The Old And New Covenants pages 1-8

     Some who read the various Bible studies here on Word Alpha Omega may feel these studies do not apply to all peoples of all races. Those may think the studies on the Lost Tribes leave out some believers on The Promise first given to Abraham. No believer on Christ Jesus as Savior is left out, for those of all races and nations who come to our Lord, are included as His People now. For the reason that some wish to hang onto that Old Covenant today, I'm going to address several of these issues in this letter. Especially as they apply to the differences between The Old Covenant, and The New Covenant in Jesus Christ. We'll also discover to whom The Old Covenant did apply, and to whom The New Covenant in Christ Jesus now applies to. I'll be using the terms 'Covenant' and 'Testament' interchangeably at times, for they both mean a 'pact', or 'contract'. We ask a Word of Wisdom from our Father in Christ Jesus' Name, Amen.

     The first mention of a covenant in God's Word appears in Genesis Chapters 6 and 9 when God told Noah that He would establish His covenant with him and his seed:

Gen 6:17    And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
18    But with thee will I establish My covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.

     When the flood waters had receded off the earth with Noah and his family able to leave the ark, God spoke of that covenant again:

Gen 9:8    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.

     This covenant was not with Noah and his seed only, but also "to every beast of the earth". God promised He would not destroy the earth by waters of a flood again (Gen.9:11). Then a "token" of that covenant was given with His bow in the cloud (Gen.9:13). Therefore, that a "token" is given with a covenant, is very important to keep in mind, even with God's later Covenants.

The Promise by Faith:  an 'oath' of a "Better Testament" To Come

Gen 12:1    Now the LORD had said unto Abram, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2    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."

     Then beginning in Genesis 12, God speaks to Abraham of a promise that He would make of Abram a "great nation", and that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed. The LORD also told Abram while in Canaan, that He would give all the land he could see to his seed forever, and that Abram's seed would become as the dust of the earth for so many (Gen.13:12-17). Then in Genesis 15, God made a Covenant with Abram, showing him the land of his inheritance. The land was not a 'token' of that Covenant, but an inheritance. God had still yet to give that 'token' of His Covenant with Abraham: