 When did the Old Covenant end and when did the New Covenant begin? Hey, smart Christians a very interesting question comes up when people talk about the thief on the cross When he died there are some that will say well things are treated differently with him because he died under the Old Covenant but is that true and What that makes us think of then naturally is when did the Old Covenant in and when did the New Covenant begin? Remember the thief on the cross died after Jesus's death Why is that important? Well because of what Jesus said he came to do what he came to put an end to and What he came to inaugurate? Recall in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17 Jesus makes a statement says do not think that I came to abolish the law or The prophet which the Old Covenant I did not come to abolish but to fulfill Well, how is that done? Well, let's step back a little bit and remember in Leviticus chapter 16 specifically We're told about this day of atonement and how there is this priest that mediates between man and God and then there's two other elements also at present at this atonement There is this scapegoat whereby all the sins of the people are put on the head of the scapegoat and sent out into the wilderness In other words the scapegoat is carrying away the sins of the people Well, John tells us that when he sees Jesus he says look, there's the Lamb of God who does what? Takes away the sins of the world and so he's gonna play the part of the scapegoat as well Also, we have the sacrificial offering this propitiation this bloods sacrifice that will atone for sin Well, Jesus does the exact same thing as well. And so we've got a better If you will better elements, we got a better high priest according to Hebrews we've got a lamb that takes away all the sin and We've got a propitiation of blood that is much better than what we had before we'll cover the blood in just a second But in this regard he is a better sacrifice and so we don't have a temporal Atonement now we've got a permanent atonement and even if we go to Romans chapter 10 Paul makes his plate this this case also in chapter 10 verse 4 He says that for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes and so It's clear that Jesus in his fulfillment of the law the law requires there be a sacrifice Apatiation that the people who believe in trust in what God is doing in this case with Christ it on the cross that they stand Justified because he fulfills the law and not just for a one-time Fulfillment that they are in right standing for one year. No in this case now. They're in right standing those who have faith They are in right standing Permanently because of the effectiveness of his blood remember we're told that this is this blood that Jesus shares Pays the debt and it deals with sin forever. There is no longer a Payment required so now when Jesus dies though His death inaugurates a new covenant now before we get in that let's talk about the new covenant and Just kind of get a picture and understanding of what the new covenant actually is and so in Jeremiah chapter 29 I'm sorry 31 verse starting in verse 31. He says 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 out of the out by the hand to bring Them out of the land of Egypt my covenant that they broke which zeal covenant though I was their husband declares the Lord for this is the new Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days declares the Lord and he says in that look He says I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts And I will be their guide and they shall be my people and no longer show each one teachers 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 will remember their sins no more It needs to be stated that as this new covenant is an effect for Israel It's not all the way complete in other words that not all of Israel is Experiencing this because we find out later We won't go into it that there is this spirit of stupor this partial Harding that's come over Israel And so by and large we've got an ethnic nation Israel that is refusing to place their faith in there in her Messiah Whereas other nationalities other people group just like Joel to says other people are Experiencing the Holy Spirit, but there are still some Jews who are also do is a by and large that group has rejected it For the most part, but there are some remember that the church started off with Jews Primarily and then we see Gentiles brought in but this issue of when the new Covenant started Well, it's actually addressed in the book of Hebrews Hebrews is a book written to Jewish believers and so it would make sense that this issue of the Covenant is brought up the ending of the old and the beginning of the New the book of Hebrews was written to Jews who have placed their faith in Messiah However, in their mind they have they've got all these years these thousands of years as a matter of fact of Being entrenched with the law and what does the law require that there be this yearly? Sacrifice this day of atonement year after year after year That's just guilt that still deals with them when they sin just like with us If a true believer sins that true believer is going to be remorseful and bothered by that sin Well in the case of these Jews these Hebrews their thought is well I must amend for my sin There must be some sort of sacrificial offering and the writers trying to convey to them that you don't have to Worry about that that the actual sacrifice has been done But I want to pay attention to I want to look at a couple passages to indicate when it ended when the old Ended and but really we know when it ended because we've been told that but really when the new covenant began in Hebrews chapter 9 let's start in verse 15 For this reason he that is Jesus is a mediator of a new covenant So that since a death that is his death obviously has taken place for the redemption of transgressions that were committed under the first covenant that is the old covenant Those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance for where a covenant