The New Covenant Kingdom.
Each culture has defining features that are unique to it. It is made up of specific components like land defined by borders, a language, with leaders and a legal system to implement the laws that are specific to it. They generally have memorial celebrations to pass on to subsequent generations the things that make them unique. They define, renew and insure their identity. Change these and that people will cease to exist.
An important feature of many nations is a foundational document called a constitution. Constitution is a big word for ingredients. It defines what the citezines are made up of. These people are called constituents. They contain the ingredients in themselves as defined by their constitution that make them unique. Take away these ingredients and you change the people. You have a new constituency and a different people. People who are made up of different laws and values.
This is what Christ did. He came preaching “The Kingdom of God is at hand ” as something different from the Old Law era. He was the revolutionary creating a new constituency different from the old, of a new constitution called The New Covenant, of something that wasn’t understood before. The book of Hebrews says “this was first spoken by the Lord and confirmed by those who heard it.” He spoke first something different from the old covenant a new message to a new people to supersede the old. Hence, “all the Law and the Prophets were till John the Baptist. Now the Kingdom is preached and all are entering it. That is “too as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become His people, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of te will of men but of God. This is the voice that beacons us to respond to the gospel call.
Such are we.We are this new constituency being the ingredients of The New Covenant “founded on better promises” than the old covenant, Will and Testament that the New one replaced. (Hebrews 8.6) They were not meant to co-exist. Old and New are not to get mixed together.
And the proof that it is something new and distinguishable different? Christ said “Only those who are born again can see the Kingdom and only those borne from above can enter the Kingdom of God [in Christ]. We hope you can see what we are talking about.
“All the law and the prophets (with their city, buildings and feasts) were till John the Baptist”, then stopped. “Now the Kingdom is preached and all are entering?” With these words, Christ drew the proverbial ‘line in the sand’ between His New Kingdom and the kingdom of that Israel saying of it. That “not one stone shall be left one upon another that shall not be cast down” thereby expiring its purpose with its offices, laws, and officers called prophets of that Jerusalem on earth. With the introduction of their replacement called “Heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of us all”.
This was the contrast that we were given. Christ was the demarcation line and the check point between the old Hebrew/ Judah/Jew kingdom and the new Covenant Kingdom of God that are “in Christ” that “cometh not with (physical) observation”. (Luke 17.22) But never the less, still “at hand”.
“The Kingdom of God at hand” was unveiled, or, revealed then and was never retracted. A covenant is not in force till the death of the testator. Christ went to the cross for this cause. With His death the New Covenant is fully in force and the heirs receive their inheritance by that edict, as they participate in it (because it is “at hand”) and grow in the knowledge of God as we teach, each one of us in the order of our space in time of existence (1 Corinthians 15.23) and need not wait for another saving or the end of the world for us to retrieve are own portion of our inheritance into “The Kingdom of God at hand”.
