BLOG

Jeremiah's New Covenant, part 7

We come now to the actual revelation of the term “New Covenant,” which, perhaps, the prophet heard in his dream. Jeremiah 31:27, 28 says,

²⁷ Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. ²⁸ As I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord.

This refers to the prophet’s calling, given to him at the beginning of his ministry, which was revealed to him in Jeremiah 1:10,

¹⁰ “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Jeremiah would live to see the end of the kingdom of Judah, which completed the two-part overthrow of Israel and Judah. Both nations had broken their Old Covenant vow, being incapable of obedience by the strength of the will of man. The result was that the land inheritance given to them by that covenant also ended, and God plucked them all from the land.

Judah lasted longer than Israel on account of King Hezekiah’s repentance and appeal to heaven, but in the end, they too persisted in sin and were exiled to Babylon. Judah received another extension in the land after 70 years in Babylon, in order to allow time for Christ to be born in Bethlehem and to complete His mission to replace the Old Covenant with the New. After a 40-year grace period, Judah again revolted against the word of the Lord and was exiled by the Romans. So ended Judah’s final opportunity to be established in a land inheritance under the Old Covenant.

Jeremiah oversaw, as it were, the overthrow of Judah. More than that, God used him to oversee the overthrow of the nations as well. By what law? It was by the law of authority, for the throne of Judah, representing the throne of God Himself, held a residual authority over all nations. In fact, if it had been possible for the kings of Judah to rule as God’s stewards and to be a light to the nations, Judah’s authority would have extended gradually to include all nations. Its failure, however, required better foundations which came to be known as the New Covenant.

The overthrow of Judah and Jerusalem, then, had a much broader effect that few understood then and even to this day.

The good news is that God also promised to reverse the destruction and desolation in the earth by means of the New Covenant. Both man and animals (flocks and herds) were to be restored, both being necessary for nation to prosper.

Generational Curses Broken

Jeremiah 31:29, 30 says,

²⁹ In those days they will not say again, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” ³⁰ But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

This was a proverb in those days. It refers to the fact that when fathers make bad decisions or when they see disaster, it affects their children as well. The effects are often felt for generations. Spiritual curses do not simply go away at some point. Such curses must be broken, but few recognize such problems and even fewer know how to do it.

Numbers 14:18 says,

¹⁸ The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.

This appears to contradict the law in Deuteronomy 24:16, which declares,

¹⁶ Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

One may ask how the iniquity of fathers can set the children’s teeth on edge if it is unlawful to charge the children with the father’s sins (crimes). We can take this problem to a deeper level by asking why Father Adam’s sin not only put him to death (Genesis 2:17) but made all of his children mortal as well. 1 Corinthians 15:22 says,

²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

Again, we read in Romans 5:12,

¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because [eph ho, “by which”] all sinned.

In other words, Adam’s sin made him mortal and all of his children as well—ultimately affecting all of creation—and this death was the weakness of all men which caused them to sin. The NASB translators misunderstood this, for they thought that Paul was referring to “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Both are true in their own way.

Father Adam’s sin brought mortality (the first type of death) to all of his children, and this has caused all men to sin since the beginning of time. Men are then judged for their own sin by means of “the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Romans 5:12 spoke of the origins of the first death (i.e., mortality) while Romans 6:23 referred to the second death. The first death originated with Father Adam’s sin, while the second death is the penalty for sinners who fail to apply Christ’s death on the cross to their own sin.

The point is that Father Adam ate sour grapes, which set the children’s teeth on edge, as it were. The children were put to death for the sin of their father, and this was unlawful according to Deuteronomy 24:16. How can we resolve this apparent contradiction?

As our father, Adam had authority over all of his children, because the law says to “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). Those who are under authority are affected by the actions of the one in authority. Hence, all died through Adam’s sin. But the law of authority contradicts the law forbidding children to be put to death for the sin of their father. This apparent contradiction is resolved through Christ, who is the Father of all believers. He used His authority to overturn the death sentence that Adam’s sin imposed upon his children.

We see then that when Adam’s sin imposed the death sentence upon his children, this was a temporary injustice that was resolved when Christ reversed the curse from Adam’s sin. In fact, the injustice of universal mortality compelled God to find a solution. The solution, Paul says, is this: “so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Universal mortality through Adam is the problem; universal immortality is the solution, “but each in his own order” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

For further details, see my book, The Restoration of All Things.

Jeremiah 31:30 tells us that the proverb about the fathers and the children will be reversed. This solution comes only through Christ and His death and resurrection. It is not that all will be saved in spite of their sin and unbelief. It is rather that God will fulfill His New Covenant vow by causing everyone—each in their own order—to turn to Him and be saved. A few will be saved during their lifetime, but the rest will believe when they are summoned to the great White Throne.

Even so, they will have to go through the steps toward spiritual maturity in the Age of Judgment following the White Throne judgment. This is depicted as “the second death, lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14). The “lake of fire” is the lake that is formed by the “river of fire” that flows from the fiery throne (Daniel 7:10). From the throne flows the “fiery law” (Deuteronomy 33:2 KJV) by which all men are judged for their sin.

This is the point in time where each individual will be judged only for his own sin. When all the dead are raised to appear at the great White Throne, hades gives up its captives, and death is “thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14). In other words, sinners will not die during the Age of Judgment but will “learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9), for the underlying purpose of the law is to set the standard of righteousness so that men may be instructed in the ways of God.

Those judged by the second death will not be released until the great Jubilee, which cancels all debt (sin) and releases all men to return to their inheritance that was lost through Adam (Leviticus 25:10). On that great and final release, then will all the children cease to have their teeth set on edge. Whereas the Old Covenant failed to save anyone through their own vows to God, the New Covenant is a success, because God’s oath finds a way to save all.