Message Three—Four Dispensations and Eight Covenants in the Divine Economy

THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Divine Economy
Message Three—Four Dispensations and Eight Covenants in the Divine Economy

Scripture Reading: Rom. 5:14; John 1:17; Acts 3:20-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6; Gen. 2:8-9; 15-17; 3:8-21; 9:1-17; 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18; Exo. 20—23; Deut. 29—30; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20

I. After God created all things and mankind according to His eternal plan, His economy, God began His work on the man of His creation in order to accomplish the purpose of His eternal economy; this work can be divided into four dispensations: the dispensation of the patriarchs (the pre-law dispensation), the dispensation of law, the dispensation of grace, and the dispensation of the kingdom (the dispensation of righteousness)—Rom. 5:14; John. 1:17; Acts 3:20-21; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6:

A. The dispensation of the patriarchs was from Adam to Moses; this was the dispensation before the law; hence, it is also called the pre-law dispensation; in this dispensation, God’s work on man can be divided into the following—Rom. 5:14:

1. That the created man might receive God as life—Gen. 2:8-9.

2. That the fallen man might receive God’s redemption in Christ—Gen. 3:21.

3. That the man who received God’s way of redemption might be accepted by him through the sacrifices—Heb. 11:4; Gen. 4:4.

4. The second step of man’s fall—rejecting God’s way of redemption—4:3, 5a, 8, 17-22.

5. That the man who received God’s redemption might call on the name of Jehovah—v. 26.

6. That the man who was redeemed and who enjoyed God might walk and work with Him—5:24; 6:13-14.

7. That the man who fell from God’s government might be governed by His own conscience—2:8, 15.

8. The third step of man’s fall—disregarding the government of the conscience—6:5, 11-12.

9. That the man who fell from the government of the conscience might be governed by man—9:6.

10. The fourth step of man’s fall—worshipping idols and conspiring to rebel against God—11:3.

11. Calling a new race and giving it the promise of grace—22:18a; Gal. 3:14, 16.

12. Gaining the first part of the new race of the new creation—cf. Rev. 12:1.

B. God’s intention in setting up the dispensation of law according to His economy was to accomplish the following things through the law—John 1:17:

1. To keep the chosen people in custody—10:1:

a. God did not decree the law that His chosen people might keep it by themselves; rather, His intention was that they would satisfy the requirements of the law through the offerings, which typified Christ, and thereby be guarded.

b. Through Moses God gave the law as the custodian of His chosen people, to guard them as the sheepfold guards the flock.

2. To provide the chosen people with a child-conductor—Gal. 3:24:

a. God caused the law to be the child-conductor of His chosen people in order to lead them to Christ.

b. As the child-conductor of God’s chosen people, the law also led them to obtain God’s forgiveness through the offerings.

c. The law also led the devout ones in the Old Testament to come before God to contact Him and thereby enjoy all His riches through the tabernacle and the temple, both of which typify Christ—John 1:14; 2:21.

3. To cause the chosen people to have the knowledge of sin and of themselves—Rom. 3:20:

a. The law was not in God’s original intention, nor was it God’s original ordination for man; it was added later along the way because of transgression—Rom. 5:20; Gal. 3:19.

b. The function of God’s giving the law, on the negative side, was for man to have the knowledge of sin.

c. Since the law causes man to have the knowledge of sin, it causes him to know himself and thereby sense his need of God’s grace.

4. In the dispensation of law, not only were God’s chosen people guarded by the law, but Christ was brought in under law to the chosen people who waited for Him in that dispensation, and to those who would believe into Him in the coming dispensation—Luke 2:25.

5. God obtained this group of people as the second part of the new race of the new creation—cf. Rev. 12:1.

C. When God determined that the purpose of decreeing the law had been attained and that the law had been used to its full extent, that is, at the fullness of the time, He became flesh, thus terminating the dispensation of law and inaugurating the dispensation of grace—Gal. 4:4:

1. The dispensation of grace began with the Triune God becoming flesh in the Son—John 1:1, 14.

2. The Triune God not only became flesh in the Son but also passed through human living in humanity.

3. The Triune God passed through the death of the cross in humanity; He died on the cross to accomplish an all-inclusive death for all men and for everything that He redeemed—John 1:29; Rom. 8:3; 6:6; Heb. 2:14; Col. 1:20; Eph. 2:14-16; John 12:24.

4. The Triune God was raised from among the dead with a resurrected body in humanity—Luke 16:9; Acts 13:33; 1 Cor. 16:4.

5. Through resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit; then He breathed Himself into those who believed in Him to make them His members.

