Israel
This is REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY — a Vatican/Catholic doctrine.
If you believe the New Covenant already came in, you will:
1. **Miss God's plan for Israel**
• You'll think the Church replaced Israel
• You'll miss the prophetic significance of Israel's restoration
2. **Misunderstand the Tribulation**
• You'll think it's about "purifying the Church"
• You'll miss that it's the "time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7)
3. **Misunderstand the Millennial Kingdom**
• You'll spiritualize it away
• You'll miss that Christ will rule from Jerusalem
4. **Adopt Catholic theology**
• Replacement theology is Catholic
• The Pope claims to be the head of "spiritual Israel"
• Modern versions support this error
1. **The Old Covenant** was given to Moses and Israel at Mount Sinai
• It included the Ten Commandments
• It was conditional
• It was sealed with blood
• Israel broke it
2. **The New Covenant** was promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34
• It will be made with the house of Israel and Judah
• God will write His law in their hearts
• They will ALL know the LORD
• Their sins will be completely forgiven
• This has NOT happened yet
3. **The New Testament** was brought in by Jesus Christ
• It went into effect through His death (Hebrews 9:15-17)
• It is a testament (will), not a covenant
• It is in effect NOW for the Church
• We receive the inheritance through His blood
4. **The Time of Jacob's Trouble** is when God turns back to Israel
• The Church will be raptured before this
• God's attention returns to Israel
• This is the Great Tribulation
• The 144,000 may receive the New Covenant as firstfruits
5. **The New Covenant comes in FUTURE**
• When Christ returns as Deliverer (Romans 11:26-27)
• During/after the time of Jacob's Trouble
• Fully implemented in the Millennial Kingdom
• Christ will rule from Jerusalem
6. **Modern Bible versions corrupt this**
• They change "testament" to "covenant"
• They support replacement theology
• They are Vatican-influenced
• Use the King James Bible
Do you believe:
✅ The KJV — which distinguishes between Testament and Covenant, preserves God's plan for Israel, and keeps the New Covenant future?
OR
❌ Modern versions (ESV, NIV, NASB, NKJV) — which confuse Testament and Covenant, support replacement theology, and claim the Church has replaced Israel?
If you believe the New Covenant already came in:
• You have been deceived by corrupt Bible versions
• You need to study this issue carefully
• You need to get saved if you're trusting in Catholic/replacement theology
The New Covenant has NOT come in yet. It is FUTURE. It is for ISRAEL. It will come when Christ returns as Deliverer.
"For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."
— Romans 11:25-27
Study Complete *All Scripture quotations from the King James Version*