Category: Eschatology

Matthew’s imagery in the Olivet Discourse clearly resembles the imagery of the Old Testament.  In II Samuel 12:11-12 we read:

He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.¹

David’s song of deliverance picks up on a similar theme later used by the Jewish writer St. Matthew when speaking about the coming of the Lord in the clouds. The nature of David’s vision was a spiritual reality that God had rescued him amidst the hands of his enemies. Matthew uses this in chapter 24:30 to refer to the coming of the Son of Man to gather his elect. He accomplishes this, not physically, but by the proclamation of the gospel through the trumpet call of the gospel. Matthew echoes a reality grounded in Old Testament imagery to detail events in the first century.

Footnotes

1. ESV [↩ back]

My friend Chris Ortiz wrote:

For a few years now, I’ve sought to clarify just how much Christian Reconstruction differs from the fully developed Religious Right. During this process, I read a great deal of the concerns by those outside of Conservative Christian circles regarding the apocalyptic drive of the “Left Behind” believers and their push for Armageddon. This group represents untold millions of simpletons that essentially worship the state of Israel and have marked muslims and non-Christians for tribulation and death. They have aligned themselves with Republican leaders like Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum, and their desire for war is the one of the greatest distortions of Christianity in the modern age.

This video by Max Blumenthal (NOT a Christian) of a recent CUI (Christians United for Israel) event is one of the most disturbing clips I’ve seen this year.

Pratt summarizes the covenantal expectation: “We can have confidence that when Christ returns in glory, everyone in the new creation after Christ’s return will have the law of God written on his or her heart. We will all love and delight in his ways, just as Christ already does (2 Cor. 3:16-18; 1 Thess. 3:11-13). In this sense, we expect Jeremiah’s prophecy to find complete fulfillment when Christ returns.” ^a Over and over the writers of the New Testament emphasize the progressive nature of the New Covenant. ^b

There is yet another way to prove this point concerning the progressive nature of the New Covenant beyond the shadow of a doubt. Consider the latter words of Jeremiah’s prophecy: “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.” Verse 34 declares that teaching will no longer be necessary since all will know the Law of God from the least to the greatest, thus indicating that teaching is no longer of any value. If one is to hold the position that the New Covenant is fulfilled completely and composed solely of “believing Christians,” then the text teaches that today we are no longer in need of teachers. This would be inconsistent with Paul’s instructions that teachers are ordained by God to equip the saints (I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). Though I John 2:27 tells us that the Spirit is our teacher and we have no need for another, the reader is not to assume that this refers to didactic training. Rather, it is clear that the Spirit teaches us by His anointing. This is something that no human teacher can offer, but Scripture clearly conceives of a role for human teachers even under the New Covenant until its eventual consummation.

A few final observations will suffice. First, Jeremiah’s prophecy speaks of a future day when the Kingdom of God will come. This New Covenant inaugurated in the days of our Lord brought with it many responsibilities for the people of God. Since the law has been internalized, man is without excuse; (Romans 1) ^c since the New Covenant brings about great knowledge of God to the nations, the peoples are also without excuse. Secondly, the New Covenant brings greater curses. In light of the greater blessings of the New Covenant (the gift of the Spirit in its fullness, etc.), covenantal disobedience will be punished more severely than in the Older Covenant. When there is great knowledge, the denial of the gospel will increase the curses in the New Covenant (Matthew 10:15). The pattern is clear: when there are greater blessings, there are greater curses. Thirdly, the promises of the New Covenant are for a new humanity under Christ. A new creation of Jews and Gentiles inherit the blessings of the land promised to Abraham (Romans 4:13). As Andrew Dearman notes: “ God’s promises hold out a future in which his people will be redeemed and constituted as a transformed community with Christ as the head.” ^d Finally, the New Covenant is a generational covenant. Jeremiah’s promise is to all who are in covenant with God; in the words of Genesis 17:7, the promise is to you and to your seed (I Corinthians 7:14).

The New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah was a source of great encouragement for the people of Israel living under great duress. Though it did not comfort them regarding their immediate status, it secured to them the promise that amidst their disloyalty, God is faithful to a thousand generation to those who love him and keep his commandments. His promises will not fail and He will be a Father to His chosen people.

