So on 12-20-19, Jesus called me to build His Church and on 1-21-20, Jesus used a study I did on Matthew 16:18, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it,” to redefine Church as covenant. I came to see through that study that what Jesus built was a new covenant. It is the new covenant that the gates of hell will not prevail against and everyone who lives in the new covenant will be protected from Satan. So Jesus actually called me to understand and write out the new covenant.
This is what I’ve been trying to do for several years now, though I would not have said it like that. This call is not entirely new, it is a new focus. I had set out on a quest to understand the scriptures more fully when I realized the scriptures actually say Jesus did not die on Good Friday, even though almost every Christian organization on the planet observes Good Friday as the day of His death.
It took about 30 days for me to realize Jesus redefined the word, Church, and several more weeks before I realized the new covenant is not written out as such anywhere, yet according to Jeremiah 31:31-34, a new covenant has been issued, and this new covenant is very different from all the previous covenants between God and man. It seems remarkable.
In Deuteronomy, Moses takes great care to stand before the people and dictate all the old covenant to them in a very concise manner but Jesus did not do that. Instead, all throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus drops hints that teach us the principals of the new covenant. It is left to Christians to put these principals together in coherent fashion.
During the three years of His earthly ministry, and in a broader sense His whole life, Jesus is fulfilling His Father’s covenant. He does this by living his Father’s law perfectly, then dying as one guilty of transgressing it all. A fulfilled covenant is one in which every clause is completed. Jesus carefully weaves the teaching of the new covenant into His living of the old covenant. This explains why Jesus taught in parables. If Jesus had taught new covenant law openly while living the old covenant law, He would have been in violation of the old covenant and would have transgressed it, making it impossible for Jesus to fulfill it.
Under the old covenant law, the Father said, “Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord. You shall have no other God before me,” and from Isaiah 53:6, “The Lord has placed on Him the iniquity of us all,” we know the architect of the old covenant and its Lord was the Father. 2Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Him to be sin, who knew no sin, for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in Him,” confirms Isaiah 53:6. So if Israel took Jesus to be its Lord, this would have violated the old covenant. Even though God exists in three persons, there is but one Lord.
Therefore we know and understand when Jesus was given the name above every other name, Philippians 2:9; it was the name and title, Lord, which was given to Him. Moreover, Jesus is not just Lord; He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, meaning that the title, Lord, was expanded and has greater authority. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All power has been given me in heaven and in earth.” The word, power, means, authority and power. In other words, Jesus has the power and the authority to use it. This is the reason Paul calls Jesus “the blessed only Potentate” in 1Timothy 6:15 and Jude calls Jesus, “The only wise God.” The God we serve today under the new covenant is a very different God from the one the Israelis served under the old covenant.
All of this indicates the Father shared power with Jesus and the Holy Spirit under the old covenant. All three operated as one. But under the new covenant, all power was given to Jesus, making Jesus the blessed only Potentate. Jesus has a greater authority under the new covenant than the Father had under the old covenant. This is why Jesus said, “He that believes on me will do the works I have done and greater works than these shall he do because I go to my Father.” It was the Father that exalted Jesus to Lord of all. When Philippians 2 says that every knee shall bow to his name, it means every knee. Even the Father and Holy Spirit will bow to Jesus and give Him the honor He deserves.
Now this is another important point. Jesus died on the cross to redeem mankind from the old covenant law and fulfilled the old covenant law by so doing but in order to atone for mankind’s sin, Jesus had to die again. When Jesus told Mary, “Don’t touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my father,” in John 20:17, it was because Jesus had to present Himself before the Father as a spotless lamb. Jesus took our sin in His own body on the cross; He did not die as a spotless lamb.
When Jesus arose from the dead, He was spotless, certified so by Satan, who could not hold Him in hell when he examined Him, because there was no sin found in Him. Thus Jesus went to His Father, where He presented Himself a spotless Lamb, and the Father laid Him across an altar just as Abraham had laid Isaac across that altar so long ago and Jesus’ blood poured out into a bowl and Jesus was raised from the dead by His Father and took His blood and sprinkled it over the new covenant tabernacle, thus ratifying the new covenant. This is why the Father and Holy Spirit are honored to bow before the one who took away the sins of the world.
The Father God did not raise Jesus from hell; the Holy Spirit did that, Romans 8:11. The Father God did not raise Jesus’ body from the grave; Jesus did that, John 2:19. So when Paul says, “Paul, an apostle, not of man, or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead,” in Galatians 1:1, when did the Father raise Jesus from the dead?