6. The resurrected and glorified Christ being exalted in ascension—Acts 1:11; 5:31.

7. Christ, who was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit and was glorified, after His exaltation in ascension, poured Himself out as the consummated Spirit of the Triune God, baptizing all His believers, who became His members, into one Body in the Spirit—2:33; 1 Cor. 12:13.

8. Preaching to sinners the above seven items as the gospel—Luke 24:47; 2 Tim. 1:10; 1 Cor. 4:15; Matt. 4:23; 24:14.

9. God is constituting all those who have believed into this gospel and are saved and regenerated to be the churches in different places—cf. Acts 8:1; 13:1; 1 Cor. 1:2.

10. Obtaining the third part of the new race—cf. Rev. 12:1.

D. After the conclusion of the dispensation of grace, God will change for the last time the way of His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation; that is, He will set up His kingdom on the earth to carry out His administration and by His absolute righteousness bring to a conclusion the different kinds of people among the human race, that He may accomplish His work of the new creation in the old creation. This dispensation is called the dispensation of the kingdom—Rev. 11:15:

1. In the first two dispensations, the dispensation of the patriarchs and the dispensation of law, God obtained a group of perfected just men, the overcomers in the Old Testament, who are able to enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to participate in Christ’s kingship and joy—Matt. 8:11; Rev. 20:4, 6.

2. In the dispensation of grace God is also gaining the overcoming believers in Christ, who will enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens, becoming its main part, to be co-kings with Christ, ruling over the nations on the earth in the millennial kingdom—Rev. 2:26-27.

3. When the dispensation of the kingdom comes, on the one hand, Christ will reward, according to righteousness, the overcoming believers in Christ, and on the other hand, He will perfect, according to righteousness, the immature believers in the New Testament, disciplining them that they may pursue maturity in life and come to perfection—Matt. 24:48-51; 25:26-30.

4. At Christ’s second coming all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26). They will be saved by repenting and calling on the Lord’s name through God’s pouring out of the Holy Spirit—Rom. 11:26; Zech. 12:10; Acts 2:18-21.

5. Completing God’s work of the new creation on the man of the old creation—3:21.

II. In the entire Bible God made eight covenants with man: seven in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament—Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17; 3:8-21; 9:1-17; 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18; Ex. 20—23; Deut. 29—30; 2 Sam. 7:8-16:

A. The first covenant which God made with man was a covenant that God made with the created man—Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17:

1. The One who made this covenant was Jehovah God, the One who always is and the mighty One who is faithful—Ex. 3:14-15; cf. Rev. 1:8.

2. The one with whom the covenant was made was the created man who was without God’s life and without sin, but who had a spirit and a free will and who was assigned to dress and guard the garden of God.

3. God made a covenant with him that by eating he should receive the tree of life, which signifies God as the source of life, so that God might enter into him to be joined and mingled with him, thus fulfilling God’s purpose in creating man; furthermore, God wanted man to reject the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which signifies Satan as the source of sin and death, lest Satan’s evil, poisonous element should enter into man, thus damaging the upright and pure man whom God created for His eternal purpose.

4. Eventually, man acted contrary to God’s covenant and, having been deceived by the serpent (the Devil), ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus receiving Satan and having sin and death.

5. Hence, man was driven out of the Garden of Eden and was kept away from the tree of life, that is, kept away by the cherubim, which signify God’s glory, by the flame, which signifies God’s holiness, and by the sword, which signifies God’s righteousness; it was not until the accomplishment of Christ’s redemption, which satisfied the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness, that the way to the tree of life was opened once again.

B. In the Old Testament, after man’s creation, God made the first covenant with man; after man’s fall He made the second covenant with man—Gen. 3:8-21:

1. The one who made the covenant—Jehovah, He came to the place of fallen man, to seek and to call fallen man.

2. The one with whom the covenant was made—fallen man: it was with such a man who transgressed God’s prohibition, who had sin and death, who had the knowledge of good and evil, and who knew his nakedness and made skirts of leaves to cover the shame.

3. In this covenant God cursed the serpent, restricting it so that it would creep only on the earth and that it would eat dust during its entire life; He also promised that the seed of the woman, Christ, would come to bruise the serpent’s head, that is, to cause Satan’s death; finally, He required the woman to suffer in childbearing and to be ruled by the husband, and He required the man to labor and sweat until he should return to the ground so that fallen man, being restricted by suffering, would have security and protection and would turn to God to receive deliverance through the seed of the woman.

4. Eventually, Adam believed in what was promised in God’s covenant and called his wife Eve, meaning “living” or “life;” by faith he also had the hope of life; then God made coats of skins for them that fallen sinners, having been justified by God through Christ, might be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him.

