Old Covenant/New Covenant Comparison #2

(Chapter 9)

Fred R. Coulter—December 6, 2003

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What we need to understand is this, a very important thing: The Old Covenant was a physical covenant which contained all of the elements which would lead to the New Covenant, only it would become spiritually applied. Everything under the Old Covenant was done in the letter of the Law. The people in general didn't have the Holy Spirit. There was no eternal salvation through the Old Covenant. People cannot understand that, because they do not recognize the resurrections in the Bible.

• First resurrection—when Christ returns for those who are Christ's
• Second resurrection—at the end to the thousand years
  • those who have not committed the unpardonable sin and will be raised to a second life in the flesh so they can have an opportunity for salvation
  • all of those who have committed the unpardonable sin and will be resurrected so that all of the wicked will be cast into the Lake of Fire at the same time

In order to justify their version of the New Testament, what they have to do is say that those under the Old Covenant earned salvation by works. Well, if you can't earn salvation by works under the New Covenant, how could you possibly do it under the Old Covenant? If salvation is a gift of God—which it is—how can you earn it when Paul said, 'Not of works, lest any man should boast.' Besides, what works did they have under the Old Covenant? Most of it was apostasy going after other gods! God knew they would do that!

I want to cover several things here that are very important. Beginning in Gen. 9 there's a very profound and important application of law that God instituted after the Flood. When you read the sections of the Bible before the Flood, you find that God alone was the One Who did the judging and the executing of the sentence.Adam and Eve: when they sinned, He gave His judgment, His curse; He gave the punishment to them. When Cain murdered Abel, God is the One Who gave the judgment

Apparently, from the time of creation to 1565B.C.—years later—when the Flood occurred, God was the One Who was judge and did the administering. God lived in the Garden of Eden. They could come to the east gate of the Garden of Eden. In the sermons on the tabernacle and temple you will find all of the basic things that were later in the temple such as the altar, the cherubim, the presence of God was there at the east gate. When they built the temple it faced the east and the priests faced west. It's very important to understand.

We come to Gen. 9 and the Flood is over, Noah and his family is safe. Here is a change of administration, which would come down as a sovereignty of every nation. Right after this we have the table of nations. Here's what God did: He transferred the authority of capital punishment from His jurisdiction—because men didn't want Him to do it—to man's jurisdiction. That follows in every sovereign nation. This will become a vital, important understanding in the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant when we come to the administration of death.

Genesis 9:5: "And surely the blood of your lives will I require. At the hand of every animal will I require it, and at the hand of man. At the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood shall be shed by man…" (vs 5-6).

In other words, he's saying you human beings are now responsible for capital punishment, and the execution of those who do crimes worthy of death.

"…—for He made man in the image of God" (v 6). Then He goes on and gives the rest of the covenant.

All nations—we have the table of nations given in Gen. 10—had the administration of death as a civil thing that they would do. Israel is different than the Church and here is the difference:

Old Covenant—Administration of Death:

The 12 tribes consisted of one nation as a whole, a sovereign nation on earth, and God gave the death penalty—and execution and use of the death penalty—to the nation of Israel. It was to be supervised by the priesthood. He also gave the basis and groundwork for how to carry out the execution of someone. Note Exo. 21-24 because there are all the civil codes of what would happen if there were robbery, murder, crime, stealing or any of those things. The structure of the civil government was given in Exo. 18: captains over 10, over 50, over 100, over thousands. That was not the priesthood. The priesthood was only to sit in final judgment in capital cases when it was necessary. Otherwise, it was a matter of judges; very akin to what we have in America today.

Deuteronomy 17:2—combined theological sins as well as civil crimes: "If there is found among you, inside any of your gates which the LORD your God gives you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, in breaking His covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the forces of heaven, which I have forbidden, and if it is told you, and you have heard and inquired diligently, and, behold, it is true and the thing is certain, that such abomination is done in Israel; then you shall bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that evil thing to your gates, even that man or that woman, and shall stone them with stones until they die" (vs 2-5).

However, v 6: "At the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death. At the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death." They're using that a lot in our courts today. They're allowing the testimony of hearsay. They're allowing one witness and one accuser.