1. Pratt, Richard. Infant Baptism in the New Covenant.  (back)
2. I realize I have stressed this point various times already; nevertheless I do this because there is an abundance of evidence in the New Covenant.  (back)
3. There is no denial that in the Older Covenant man was without excuse. The difference is that in the New Covenant, man comes in contact with the eternal revelation of God, Jesus Christ.  (back)
4. Dearman, pg. 292.  (back)

Dr. Richard Pratt has written a significant paper on Jeremiah 31:31-34, ^a which argues that the fulfillment of the New Covenant does not happen at once, but rather in stages. He terms these stages with the use of the acronym ICC. This refers to the Inauguration of the Covenant (which was inaugurated in Christ), the Continuation of the Covenant (which runs from Christ’s first advent to His second coming), and the Consummation of the Covenant (which takes place when Christ in His second coming will make all things right). ^b This idea of different stages can be seen in Matthew 13:31-32, which reads: “ He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” Notice that the grain of mustard seed grows very slowly, but eventually covers the earth. ^c This same pattern is applied to the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34. Though it was inaugurated in the ministry of Christ (Luke 22:20, I Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 8:1-13), it is not fully manifested until the triumphant coming of Christ when He will make all things new. In Andrew Dearman’s words, “ the coming of Christ and the gift of the Spirit do not exhaust the promises made in the New Covenant, the complete transformation of God’s people is still in the future.” ^d

The New Covenant spoken here in Jeremiah and cited in various New Testament passages indicates not a simple transition where all people will see all the promises fulfilled at a particular time, but rather that God is progressively conquering His enemies; (I Corinthians 15:24-26) as a result His people experience the joy and abundant forgiveness that He offers in Jesus Christ on a progressive basis as well. Once again Andrew Dearman summarizes this point: “ What all the New Testament references have in common is a belief that the future redemption promised by God through Jeremiah (or any of the prophets) has dawned in the ministry of Jesus Christ and will be brought to an ultimate fulfillment in his second coming at the end of the age.” ^e

But what does it mean to live in the New Covenant? What are the covenant’s promises for us today and what do they mean? In verse 33, “But this covenant…” indicates there is a contrast with the previous one. That is, this covenant unlike the old one will not be broken. So, how is this possible in light of the warnings of Hebrews 6 and 10? Are they merely hypothetical? Though some say these verses are not to be understood to indicate literal consequences, this is not the best reading of those passages. The “falling away” of Hebrews 6:6 presents real consequences for those who are in the New Covenant. They may experience all the benefits thereof (Hebrews 6:1-6), but apostasy is real and will happen to those who spurn the Son of God (Hebrews 10:29). Though the covenant promises of Jeremiah 31 indicate that this New Covenant will not be broken, the reader is called to see the consummation of this covenant. For while God’s people experience the New Covenant now by tasting of the heavenly gift and enjoying all the privileges of covenant membership, they are not already in its consummative state, rather still under the blessings and curses like the Old. ^f

This plays a crucial role in the discussion concerning who is part of the New Covenant. Is it radically different from the Old where only males were circumcised and received the covenant sign of membership? In this sense it is! For Paul states in Ephesians 2:14 that Christ has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. This is indeed a broader covenant, where male and female, Jew and Greek, infant and adult are called to participate in this grand covenant God has made with the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).

1. I will be borrowing unashamedly from this great article in the latter part of this paper. Dr. Richard Pratt, JEREMIAH 31: INFANT BAPTISM IN THE NEW COVENANT, IIIM Magazine Online, Volume 4, Number 1, January 7 to January 13, 2002.  (back)
2. Ibid., pg. 10.  (back)
3. Though Dr. Pratt would not concur with this conclusion, this passage conforms to a Postmillennial outlook that sees a gradual growth of Christianity over the nations.  (back)
4. Dearman, J. A. Jeremiah/Lamentations. NIVAC. Zondervan, 2002, pg. 289.  (back)
5. Ibid., pg. 289.  (back)
6. I am well aware that some will venture to say that all the Older Covenant curses are laid upon Christ and no longer on us. However, this is inconsistent in light of the clear warning of Paul in I Corinthians 10 and the author of Hebrews in chapters 6 and 10. Christ has paid the eternal consequences for those who are eternally elect only, not historically elect. Those who fall away are only historically elect, not eternally or eschatologically elect.  (back)

Continuing…

A closer look at the text will reveal some salient features that define the nature of this New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31-34 reads:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. ^a

Verses 31 and 32 declare that a new covenant will be made with Israel and Judah that is superior to the Old Covenant under which the Israelites betrayed their husband. This crucial introduction serves to look at Israel not as a distinctly used nation in the Older Covenant, but the promised nation, the chosen race that would bring together all of the cosmos under Yahweh (I Peter 2:9; Romans 4:13).

Verse 33 states: “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Here begins a contrast with the previous verses. Unlike the Old Covenant, which would become obsolete, ^b (that is, in the sense that its priestly institutions would be superseded by the Great Priest, Christ Jesus) this new race will have the law within their hearts, for the law will no longer be in tablets of stone, but internalized. This is a remarkable difference from the Mosaic Covenant. It is significant to note, however, that the internalization of the law is not a new concept (Deut. 6:6; 10:16; 11:18; 30:6; Pss. 37:31; 119:34; Isa. 51:7). The Older Covenant ^c already provided a basis for the internalization of the Law and obedience, however, unlike the disobedient Jews of the Older Covenant, the true Israel in the New Covenant (Jew and Gentile) would fulfill God’s laws perfectly in the consummative manifestation of the New Covenant. It would be a covenant of priests and kings filled with knowledge of the Law of God. Furthermore, its greatest and remarkable distinction is that it is sure to succeed, for God has promised it.

