Animals, Colors, Metals, Numbers and Signs in Scripture.

Eight, Fifty – New Beginnings

New Covenant of Worship

In the book of Hebrews, the eight chapter, beginning in the eight verse we read, "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: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 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."

In the Old Covenant of worship that God established with the children of Israel in the 20th chapter of Exodus, God wrote his laws of ten commandments on two tables of stone. This old covenant was imposed on them until the new was established: Heb. 9:10 "Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation." This old covenant required perfection, which none of the children of Israel could ever attain unto. This old covenant brought sins to remembrance showing the exceeding sinfulness of sin. In this old covenant, the people taught one another to know the Lord.

In the New Covenant of worship, the commandments are written in the hearts and placed in the minds of the elect through regeneration. There is no longer a requirement to teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother to know the Lord, for they all know him from the least to the greatest. The scriptures say that God is love, God is light, and God is a Spirit. They know God because, as a result of the new birth, God has written love in their hearts, has given them eternal life (light) and made them spiritual.

In addition, unlike the old covenant that brought sin to remembrance, God has said under this new covenant "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." This new covenant is not based on the observation of carnal ordinances, but every one worships God in Spirit and in truth.

The old covenant gendered to bondage, whereas the new covenant is free and is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:25, 26). This new covenant is a new beginning of worship under grace.

New Judicial Standing Before God

Because of Adam's transgression in the Garden of Eden, all humanity was condemned before God as we read in Rom. 5:18 "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation." We would have remained in that condemnation except for a provision that God made for the elect in the covenant of redemption: Rom. 8:29, 30, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." God justified the elect thus giving them a new judicial standing before Him.

There are several Old Testament types associated with the eighth day that show forth how the elect of God are justified by God:

    1. Lev. 9:1 "And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel; 2 And he said unto Aaron, Take thee a young calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the LORD."

2. Lev. 14:10 "And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: 12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:

13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy: 14 And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 15 And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand:

16 And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD: 17 And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: 18 And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD.

19 And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean."

    3. Lev. 14:23 "And he shall bring them on the eighth day for his cleansing unto the priest, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, before the LORD. 24 And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD."

New Kingdom

God established the children of Israel into a kingdom and made them a great nation. They were to observe his laws and keep his commandments and it would go well with them in that kingdom. God gave them the Levitical priesthood and gave them a high priest after the order of Aaron. God was at first their king, and he gave them judges to judge them for a substantial period of time. Then the people asked for a king like unto other nations, and God gave them Saul. Afterwards, because of Saul's rebellion and disobedience, God gave them David to be king over them and afterwards, the descendants of David through Solomon's lineage. This kingdom continued though greatly reduced because of their disobedience until the time of Christ.

In the Old Testament God made promise of a new kingdom to come, called a new heaven and a new earth:

    1. Isa 65:17 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."

    2. Isa 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain."

Twice in the New Testament this kingdom is referred to as a new heaven and a new earth:

    1. 2 Pet 3:13 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

    2. Rev 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."

This made a total of four verses in which reference is made to a new heaven and a new earth with the word, "new," found eight times.

More often, this kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. The Lord said it had its beginning with the preaching of John the Baptist: Luke 16:16 "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."

This kingdom is a spiritual kingdom: Rom. 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Furthermore, this kingdom comes not with observation: Lk. 17:20 "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

The king of this kingdom is Jesus: Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." The subjects of this kingdom are of the elect of God and are his people that have pressed into the kingdom of God.

Jesus is the High Priest of this kingdom after the order of Melchisidec:

    1. Heb 3:1 "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus."

    2. Heb 4:14 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."

    3. Heb. 5:5 "So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

Rather than the Levitical priesthood, the redeemed of God are made kings and priests unto God: Rev. 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." As kings and priests we are made a spiritual priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices: 1 Pet. 2:5 "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."

This new kingdom is a new beginning for the children of God.