Verse 7: "The hands of the witnesses shall be the first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. So, you shall put the evil away from among you."

We're looking at the Supreme Court run by the priests in the land of Israel. They had theological crimes and civil crimes. Theological crimes would be the crimes transgressing the first four commandments. That's a relationship between the person and God. The civil crimes were the last six of the Ten Commandments, which God—under the administration of death (Gen. 9) gave to all nations to execute.

Let's see how this was carried over, v 8: "If a matter is too hard for you in judgment…" It says that you should go to the judges in those things (Exo. 21).

"…between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of strife within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God shall choose. And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge… [here we have the judge—the dual—the civil] …that shall be in those days, and ask. And they shall declare to you the sentence of judgment. And you shall do according to the sentence, which they declare to you from that place which the LORD shall choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they tell you. According to the sentence of the law, which they shall teach you and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand or the left. And the man that acts presumptuously and will not hearken to the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or to the judge, even that man shall die. And you shall put away the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear, and do no more presumptuously" (vs 8-13). This is the administration of death, which we will understand the difference.

New Covenant—Administration of Spirit:

First of all, is the Church a sovereign nation? Does it have land and territory designated as this nation is the Church of God? No, it does not! It is not a sovereign nation. Since it is not a sovereign nation, God did not give it the administration of death. We need to understand! What is important in the Old and New Covenants is that God gave the jurisdiction of the death penalty to all sovereign nations—regardless of how they administer it—it is their responsibility to put evil-doers out of the land through their process of judges and the administration of death.

That's why this new International Criminal Court violates what God has given! The New International Court says that anyone anywhere in the world can bring a charge against someone in another country and they can be arrested out of that country and tried before that tribunal and found guilty. That is contrary to what God gave the independent sovereign nations that He created through the table of nations (Gen. 10). That's crucial to understand.

Within any sovereign nation, you cannot have a secondary sovereign nation. That's also important to understand. That's why they should outlaw the Nation of Islam headquartered in Chicago. They have demanded millions of acres of American land to set up their sovereign nation. A sovereign nation is sovereign unto itself and you can't setup a secondary sovereignty in that nation to administer the death penalty.

Think for a moment if the Church of God administered the death penalty. Instead of excommunication, we shot them or hung them or beheaded them. Sound like some church in history that you know? What would happen in the United States of America if a church executed the administration of death? The local and federal governments would come down and put an end to it, because they do not have the sovereign right to administer the death penalty.

Remember Yahweh Ben Yahweh down in Florida? He administered the death penalty to those who wouldn't obey him. Where is he now? In prison! He was running his church as a sovereign entity within a sovereign nation.

What is the command for the Church? 'Go you, therefore, into all the world and preach the Gospel and make disciples of every nation. And, lo, I'm with you until the end of the age.' Therefore, Paul had to define the difference between the administration of death and the administration of spirit, because the Church being the body of believers exists within many sovereign nations. It cannot have a sovereignty unto itself to administer the death penalty. What is the greatest penalty that can be given to someone who violates the rules of the Church, or violates the commandments of God in their relationship to the Church? What is the greatest penalty? Excommunication! Disfellowshipment! That's all you can do! This is what 2-Cor. 3 is all about, and this is the vast difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

2-Corinthians 3:1: "Do we again begin to commend ourselves? Or do we, as some, need epistles of commendation to you, or epistles of commendation from you? You are our epistle, and are inscribed in our hearts, being known and read by all men; for it is manifest that you are Christ's epistle, ministered by us; you were not inscribed with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not on tablets of stone… [referring to the Ten Commandments] …but on fleshly tablets of the heart" (vs 1-3).

Where are the Ten Commandments to be written? In your heart! It's not wrong to have a monument of the Ten Commandments.

Verse 4: "Now we have this confidence through Christ toward God; not that we are competent of ourselves, or credit anything to our own abilities: rather, our competency is from God; Who also made us competent as ministers of the New Covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (vs 4-6).

