Newsletter: 2012-02 Covenant Theology

Greetings from HomeWorship 101™

“… our sufficiency is from God,
who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant…”
- 2Corrinthins 3:5-6

Oftentimes in the discourse of mid-east politics you will hear Israel make claims of a Covenant (Heb. Berit) right to their land. Do you know what they are referring to? There are covenants between men, and there are Covenants between GOD/YHWH and man. What they are referring to is the Land Covenant YHWH (YAHWEH) made with ancient Israel. What is rarely mentioned is that YHWH made in all eight Covenants with HIS human creation - not with just the Israelites, but with a-l-l HIS human creation. Teaching about them is called “Covenant Theology.”

In the above quote, the Apostle Paul wrote that Messiah Yahshua appointed His Apostles to be ministers of the New Covenant. Subsequently, all the Christian / Messianic ministers that follow in the footsteps of the Apostles are also ministers of the New Covenant. It also stands to reason, that before one can teach about a new Covenant, the people must also be familiar with the previous Covenant, or Covenants. I always wondered if Covenant Theology is the basis of Christian ministry, then why is it that we do not hear much about them? The problem is that much of the faithful hero-worship the Man (Messiah), and forget or ignore what He was pointing to.

Sadly the Christians, with their lack of Hebrew (Old) Testament understanding, aren’t much good at teaching ‘true’ Covenant Theology. They’ll go on and on about the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace, but technically speaking, the Bible does not teach these types of covenants, they are just human inventions. As my regular readers know when the mishegoss of ‘theology’ (GOD-talk) gets so confusing I like to look past the traditions of men and start at the beginning.

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to children’s children,
to such as keep His Covenant,
and to those who remember His commandments to do them
the Lord has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.”
- Psalm 103:17-19

To a thinking person the above verse raises a few questions. For example, one would wonder, if GOD is all-powerful then why does HE need Covenants? If He wants to save us then why not just save us and be done with it? Many would also question, why do we have to keep the commandments? Didn’t ‘Jesus’ forgive our sins and save us? Another question is one I often like to ask people, “just exactly, what do you think YHWH’s Kingdom is like?” Yes it is based on love, kindness, and peace, but what is life like in the kingdom. Do we all just float around on the clouds with the Angels and sing praises to YHWH and Yahshua for eternity?

YHWH’s Throne in Heaven

Nobody just beamed in, humanity is here today via a logical sequence of events, for a little background let’s take the last question first. What is YHWH’s Kingdom like? YHWH’s Kingdom is an active kingdom with trade, commerce, and purposeful activity based on YHWH’s Kingdom Laws. The Laws of the Kingdom are designed to be fair to all and to ensure that the Kingdom is everlasting. The first verse of the Bible describes the original physical creation in its entirety. Our whole galaxy including our planet Earth was created uncounted millions of years ago, as a perfect creation. Beautiful and perfect, the creation was a finished, completed work. What YAHWEH created, HE created for purposeful activity, to be used, developed, preserved, and maintained, and YAHWEH’S Government regulates its use.

As we know, Angels are one segment of the population of heavenly beings in YAHWEH’s interstellar government. The Bible clearly says, at the creation of the Earth all the angels shouted for joy (Job 38:7). Angels are immortal personal spirit beings with far reaching powers. Each is created with a superior mind capable of attitudes, purposes and intentions, with the power to think and reason. They have the ability to make choices, decisions, and have self-will. Their Holy righteous character must be developed by the free choice and intent of the one in whom it comes to exist. (This is an important vital truism that one must understand about all of YAHWEH’s created beings. HE will not create a being instantly with a perfect, holy, and righteous character by fiat - if HE did, then they would be no better then a boring race of robots, with no individual identities and character.) The righteous character is defined and instilled by yielding to the education and guidance of YAHWEH’s Government. This is a government based upon the principles of love and grace, of giving, of outgoing concern for the good of all, and it is the only everlasting government that equally benefits all members of the community.