5. By faith Abel received God’s way of redemption, offering the sacrifice with the shedding of blood and being accepted by God; however, Cain refused God’s way of redemption, offering produce without the shedding of blood; rejected by God, he killed Abel his brother and was cast out of the presence of God, producing a culture that corrupted his descendants and that was judged by God.

C. After God judged the corrupt generation by the flood and saved Noah out of that generation, He made the third covenant with man—Gen. 9:1-17:

1. The contents of the covenant include the following items: man would be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, have dominion over all living creatures, and be allowed to eat animals for food but not to eat blood; and God would give man the authority over others to maintain the existence and order of the human race, promise to destroy the earth by a flood no more, and use the rainbow as a sign of His faithfulness in keeping the covenant.

2. The result was that the earth was preserved, that all living things were able to grow, and that man was able to multiply endlessly and fill the face of the earth; however, man abused the God-given authority to form nations, exalted himself to oppose God, fell into idolatry, and was scattered abroad by God upon the face of the earth; eventually, God was forced to give up the descendants of Noah, the created race of Adam.

D. When the descendants of Noah violated the covenant that God had made with Noah, forming nations to oppose God and eventually falling into idolatry at Babel, God came to call Abraham as the head of a new race and to make a covenant with him, the fourth covenant that God made with man—Gen. 12:2-3, 7; 13:14-16; 15:4-5, 7, 18-21; 17:5-8; 22:17-18:

1. God made a covenant with Abraham at six different times, the contents of which mainly included the following items:

a. God would make him a great nation, and nations would be made of him and kings would come out of him—Gen. 17:6.

b. God would bless him and make his name great—17:5.

c. God would give the land of Canaan to him and to his seed for an eternal possession—17:8.

d. God would cause Sarah, his wife, to bear a son, would multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and would make him the father of many nations and Sarah, a mother of nations—Gen. 17:15-16.

e. God would give him the promise of grace that all the nations of the earth might be blessed in him and in his seed—22:18; Gal. 3:14.

2. The result was that although he kept the covenant, he left the land of promise twice. Furthermore, the house of Jacob, his descendants, all left the land of promise and went down to Egypt, falling under the tyranny and bondage of Egypt—Exo. 5:9, 14, 17-18.

E. After God through Moses delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt’s oppression and slavery, He brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai, where He made a covenant with them, the fifth covenant that He made with man—Exo. 20—23:

1. The One who made this covenant was the God who redeemed the children of Israel; the One who set up the Passover to redeem the children of Israel; the One who delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand; the One who led the children of Israel through the wilderness with the heavenly and spiritual provision; the One who would lead and dwell among the children of Israel according to the way of His redemption and the grace of His promise—Exo. 14:5-9, 15-30; 16:14-35, 17:5-6.

2. The ones with whom the covenant was made—the children of Israel: those who had kept the Passover; those who had been delivered out of Egypt; those who had passed through the wilderness; those who did not know themselves—Ezek. 20:7-8; Exo. 14:10-12.

3. The basic content of this covenant is the law; God gave the law to the children of Israel as a covenant that He made with them and through which He also revealed Himself to them.

4. Before the covenant was consummated, the children of Israel, who were to receive the covenant, made a golden calf and worshipped it; moreover, after the consummation of the covenant, they disobeyed all the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the covenant throughout their generations; however, there were some just men who were perfected by God and who were kept and shut up by the covenant and were thus brought to the way of God’s redemption—Exo. 32:1-6.

F. Through Moses God brought the children of Israel to the east of Jordan, to the land of Moab, and before they went on to take the good land of Canaan, He made a covenant with them through Moses, the sixth covenant that God made with man—Deut. 29—30:

1. The One who made the covenant is Jehovah God, the one who brought the children of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the one who led the children of Israel forty years through the wilderness, the one who was about to bring the children of Israel through the Jordan to take the good land of Canaan—Exo. 19:1-2; Dent. 8:15.

2. The one with whom the covenant was made—a new generation of the children of Israel: the descendants of the old generation, who tempted God and were punished by God and strewn along in the wilderness; those whom the old generation considered a prey and too weak to enter Canaan; those who wandered in the wilderness and bore the whoredoms of the old generation forty years; those whom God would bring into the good land of Canaan—cf. Num. 14:28-31; 33-34; Deut. 1:39; 9:1, 3.

3. The contents of the covenant:

a. They were to keep the covenant that God made at mount Sinai and to love Jehovah God with all their heart and with all their soul—Deut. 30:9-10, 16, 20.

b. If they would keep the words of the covenant and do them, they would live and be blessed—29:9; 30:16, 20.

c. If they would disobey the word of the covenant, they would be cursed and scattered among all the nations—29:28; 30:1, 3.

d. If they would repent and obey the words of the covenant, God would restore them—30:1-5.

e. God would circumcise their heart to love Jehovah God with all their heart and with all their soul and to obey His voice—30: 6-10.