This tells us all of the theological and civil crimes that are listed in the Old Testament—subject to fines and the penalty of death—the Church does not administer in that way! It's a spiritual administration. That's why disfellowshipment is the greatest thing that a church can do. That way, a church can exist in any nation in the world, because they are not going against the sovereignty of that nation. It's important to understand.

Verse 7: "Now if the ministry of death… [the administration of death (KJV)] …which wasengraved in stones, came into being with glory, so that the children of Israel were not able to gaze upon Moses' face because of the glory of his face, which glory is being set aside."

Notice carefully it is the glory that is being set aside, not the commandments of God. What do we have? We have the spirit, the conversion, the Ten Commandments written in our heart and in our mind! That's being set aside. The King James has the words 'done away' and the Protestants love that 'done away' thing. They say this has 'done away' with the laws and commandments of God. NO! It is only 'done away' with the administration of the penalty of transgressing the theological and civil laws contained in the book of Moses—that's all! So, if that's being set aside, and that was a wonderful thing.

Verse 8: "Shall not the ministry of the Spirit be far more glorious?" Yes, inasmuch as:

• there is repentance
• there is forgiveness
• there is grace
• there is mercy

Paul said in Heb. 10 that under the testimony of two or three witnesses that the transgressor was executed without mercy. Under the New Covenant we have:

• mercy
• forgiveness
• love
• understanding
• a new life

Changed from within; not administered from without!

Verse 9: "For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, to a much greater degree the ministry of righteousness overflows with glory."

Of course, Paul was a prime example—wasn't he? Enemy of God! Killing brethren! Arresting them! God calls him, forgives him and says, 'Now, you go preach the Word.' Perfect example of the administration of spirit vs the administration of death.

• What would have happened under the administration of death if the Church would have had the power of the death penalty?
• Well, they would have waited until they could have captured Saul and executed him!
• Isn't that what the Jews wanted to do to Paul after he was converted? Yes!
• Why? They carried out the execution of the death penalty!

That does not come over to the New Testament.

Verse 10: "And even the ministry of condemnation, which had glory, was not glorious in this respect, because of the surpassing glory of the ministry of life. For if that which is being set aside… [the administration of death and the laws of God applied that way] …came into being through glory, to a much greater degree that which remains is glorious" (vs 10-11).

What remains? Keeping of the commandments of God in the Spirit as Christ amplified them, with the Spirit in our heart and our mind.

Verse 12: "Now then, because we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech; for we are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the children of Israel could not gaze to the end upon the glory that is now being set aside. But their minds were blinded…" (vs 12-14).

That's why they weren't offered salvation. In order to receive salvation, what has to happen? Your mind has to be opened! The blindness has to be lifted! Again, another proof that they did not have salvation under the Old Covenant. Their minds were blinded!

Listen carefully to this next part. This applies to Protestantism and carnal people in the world so clearly. "…for to the present hour the same veil has not been removed, but remains at the reading of the Old Covenant…" (v 14).

Isn't that what happens? They don't want to hear that you have to keep the commandments of God! They don't want to hear that grace establishes law! They want the forgiveness so they can continue living in their sins—the mystery of lawlessness! What happens when you have circumcision of the heart and mind vs circumcision of the flesh?

"…which veil is removed in Christ" (v 14). Now you can see the laws and commandments of God, that:

• they are Holy
• they are spiritual
• they are true
• they must be kept in the spirit
• they are good and righteous

—and that we ourselves are sinners and we must repent and come to God and have Him cleanse away our sins spiritually and change our heart and mind.

Now then, when you read anything in what we call the Book of Moses—and we can say the Prophets and the Psalms included—what happens? We understand it! But there was a time in our lives when we were blinded, because that veil was over our mind. That is not removed until the circumcision of Christ has taken place.

Verse 15: "For to this day, when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their hearts." Look at Judaism today. You can look at Protestantism today. Is that true? Yes, to a great degree! You can look at any other 'religion' in the world: Catholicism, Buddhism, Mohammadism or Islam, and the same thing is true. They've all been blinded! If God has blinded them, then God is responsible to one day remove that blinding if He wants all men to be saved. That's why there is the second resurrection. Very profound! God is just!