Now, 2Corinthians 4:4 informs us “Satan is the god of this world,” so when Adam was created in the Garden of Eden, he was created in Satan’s kingdom and all mankind is born into Satan’s kingdom and dies in Satan’s kingdom. As such, mankind has citizenship in Satan’s kingdom. However, in Philippians 3:20, Paul informs the Philippians their citizenship had changed. How; how had the Philippians citizenship moved from Satan’s kingdom to the kingdom of heaven?
In Mark 11:23, Jesus said, “If any man speaks to this mountain telling it to cast itself into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes those things he says, he shall have whatsoever he says.” Which mountain is “this” mountain? All throughout the scriptures the word mountain is used as a metaphor of kingdom and the word, sea, is used as a metaphor of the mass of humanity.
Now, remember, Satan is the god of this world and all mankind is born in Satan’s kingdom. In order to get the kingdom of Satan out of you; you have to speak to the kingdom, but what are you going to say? Jesus uses the phrase, “believes those thing(s) he says,” so the Christian is not just saying, move, the Christian is using many different arguments. In order to get the kingdom of Satan to move, you must provide reason why it should.
When Jesus died on the cross and went down into hell, the Holy Spirit followed Him three days later and asked Satan if he had found any sin in Jesus. Only sinners belong in hell. When Satan examined Jesus, he found no sin in Him. Therefore, Jesus could not remain in hell. The object of Mark 11:23 is to have Satan examine to see if any sin can be found. In 2Corinthians 5:21, Paul writes: “God made him to be sin, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.” Do you see the significance of belief?
Righteous people do not belong in the kingdom of Satan, therefore the kingdom of Satan must move. However, the person who makes this statement must believe Jesus “took their sin in His own body on the tree, that they being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes they are healed,” 1Peter 2:24, otherwise this is an exercise in futility. They must believe their righteousness has nothing to do with behavior and everything to do with faith. In other words, it’s not what you do or don’t do that makes you righteous; it’s what you believe.
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah prophesies the new covenant will be a very different covenant from the old covenant. One way it is different is the new covenant is a mediated covenant. Hebrews 9:15 states, “For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant.” The old covenant was not mediated. Moses said, “If you keep these commandments I give to you this day, all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you,” but if you’ll notice, the new covenant doesn’t say anything like that. Jesus said, “If you speak to the mountain, it will move.”
Another way the new covenant is different is that all God’s previous covenants sought to give mankind safety and protection from Satan’s kingdom; the new covenant however, seeks to destroy it. Notice again John 14:12, “He that believes on me will do the works I have done and greater works than these shall he do,” and Acts 10:38, (Jesus) “Went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil.” To do the works of Jesus is to undo the works of Satan. The power that allowed Jesus to heal the sick and raise the dead was the power of righteousness, which is why it is critically important to believe 2Corinthians 5:21 and 1Peter 2:24.
If you believe you have been made the very righteousness of God in Christ, you can say to the mountain: “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” Now you will have to move because “righteousness and unrighteousness has no fellowship,” 2Corinthians 6:21, and Satan’s kingdom will have to obey you according to your faith. A mediator mediates between two parties who have irreconcilable differences. The two parties are Satan, who according to Revelation 12:6, continually states his case that mankind belongs to His kingdom and the Christian, who has been redeemed from Satan’s kingdom. Satan stands in the presence of Jesus and argues that mankind was born unrighteous and will die unrighteous continually. The Christian must likewise diligently make his case in faith believing.
The reason Jesus can be an impartial judge is as previously stated. Jesus died as the Christ but was raised as the Lord. These two personas are so drastically different, there is no similarity. Thus Jesus sits on the throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and judges in matters of the Christ, who laid aside all power and glory, impartially. It is as Hebrews 12:24 states: “You have come to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks of better things than the blood of Abel.” It is the blood sprinkled over the new covenant tabernacle in heaven that atones for our sins.
Now here again is another important point. Although Christians are encouraged to argue before the mediator as to why their citizenship should be moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, in order to remain in the kingdom of light, you must keep Jesus’ commandments. In John 15:10, Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” Now Jesus went on to say, “I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in my Father’s love.” The reason Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead and when threatened with bodily harm, walk through their midst without harm, is because Jesus lived in covenant with His Father. It is the same reason those who believe on Jesus will do the works He did and greater works.