Angels were given charge of the Earth before the creation of humans. Some have made the analogy that the Earth was like an unfinished cake, like a cake just out of the oven, which needs icing, and finishing, or like furniture in the raw which needs finishing and decoration. The finishing would be in harmony with YAHWEH’s creation, and would involve the building of homes, cities, and infrastructure for the community of the angels.

There were three angels of higher rank, Archangel Lucifer, Gabriel, and Michael. Archangel Lucifer, whose name means light-bringer, was given the charge of this solar system, including the Earth and the society of angels living here, to establish and administer the Kingdom/Government of YHWH.

In the Kingdom of YHWH there was happiness, peace, joy, and profitable trading (a form of honest capitalism - not predatory capitalism). The society of the angels ruling this solar system continued for untold years, perhaps thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of years, under the Government of YAHWEH. The government included laws to live by regarding the protocol of respect and loyalty to the CREATOR, and to the head of the local government. There are also laws regarding social responsibilities, personal improvement, community interaction, intergalactic trading, record keeping, etc. The angels had daily work (mundane tasks are rotated and shared by all in the community), with rank and special duties delegated according to individual talents.

Why does YHWH need Covenants?

In this part of the Kingdom, business, and life, was good under Lucifer’s management. All the angels prospered, and magnificent cities were built. But after some time, Lucifer became so filled with pride and vanity, he thought himself to be as knowledgeable and powerful as YAHWEH. Lucifer became envious of YAHWEH’s position and sought to overthrow HIM. Lucifer planned an interstellar governmental coup d’etat. He convinced a third of the angels to follow him in a sinful rebellion against the Government of YAHWEH (Eze.28:12-17; Luk.10:18; Jud.6). With Lucifer’s ambitious plans begins the titanic spiritual war of the Heavenly Powers for the control of the universe, including this part of the galaxy.

Lucifer’s plan was to invade YAHWEH’s Heaven, capture YAHWEH’s Great White Throne Room (the seat of power for the entire universe), and remove YAHWEH from the Throne of the Universe. He would then rule the whole universe including all the interstellar societies.

The Prophet Isaiah calls Lucifer the “Son of the Morning” and describes this event in 14:12-14 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” The Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 28 calls Lucifer the “Prince of Tyre.” Tyre might have been the political/commercial headquarters of the trading-rich metropolis of the angels.

When angels fall, trouble follows…. The result from this war of the Angels was the destruction of the surface of the planets that they inhabited - Earth included.

YAHWEH’s loyal angels defeated the rebellious angels, but they were not destroyed. In the court of the Heavenly beings, Lucifer was called to appear and give account of his actions. Court is held in YHWH’s Great White Throne Room, which is the most miraculous and wondrous place in the entire universe. The spiritual appreciation of the sweet sound of the music emanating from the Throne Room, greets ones ears even before the awesome beauty of the Room reveals itself. The Throne Room is not ornate; its supreme power is reflected in its simple majesty. The floor of the Throne Room is like a sea of glass glowing like a crystal charged by the sun. Around the Throne Room shining with their immutable beauty are many varieties and countless number of angels and strange beings.

The greatest angels of wisdom and knowledge who oversee the clockwork of the universe are the Archangels. Troops of angels who guard the Throne are called the Cherubim and the Seraphim. YAHWEH is not a dictator and HE does not use HIS authority as a club, but HIS word is final; and for HIS council HE is surrounded by “four and twenty elders” all dressed in white (Rev.4:2-11; Book of Enoch, from the Lost Books of the Bible).

The Power of Light emanating from the Throne seems brighter than the sun and creates a rainbow around it. The voice of YAHWEH is like the thunder of the heavens and any mortal witness to such a spectacle would naturally become afraid and tremble with great terror. But Lucifer is no mortal and he has been here many times before in his long career of service to the Kingdom.