If God blinds someone so they can't understand, is it just to say 'I blinded you so you couldn't understand, go jump in the Lake of Fire over here because you've sinned'? The first thing we'd say is 'that's not fair.' That's why you have to have the second resurrection, so they can be resurrected and God says, 'Okay, you've lived one life in blindness, now here is the Truth! Now you have a chance to repent.' That's when the great harvest is going to take place. If you think the harvest during the Millennium is going to be something, think of what the Great White Throne Judgment harvest is going to be.

Verse 16: "But when their hearts turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away." In other words, that's repentance. 'Repent and be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'

Verse 17: "Now, the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Free from sin so that you can walk in the commandments of God.

Verse 18: "But we all, with uncovered faces beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being transformed… [conversion] …into the same image… [of Christ] …from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." That's the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Now, let's look at the administration that we have in the New Covenant. Let's see the process. You're not hauled before a tribunal. This is why confession of sin is never to any man. You're dealing with God and God is dealing with you. Besides, I know myself and you know yourself; if you had to confess your sins to a man, what would you do? You would minimize them as much as possible though admitting them so you would have a reduced sentence of 'hail Marys' and 'our fathers.'

Here is what we are to do, 1-John 1:8: "If we say that we do not have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our own sins…" (vs 8-9). We're going to see that's to Christ. You confess them to Jesus Christ and God the Father.

"…He is faithful and righteous, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (v 9).

• Isn't that better than going before a civil magistrate or a judge for every little thing that you have done? Yes, indeed!
• What happens with this when you do that and you know your sins are forgiven?
• What does that do because of God's love and mercy to provide this way?
  • that gives you incentive to live better
  • that gives you incentive to fight against sin and not give into it, because God is merciful and just

Whereas, if you had to come before a council or before a church board, that would really be 'hell on earth.' Only God judges the heart! That's why the administration of the Spirit is that much more glorious.

Verse 10: "If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us."

1-John 2:1: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin…." God doesn't want us to sin, but because of our nature, we do sin. That's why we stand under the umbrella of grace and live in that grace, so that we can come to God and have forgiveness of sin, which in turn gives us more incentive to grow and overcome.

"…And yet, if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous—and He is the propitiation… [the atoning mercy seat] …for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (vs 1-2). That will be in God's time!

In this situation for the Christian, if you are faithful to the end you will receive eternal life. Those who commit the unpardonable sin and reject Jesus Christ, God then executes the death penalty, the second death! Far different! It's far more glorious! You can see why the things that they did under the Old Covenant were only just a type of what was to come under the New Covenant, that's all.

If you want to understand the sacrifices of the Old Covenant in relationship to Jesus Christ get the book by Andrew Jukes: The Law of Offerings. That's quite a book!

Old Covenant—Earthly Sanctuary:

The Old Covenant had physical ordinances of Divine service in an earthly sanctuary. You can go back and read all of the priest's laws and everything that applied there.

New Covenant—Heavenly Sanctuary:

We have an actual Divine service in a heavenly sanctuary to where we pray directly to God the Father. Jesus Christ is our High Priest. Rev. 8 gives us a glimpse as to what happens when we come before God and we pray. We know that Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit helps our weaknesses, so that our prayers are answered and go to God in a form that strips away from it all the carnality of self. That's wonderful to know.

When you are praying and some silly idea flits through your head, because you're a human being, that doesn't go to God. I'm very thankful to understand this, because every once in a while you listen to a commercial and that thing sticks in your head. That's the intent of the commercial. What happens when you're praying and all of a sudden here comes this commercial coursing through your brain? Does that go up to God? No! God does not care that 'Coke is the real thing!' or whatever. So today, what I do when I'm watching television—and it drives everybody absolutely nuts and they cannot watch television with me—I hit the mute! That's filtered out by the Holy Spirit! (Rom. 8).

Revelation 8:1: "Now, when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar; and much incense was given to him, so that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense went up before God from the hand of the angel, ascending with the prayers of the saints" (vs 1-4).

