Hebrew Roots/The Law and the Covenants/Covenants:The Everlasting Covenant

THE PURPOSE OF THE COVENANT

In all the covenants between God and man, Yahweh God has taken the initiative and therefore has set the terms and conditions in which each will be fulfilled, and the promises or benefits in each specific covenant.

The covenants which He has established with man are based solely on His unmerited favour and blessing which He has determined to bestow upon those who keep the terms of His covenants. The validity of every covenant God has made with man stands on the provision, the power and the resources of God, of which man is the beneficiary with nothing to contribute in return. Man is not an equal partner with anything of substance to offer, other than his gratitude, devotion and service in return.

All of these covenants which Yahweh God has made with man are based upon the initial and primary covenant which was made in heaven before the eternal purpose of God was actually set in motion in creation, and is called the Everlasting Covenant.

This is a covenant made between the Father, Yahweh God, and His Son, the 'Memra' as it is called in Aramaic - translated in John 1:1-3 as the "Word of God", contracted between them before the foundation of the world for the fulfillment of the eternal purposes of God in the redemption of man, which was conceived in the heart of Yahweh God in the realm of eternity when it was decided to "make man in our image and according to our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).

This covenant between the Father and the Son is the basis on which all covenants have been made with man, and apart from this determinate counsel of the Father and the Son for the plan of redemption, no covenant with man would have had a basis upon which to be established.

Yahweh's ultimate objective in designing the Everlasting Covenant is that His children, would mature into His character and likeness and that He might dwell with them in loving fellowship and administration of His creation. It is currently not possible for the Most High, the holy, sinless God, to abide with mankind as he is. Mankind needs to become elevated to the perfection and maturity that is in Y'shua the Messiah. As Y'shua said, Be therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Ephesians 4:13; Matthew 5:48)

The whole plan of salvation and the intermediary covenants made with man in the process of the fulfilment of that initial Everlasting Covenant, are a means to that end. The aim of the Everlasting Covenant is that the redeemed company of mature sons will reach a state of absolute perfection in order that we may live with a perfect and holy God for all of eternity to come.

"He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love having predestined us us to adoption as sons by Y'shua the Messiah to Himself" (Ephesians 1:4-5) . Although mankind had not entered into the reality of it, "the works were finished from the foundation of the world" (Hebrews 4:3).

To achieve this purpose, it needed a mediator and an administrator through whom the Father could operate. The Father in His eternal essence cannot manifest Himself to man in his present state, as man cannot look upon Him in His eternal state and live (John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:16). Even before the fall, it would not have been possible for Adam to endure the Presence of Almighty God.

It seems that in the eternal counsel and foreknowledge of God, it was required that some Being would respond to the call to fulfill the Father's pre-determinate counsel and the One who did, was His Beloved Son. He it was who was the instrument of creation (Colossians 1:15-17), and who came to Adam in the Garden and established him in covenant relationship with the Father in His eternal purpose.

The Father foresaw that in his innocence and inexperience, Adam would fall from his covenant relationship with Him and fail in the mandate given to him and become in need of redemption. Thus, as well as being the Progenitor, Guardian, Guide and Instructor of the human race to bring it to maturity, it was contemplated that it would become necessary for the Son, as the Word of God (the Memra), to also become it's Redeemer.

All the covenants made with man have been progressive and intermediary steps toward the fulfillment of the Father's plan of redemption which the Son committed Himself to fulfill. We see the Son, coming in the name of the Father, Yahweh God, revealing Himself to Adam firstly and thereafter to the Patriarchs and finally in the renewed earth after the flood to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Memra, the Word, as the representative of Father God, walked down through the corridors of time to unveil segments of His covenant plan with select and chosen men who would enter into covenant with the Almighty, revealing Himself to them in the progressive stages of the divine plan.

(Some instances of His manifestations - Genesis 2: 8, 15-25; 3: 8-23 [Adam]; 7: 1-4 [Noah]; 12: 1-3 [Abram]; 26: 2-5 [Isaac]; 28:13-15 [Jacob]; Exodus 3: 2-22 [Moses]; Judges 6:11-24 [Gideon]; Isaiah 6: 1-5 [Isaiah]; Daniel 10:4-6 {Daniel]).

The final revelation of Himself came when He took on human form and was born into the human race to take on the role of Messiah, Redeemer and Savior.

THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE COVENANT

In perfect divine love, the Son yielded His total being (and in His incarnation, His life) to the will of the Father to fulfill His will. His 'ear' was open and His 'heart' willing to become the Messenger of the Covenant, firstly as the "Angel of Yahweh" in His pre-incarnate state manifestations, and then as the "Son of Man" in the body which was prepared for Him. (Malachi 3: 1; Hebrews 10: 5-7 quoted from Psalm 40: 6-8)

For this purpose He emptied Himself of all the glory of His heavenly state of existence and took on Himself the role of a servant to the Father. The first expression of the limitation upon His glorious Being was in the manifestations of Himself to the patriarchs, and then finally to the confinement of mortal flesh with it's inherent restrictions when He descended into the body which was prepared for Him to be the sacrifice which would ratify the everlasting covenant which He had made with the Father in the realm of eternity.