And “at hand” means within reach to all who “press in to lay hold of why Christ laid hold of us”, as a continual attitude and effort on our part unto your completion. Then the scripture can be fulfilled in you too that Paul learned to obtain when he talked about being “seated in Heavenly places in Christ” as a concurring reality. And from the book of Hebrews that “there remains a rest (a retirement from work) for the people of God. That they may enter their rest (retirement) as God did from His”. And subsequently so did the Son of God who “having purged our sin, sat down forever at the right hand of the Father, who is now waiting for His enemies to become His footstool”, because now, the rest of the work is up to us. And how do we define our work? To continue to believe in His name, and press in to obtain, until He has given you this assurance of your acquisition of the gift given, of your (Sabbath days rest) resting with them as well as Paul showed us. That our wranglings over this age are over as we also rest while our enemies who appear to be active, are only given a long rope to do so until their eternal judgment is complete with the words of Christ saying “fill up the measure of your fathers guilt”, so that they all may be mutually implicit…. Even as the fallen angels in Enoch 6 made mutual imprecations to do this thing because they knew it would take all that they had if they could do it. But because the New Covenant Kingdom at hand is of a heavenly sort, it shows us how confused the fallen are as they fight for something that is slated to burn with them in it. (2 Peter 3.10)
But for us? The New Covenant is emphatically in force in full as separate from The Old Covenant, so much so in fact that to understand, we were told not to put new wine in old wine skins. (Also Hebrews 9+). The old reached its culmination to bring us to the New. Christ is the demarcation line between the two and the sole mediator for this New creation and needs no help from the prophets of the old whom He replaced as substandard and subservient. (Hebrews 1.1)
Peter said of the prophets “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully (to understand something they did not have), who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, (meaning not to the Old Will and Testament era), but to us (the gentiles from all nations) of which any left over Israelite’s or Jews just become another country with access by the same means being through the promise given to Abraham. That he would be a father of many nations. Hence “the Kingdom of God is at hand”, and “To as many as recieved Him, to them He gave the power to become His people, even to those who simply believed in His name. This should be a startling reminder as to who the enemy is. And again from the Revelation “for you know those who say they are Jews but are not. They are from the synogouge of Satan”, for the very reasons we have just been explaining to you…
“All (of the old) law and the prophets were till John”? Christ introduces a new constitution for a new constituency of those born with ingredients of the Word and of the Spirit. “He came to His own and His own did not accept Him, but to as many as receive Him, to them He gave power to become His Children, even to those who believe in His name”. And also “of those born among women there is none greater than John the baptist. But those who are least in the New Covenant Kingdom are greater than he.” Such are we. We are “greater than John the Baptist” or any other prophet for John was the greatest of them. And He was the last who said “are you the coming one or do we seek another?” Because John was beheaded we have are answer. John was the last and the greatest and because he was beheaded, we know that the body of the prophets were forbidden to be retold as having any future relevance.
The “New Covenant” people, are different from the old. A new people with a new make up, distinguishably different from the old. The old was written on tablets of stone and the New on tablets of the heart. (2 Corinthians 3.3)
We are not of the circumcision of the flesh but the heart. The differences have no parallels. The old depicts the New only with contrasts. The law of sin and death is a contrast to “The Spirit of life that is in Christ”. The operative here is “in Christ” not “in Jerusalem” on earth. These too are contrasts as well “for as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts says Jehovah God”. This is “rightly dividing the word of truth”. And “if there had been a law given which could have given life, then truly righteousness would have been by the law. The culture of the law only mirrors the truth in contrasts and opposites. “The law having shadows of things to come (in Christ) but not the essence” (Hebrews 10.1)
Scripture says that Christ is the new mediator of a new covenant founded on better promises” than the old. In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first OBSOLETE. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” and it did. (Hebrews 8.13). That happened with the destruction of Jerusalem which was overturned by Titus, to fulfill Gods word in His Son as conveyed to us in Matthew 24 that “no stone shall be left upon another that shall not be strewn under” being totally unrecognizable.
The old was made up of artifacts of bygone ages founded on temporary fixes and band-aids designed to “make sin exceedingly sinful”. To make us good and dead till Christ comes to each one of us in our own time, throughout time. That “to as many as receive Him (The Son of God) to them He gives the stature to be called His children, even to those who (simply) call on His name. Who were born not of the will of mankind but of God”. He bred a new people for a New Kingdom, a Heavenly Kingdom as those born from above. (John 3)
At the proclamation that “The Kingdom of God is at hand” the deterioration of the old commenced. And if the changes to the Jerusalem of old were to be minor, He would have just had painted the buildings and maybe replaced the roof, but because the changes were so drastic and diametrically opposite, everything had to be redone. “Till not one stone shall be left upon another” was the Jerusalem’s demise (Mt 24.1). When Christ was on the cross, the physical temple was cracked so violently from the top to the bottom that the earth quaked and the bedrock shifted. (Mt 27.52) Yes clear through the foundation showing it unsafe for use of any sort. And YOU CANNOT BUILD ON A FAULT LINE. That is why scripture says “old things have passed away, all things have become new.” It is irreversible. There is no going back to the old way.