So, your prayers go right directly to God; right directly to that 'golden altar' that receives the prayers of all the saints! That's far better than having an earthly sanctuary and a physical priesthood and once year the priest would go into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. Here your prayers go directly to God anytime you pray—anytime of the day or night—because it's an eternal process and it's never stopped! That's why we can have full confidence in our prayers. This shows the actual sanctuary service that goes on.

Paul also intimates this in Heb. 1. The angles are also involved in carrying out many of these things.

Hebrews 1:13: "But unto which of the angels did He ever say, 'Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits, being sent forth to minister to those who are about to inherit salvation?" (vs 13-14). We just saw how the operation takes place (Rev. 8).

Have you ever had something happen to you that you know an angel had to intervene and save your life or keep you whole or well? Every once in a while something will happen that you will change your mind about and you look back and you see that God spared you from a disaster. That's all the work of the power of God's Holy Spirit with the ministering angels to watch out for us. As Paul says at the end of Hebrews, 'to entertain strangers because many have entertained angels unawares.' That is the actual sanctuary and the service that takes place.

Old Covenant—Blood of Animals:

At the institution of the Old Covenant and earthly tabernacle, the blood of animals was used for consecration (Exo., Lev. Numb., Deut.). At the institution of the New Covenant and the heavenly tabernacle, consecrated with the blood of Christ.

Hebrews 9:6: "Now with these things prepared in this manner, the priests enter into the first tabernacle at all customary times in order to perform the services; but the high priest enters alone into the second tabernacle once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins that the people committed in ignorance…. [Lev. 16—talking about the Day of Atonement and all the ritual that went with that] …The Holy Spirit signifying this: that the way of the Holiest… [the Holy of Holies in heaven above] …has not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is still standing" (vs 6-8).

In other words, the very fact that they had a tabernacle, the very fact that the high priest could only go in there once a year, signified that no one had direct access to God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven above. It was only to the tabernacle or temple with the exception of those like David and the prophets and so forth.

Verse 9: "Which is a symbol for the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are being offered that are not able to perfect the one performing the service, as pertaining to the conscience." It's important to understand: In the New Covenant your conscience is changed because of the circumcision of the heart and conversion.

All of these things, v 10: "These services consist only of meat and drink offerings, and various washings [purifications] and physical ordinances, imposed until the time of the new spiritual order…. [The King James says 'reformation'—I wonder where they got that word?] …But Christ Himself has become High Priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by human hands (that is, not of this present physical creation). Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by the means of His own blood, He entered once for all into the Holiest, having by Himself secured everlasting redemption for us" (vs 10-12).

There's a vast difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Maybe you can understand why Jesus was so vehement against the doctrines of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians.

Verse 13: "For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who aredefiled, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh."

• What happened when they went through all these rituals? God said that if you offered this sacrifice your sins would be forgiven!
• In what degree? Obviously, as it says here, you were not coming before God the Father in heaven above!
• To what were they forgiven? To the sanctuary only! Which was fine because God was not dealing in eternal salvation with them.

They were purified there and that's why the difference between the two—"…sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh." In other words you were made physically acceptable before God for the physical worship at the physical tabernacle or temple, and God accepted you on the terms that He gave.

New Covenant—Blood of Christ:

Notice the comparison, v 14: "To a far greater degree, the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, shall purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God…. [that's exactly what this is all about; that is the difference] …And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant: in order that through His death, which took place for the release of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant…" (vs 14-15).

• What happened here?
• How did God do it?
• They were forgiven to the tabernacle or temple!

When Christ died, that released all of those sins that were only forgiven to the tabernacle or the temple under the first covenant.

"…those who have been called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance" (v 15).

Old Covenant—Levitical Priesthood:

The sons of Aaron were high priests of the earthly tabernacle. That's very evident. You can go back in the book of Exodus and see the dedication of the priests and the Levites and so forth—all of that is there.

New Covenant—Priesthood of Christ:

However, under the New Covenant, Christ is High Priest of the heavenly tabernacle forever. Let's see the operation of it.

