Back to the question; are there one or two covenants active for God's people? In my opinion I believe the bible, teaches that the New Covenant is in force for God's people today. Jesus becomes the surety of a better covenant. Hebrews 7:22 ASV I will now move to offer you several biblical reasons this is true. Understand in fairness that my prejudice is the Stone-Campbell movement and because of that a reliance on the New Testament Scriptures.
A study of Jesus teaching makes clear he did not come to reestablish a theocracy in Israel. Instead he emphasized he came to establish the Kingdom of God. Today, I want to view two passages from the gospels.
Listen to another parable: There was a land-owner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone[h]; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’[i]?
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” Matthew 21:33-44
The main elements in this parable are (1) the landowner—God, (2) the vineyard—Israel, (3) the tenant farmers—the Jewish religious leaders, (4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets and priests who remained faithful to God and preached to Israel, (5) the son—Jesus (21:38), and (6) the other tenants—the Gentiles. Jesus was exposing the religious leaders’ murderous plot (21:45). (Life Application notes from life application Bible). A surface reading makes it clear the God is building a new Kingdom, that will include Jews and Gentiles who accept the stone the builders rejected. Several Chapters earlier he makes clear that this kingdom will be the church. (Matthew 16:18)
This Parable is rooted in multiple passages in the Old Testament. If you wish for further study see; 2 Chronicles 24, Psalms 80, Isaiah 5, and Jeremiah 2. When you study the Parable and the Old Testament Passages it is clear Israel has refused to heed the Prophets and is now rejecting the Son have demonstrated they are incapble of producing fruit. In fact Israel and the religious leaders in Jesus day were incapable of producing the life and conduct that the land owner desires. So the consequence is that the Land is given to New Tenants -Gentiles. That is a easy conclusion to jump to is this new kingdom will be just Gentiles-Read this parable carefully and you will find there is no direct statement who the new tenant will be. It does hint in the story it should be those who accept the son and produce fruit and both Jew and Gentile did both in the New Covenant.
Link this to Isaiah 5:5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed. Isaiah 5 predicted the removal of the hedge and the treading down of the vineyard - the house of Israel. The destruction of Jerusalem, which was accomplished by the Romans in AD 70 was a fulfillment of the parable which in turn was an exposition of Isaiah 5. The absence of a repentant heart in Israel made destruction a certainty, unlike in the days of Hezekiah in Isaiah 5 Hezekiah, on being presented with the judgement repented. The leaders in Jesus day did not. In fact they were given almost 40 years to repent and accept Jesus as their messiah. That is always entry into the New Covenant Thru Christ by Faith. (The New International Biblica Com Matthew-Robert Mounce ,http://www.biblestudymanuals.net/last_week_of_Jesus_life2.htm)
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within[b] you.” Luke 17:20,21 NIV
The Pharisees asked when God’s Kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived, in the life of Jesus. The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries, so it is not to be a country. Instead, the boundary of God's kingdom is found in every heart that bows it's will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ!
Jesus Makes three statements in these two verses that makes it clear; he did not have a view that Restoration of Israel or a theocracy was the will of God! The NLT of Verse 20 puts it this way. . .The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs or the King James says with observation. The word is paraterosos which is translated as signs to be observed. But the word is most often used to watch with hostility. It is as if Jesus is saying the kingdom of God will not be seen by those who oppose his teaching of the Kingdom of God. Those looking to conquer in his name or a earthly empire are blind because he is building a spiritual kingdom that transcends earthly boundaries. (The Gospel of Luke by Paul Butler College Press 1981)
Verse 21 in KJV says; Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! Jeus could not make it more plain the kingdom would not have political or geographical borders. A belief in a re-establishment of a national Israel betrays this! Christian Theocracy that seeks to evangelize with the power of a sword also betrays the intentions of Christ's teaching. Christ's rule is in the hearts of men and women everywhere not confined to one nation.
Lastly, When Jesus said the Kingdom is inside of us Donald Guthries writes;"The Kingdom of God refers to the spiritual rule of God in the hearts and lives of those in whom Christ’s redemptive work has subdued the power of evil and established the rule of faith and loving obedience to God’s commandments. The Kingdom, therefore, is not so much a domain with physical boundaries and institutions; rather, it is the rule of Christ in men’s hearts. “It is now generally agreed that it means not so much a domain, as a reign; not so much an area over which a king reigns, as the activity of reigning.” Donald Guthrie. New Testament Introduction. InterVarsity Press. 1981. (409)
Jesus teaching is clear that his Kingdom would be not be either a theocracy in Israel or a earthly kingdom, but he would rule in the hearts and lives of men and women who loved and obeyed his New Covenant. This is why I teach the New Testament is the only rule and practice for those who follow Jesus Today.
Be God's
Roger Miller
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