An eerie silence falls over the Throne Room, as all are attentive to the proceedings. We can only imagine the presentation Lucifer made in his own defense (I would not attempt to describe what was said, in my current state of ignorance my feeble human version would only offend him - and I am cautious not to do that). His argument must have been brilliant and compelling, after all, he did convince a third of the angels to follow him and now he explains his point of view for all in the Kingdom to hear.

The Bible does not state that the angels ever repented after their rebellion. Possibly, once changed to evil characters, they cannot be changed back. Listening to the proceedings YAHWEH is not swayed, HE knows Lucifer’s approach to a different form of government will not work. But some lessons can’t be taught, they have to be lived, and there must have been some discussion by the Council of the Elders to allow Lucifer a limited time and limited area to test-market his program.

YAHWEH agrees and sets the ground rules, HE renamed Lucifer “Satan,” pronounced Saw-tawn, which means adversary (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary #7854), and removes his bright and glorious nature. YAHWEH then ordains that Satan and his fallen dark angels still have limited powers and limited access to the heavenlies. Satan cannot create life of any kind or foretell the future; he can only twist YAHWEH’s creation into something dark and sinful. The Bible teaches their characteristics are based on: self-centeredness, vanity, pride, lust, hate, greed, envy, vengeance, violence, destruction, and rebel against any form of Divine authority.

Now YAHWEH has to clean up the mess left from the planetary war of the angels. The Bible, from verse 2, of Genesis 1, on through the remainder of the chapter, does not describe the original creation of the Earth, it describes a renewing of the face of the Earth - after the war of the angels.

The first word in Genesis 1:2 (NJB), “‘Now’ the earth was a formless void,” speaks of a different time period then in the first verse. The Earth had become waste and empty. The second phrase “without form/formless, and void” is translated from the Hebrew tohu and bohu. A better translation is “waste, destruction and empty” or “chaotic, in confusion and in state of decay.”

Tohu and bohu are used often in the Hebrew Bible (Jer.4:23 and Isa.34:11), in every case the condition of decay is the result of transgression of YAHWEH’s Laws. YAHWEH did not create the Earth as waste and empty, or in a state of decay (Isa.45:18). YAHWEH is not the author of confusion (1Cor.14:33); YAHWEH is the author of peace, order, and law.

The creation Psalm 104 in verse 30 (NJB) states: “Send out your breath and life begins; you renew the face of the earth.” A time sequence of human evolution is given in 2Peter 2:4-6, first in time order “ . . . angels that sinned . . .”; next in time, verse 5, “ . . . the ancient time from Adam to Noah . . .”; after that in verse 6, “ . . . the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah . . ..” YAHWEH renews the surface of the Earth (again, like a cake that needs the icing), and creates new being of the Earth - humans, who will now rule the creation . . .

YAHWEH’s plan was to reproduce HIMSELF through humans, made in HIS image and likeness. Because the angels who became evil could not be changed, the first human was made from the Earth, with a free moral character (the freedom of choice) to exercise self-discipline, and is subject to death if there is sin unrepented of. Humans - sometime in the future - have the possibility of being born into the Divine spiritual family begotten by YAHWEH the FATHER.

YAHWEH created “Adam” the first human male (1Cor.15:45), whose name means earth creature or earthling, because he was made from the earth. After a time, YAHWEH created a companion for Adam who was called “Woman,” which means taken out of man, because she was created from Adam’s flesh and by taking one of his ribs (Gen.ch.2).

YAHWEH created them with a human spirit, and within them a superior mind capable of attitudes, purposes, and intentions, with the power to think, reason, and the ability to make choices and decisions. Human’s Holy righteous character must be developed, by the choice and the intent of the one it comes to exist in. Humans seduced by Satan’s ways could be changed back, or if they refused, their life would be blotted out.

As we all know, the home of Adam and Woman was the Garden of Eden, and there were two symbolic trees placed there. They were the “Tree of Life” through which YAHWEH offered immortal life, and the forbidden “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,” and they should not eat of its fruit (meaning do not adopt its sinful ways).