Jesus kept His Father’s commandments and instructed that we keep His commandments. We know the Father’s commandments because the Father was Lord of the old covenant, making the commandments of the old covenant law, the Father’s commandments; the Ten Commandments being the chief commandments of that law. Jesus’ commandments are more obscure. Years ago, Church leaders decided the first, and therefore principal commandment of Jesus, was fulfilled by those it was issued to, leaving the rest of Christianity exempt from obedience. Obedience has not been practiced for hundreds of years. Jesus told us we cannot abide in His love without keeping His commandments.
Again, according to old covenant law, anyone who kept the Father’s commandments resided in the Father’s love. The new covenant however, is a very different covenant, with very different law. The new covenant is a mediated covenant, which means we must mediate with Jesus in order to enter into the love of the Father. In other words, we must argue before Jesus why we deserve to live in the kingdom of heaven. We use the promises and words of the New Testament to make our case. John 3:16 informs us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Everlasting life is righteousness. Belief in Jesus is expressed through the faith that Jesus took our sins in His own body on the tree that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness.
When we approach Jesus in faith believing that He took our sins in His own body and present this evidence before Him, we are allowed entrance to the Father’s love. In order to abide in Jesus’ love, however, and Jesus is Lord of the new covenant, the blessed only Potentate; we must keep Jesus’ commandments, which is near impossible to do when those commandments have been interpreted by church leaders not to apply to Christians.
It is in Acts 1 where we find the commandments of Jesus. Just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus stands before believers and commands them to wait for a baptism with the Spirit. The word, baptize, means, saturate. Anything baptized is also saturated. Again, another difference between the new covenant and the old covenant is that righteousness under the old covenant was earned by keeping commandments and transgressions against old covenant law was covered over by the blood of innocent animals, killed in the very heart of its innocence.
Under the new covenant, however, the righteousness Jesus earned by keeping the old covenant law perfectly is imparted to mankind, making all mankind righteous before God. Because the new covenant is a mediated covenant, that righteousness does no one any good until faith is mixed with this truth and the truth is presented to the mediator. Because of this imparted righteousness, each person is given a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit resides in the heart to comfort and give peace. The Holy Spirit can also flow out through the mouth of those who believe, where he manifests Himself in languages not learned by the believer.
When the believer chooses to allow the Holy Spirit to flow out of the mouth for an extended period of time, the believer is baptized, or saturated, with the Holy Spirit. When the believer chooses to keep the commandment of Jesus in letting the Holy Spirit flow out of His or her mouth, the believer is kept in Jesus’ love. Now again, in John 15:10, Jesus said, “He that keeps my commandments will abide in my love.” The word, keep, means to maintain a prescribed condition. The prescribed condition is baptized, or saturated, with the Holy Spirit. Those who keep Jesus’ first commandment, keep themselves in a constant state of saturation, and what did we say about righteousness and unrighteousness? Righteousness has no fellowship with unrighteousness. To be saturated with the Holy Spirit is to be saturated with righteousness and light has no fellowship with darkness.
So just as the old covenant had two parts, the keeping of the old covenant law and the covering over guilt with innocent blood, the new covenant has two parts. It has the imparted righteousness of Jesus’ death on the cross and it has the righteousness gained through obedience of its commandments. Because it is a mediated covenant, both aspects of the new covenant must be presented before the mediator. This is how the new covenant destroys the kingdom of Satan.
Each time someone believes Jesus took their sins in His own body and presents their case before the mediator, the kingdom of Satan must give up a little of its domain. Its authority is defeated in that person’s life. When that same person commits to daily keep Jesus’ commandments, keeping themselves saturated with the Holy Spirit, and presents that case before the mediator, the ground that Satan lost becomes permanently lost. Each time a Christian plants the flag of the kingdom of heaven in his or her life; Satan’s kingdom loses ground.
Each Christian also builds a field of influence around him or herself as they continue to present their case to the mediator and live their lives in agreement with the new covenant. This field of influence is continually pushed outward through faith and obedience and faith and obedience to include family members and those close by. Notice Paul was able to procure his own safety in the storm on the sea along with every man with him. That is the power of righteousness. Paul told the jailer, him and his household could be saved. Now each man, woman, and child is responsible for themselves but the kingdom of Satan can be pushed back and back and back some more through faith and obedience and faith and obedience. “The just shall live by their faith.”