4. The result of this covenant was that the new generation of the children of Israel, like their fathers, turned away from God through all their generations and disobeyed God’s covenant; they were cursed and suffered calamities; they have been carried away to the nations; until this day they still have not turned to God, who has been eagerly expecting their return; not until the coming again of the Lord Jesus will their whole house repent and be saved—2 Kings 17:20; Zech. 12:10-14; Rom. 11:26.

G. After the children of Israel entered into the good land of Canaan, and from the time that David became king and there was peace in the entire nation, David desired to build a holy temple for God. At that time God made a covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, the seventh covenant that God made with man—2 Sam. 7:8-16:

1. The One who made this covenant is Jehovah of hosts, the Commander of all the host. This divine title was used beginning with the fall of the priesthood—7:8.

2. The one with whom the covenant was made was David, a man after God’s heart and the one who prevailed against the enemies to become the king—1 Sam. 13:14, 22.

3. The covenant which God made with David was included in the covenant which God made with Abraham; the former is a strengthening of the latter, especially in the aspect of the kingdom:

a. God would be with him, would cut off all his enemies from before him, and would make him a great name—2 Sam. 7:9.

b. God would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies—vv. 10-11a.

c. God would make him a house—v. 11b.

d. God would set up his seed after him and would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed—vv. 12, 13b.

e. His seed would build a house for God’s name—1 Kings. 6:2; 10:23-24; Matt. 12:42.

f. God would be a father to his seed, and his seed would be a son to God—2 Sam. 7:14.

g. If His seed would commit iniquity, God would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed—vv. 14b-15.

h. His house and His kingdom would be made sure before God, and his throne would be established forever—7:16.

4. The result was that his son Solomon succeeded him to the throne and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, Solomon lusted after his foreign wives and followed them to worship idols, so that God was angry with him and tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, thus dividing the kingdom of Israel into two; when both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen, and his throne was suspended; when Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle that has fallen and will succeed to the throne to reign forever—1 Kings 1:39; 6:1; 11:12, 29-36; 9:11; Acts 15:16; Mark 11:10; Luke 1:32-33.

H. The preceding seven covenants were covenants that God made with man in the Old Testament; in the New Testament, through the death of the Lord Jesus, which accomplished redemption for all men, God made a covenant with all sinners, the eighth, and the last, covenant that God made with man—Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13:

1. The One who made the new covenant is the Lord Jesus; Jesus is a wonderful name which means Jehovah the Savior, or the salvation of Jehovah; the One who made the new covenant is also God—Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8; Jer. 31:31.

2. The ones with whom the covenant was made are all the sinners, who are the descendants of fallen Adam, sinners who must die; those who sin and do evil according to Satan, transgressors who deserve death; those who should perish under God’s condemnation—John 8:44; Rom. 3:23-24; 5:18.

3. The nature of the covenant:

a. This covenant is the new covenant; through the Lord Jesus, God made another covenant, the new covenant, with all sinners; this covenant is eternal, and it is eternally effective—Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13; 13:20.

b. This covenant is also a better covenant; this better covenant was not only enacted upon better promises of a better law, the inner law of life, but also was consummated with Christ’s better sacrifices, and with the better blood of Christ—7:22; 8:6, 10-12; Heb. 9:23.

4. The new covenant has been enacted upon better promises; these promises are given in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and are quoted in Hebrews 8:8-12 and in 10:16-17; the contents of the new covenant include the following four items:

a. The first item of the new covenant is that God will forgive the sins of all those who believe in Christ and will not remember their iniquities anymore—Heb. 8:12.

b. The second item of the contents of the new covenant is that God will impart His laws into the minds of those who believe in Christ, and on their hearts He will inscribe them—v. 10.

c. The third item of the contents of the new covenant is that God will be God to them and they will be a people to Him—v. 10b.

d. The fourth item of the contents of the new covenant is that they all will know God and will not need anyone to teach them—v. 11.

5. The new covenant was consummated with Christ Himself as the better sacrifices and with His better and precious blood, causing the believers to have forgiveness of sins, the law of life, and a union with the Triune God in the Triune God. This is the ultimate issue of God’s making covenants with man throughout the generations—Eph. 1:7, 14; Rom. 8:2; Gal. 2:20.