Stop and think about this for just a minute. Isn't it a fantastic thing that God has given us His Spirit, we have direct access to Him, have our sins forgiven upon repentance and have our conscience purified and our mind changed and converted all of this sort of thing in preparation for eternal life. What is so great about that is this: There is no army of men or demons or Satan that can destroy that temple and destroy that relationship. Whereas, with the physical temple—when the people sinned—God destroyed it. What did the people themselves do to it? They converted it into pagan worship! This can't be done under the New Covenant. We have:

• a living way
• a pure way
• a righteous way
• a spiritual way

—and Christ is always there ready! Here is what's important concerning the Word of God. It's not just a textbook.

Hebrews 4:12: "For the Word of God is living… [like Jesus said, 'the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life'] …and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword…"

God does not have to come down here when people sin and execute some kind of penalty against them. The penalty is automatic. If you murder, commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal or any of these things, the penalty is automatic. Granted, the civil law may also intervene, too. But God's penalty is there! Especially for those who have consciousness of God. What happens when you sin? Immediately, God makes it known to your conscience! You feel badly. What is this designed to do? To lead you to repentance! That is the living Word of God! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, written in your heart and mind to give you the active governance of God by your free choice and will. That is tremendous! That's how God's Word is!

This is why people pull the veil down: "…piercing even to the dividing asunder of both soul and spirit, and of both the joints and the marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart" (v 12).

There's no other book in the world that can do that. None! You can read Mark Twain. How many repent of sin after reading Mark Twain? or the philosophers: Aristotle, Plato or Pythagoras? None! When you read the Bible it does something to you that no other book does, because it's described right here. If you have any conscience at all, it is going to work with you to whatever degree that you allow it to work with you. That's a tremendous thing! No other book in the world like that!

Verse 13 has to do with the administration of the New Covenant and also everything in the whole world besides that:

Verse 13: "And there is not a created thing that is not manifest in His sight…" What does God say about a sparrow that falls? He takes note of it! A sparrow! Christ said, 'Understand, you're worth many sparrows.' So, if God takes note of a sparrow, He'll take care of you. You don't have to worry. You don't have to be fearful. You don't have lack in faith. Trust in God, He'll help you! A tremendous thing! That's why the New Covenant is called superior!

"…but all things are naked and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account" (v 13). Because this is the awesome power of God, He gives us hope—not to cut us asunder, but to lead us to repentance.

Verse 14: "Having therefore a great High Priest…"—as compared to those who die of the line of Aaron and they have to go into the Holy of Holies once a year.

"…Who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, we should hold fast the confession of our faith" (v 14). Here's why:

• regardless of your circumstances
• regardless of your trials
• regardless of what you are going through

Verse 15: "For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot empathize with our weaknesses… [this is why He came to the earth as a human being] … but One Who was tempted in all things according to the likeness of our own temptations; yet, He was without sin…. [his is given to give us hope] …Therefore, we should come with boldness to the throne of grace…" (vs 15-16). Tie this all together with the things that we covered with the New Covenant:

• love
• kindness
• mercy
• forgiveness
• understanding

"…so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (v 16). That is a tremendous thing. That's why Christ is High Priest over a heavenly tabernacle forever. That is marvelous!

• Anytime you need to pray to God, Christ is there!
• Anytime you need understanding because of sin and temptation—and you confess that to God the Father and Jesus Christ—He is there!
• Anytime you are in trouble and facing difficulties, you can pray to Him for strength and help and guidance, because He is there!

Always! He doesn't need to sleep. He's not going to die. That's why God the Father proclaimed Him Priest after the order of Melchisedec forever. That's a marvelous thing. That's why the New Covenant is a superior covenant.

Old Covenant—Works of Law:

The priest offered animal sacrifices for physical justification to the earthly tabernacle and the purifying of the flesh and the high priest went into the Holy of Holies once a year.

Hebrews 10:1: "For the priestly law, having only a shadow of the good things that are coming, and not the image of those things, with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, is never able to make perfect those who come to worship." That's the key, the New Covenant makes you perfect.

Verse 2: "Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? For once those who worship had been purified, they would no longer be conscious of sin. On the contrary, in offering these sacrifices year by year, there is a remembrance of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (vs 2-4).

Very key thing. How could there ever have been spiritual salvation under the Old Covenant if what they did never took away sins. You need the forgiveness of sin in order to receive the gift of eternal life. Those things are important to realize.