The first battle of the spiritual war with YAHWEH’s new creation was when Woman was deceived into adopting a new method of getting into Heaven, by the wily and cunning Satan. He cleverly put vanity into her mind and deceived her into believing that YAHWEH had been unfair and selfish by holding back a great power from her. He convinced her that it was YAHWEH who lied, and there was no penalty for sin. He told her that she would not die, and to become a god like YHWH, you must eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, then you should also give it to Adam to eat, and she did (Gen.3:4-5). Contrary to the instructions from YAHWEH, Adam ate of the fruit.

Satan won the first battle. Adam was the head of the household and deliberate in his disobedience of YAHWEH’s teaching. If Adam had not eaten of it, even if the Woman had, the story of humankind would have been very very different.

Until now Adam and Woman knew the presence of YAHWEH. YAHWEH walked on the Earth amongst HIS creation and everything was under HIS authority. However, this failure caused a separation between the creation and the CREATOR called the Curse of Sin. Now our CREATOR dwells in an unapproachable light, whom no human has seen or can see (1Tim.6:16). To “redeem” HIS Creation, HE has a plan, and that plan manifests itself via HIS series of Covenants.

The Sacred Covenants of YHWH

YHWH could easily just destroy Satan and the rebellious angels but then that would make YHWH just a simple dictator. The key to understanding why this spiritual scenario of humanity has to play out is because there are Kingdom Laws and those Laws apply to all members of the Kingdom equally, even YHWH has to follow them, and to redeem HIS creation HE has to do it via legal means. In other words, this world has been mortgaged over to Satan - so to speak, and YHWH wants to buy it back – so to speak.

The Biblical Book of Ruth with its touching story of love, devotion, and redemption, is symbolic of the Kingdom’s legal aspects. YHWH wants to redeem the faithful of HIS Creation and that is accomplished by the evolution of YHWH’s Covenants with humanity. In all, there are three universal Covenants, and five with Israel, which also have universal aspects. Christian’s are ministers of the Covenant because the Covenants are the legal means by which humanity is entitled to redemption (eternal life in YHWH’s Kingdom). As I explained above we live under the curse of sin, subject to death, YHWH loves HIS Creation and wants to prevent that. That is the basic reason for the need of the Covenants.

Covenants usually have a preamble identifying the author. The prologue, describes the relationship or history. The stipulations, outlines both parties’ duties; such as curses (death and suffering) for breaking it, and rewards (blessings) for keeping it. The ratification means publicly swearing allegiance or commitment to it. Lastly, the witnesses and instructions for implementing the covenant.

YHWH has probably made many Covenants with the Angels and other strange beings in HIS Kingdom, but we are interested in the ones with humanity, and I’ll outline them here. The first one was made with Adam:

#1: The Edenic Covenant was the first universal Covenant with Adam after the recreation of the earth was finished (Gen.2:15-17).

#2: The Adamic Covenant is the second universal Covenant made with Adam & Eve, after their spiritual failure in the Garden of Eden (Gen.3:14-21).

#3: The Noahic Covenant, the third universal Covenant was made with Noah after the flood. It is commonly know as the Rainbow Covenant (Gen.9:1-17).

The next five Covenants are called Theocratic Covenants because beginning with Abraham, YHWH ruled and dealt personally with specific group of people we know as the ancient Israelites. Although they are made with the Israelites, the Covenants also have stipulations that have universal aspects.

#4: The Abrahamic Covenant is the first, and it tells us that the blessings of this Covenant are unconditional, and is the basis for the following Covenants (Gen.12:1-3; and outlined in 13:14-17, 15:1-7, 17:1-8, 18:21).