 

Ministry Excerpts:

FOUR DISPENSATIONS OF GOD’S WORK
OF THE NEW CREATION
ON THE MAN OF THE OLD CREATION (1)
THE DISPENSATION OF THE PATRIARCHS

After God created all things and mankind according to His eternal plan, His economy, He uses four distinct dispensations—the dispensation of the patriarchs, the dispensation of law, the dispensation of grace, and the dispensation of the kingdom—to do His work of the new creation on the man whom He created in order to accomplish the purpose of His eternal economy. The dispensation of the patriarchs was from the creation of Adam to the giving of the law by Moses. In this dispensation, God first put the created man under His direct government that man might receive Him as life; then He caused the fallen man, the function of whose conscience had been activated by the knowledge of good and evil, to receive His redemption in Christ. He also caused man to be governed by his own conscience and to be acceptable to Him through sacrifices according to the way of redemption that He ordained. Moreover, He caused man to enjoy His riches by calling on His name so that he might walk and work with Him. Then He subjected the repeatedly fallen man under the authority which He gave to man, causing him to be ruled by man that he might live and be preserved and that He might have the opportunity to visit man. Finally, He called the new race out of the Adamic race, which was fallen to the uttermost, and gave them the promise of grace, leading them to hope in the Christ who would come to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. In this way, God obtained the chosen patriarchs to be the first part of the new race in His new creation. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 9)

FOUR DISPENSATIONS OF GOD’S WORK
OF THE NEW CREATION
ON THE MAN OF THE OLD CREATION (2)
THE DISPENSATION OF LAW

God’s original intention was to do the work of the new creation on the fallen man of the old creation according to His promised grace. However, because the fallen man did not know his weakness and corruption, and therefore did not realize his impotence and his need of God’s grace, God temporarily changed the way of His work of the new creation on the fallen man of the old creation. That is, He gave the fallen man the law, which was established according to what He is. Thus, He initiated another dispensation, the dispensation of law, which extended from Moses to Christ. God’s intention in setting up this dispensation of law according to His economy was to accomplish the following things through the law; first, to keep the chosen people in custody that they might satisfy the requirements of the law through the offerings, which typified Christ, and thereby be guarded, as sheep are guarded in the sheepfold; second, to provide the chosen people with a child-conductor that they might be led to Christ, that through the offerings they might be forgiven, and that through the tabernacle and temple they might enjoy God’s riches; and third, to cause the chosen people to have the knowledge of sin and of themselves, and thereby realize and sense their need of God’s grace. As a result, God kept His chosen people in the custody of the law, obtained the second part of the new race of the new creation, and brought Christ to the chosen people who waited for Him in the dispensation of law and to those who would believe into Him in the coming dispensation. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 10)

FOUR DISPENSATIONS OF GOD’S WORK OF THE NEW CREATION
ON THE MAN OF THE OLD CREATION (3)
THE DISPENSATION OF GRACE

When God determined that the purpose of decreeing the law had been attained and that the law had been used to its full extent, the Triune God became flesh in the Son; He was born of a woman to become Christ, who possessed both the divine nature and the human nature, bringing grace and reality. He passed through human life in humanity, experiencing every hardship and suffering, and He also lived out the Triune God in humanity. Furthermore, He passed through the death of the cross in humanity, accomplishing an all-inclusive death with a sevenfold status and releasing the divine life for multiplication and increase to constitute the Body of Christ, which is the church. Moreover, the Triune God was raised from among the dead with a resurrected body in humanity, that the only begotten Son might be born as the firstborn Son in His humanity in resurrection; at the same time, those who believed into Christ were regenerated to become His many sons. This Christ, who was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit, breathed Himself into those who believed in Him to be the reality of their spiritual life for their spiritual existence and living. Then this resurrected and glorified One was exalted in ascension. He was made both Lord and Christ to be a Leader and Savior, that He might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to God’s chosen people. Moreover, in ascension He poured Himself out as the consummated Spirit of the Triune God, baptizing those who believed and became His members in this consummated Spirit into one Body, that they might be His fullness to express Him. The above seven items mainly include the person and work of Christ and constitute the gospel of God to be preached to sinners, calling those who were chosen of God to believe, to be saved, and to be regenerated. God then constitutes them to be the churches in different localities that the Body of Christ may be fully built up. Thus God obtains all those who believe into Christ in the New Testament to be the third part of the new race in God’s new creation. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 11)