As exemplified in His earthly life, He always did those things which pleased the Father (John 12:49; 14:31) and on the basis of His integrity and the confidence in the commission which the Father placed in His hands, He was ordained as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world to bring about the redemption of the Adamic race into a spiritual status of sonship with the Father. (1 Peter 1:19-20; Rev.13: 8)

Y'shua Himself testified "I always do those things that please Him" (John 8:29); and that His whole life functioned around the purpose of fulfilling the Father's will and completing His work -- "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work" (John 4:34) He was faithful to the Father in everything He said and did, doing nothing of Himself. --

"the Father gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak" (John 12:49)

It was a complete surrender of Himself in every way, in life as well as in death -

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life" John 10:17

In every way He served as a faithful administrator of the covenant with the final testimony to the Father,

"I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.", and therefore He could say, "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." (John 17: 4, 5)

We see this fulfilled in the vision John had of Him in Revelation 1:13-16. "But we see Y'shua, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour.. .."

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Hebrews 2: 9-10

THE TERMS OF THE COVENANT

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 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 at the right hand of the Majesty on high" Hebrews 1: 1-3 He sat down in the place of power and authority assigned to Him at the right hand of God, as the Father had said to Him, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool" (Hebrews 1:13)

There are three aspects to every covenant ---

1. The Promise or terms of the covenant

2. The Sacrifice to ratify the covenant

3. The Seal of the covenant

1. THE PROMISE

a. The Father entrusted everything into His hands

b. Yahweh God appointed for Him a kingdom

c. He exalted Him above all

a. Yahweh God dispensed a manifestation of Himself through the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) into His hands for the work which He was called to do and gave to Him all power and authority in that, for the execution of the covenant in creation and redemption. The scripture says, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands." :(Hebrews 1:10)

And we see in the Genesis account, the Spirit of Yahweh God moved upon the formless matter in accordance to the Word of God, the Memra, undertaking the work of creation.

We see the manifestation of the Spirit in the Exodus, the Pillar of the Cloud which led them and overshadowed them in their wilderness journey (Exodus 13:21-22) and it was in the Cloud that the glory of God was seen (Ex.16:10); and again upon Sinai when His power was manifest (Ex.19:16-17; 24:15-16). He was manifest in the tabernacle in the same form upon the mercy seat (Lev.16: 2) and again in the temple when it was dedicated (1 Kings 8:10-11), and lastly in the temple of living stones when Y'shua sent the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) to dwell in the believers. (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; Acts 2: 2-4)

As Y'shua Himself testified, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father .. " (Matthew 11:27), because -- "the Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand" :::(John 3:35) Y'shua declared, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and in earth" :::(Matthew 28:18)

b. "But unto the Son he said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom" (Hebrews 1: 8-9) He has inherited the kingdom which was appointed for Him as part of the covenant promise made by the Father, which Y'shua has covenanted to share with those who are joint-heirs with Him of the same promise. As He said, "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father has appointed unto Me;" Luke 22:29 KJV; because, "we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Messiah" (Romans 8:16b-17a) and to those who have been faithful to the covenant He will say, "Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Matthew 25:34

John heard the proclamation that shall go forth, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He shall reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15)

- an everlasting kingdom!

That complete consummation of the everlasting covenant - fulfilled!

c. "Therefore (because He humbled Himself and became obedient to death in order to fulfill the Father's purpose), God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Y'shua every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Y'shua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" Philip. 2:9-11

On the basis of this promise, He prayed, "O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was." John 17: 5 With this exaltation, there was a complete restoration of His former glory in eternity. Revelation 21:22-23

2. THE SACRIFICE The sacrifice of the everlasting covenant is of course, the Son, Y'shua the Messiah. He is the "Lamb slain before the foundation of the world"

Revelation 13:8

We are redeemed by the precious blood of Y'shua the Messiah, who was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world to be the "lamb" of God.

1 Peter:18-20

As such, He was fore-ordained to be the propitiation for the sin of the world. :Romans 3:25

"He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10

-- "those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled." Acts 3:18

3. SEAL OF THE COVENANT The token, sign or seal of the everlasting covenant is the power of the Ruach of the Father, the Spirit of God. As such, the Spirit is considered to be the executor of the everlasting covenant, just as He also executed the work of creation and the various manifestations of the power and presence of Almighty God throughout the time frames of the other subsidiary covenants.

John the Immerser, testified that the sign of the Messiah, the Son of God (as revealed to him), would be known through the sign of the Spirit of God coming like a dove upon Him, as evidence that He was the One who had the authority to baptise with the Holy Spirit.

John afterward identified Him as the Son of God into whose hands all things had been given by the Father and who had the Spirit given to Him "without measure". :John 1:32--34; 3:32-34

The delegation of the unlimited power of the Spirit into His hands was the wherewithal and the means whereby He would enact the covenant, firstly through the physical creation and then in the spiritual redemption to bring forth a spiritual order of "man".

The apostles proclaimed how that, "God anointed Y'shua the Messiah of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil" Acts 10:38

All those therefore who enter into the Messianic covenant, receive the seal of the Holy Spirit as a token of their commitment. It is given to them as a 'token', a pledge, of what is to come on the basis of them fulfilling the terms of the covenant and being conformed to the image of Y'shua, the Messiah. Paul says to the believers in the Messianic era, "you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:13b-14a)

They were sealed by the Spirit and the measure of the Spirit which they received acted as a guarantee of what is to come when their complete redemption is brought into effect.

The Spirit is given to believers as a sign that the Father is acknowledging His promise of everlasting life in the covenant made with His Son which He, Y'shua will bring to it's full realisation.

THE FINALE

This integral covenant between the Son and the Father extends from eternity past to eternity future and will reach its final consummation when all things have been restored and made subject to the Son, and having completed the work the Father had given to Him to do; He then will hand the kingdom over to the Father, and then He, Yahweh God, the Eternal One, shall be "all in all". 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

Then we shall see the tree of life which was in the original garden bearing twelve manner of fruits for every month and leaves which will be for the healing of the nations. "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads." Revelation 22: 3-4

"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they might have a right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14

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