is There must of necessity be the death of the one who made it that is obviously God or Jesus in this case For covenant is valid only when men are dead for it is never enforced While the one who made it lives and so they're pointing out this issue with this new covenant that it cannot be enforced while in This case Jesus lives. Let's go back to it He says therefore the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood and every covenant as a matter of fact We see the the old covenant. We see the the Abrahamic covenant We see that there be this blood Sacrifice this this blood the shedding of blood that inaugurates the covenants the Abrahamic covenant we see in in Genesis 15 and then we see this in Exodus With this brand new covenant this new covenant act of the time to do covenants old covenants There's mosaic covenant the law we see that there and so that's what he's speaking of So verse 19 he states that for whenever for when every commandment had been spoken by Moses all the people according to the law He took the blood of the calves and the goats and water and scarlet wool and Hissop and sprinkled both the book itself And all the people saying this is the blood of the covenant which God commands And so he's reiterating that even that old covenant was inaugurated with blood Why is that important because what how's a new covenant going to be inaugurated for these people with blood as well? So let's go to it. He says verse 21 and In the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and the vessels of ministry With the blood according to the law one may almost say all things are cleansed by the blood and without the shedding of the blood There is no Forgiveness so now it's clear that what has to happen is there has to be obviously we see that Jesus fulfills the old covenant the law The requirement that there be this sacrifice in this case a better sacrifice But his shedding of the blood on the cross is the institution the inauguration of this new covenant and granted the fulfillment of it Has not been totally thorough, but it has started there are some that believe that it hasn't started I believe that has because the very fact that It could not be that these people were in the midst of or the the middle of No covenant the whole covenant nor under the new covenant So what are Jews who have not placed their faith in what how are they living? Well, even though they're acting under the old the new covenant is what's been established down That's the covenant that God has and God is really not paying attention to the old covenant so to speak It's it's done away with as a matter of fact. Let's go to some more interesting details about the old covenant as it relates to or Contrasting with the new covenant in chapter 10 verse 1 this is for the law That's the old covenant since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things can never By the same sacrifice which they wish they continually offer year by year make perfect those who draw near Otherwise would they not cease to be offered because the worshipers having once been cleansed would no longer have had Continence of sin and so the issue is the old covenant could not cleanse people of sin two things are missing The dealing with sin and there's also a way to make these people in right standing Whereby when they do die they can steal or they can then go and be with the father that could not happen under the old Covenant and so let's go back to it He says in verse 3 but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year by year which he wants to take away with Verse 4 for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin However, Jesus's blood is not the same sort of blood sacrifice It's a much better sacrifice and in verse 5 he says therefore when he comes to the world He says that's Jesus Sacrificing offerings you did not desire but a body you have prepared for me in a whole burnt offering and sacrifice for sin You haven't taken no pleasure Then I said behold I have come and the scroll of the book is written of me to do your will oh God And look what he says after saying above Sacrifice an offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have not desired Let's drop down verse 9 then he said behold I have come out to do your will he takes away the first He takes away the first which is the old covenant to establish a second Which is the new covenant by this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ Once for all and so here we have we see that the taking away of the old covenant is Now supplanted by the bringing of the new covenant all in one act what he did on the cross Ended the old and brought about the new so going back to the question that gets brought up When the thief on the cross died did he die under the old cut because it's brought up when people asked well Why didn't the thief on the cross? Did he need to be baptized and we say that baptism water baptism is not necessary for salvation and a perfect example Is the thief on the cross who is not baptized but is promised to to have Salvation Jesus says today you'll be with me in paradise well paradise is in heaven now at the time It was not and we'll deal with that at a different time. That's a different discussion, but he's promised salvation though. He's not Baptized in physical water, which means it could not be The requirement for salvation physical water baptism, but some will say but no he was he died under a different Dispensation he died under the old covenant But he could not have died under the old covenant because Jesus's death Into the old covenant and inaugurated the new covenant If someone disagrees with the question is going to be well When did the new covenant start the new covenant started according to these passages that we just read at the shedding of the blood? That's what I inaugurated the new covenant just like it's what inaugurated the old covenant Just like it's what inaugurated the Abrahamic covenant And so it should be clear the old covenant and the new covenant had the exact same end date and start date