FOUR DISPENSATIONS OF GOD’S WORK
OF THE NEW CREATION
ON THE MAN OF THE OLD CREATION (4)
THE DISPENSATION OF THE KINGDOM

After the conclusion of the dispensation of grace, God will change for the last time the way of His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will set up His kingdom on the earth to carry out His administration that He may accomplish His work of the new creation in the old creation. This is the dispensation of the kingdom, which is also called the dispensation of righteousness; it covers the period from the second coming of Christ to the end of the millennium. In this dispensation, according to His righteousness, He will use the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to reward the just men perfected in the Old Testament and the overcoming believers in Christ in the New Testament that they may participate in Christ’s kingship and joy. Moreover, according to righteousness, He will perfect the immature believers in the New Testament and also will deal with all the Israelites who repent and believe in Christ at His coming back. The dispensation of the kingdom, which is the dispensation of righteousness, is still a dispensation in the old creation used by God to chasten, to discipline, and to perfect the believers. It is not in the new heaven and new earth that all the work of the new creation will be completed. God will use the last dispensation in the old creation to complete His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will cause the immature believers in the dispensation of grace to mature in life, and He also will cause the repentant Israelites, after the termination of the dispensation of grace, to become constituents of the new race. In this way God will complete the work of the new creation on the man of the old creation in the old creation, a work that will produce and perfect a new race. Thus, the processed Triune God and the transformed tripartite man will be mingled as one to be a mutual dwelling place for His ultimate corporate expression in eternity. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 12)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE
WITH THE CREATED MAN

In the entire Bible God made eight covenants with man: seven in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The first covenant which God made with man was a covenant that God made with the created man. The One who made this covenant was Jehovah God, the One who always is and the mighty One who is faithful. The one with whom the covenant was made was the created man who was without God’s life and without sin, but who had a spirit and a free will and who was assigned to dress and guard the garden of God. God made a covenant with him that by eating he should receive the tree of life, which signifies God as the source of life, so that God might enter into him to be joined and mingled with him, thus fulfilling God’s purpose in creating man. Furthermore, God wanted man to reject the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which signifies Satan as the source of sin and death, lest Satan’s evil, poisonous element should enter into man, thus damaging the upright and pure man whom God created for His eternal purpose. Eventually, man acted contrary to God’s covenant and, having been deceived by the serpent (the Devil), ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus receiving Satan and having sin and death. Hence, man was driven out of the Garden of Eden and was kept away from the tree of life, that is, kept away by the cherubim, which signify God’s glory, by the flame, which signifies God’s holiness, and by the sword, which signifies God’s righteousness. It was not until the accomplishment of Christ’s redemption, which satisfied the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness, that the way to the tree of life was opened once again. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 1)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE
WITH FALLEN MAN

In the Old Testament, after man’s creation, God made the first covenant with man; after man’s fall He came to the place of fallen man to seek and to call fallen man. It was with such a man who transgressed God’s prohibition, who had sin and death, who had the knowledge of good and evil, and who knew his nakedness and made skirts of leaves to cover the shame, that God made the second covenant with man. In this covenant God cursed the serpent, restricting it so that it would creep only on the earth and that it would eat dust during its entire life. He also promised that the seed of the woman, Christ, would come to bruise the serpent’s head, that is, to cause Satan’s death. Finally, He required the woman to suffer in childbearing and to be ruled by the husband, and He required the man to labor and sweat until he should return to the ground so that fallen man, being restricted by suffering, would have security and protection and would turn to God to receive deliverance through the seed of the woman. Eventually, Adam believed in what was promised in God’s covenant and called his wife Eve, meaning “living” or “life.” By faith he also had the hope of life. Then God made coats of skins for them that fallen sinners, having been justified by God through Christ, might be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him. By faith Abel received God’s way of redemption, offering the sacrifice with the shedding of blood and being accepted by God. However, Cain refused God’s way of redemption, offering produce without the shedding of blood. Rejected by God, he killed Abel his brother and was cast out of the presence of God, producing a culture that corrupted his descendants and that was judged by God. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 2)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE
WITH THE MAN WHO WAS SAVED THROUGH WATER

After God judged the corrupt generation by the flood and saved Noah’s family of eight out of that generation, He made a covenant with Noah, which was the third covenant He made with man. This covenant was made based upon the covenant which God made with Noah before the judgment of the flood. It was also based upon the sweet smell which issued from the burnt offerings presented on the altar built by man in taking God’s way of redemption. The contents of the covenant include the following items: man would be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, have dominion over all living creatures, and be allowed to eat animals for food but not to eat blood; and God would give man the authority over others to maintain the existence and order of the human race, promise to destroy the earth by a flood no more, and use the rainbow as a sign of His faithfulness in keeping the covenant. The result was that the earth was preserved, that all living things were able to grow, and that man was able to multiply endlessly and fill the face of the earth. However, man abused the God-given authority to form nations, exalted himself to oppose God, fell into idolatry, and was scattered abroad by God upon the face of the earth. Eventually, God was forced to give up the descendants of Noah, the created race of Adam. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 3)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE
WITH THE CALLED ONE

