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Chapter 3 – The Covenants

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A Reminder about IntensivesThis is not your normal Bible Class

These Intensives are designed to:

Intentionally immerse the listener in a volume of truth in a short time;

Cover large sweeping themes (they are macroscopic!);

Break us out of the normal way we process as Gentiles; and to,

Wake up those sleepy brain cells!

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God’s Plan for the World

Level One – Understanding God

Level Two – Understanding His

Covenants

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The Edenic and Adamic Covenants?Technically, we cannot prove that these two covenants existed because they are not called covenants [ ברית beriyth ber-eeth‘] in the Bible.

Jan Brueghel the Elder – The Garden of Eden - 1615

The Edenic Covenant?

While this is a worthy consideration it is not a part of this study.

If this covenant existed it would simply have related to the instructions God gave Adam and Eve in the garden prior to their fall. Genesis 2:8-17.

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The Adamic Covenant? God most likely established a covenant with Adam and his seed.

– a. We may infer such a covenant because the requirement of a sacrifice and strict rules regarding it are implicit already in Genesis 4:5.

– b. We may infer there was a covenant or there likely could have been no priestly Melchizedekan order. Priests are always seen administering covenants. (Genesis 14:18-20)

– c. We may infer that this covenant was actually made with Messiah, possibly through Adam, but keep in mind it is never technically called a covenant in the Bible or identified as such. Cf. Gen. 3:15

– d. We may infer that this actually was a covenant because the dynamics of this “covenant” are found in all of God’s economies, but its administration is absorbed in future covenants.

Thus, the dynamics taught in Adamic Covenant would cover at least that period of time between Adam and Abram, but in truth, there is nothing in it which would be precluded by any other covenant. The elements of sacrifice, and the existence of both prophet and priest as communicators of God’s truth, and the whole context of promise conveyed through seed (Genesis 3:15) are all there. This instructor likes to call it a transparent covenant.

Note: Dispensationalists do not dispute that the eternal pre-council of God was mutually covenantal among the Persons of the Godhead but they do not see any biblical basis for the administration of a supposed Covenant of Works, Covenant of Grace, or Covenant of Redemption. These supposed (virtual) covenants hinder the literal interpretation of biblical covenants.

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Adamic Covenant - Principles of sacrifice, prophets and priests, and God’s promise to and through seed are unveiled. This may or may not have been stewarded paternally, but likely was as evidenced by Cain and Abel & other altars. The dynamics of this covenant are evidenced in future covenants.

• Summary: If we are going to allow for an Adamic Covenant we would agree that its basic principles or dynamics have been present from the time of the Fall and extend through the Millennium.

The Fall Noah Abraham Moses Christ The Millennium

Important!Watch this blue legend. As we discuss each covenant we will position it on the legend.

È È

The Adamic Covenant? Cont…

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The Noahic Covenant

The Universal Covenant ALL seed of men and animals (Genesis 9:1-17)

a. Administration: Universally administered, though governmental administration is often inferred. In other words, it is not administered through households or priesthoods per se.

b. Purpose: This is the “Landlord” covenant, between God and all earth dwellers – men or beasts.

c. Qualities: While this covenant does not directly picture our salvation, some of the principles later found in the doctrine of the Kinsman Redeemer, and the role of blood as it relates to land are found in this covenant. In this sense, Christ will ultimately satisfy the demands and remedy the disobedience related to this covenant, thus, it also has a Christological aspect just as does the Adamic Covenant.

d. Key Point: This is an everlasting covenant, (though men could “break” it, Isa. 24:5,6). It is not negated by law, grace, or any other economy and is tokenized with the rainbow.

Cedar Noahs Ark in Netherlands

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Adamic Covenant - Principles of sacrifice, prophets and priests, and God’s promise to and through seed are unveiled. Its dynamics are seen in future covenants.

The Fall Noah Abraham Moses Christ The Millennium

Noahic Covenant - Principles of landlord obligation, blood required, and promise extended through seed.Incumbent upon all, but many argue that authority for human government arises from this covenant . Gen. 9:1-17

The Noahic Covenant Cont…

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Abraham and his Seed

(Gen. 12:2-8; 15:18-21; 17:1-8, and others.)

Administrations: This comprehensive covenant was appropriated by faith and, as such was the basis of Abram’s justification (Read all of Genesis 15.) This covenant was, is, and shall be administered in three phases:

1.) First, through Abraham. First mediated and administered (priestly) by Abraham through his household, and then, through succeding fathers. Note Genesis 18:19.

2.) The Old Covenant was then based uponit. Exodus 2:24

3.) Finally, it is administered through Christ personally under the New Covenant.