By the time we're done with this, you're going to see how great that the New Covenant is. How marvelous it is, and to understand that God has called us, given us His Spirit and given us all these blessings and has given us direct access to Him. Why, this is absolutely the most marvelous thing that can be in this life. If we understand that, then this will give us the drive, the zeal, the impetus, the desire to do what is right: To love God because He has done this!

New Covenant—The Grace of God:

Understand this: Law can never convert, only God can! Even the laws of God cannot convert, you must repent! It's important! That's why, as you look at the world today, they make new laws and what happens? There's more crime! Why? Because law cannot change the heart! Law cannot convert! That's the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.

Christ offered Himself once—once for all! Now you understand why God has to do the calling. Now you understand why Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and none can come to the Father except through Me.' After what Christ has done, it's not going to be done any other way except through Him. Amazing, isn't it? Amazing!

These verses are ones that Protestants trip over more than anything else. These verses are the verses that people misunderstand more than anything else.

Romans 3:20: "Therefore, by works of law… [any kind of law, any kind of works, anywhere, concerning anything] …there shall no flesh be justified before Him…"

Why? Because justification only comes through repentance and the application of the sacrifice of Christ! The work that anyone does is repentance. If someone goes to a Catholic priest and confesses his/her sins, and he says: 200 'hail Marys,' 300 'our fathers' and you've got to come to Mass for six months and not miss. That's forgiveness and salvation by works. No work of any law anywhere can justify anyone from anything because that is through the sacrifice of Christ and nothing can equal to or be substituted for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! It's that simple! It's what Paul is talking about.

"…for through the Law is the knowledge of sin…. [that's what law does] …But now, the righteousness of God… [the justification of God that puts you in right standing with God] …that is separate from law… [doesn't mean there's an absence of law, as many Protestants believe] …has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets; even the righteousness of God that is through the faith of Jesus Christ…" (vs 20-22).

Jesus Christ's own faith; the faith that He had to come here to become a human being; to live a perfect life before God the Father; to accept and willingly give Himself to be the sacrifice; to be beaten and scourged and crucified; the faith to trust God the Father to that. That is the faith that saves you! There's no such thing under the Old Covenant. That's why this is so profound.

"…the faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those who believe…" (v 22). This belief also implies repentance, because if you believe that you're a sinner—all have sinned and come short of the glory of God—you will repent.

"…for there is no difference. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; but are being justified freely…" (vs 22-24). It's not like the Catholic system as William Tyndale said, 'The popes have another kingdom that God Himself doesn't have.' It's the kingdom over the dead called purgatory, so they can make more money.

"…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God has openly manifested to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, in respect to the remission of sins that are past… [God is showing us how to be justified] …through the forbearance of God; yes, to publicly declare His righteousness in the present time, that He might be just, and the One Who justifies the one who is of the faith of Jesus" (vs 24-26). That's why the New Covenant is so great.

Verse 31: "Are we, then, abolishing the Law through faith? MAY IT NEVER BE! Rather, we are establishing the Law." Because through this kind of forgiveness, through this kind of justification, God gives you the desire with His Spirit inwardly to do what God wants. As you grow in perfection and grace and knowledge, you do the things that please God.

Direct access to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We covered that in part 1, how you can have entrance right into the Holy of Holies.

Old Covenant—a person could not be made perfect concerning conscience.

New Covenant—sins are forgiven spiritually; purges the conscience through the operation of the Holy Spirit.
Let's look at the end result of that by going to Eph. 4. This is the whole goal that God is achieving in everything in the New Covenant. He says in Romans, 'How shall they be here unless a preacher is sent.' There has to be teachers. It's God's responsibility to raise up teachers. Once He raises them up, it's the responsibility of the teacher to remain faithful to the Word of God. It's the responsibility of the teacher to teach the people the Word of God so that they can have access to God, receive God's grace and Spirit and have the desire to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and being.

Ephesians 4:11: "And He gave some asapostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints…" (vs 11-12).