When the descendants of Noah violated the covenant which God had made with Noah, forming nations to oppose God and eventually falling into idolatry, Jehovah, the God of glory, came to call Abraham (Abram) as the head of a new race and to make a covenant with him, the fourth covenant that God made with man. God made a covenant with Abraham at six different times, the contents of which mainly included the following items: first, God would make him a great nation, and nations would be made of him and kings would come out of him; second, God would bless him and make his name great; third, God would give the land of Canaan to him and to his seed for an eternal possession; fourth, God would cause Sarah, his wife, to bear a son, would multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and would make him the father of many nations and Sarah, a mother of nations; and fifth, God would give him the promise of grace that all the nations of the earth might be blessed in him and in his seed. The result was that although he kept the covenant, he left the land of promise twice. Furthermore, the house of Jacob, his descendants, all left the land of promise and went down to Egypt, falling under the tyranny and bondage of Egypt. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 4)

THE OLD COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE WITH THOSE
WHO DID NOT KNOW THEMSELVES

When God through Moses delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, the land of bondage, and brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai, He made a covenant with them, the fifth covenant that He made with man. They had kept the Passover and had been redeemed by God, they had been rescued out of Egypt by God’s power, and they had been brought through the wilderness by God’s grace. However, not knowing themselves, they thought they were able to keep God’s commands by themselves. Therefore, through Moses, God decreed the law, which was enacted according to what He is, in order to expose their offense that they might know sin, and to guard and shut them up that they might be brought to Christ. The contents of the law are divided into the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances. The commandments, as God’s basic commands, are the general principles of the law. There are ten commandments. The statutes set forth, explain in detail, and supplement the ten basic commandments; their stress is on man’s worship and service to God and on the rituals and regulations pertaining to man’s relationship with God. The ordinances, which are statutes with verdicts, or judgments, also set forth, explain in detail, and supplement the ten basic commandments; the emphasis is on the verdicts that concern the relationships between man and others and between man and God. This covenant was consummated by the offering of burnt offerings and peace offerings and by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices on the book of the covenant and on the people. Because God knew that they would break the words of the covenant, He prepared the sacrifices, which typify Christ, that they might be redeemed and have harmony with God to enjoy peace with Him. The result of making the covenant was that before the consummation of the covenant they worshipped the golden calf and thus broke the covenant. Moreover, after the consummation of the covenant, they disobeyed all the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the covenant throughout their generations. However, there were some just men who were perfected by God and who were kept and shut up by the covenant and were thus brought to the way of God’s redemption. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 5)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE WITH THOSE
WHO WENT TO INHERIT THE LAND

Through Moses God brought the children of Israel to the east of Jordan, to the land of Moab, and before they went on to take the good land of Canaan, He made a covenant with them through Moses, the sixth covenant that God made with man. In this covenant, Jehovah God charged the new generation of the children of Israel that after they would enter into the good land, they were to keep all the commandments, statutes, and judgments in the covenant which He made with their fathers at Mount Sinai, and to turn to Jehovah their God with all their heart and with all their soul, to love Him and to cleave to Him. If they would keep the words of the covenant and do them, they would live and be blessed and prosper in all things. If they would turn away in their heart from Jehovah God to disobey the words of His covenant, they would be cursed, suffer calamities, and be rooted out of their land and cast into another land and scattered among the nations. If they would take God’s word of blessing to heart in the land of captivity, and if they would return to Jehovah their God and obey His voice with all their heart and with all their soul, Jehovah God would have compassion upon them and would restore them and bring them into the good land which their fathers possessed. God would circumcise the heart of the returned ones and the heart of their descendants to love Jehovah their God with all their heart and with all their soul, and He would again rejoice over them for good, as He rejoiced over their fathers. The result of this covenant was that the new generation of the children of Israel, like their fathers, turned away from God through all their generations and disobeyed God’s covenant. They were cursed and suffered calamities; they have been carried away to the nations, suffering man’s mistreatment and persecution for nearly two thousand six hundred years. Until this day they still have not turned to God, who has been eagerly expecting their return. Not until the coming again of the Lord Jesus will their whole house repent and be saved. At that time the Lord will send forth His angels to gather them together from the four winds and bring them back to the good land which God gave their fathers. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 6)