Jeremiah’s audience must have been amazed by such words. Throughout Jeremiah, the people have suffered punishment due to their disobedience. They were under the yoke of bondage. So on what basis would a New Covenant change their status? God had promised to deliver them from that yoke (Jeremiah 30:8), but most striking is his language in Jeremiah 31:34: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” The basis for this New Covenant is that God will act out of His own grace and power to forgive the sins of His people and establish a new humanity where righteousness dwells (Jeremiah 31:40).

John Calvin, in his commentary on Jeremiah 31:33, writes that the Law spoken of in the New Covenant does not differ in substance from the Law of the Old, but rather in form:

By these words he confirms what we have said, that the newness, which he before mentioned, was not so as to the substance, but as to the form only: for God does not say here, “I will give you another Law,” but I will write my Law, that is, the same Law, which had formerly been delivered to the Fathers. ^d

This point is critical since some wish to propose that the Law in the New Covenant is  opposed to the Mosaic Law. However, the law remains the same, though the equity thereof may suffer epochal adjustments. This law remains forever because it comes from the unchangeable God and is the reflection of His unchanging character. The essential difference is that when the law is placed in the hearts of New Covenant believers, it will be obeyed.

The central question at this point is: “how is this covenant fulfilled in the New Testament?” Though the intent of this paper is not to delve into systematic issues such as “who is in the covenant?” or “who can be baptized?,” the fulfillment of this covenant in the New will answer some of these questions.

1. All quotations are from the English Standard Version of the Bibles  (back)
2. This is a reference to the language of Hebrews 8:13. When Hebrews mentions that the Old Covenant will be obsolete it does not refer in every sense, since Jesus says that all of the Old Testament speaks to the New Testament people  (back)
3. I use this language because it clarifies the relationships between covenants. The “Older Covenant” is simply “older” not irrelevant or meant for a specific theocratic nation.  (back)
4. Calvin, John. Commentary on Jeremiah. Chapter 31:33  (back)

1. Nicholson, E. W. Jeremiah. CBC. 2 vols. Cambridge, 1973 -75, pg. 71.  (back)
2. Brueggemann, W. Jeremiah 26–52: To Build, To Plant. ITC. Eeerdmans, 1991, pg. 71.  (back)
3. Deuteronomy 7:6-9  (back)
4. Professor Greg Beale has argued that idolatry is the central motif of all of Israel’s history, leading to severe punishment (Lectures delivered at the 2007 Kistemaker Series at Reformed Seminary in Oviedo). For further reference see: Beale, Gregory, The Book of Revelation”. New International Greek Testament Commentary Series; ed. by I. H. Marshall and D. Hagner (Eerdmans, 1998).  (back)
5. Bracke M. John. Jeremiah 30-52 and Lamentations. Westminster, John Knox Press, 2000, pg. 22.  (back)
6. Though God established the first covenant with Israel in Exodus 20-24, He did not promise that they would remain faithful. In the New Covenant, a promise is made.  (back)
7. The death penalty is here applied for murder. The Lex Talionis is forcefully commanded unlike the days of Cain. It is important to acknowledge that even then, Cain knew that he deserved death for he was aware that another could shed his blood.  (back)

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a day when the law would be written in the hearts of men and that the people of Israel would obey their God faithfully. The New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 is the crucial foundation to many theological debates. For instance, those who deny covenant baptism, generally use this passage to prove that God no longer makes covenantal promises to parents and their offspring, ^a since the text indicates that only those who understand can be in covenant with God.

The first observation is that Jeremiah 31 is not the only text dealing with the New Covenant. There are others, but this passage most clearly projects the New Covenant. For this purpose, it is not necessary to prove the point of my thesis by dealing with all passages together (though this would be ideal).
In the next four days I will be posting a series of posts from a paper written some time ago for Professor Tremper Longman III, who taught at RTS/Orlando for a week long class on Jeremiah and Daniel. My paper in some cases disagrees with some of his premises, nevertheless, it will prove helpful to those who are not yet familiar with the text or topic at hand.

The New Covenant God makes with the house of Israel and Judah is an eternal covenant; a non-breaking covenant. For this reason, it is diametrically opposed to the Old Covenant; but how different is it? Is the manifestation of this New Covenant a reality to be seen only in the New Heavens and New Earth as some suggest? Is it only applied to ethnic Israel or is the New Covenant applied to both Jews and Gentiles? These questions will be answered in my presentation. The consequences of how one understands this text will play a role in his understanding of many New Covenant texts. There are many questions raised, though not all are exhaustively answered, but it should lead the inquisitive reader to pursue the subject in a more detailed fashion.

Note: The first post will be made available tomorrow. At the end of the series I will post a link to a word format copy of the entire paper for those interested.

1. See Genesis 17:7  (back)