#5: The Mosaic Covenant, is the second Theocratic Covenant made with Moses (Exo.19:5-8). This has some conditional aspects because it begins “…if you will indeed obey my voice…”

#6: The Land Covenant is the third Theocratic Covenant (Deu.29:10-15, 30:11-20). This is the Covenant that today’s Israelis point to as their right to the land. They are entitled to the land because they can prove they lived there in the past and have returned just as the Prophets have foretold. For those who can see, this fulfillment of Biblical prophecy proves that YHWH is in charge of the Universe (Ezk.37:1-14). The interesting universal part of this Covenant is that it introduces the future aspect of “Grace” (Grace is the advanced trait of mercy and forgiveness).

#7: The Davidic Covenant is the fourth theocratic Covenant (2Sam.7:4-17). The wonderful universal aspect of this Covenant is that it prepares the way for the Messiah via a virgin birth in the Israelite tribe of Judah.

#8: The New Covenant, is the fifth and last of the Theocratic Covenants (Jer.31:31-35). Some of the universal highlights of this Covenant are that it promises full justification (salvation), and the amazing and mysterious promise of the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit (Heb. Ruach HaKodesh).

As I mentioned above, this is only an outline of the Sacred Covenants, log on to learn more: http://www.homeworship101.com/bb-c5_sacred_covenants.htm

“Have respect to the covenant;”

- Psalm 74:20

“My Covenant I will not break,” Psalm 89:34. Beliefs and traditions can be questioned, but our HOPE is never challenged. Our hope lies in our CREATOR, and our faith is in HIS plan. One must have faith that YAHWEH is the CREATOR and active Ruler of the Universe. Faith is defined in the epistle to the Hebrews ch.11, verse 1 sums it up, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We must learn to view everything from the realization that YAHWEH is there, HE is in charge, HE is good, HIS way is right and HIS character never changes. If our immortal spirits are to survive, it is by following the plan that HE has ordained. That plan manifests itself through the eight Covenants made with humanity and the divine plan is played out for a-l-l humanity to see in what I call the spiritual opera of YHWH’s Holy Days listed in Leviticus ch.23. The Holy Days are multifaceted spiritual lessons and one of the facets is that they teach us the Covenants. The Holy Days are broken down into two seasons, the spring and early summer season, and the early fall season. The spring Holy Days justifies and sanctifies the Faithful, and teaches us our obligations of the Covenant; and the fall season of Holy Days teach us prophecy as it shows us the blessings for keeping the Covenants. This year I’ll explain more about Covenant teaching in each of this years Holy Day newsletters. To learn more on the Holy Days log on: http://www.homeworship101.com/holy_days_intro.htm

“I will make you a great nation:

I will bless you and make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

- A conditional, universal promise by YHWH

given to Abraham, Genesis 12:2-3

fyi: Just-in-case you are one of those spiritual schlemiels who thinks YAHWEH is finished with Israel, at the end of the New Covenant HE clearly challenges anyone, or anything, to step forward and tell HIM how HE hung the planets, and how HE set the Universe in motion, because that will be the day when Israel will cease to be a nation (Jer.31:35-36). It’s a no-brainer, if Christians are teachers and ministers of the New Covenant, then Christian Zionism and general support for Israel is also part of the message.

Enjoy the journey of learning…
>>The Covenants: http://www.homeworship101.com/bb-c5_sacred_covenants.htm

Please remember in your prayers, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps.122).

Take care. Shalom and Blessings, Errol.
**********************************************
Errol Mueller, chronicler extraordinaire
e-mail: errol@homeworship101.com
website: www.homeworship101.com
**********************************************
WSC Newsletter 2012-02, posted 03/30/12.

Copyright © 2012 Errol Mueller. All rights reserved. Short quotations, page copying, or redistribution for personal or non-commercial group study is permitted and encouraged, provided they are copied in total with no alterations or deletions. Author’s name, website address, and copyright notice must be included. If any other use is desired, written permission is required.

For information, email or call (334) 678-0913. White Stone Communications (Rev.2:17), Dothan, AL.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Back To Index