Now in John 15:10, the word, commandment is plural and in Acts 1, Jesus goes on to issue two more commandments. The second is to preach this gospel, the gospel I have just written out, and the third is to teach converts this gospel. By interpreting the first commandment was fulfilled by those first believers, the church caused the second commandment to be redefined. The gospel that is preached today holds no resemblance to the gospel I have just written out and no one is taught this gospel.
There is a story in Acts 22 that illustrates this truth perfectly. At the beginning, Paul is making a defense on the temple steps in Jerusalem in front of a large crowd. When Paul describes a vision he had in the temple, the crowd threatens to riot and the Roman soldiers step in and arrest Paul for inciting a riot. They carry him away to scourge him and interrogate him. At this point Paul asks a question of a centurion standing nearby. Paul said, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen who has not been sentenced?”
Rome was like most other governments in that citizens had rights and privileges that non citizens did not. When Paul informed the centurion He was a Roman citizen, it set off a firestorm because the Roman soldiers had broken Roman law and this was a serious offense. The centurion went to His commander to say, be careful what you do for this man is a Roman citizen. The commander went to Paul to ask, “Are you a Roman?” When Paul said, yes, the commander said, I obtained my citizenship at great cost, but Paul said, I was born a Roman citizen.
The Christian is born a citizen of the kingdom of heaven but like Paul, if the Christian does not advocate for the rights of citizenship of the kingdom of God’s dear Son, the Christian will be subjected to Satan’s kingdom. Just as the Roman soldiers had no respect for Paul when they thought he was not a citizen, Satan does not and will not respect the rights of the Christian if the Christian does not advocate for those rights.
The story of the prodigal son also fits this narrative. The son had a right to his share of the inheritance but that right did him no good until he advocated for it. He advocated as one who had a right to the inheritance and not as one who had no rights. Moreover, even after he had squandered his inheritance, the rights of citizenship were not diminished. He remained a citizen of his father’s household and when he sought those rights he was rewarded handsomely.
Christians are born in the kingdom of Satan and they are born citizens of the kingdom of heaven. They have dual citizenship. When the prodigal son came to the end of his rope, he first went to his employer for help, “but no man gave him anything,” because the kingdom of Satan has no mercy or grace. He then came to himself and said, “How many servants in my father’s household have food and here I am a citizen of my father’s household and I have nothing to eat. I will return,” and he found his father running out to meet him to confirm his citizenship.
In the same manner we must approach our Father God. We must approach in faith believing in our rights as citizens and advocate for our rights. Our adversary goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He stands before Jesus and night and day makes his argument that we were born in his kingdom and belong to the kingdom of darkness. The mediator is a fair and impartial judge. If Satan’s argument is the only argument he hears, then he must rule in Satan’s favor. If however, we make our case that Jesus took our unrighteousness in his own body on the tree, that we being free from sin should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed, Jesus will rule in our favor because our argument is more accurate, more true, and holds greater weight than Satan’s. Our argument supersedes Satan’s argument.
The Christian does not purchase citizenship at great cost. Citizenship is not a purchased right. The rights of citizenship are a born right. The Christian belongs to the kingdom of heaven by natural means. This is the strongest argument. When the Christian then believes his Saviour was raised from the dead as Lord and rules over every other ruler and commits to keeping His commandments, he adds another layer of protection from Satan’s wiles and when he can stand before Jesus to say: “You took my sins in your own body and cleansed me from all unrighteousness. My citizenship is in your kingdom. And I keep your commandments,” the Christian stands in the secret place of the most high God and dwells under the shadow of the Almighty.
This Christian is twice removed from Satan’s kingdom and is an overcomer, destroying the works of the devil for himself and a growing number of other people. Darkness cannot dwell in light but light cannot be placed under a bushel. It must be out for all to see.
Satan stands before Jesus and says this person was born in my kingdom and that makes them a citizen of my kingdom and this is true. This is the reason Satan can stand before Jesus; he advocates for truth. If the new covenant was not a mediated covenant, Satan’s truth would be irrelevant. However, because the new covenant is a mediated covenant, the Christian has the ability to overcome the kingdom of Satan, just as Jesus did. The truth is, because Jesus overcame Satan’s kingdom, all mankind is born citizens of Jesus’ kingdom. This truth is greater than Satan’s truth but must be argued before the mediator to have any effect.