THE COVENANT WHICH GOD MADE WITH ONE
AFTER HIS OWN HEART

After the children of Israel entered into the good land of Canaan, and from the time that David became the king and there was peace in the entire nation, David desired to build the holy temple for God. At that time God made a covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, the seventh covenant that God made with man. The One who made this covenant is Jehovah of hosts, the Commander of all the host. This divine title was used beginning with the fall of the priesthood. The one with whom the covenant was made was David, a man after God’s heart and the one who prevailed against the enemies to become the king. This covenant was a strengthening of the covenant which God made with Abraham, especially in the aspect of the kingdom. In this covenant God promised that He would be with David, that He would cut off all his enemies from before him, that He would make him a great name, and that He would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies. Furthermore, God promised that He would make him a house, that He would set up his seed after him, and that He would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed. His seed would build a house for God’s name, and God would be a Father to his seed, Christ, and his seed would be a son to God. If his seed (referring to Solomon and his descendants) would commit iniquity, God would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed. His house and his kingdom would be made sure before God, and his throne would be established forever. The result was that his son Solomon succeeded him to the throne and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, Solomon lusted after his foreign wives and followed them to worship idols, so that God was angry with him and tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, thus dividing the kingdom of Israel into two. When both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen, and his throne was suspended. When Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle that has fallen and will succeed to the throne to reign forever. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 7)

THE NEW COVENANT WHICH
GOD MADE WITH ALL SINNERS

In the New Testament, through the death of the Lord Jesus, which accomplished redemption for all men, God made a covenant with all sinners, the eighth covenant that He made with man. This covenant is the new covenant; it is also a better covenant. Hence, everything in this covenant is much better than the things in the old covenant. The contents of the new covenant include the following items: God will forgive the sins of all those who believe in Christ and will not remember their iniquities anymore; God will impart His laws into their minds, and on their hearts He will inscribe them; God will be God to them, and they will be a people to Him; and they all will know God and will not need anyone to teach them. The contents of the new covenant are also the contents of the entire New Testament; they include such items as the Triune God Himself, redemption, forgiveness of sins, sanctification, justification, reconciliation, regeneration, and sonship. These bequests which the Lord bequeathed to the believers are inexhaustible and are for them to enjoy unto eternity. The Mediator of the new covenant is Jesus Christ, who executes the new testament, carrying out every item of the bequests of the new covenant in the believers. He is also the Surety of the new covenant, guaranteeing that the new covenant will become effective and that all the blessings of the new covenant will become practical experiences to the believers. The new covenant was consummated with Christ Himself as the better sacrifices and with His better and precious blood, causing the believers to have forgiveness of sins, the law of life, and a union with the Triune God in the Triune God. This is the ultimate issue of God’s making covenants with man throughout the generations.

THE NATURE OF THE COVENANT

A New Covenant

This covenant is the new covenant (Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13). The word new in Greek is kainos, denoting new in nature, in quality, and in form. Before the enactment of the new covenant, God made an old covenant, the covenant of the law. Because the old covenant was faulty, weak, and unprofitable, it was annulled (Heb. 7:18; 8:7). Hence, through the Lord Jesus, God made another covenant, the new covenant, with all sinners. This covenant is eternal (Heb. 13:20), and it is eternally effective.

A Better Covenant

This covenant is also a better covenant (Heb. 7:22; 8:6). This better covenant was not only enacted upon better promises of a better law, the inner law of life (Heb. 8:10-12), but also was consummated with Christ’s better sacrifices (Heb. 9:23), which have accomplished for us an eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12), and with the better blood of Christ, which purifies our conscience (Heb. 9:14). Not only so, the High Priest of this better covenant, the eternal Son of the living God, ministers also with a more excellent ministry (Heb. 8:6) and in the greater and more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:11). Moreover, unlike the old covenant, which was lifeless, the new covenant is constituted with the indestructible life. Hence, everything in the new covenant is much better than the things in the old covenant. Therefore, the new covenant is a better covenant.

THE CONTENTS OF THE ENTIRE TESTAMENT

The contents of the new covenant are also the contents of the entire New Testament. The entire New Testament is a covenant that God made with all sinners. In Greek the same word is used for both covenant and testament. The new covenant consummated with the blood of Christ is not merely a covenant, but after Christ’s resurrection and ascension it has become a testament, in which He bequeathed to those who believe in Him all the contents recorded in the covenant. Man acquires an inheritance by a testament. The written words of the covenant in the Bible were left to us by the Lord Christ as a testament by which we may inherit the blessings of His salvation. When a person intends to bequeath his possessions, he lists his possessions in a will and bequeaths them to the inheritor. Likewise, the Lord has given His salvation to us by including it in His testament—the Bible. A man receives a bequest according to the clear stipulation expressed in a will. Likewise, we inherit the Lord’s salvation according to the plain statements contained in the Bible, His testament. The bequests bequeathed to us by the Lord in this testament are inexhaustible; they include such items as the Triune God Himself, redemption, forgiveness of sins, sanctification, justification, reconciliation, regeneration, sonship, life, power, and peace. The contents of the entire New Testament are included in the testament which the Lord bequeathed to us. They are inexhaustible and are for us to enjoy unto eternity. (Truth Lessons, Level 2, Vol. 1, msg. 8)