THIS IS AN

EVERLASTING

COVENANT!

GENESIS 17:7,8

The Abrahamic Covenant

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Adamic Covenant - Principles of sacrifice, prophets and priests, and God’s promise to and through seed are unveiled. Its dynamics are seen in future covenants.

The Fall Noah Abraham Moses Christ The Millennium

Noahic Covenant - Principles of landlord obligation, blood required, and promise extended through seed.Incumbent upon all, but many argue that authority for human government arises from this covenant.

Abrahamic Covenant - Principles of land ownership and blessings through Abraham and his Seed through Isaac for the blessing of many nations. This is an everlasting covenant to Abraham and his seed. Gen. 17:1ff.

- The Land Aspect for Israel is amplified in the *Palestinian Covenant (Deut. 29:1-4; 30:3). - The Throne Aspect of this Covenant is amplified in the *Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:16 / cp. all of Psalm 89.). - This covenant was tokenized with circumcision. Gen. 17:11

*Because these are amplifications, they do not require separate priesthoods or administrations.

Note: This covenant will later be expanded by these “sub-covenants.”

The Abrahamic Covenant Cont…

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The Ten Commandments / The Law of Moses Administration: The Old Covenant, or the Law was initially given by God, ordained by

angels, and administered by Moses through the Aaronic priesthood primarily to the children of Jacob (Israel.) Exo. 24:12,ff; 28:1,ff; 2:24,ff;

1.) This covenant was an administration of the Abrahamic Covenant. Exo. 2:24. Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant, it was conditioned on obedience. Exo. 19:1ff.

2. This Covenant was: a. Initiated by Christ but ordained by Angels – Gal. 3:19

b. Mediated by Moses’ household administration – Stewardship aspect, Heb. 3:5,6

c. Co-Mediated by Aaron - Priestly aspect – Note: Heb. 7:11ff

3.) This covenant was limited in:

a. Purpose. It was to shut us up unto Christ. Gal 3:23ff

b. Duration. It was temporary and to be abolished by the New Covenant. Jer. 31:31-34, 2 Cor. 3:1ff

The Old Covenant

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Adamic Covenant - Principles of sacrifice, prophets and priests, and God’s promise to and through seed are unveiled. Its dynamics are seen in future covenants.

The Fall Noah Abraham Moses Christ The Millennium

Noahic Covenant - Principles of landlord obligation, blood required, and promise extended through seed.Incumbent upon all, but many argue that authority for human government arises from this covenant.

Abrahamic Covenant - Principles of land ownership and blessings through Abraham and his Seed through Isaac for the blessing of many nations. This is an everlasting covenant. Its land aspect is amplified in the Palestinian Covenant and throne aspect in the Davidic Covenant.

Mosaic Covenant• Administers the Abrahamic• Tables of Stone• Temporary Purpose• Was abolished

Note:

This covenant was also tokenized through

circumcision.

The Covenants In our next session we will

introduce the

New Covenant

and explain how it changes

everything!

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End of Presentation

Additional slides from this point are called from (hyperlinked) earlier slides.

The very last slide is a fill in handout for use during lectures and serves no other purpose.

Gen 12:2-82 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will

bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord , who appeared unto him.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord , and called upon the name of the Lord .

KJV

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Gen 12:2-8

Gen 15:18-2118 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with

Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,

21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. KJV

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Gen 15:18-21

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Joh 3:16)

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isa 55:6-7)

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Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2Pe 1:20-21)

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:14-17)

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God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Heb 1:1-2)

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Act 17:30-31)

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And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:

They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Heb 1:10-12)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (Jas 1:17)

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Gen 17:1-8

17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many

nations.5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for

a father of many nations have I made thee.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.

KJV23

Gen 17:1-8

Gen 12:2-82 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will

bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

7 And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord , who appeared unto him.

8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord , and called upon the name of the Lord .

KJV

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Rom 4:9-139 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or

upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

KJV 25

Rom 4:9-13

Isa 49:3-73 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be

glorified.4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for

nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord , and my work with my God.

5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord , and my God shall be my strength.

6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

7 Thus saith the Lord , the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. KJV

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Isa 49:3-7

18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?

19 The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.

20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.

21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

KJV27

Isa 40:18-25

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

KJV

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Col. 1:25-29

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,

thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

KJV

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Gen 3:14-17

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Gal 3:19

Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Heb 3:5-6

5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

KJV 30

Exodus 2:24

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in

earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Heb 1:3

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

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Col 1:16,17

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the

air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of

man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with

you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood;

neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature

that is with you, for perpetual generations:13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and

the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant

between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all

flesh that is upon the earth.

KJV

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Genesis 9:1-17