Covenants – One More Time

Covenants – One More Time
By Dennis Huebshman

First, let’s look at each “I WILL” Covenant God made with His people. These are “UNCONDITIONAL” and all are still in effect. This is not a total list of covenants in the bible, but are the ones that are pertinent for today. By the way, when God says Unconditional, that means there is nothing else that must be done as He has done it all.

Genesis 12: 1-3; 15: 18-21: (1) Now the Lord said to Abram (before the name change) Go out from your country, your relatives and your father’s household to the land that I will show you. (2) Then, I WILL make you into a great nation and I WILL bless you and I WILL make your name great so that you will exemplify divine blessing. (3) I WILL bless those who bless you, but the ones who treats you lightly I MUST CURSE, and all the families of the earth will bless one another by your name. (note: ESV and all emphasis mine throughout) (15:18-21) That day the Lord made a covenant with Abram; “To your descendants I give this land from the river of Egypt to the great river the Euphrates (19) the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, (20) Hittites, Perizzites, Pephaites (21) Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” This was the first great real estate deal, and it was GIVEN to Abram (Abraham) forever. It definitely included more than what Israel resides in today. All the outside people who are trying to divide what Israel currently has along with Jerusalem really need to go back and read Genesis 12:3.

Continuation of the Covenant – Genesis 21: 12 (note: Sarah had demanded that Ishmael and his mother Hagar be sent away after the birth of Isaac). “But God told Abraham do not be upset about the boy of your slave wife. Do all that Sarah is telling you because THROUGH ISAAC, your descendants will be counted”. This was passing the covenant to the “chosen” son of Abraham. God also promised to make the son of the slave wife into a great nation for he was Abraham’s descendant too. Later, we are told Ishmael had 12 sons the same as Jacob, however they became tribes that had constant conflict with God’s chosen, and it continues to the very present time.

Moving on to Genesis 28: 13-15: Jacob was on the run from Esau, his brother for cheating Esau out of his blessing (Genesis 27), and he had a dream one night about a stairway reaching from earth to the Heavens with angels going up and down. (13) “…and the Lord stood at the top. He said, I AM the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I WILL give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. (14) Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants. (15) I WILL protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. (a very early prophecy of May 14, 1948). I WILL NOT leave you until I have done what I promised you.

Covenant with a name change – Genesis 35: 10-12: (10) God said to him, your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name, so God named him Israel. (Israel means struggles with God because he had wrestled with a “Man” (God) all night.) (11) Then God said to him, “I AM the sovereign God. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, even a company of nations will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants. (12) THE LAND I GAVE ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, I WILL GIVE TO YOU. To your descendants I WILL also give this land.

Moving on to David in 2 Samuel 7: 12-13. God told him, when the time comes for you to die, I WILL raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you and I WILL establish his kingdom. (13) He will build a house for my name, and I WILL make his dynasty permanent (speaking of Solomon). In 2 Samuel 22:51 – He gives His chosen living magnificent victories; He is faithful to His chosen ruler; to David and his descendants FOREVER.

God promised another covenant with Israel referencing the end times in Jeremiah 31: 31-34 and 36. (31) Indeed, a time is coming says the Lord, when I WILL make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah (this includes all 12 tribes). (32) It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant even thought I was like a faithful husband to them. (33) But I WILL make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them “BACK” in the land says the Lord. (Started May 14, 1948, and not totally fulfilled yet). I WILL put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I WILL be their God, and they will be My people. (At the end of the 7-year tribulation, all of Israel that are left alive will believe in Jesus) (34) People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. From all of them, from the least important to the most important, will all know me says the Lord. For I WILL forgive their sins and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done. (36) The Lord affirms ‘The descendants of Israel will not cease FOREVER to be a nation in my sight. That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lights ceases to operate before Me’.

Now, with all the above and knowing God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), how could anyone believe Israel does not belong where they are and that they do not have a right to exist? Only satanic processes are plotting against God’s chosen. Also, the Church has not replaced any of the covenants given here but has one that applies to ALL that have accepted Jesus from the Cross forward.

Jesus said Himself that He came to save the lost and not just for God’s covenant people (the Jews) but “I have other sheep (all gentiles) that do not come from the sheepfold (Jews). I must bring them too and they will listen to my voice so there will be one flock (all combined) and one shepherd. (John 10:16) John 10:30 says “The Father and I are ONE!” All who believe in Jesus will be saved. To not believe is the unforgivable sin, and a definite pathway to the eternal hell fires.

The absolute main verse about our covenant through the blood of Jesus is John 14:6: “Jesus said, I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through ME”. He willingly laid down His life for us (John 10:18) and this has given Him the right to say we are to accept Him in order to be with Him forever.

There were “CONDITIONAL” promises made by the Father that said if certain things were done, then He would do certain things. Chief among these is 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who belong to Me humble themselves, pray, seek to please Me and repudiate (turn from) their sin and practices, then, I WILL respond from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” Biggest problem is His people had a issues with seeking after other gods which did not please the Lord God Jehovah. In fact, several times, He dealt with them in some very severe ways such as the Babylonian captivity, and the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem as examples.

Jeremiah 7:23 is another “CONDITIONAL” promise, “I also explicitly commanded them: Obey Me. If You Do, I WILL be your God and you will be My people. Live exactly the way I tell you, and things will go well with you.”

All of God’s promises will come true just as they have in the past, and His Holy Word will prevail. Romans 11:25 says He will again turn His attention to His people (Jews) when the fullness of the gentiles takes place which will be the rapture of ALL believers.

The real losers are the ones that would rather have what their limited time on this earth has to offer than what Jesus has bought and paid for. His gift is for ALL who will accept and receive Him as their Savior and no matter what this life has, the real benefit is eternity with the creator of the Heavens and the Earth and the joy of being with Him forever.

Hell is devoid of light as Jesus constantly referred to “the outer darkness’. There will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” forever with a constant reminder of how easy it would have been not to be there. No matter what any mortal says today, Hell is real and does last for all eternity. There is no such thing as a temporary punishment then go to Heaven.

Light or darkness – Heaven or Hell – completely up to you. As for my family and myself, we choose the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 paraphrased)

Shalom – Come Lord Jesus!

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