That is what the New Covenant is to do, to perfect you day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year—through your whole life:

• that you come to have the mind of Christ
• that you come to have the love of God as the greatest, most important thing in your existence
• that's why God has created you
• that's why God has called you
• that's why God has given you His Holy Spirit

"…for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ" (v 12)—to build it up; to inspire you; to help you. Too many times in the past you've gone to Church and you'd get beat up and leave with fear and trepidation. NO! You're to be inspired! You're to be uplifted! You're to be given the desire—through the teaching and preaching and the power of God's Holy Spirit—to repent; to change; that you see your own weaknesses and faults and bring those before God—and He will help you! That's what it's about.

Verse 12: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ; until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God… [that will happen in full at the resurrection] …unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (vs 12-13).

That's why the New Covenant is superior! There is no comparison between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant to have any equal footing whatsoever.

Sacrifices and Oblations:

The sacrifices and oblations ceased at the time the new spiritual order was established by Jesus Christ. Christ's one Supreme Sacrifice to apply to all men and women who accept it, from the time of Adam to the end of humanity.

This tells the whole story, Hebrews 10:5: "For this reason, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me.'"

He's talking about Christ. Nowhere is it every recorded that He Himself went to the temple and offered any sacrifice at all. The only sacrifice that was offered on His behalf was at the purification of His mother Mary after 40 days.

Verse 6: "You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Then said I, 'Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God'" (vs 6-7). That's greater than any sacrifice. That's what Christ came to do.

Verse 8: "In the saying above, He said, 'Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (which are offered according to the priestly law) You did not desire nor delight in.'"

Read Isa. 1—what did they do? They had all these sacrifices, but their hearts weren't changed! You can read Isa. 66—what does God care for any sacrifice or temple if those coming to it have hard hearts and living in sin? God wants a change of heart and mind, so He didn't delight in that.

Christ on the other hand, v 9: "Then He said, 'Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.' He takes away the first covenant in order that He may establish the second covenant… [to bring in the superior way] … by Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (vs 9-10).

Verse 14: "For by one offering He has obtained eternal perfection for those who are sanctified." That's something! That's what God wants! That's what Sabbath services are about. That's what daily prayer and Bible study are about! To be perfected in Christ!

The Temple System Ceases:

The temple system ceased when Jesus died. The Old Covenant ceased after the death of Christ. We have a very dramatic way that God showed that it ceased. You can read this in The Christian Passover book. Let's see what happened when Christ died. See what happened to the temple. This is when Jesus was hanging on the cross:

Matthew 27:50: "And after crying out again with a loud voice, Jesus yielded up His spirit. Then suddenly the veil of the temple was ripped in two from top to bottom…" (vs 50-51).

At that time there was a special veil that was a huge curtain—probably as thick as the width of your hand—that was made in 12 sections signifying the 12 tribes of Israel. I think it was seven stories high—70 feet. Here is this big, special veil covering the front of the temple. When Jesus died, the huge stone lentil that held that up there broke in two and the veil was rent right down the middle. You talk about tearing cloth that is as thick as the width of your hand. That was a tremendous, supernatural event! It wasn't just the huge stone lentil that came down and tore it. It was probably an angel that whacked it right down the middle.

"…and the earth shook, and the rocks were split" (v 51). This was to signify that the way to the Holy of Holies in heaven above was opened! To signify that the whole temple system on earth was coming to an end! God gave them another 40 years to repent before He officially ended it. They didn't do it!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Genesis 9:5-6
• Deuteronomy 17:2-13
• 2 Corinthians 3:1-18
• 1 John 1:8-9
• 1 John 2:1-2
• Revelation 8:1-4
• Hebrews 1:13-14
• Hebrews 9:6-15
• Hebrews 4:12-16
• Hebrews 10:1-4
• Romans 3:20-26, 31
• Ephesians 4:11-13
• Hebrews 10:5-10, 14
• Matthew 27:50-51

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Genesis 10
• Exodus 21-24; 18
• Romans 8
• Leviticus 16
• Isaiah 1; 66

Also Referenced: Books:

• The Law of Offerings by Andrew Jukes
• The Christian Passover by Fred R. Coulter

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 5-18-11
Reformatted/Corrected: January/2017