The New Covenant Promised
Will the promise of the new covenant be fulfilled at a certain time in the world's history or at a time in the life of each person? Will it come to one person at one time and to another person later, or to all at the same time? H. It is true in both respects. In Jeremiah 31 the new covenant is set over in contrast to the old covenant, a national covenant, made with Israel thru the elders of the people. God's true Israel are those who are His thru the everlasting covenant, the Abrahamic covenant, the new covenant. The thought of the prophet is that there was coming a time when only that relationship would be recognized, and that was true after Christ was crucified. No other nation was recognized then as God's people, save those who had come into relationship with Him thru the new covenant. See 1 Peter 2:9 compared with Ex. 19:4, 5. But to each individual who came into that relationship there came the experience outlined in Jer. 31:33, when God's law is written in the heart, and they know that they are His children. The very fullest sense, of course, in which all that will be accomplished will be when God's children are called home and the earth is made new.