Doctrine has it that there are two “Testaments” of God. That notion is scriptural; Jesus Himself said, “This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.” (Mark 14:24) The “First Testament” was like the New except for, “Their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which vail is done away in Christ” (2 Cor 3:14).
The New Testament is the Old Testament with the vail done away. The word “vail” means “to lower, often as a sign of respect or submission” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The New Testament, therefore, is the Old Testament with the blinders removed from the minds of the Hebrews.
In the Old Testament were blinds, called “curtains” that hid God in the Holy of Holies: The king lived in a house of cedar, “but the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains.” The Presence of God was between the cherubim atop the Ark where God would rest when He appeared to the Levitical Priest. Cherubim would keep the Way to the “Tree of Life” [i] Hence, God — the Tree of Life — was isolated from all but the priests, and sinners could not see God or they would die. Even the priest had to be consecrated, or he would die! The Ark of the Covenant was a simile of the Garden of Eden [ii], and of Paradise in Heaven. [iii]
John saw the Tree of Life in his vision of Paradise: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14). That is clarification of what is written in the beginning: “So He (God) drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life” (Gen 3:24). The commandments were the Way to life.
The problem was that the Hebrews were blind to the intent of the commandments. They were really ten items in the Will of God offered as an inheritance. They missed the point because of their blinders — They were not Laws at all but four Ways to love God and six Ways to love others!
Therefore, the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant was occupied from time to time. No, a “Tree” did not sit atop it, but only pre-incarnate Jesus did. The “Tree” appeared to the priest. All the others saw the Tree of Life as a “Cloud by day and a Fire by night” [iv] They were led by the Cloud and had light by the Fire. Of course, Jesus appeared to the priest, not as a Tree but the Face of God. When God is manifested that is Jesus! [1]
None but one priest could see Jesus behind the curtains. If he was not worthy to enter into God’s Presence, even he would die and need to be dragged out by a cord. The priest in those days would sacrifice blood of animals each time he would approach God for remittance of the sins of the Hebrews. When Jesus was sacrificed by His own Father, things changed. Paul explained the New Testament by comparing it with the Old:
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (Heb 9:12-16)
The ”inheritance” remains the same in the New Testament as the Old, as well as its duration. It shall remain eternal as it was for Abraham’s “everlasting covenant” [v] which will be compared later. In both cases, for there to be an inheritance, the Testator must die! (verse 16).
So, for Abraham. Moses, and David; there was a promise of an inheritance, but God’s “Will” would not be probated until He died.
People think that somehow Jesus and the Father are different gods. “They” are not! The Flesh of Father God was crucified. The Name of the Flesh is Jesus and He is the “Image” of God. God was hung in effigy — “made in order to be damaged or destroyed as a protest or expression of anger” (Oxford Languages). God made Flesh for Himself to be destroyed by those who were angry with Him. What was their alleged anger? That He said that He is God! Why would that anger the Jews? Because each had become his own god! The multitude of the Hebrews repeated the sin of Adam and Eve!
To see God, a propitiation was required. Goats and calves were the acceptable sacrifice each time the curtains were parted for only one priest to enter in. Essentially, the priest became the acceptable sacrifice, not only to remit the sins of the multitude, but to see God without dying!
The priests, like Moses, had been glorified because they had also been in the Presence of God and glowed. [vi] The Hebrews were not even allowed to see the Glory of God reflected from the face of Moses, let alone God Himself!
Now, with the curtain rent with the death of Jesus, anyone who would see Jesus lived. That is why the Greeks sought Jesus and asked of Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” [vii] Under the first Covenant, that was impossible.
The blood of animals, “sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh” (verse 13) . However, Jesus not only offered Himself in preparation for purifying, but offered His own “eternal Spirit” (verse 14). His eternal Spirit, the “Holy Ghost” that He gave up as He died purged, “your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (verse 14).
His Holy Ghost removed the obstacle — the curtain or veil — and lowered the vail between Him and those who would see Him as God.
In other words, in the Old Testament, Jesus was there all the time, and in the New, he could be seen, not only without dying, but for living eternally. His blood washed away the sins of those under the Old Testament (verse 15) but cleansed them with “water” for the first time, for out of the belly of Jesus flowed, “Living waters” [viii] That “Water” had not flowed before to give life since the day of Adam! [ix]
Only blood was available in the Old Testament, and it was not the efficacious blood of Jesus who would sacrifice His own blood once and for all! [x] At His death, Jesus added to that blood water from his side. [xi]
The Law was the same but was not enough! The Law revealed the guiltiness of the sinner, but to fulfill the Law required blood to redeem from the Law and water from the belly of Jesus to wash the sinner clean. Water was added to the blood between testaments.
The Old Testament resumed the Law but someone had to die to obtain the inheritance. God would supply the “Lamb” to probate His Last Will and Testament. God provided the Lamb in His stead since He IS Life and could never die in Spirit. So, He made Himself Flesh so that His Will could be probated and also so that any of His heirs could receive the inheritance.
For that to happen, God would have to breathe life unto Adam’s kind as He had Adam. [xii] When Jesus gave up the Ghost, the Breath of Life was breathed unto the nostrils of all who would see Jesus as God. God breathed out, but His creatures must breathe in. “Born again” is breathing in the Breath of God that He breathed out when it was “finished.” [xiii]
Just what was finished? All the previous Covenants were probated, but primarily the everlasting covenant with Abraham. The Law of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was fulfilled on the day that Jesus propitiated His own blood for “sins that are “past.” [xiv] That includes all the sins under the Law of the Old Testament! His blood remitted the sins of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their seed.
Blood alone was a good start. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (of sins)” (Heb 9:22). Remission of sins required “water” as well, but not just any water. It had to be Water from the belly of Jesus. That was the Holy Ghost that Jesus gave up, and “it” contained all the Virtue that He had to wash away the sins of Adam’s kind.
Virtue is “Goodness” and God emanated His Spirit from the belly of Jesus. God in three “substances” died that day: “And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (1 John 5:8). The “Blood” belonged to Jesus, the “Water” to the Holy Spirit, and the Water, Blood, and Spirit is the One LORD GOD.
(picture credit: Dreamstime; "Glasses of Water and Wine")
Next the New Covenant will be contrasted with the Old Covenant. The verses for later comment follow:
6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. (Gen 17:6-14)
[1] See my commentary om Jesus as the “Tree of Life” at https://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-tree-of-life.html
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