This expiration of that kingdom was so completely fulfilled and put out of business, so much so in fact that all debts were paid and the books were balanced and closed saying “all the deaths of all the Prophets from righteous Able to Zechariah whom you slayed between the porch and the altar shall be required of this generation” to accomplish this reset, because they did not receive Christs offer of forgiveness because they liked the old way better (What about you). And because that kingdom and all the Jews so emphatically rejected the New King of a New Kingdom, the New Law and the New Law giver and the New Mediator of The New Covenant, but of them? “There were none righteous, no not one. All of their mouths are open sceplecures and white washed tombs. So on them was laid all the guilt for all the wrong doing, murders and deaths of all the prophets from Able till then. Why? Because there was not one prophet they listened to. Even as the people said “He is not my king, crucify Him”. And so they did. And so for this they were judged, condemned and annihilated. In this way they rejected the chief cornerstone. They were not recipients of the gift of God but His wrath. The books were settled, the wages of sin were paid. God owes them nothing He hasn’t already given them. God was patient that none would perish but there was none righteous, no not one”. The Jews and Jerusalem are no more. They are fulfilled. Meaning, expired, shelved and put away saying. Now it is said “28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. Galatians 3. Jews have no preferential treatment.
She was found in total contempt as seen here.“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! 35 See! Your house is left to you desolate; Meaning condemned, kaput, closed for business, out of commission.
The buildings and the streets were so turned over and so unrecognizable that there was no distinguishing features left. The people were ravaged, killed and trapped in that city because they rejected The King. Josephus and other historians from that era speak of the hellish horror they experienced while they ate each others flesh and gnashed their teeth in pain while Jerusalem was surrounded by armies. They knew not their time. “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, do not go back in your house to retrieve a coat”. The Jews are gone,. That kingdom was demolished. It was condemned, put out of business and replaced.
Here are the words from God and final judgment of a wayward people from Leviticus 26.
23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me,
24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant;
when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you;
and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
26 When I have cut off your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall bring back your bread by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied.
27 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me,
28 then I also will walk contrary to you in fury;
and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
29 You[g] shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.
30 I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and cast your carcasses on the lifeless forms of your idols;
and My soul shall abhor you.
31 I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not smell the fragrance of your [h]sweet aromas.
32 I will bring the land to desolation, and your enemies who dwell in it shall be astonished at it.
33 I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you;
your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.
34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land;
then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
35 As long as it lies desolate it shall rest—
for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it.
36 ‘And as for those of you who are left, I will send faintness[i] into their hearts in the lands of their enemies;
the sound of a shaken leaf shall cause them to flee;
they shall flee as though fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when no one pursues.
37 They shall stumble over one another, as it were before a sword, when no one pursues;
and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
38 You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.
39 And those of you who are left shall [j]waste away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands;
also in their fathers’ iniquities, which are with them, they shall waste away.
You see the law was added only till faith comes and in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son born of a women to redeem those from the law. There is therefore no need for that law and the culture associated with it. It served its purpose of “making sin exceedingly sinful”. To go back to that is like jumping back into the pan on the fire for it will reap the same reward of rejecting the Savior. But many do just that as they look to another coming Jesus and another fulfillment of another Jerusalem and view scripture the same way as the Jews of old were condemned for. But “we have come to know and believe that Christ came to expire and replace the Old Covenant with the New covenant and New Kingdom of God in Christ. We the elect have received it. The rest were hardened. They like the old wine better for “no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” The Old verse the New. You choose. But woe to those who consider the blood of Christ a common thing and insult the spirit of grace and go back to the old sacrifices, ways and such who anticipate another Jesus for another act to save the world in competition of the saving of the cross. (John 3.16)
The Kingdom of God is At Hand Even Now.