The Types of Covenants

Israel, within the period of the Messianic Kingdom, is a major theme of the Old Testament prophets. Indeed, it was the high point of Old Testament prophecy; every writing prophet with the exception of Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Malachi had something to say about it. To spiritualize and allegorize away such a great amount of Scripture is to confuse the whole science of interpretation. There is no reason to spiritualize any of these prophecies any more than there is reason to do so to those prophecies dealing with the First Coming of the Messiah such as the virgin birth, the birth in Bethlehem, His death, or His physical resurrection.

I. The Four Facets of the Final Restoration of Israel

There are four primary facets to Israel’s final restoration with each being based on a specific covenant. Each of these covenants is fully developed in later prophetic revelation.

A. The National Regeneration of Israel

1. The Basis: The New Covenant

The announcement of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 begins with a declaration that it will be a Jewish covenant for it will be made with both Houses of Israel (v. 31). It will be in sharp contradistinction with the older Mosaic Covenant (v. 32). Of the five Jewish covenants, the Mosaic was the only conditional one. Although God had been faithful in keeping His terms of the covenant, Israel had not been so faithful, resulting in the Mosaic Covenant being broken. For while the Mosaic Covenant showed the standard of righteousness which the Law demanded, it could never impart to the Jew the power to keep it. That problem will be rectified in the New Covenant. Regeneration will provide the internal power necessary to meet and keep the righteous standards of the Law (v. 33). The result of the New Covenant will be a total national regeneration of Israel. Jewish missions and Jewish evangelism will not be needed in the Messianic Kingdom, because every Jew will know the Lord, from the least to the greatest. The sins of Israel will be forgiven and forgotten. While there will be Gentile unbelievers in the Kingdom, there will not be Jewish unbelievers in the Kingdom. To a man, all the Jews will believe. There will be no need to tell a Jew to know the Lord because they will all know Him (v. 34).

2. The Prophetic Development

That Israel was to undergo a national regeneration is not confined to the words of the New Covenant alone. The truths of the New Covenant are greatly elaborated by various prophets: Isaiah 29:22-24; 30:18-22; 44:1-5; 45:17; Jeremiah 24:7; 50:19-20; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:25-27; Hosea 1:10-2:1; 14:4-8; Joel 2:28-32; Micah 7:18-20; Zephaniah 3:9-13. In the New Testament it is mentioned in Romans 11:25-27.

B. The Regathering of Israel

1. The Basis:  The Land Covenant

The second facet of the final restoration of Israel is the regathering of Israel from all over the world. This is based on the Land Covenant of Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20. After the long period of worldwide dispersion and persecution, there will ultimately be the regeneration of Israel as the people return to the Lord. Following the regeneration of Israel will be the regathering from all over the world so that even if Jews should be found in the uttermost parts of the heavens, they will nevertheless be returned and brought back into the Promised Land. But this regathering will occur only after the regeneration of Israel, at which time the punishments previously applied to Israel will now be applied to the Gentiles.

2. The Prophetic Development

The regathering of Israel, following the regeneration, is another high point of prophetic revelation to be found in many of the prophets. Two examples out of many include Isaiah 43:5-7 which compares it with the creation, and Jeremiah 16:14-18 which compares it with the Exodus.

C. The Possession of the Land

1. The Basis: The Abrahamic Covenant

The third facet of the final restoration of Israel is the possession of the Land encompassing two aspects: its total boundaries and its productivity. The basis for this facet is the Abrahamic Covenant as found in various passages of the Book of Genesis.

The very beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant is in Genesis 12:1-3. At the time that the covenant was initially made, Abram was simply told to leave for a land that God would show him. When he arrived in the Land, God again revealed Himself to Abram in Genesis 12:7. The promise is stated in such a way that it is Abram’s seed that is to possess the Land.

In Genesis 13:14-17, the promise is clearly made that the Land is to be possessed by Abram personally as well as by Abram’s seed. Yet, Abram died having never possessed any part of the Land except for a few wells and a burial cave which he had to purchase with good money. In order for God to fulfill His promise to Abram, two things have to occur: Abram must be resurrected; and the Land must be restored to Israel. Since Abram’s seed is to possess the Land as well and since Israel has never possessed all of the Promised Land, this, too, remains to be fulfilled.

In the above passage, Abram was told that all the land he could possibly see would be possessed by him, but no exact boundaries were given. Later, however, as God confirmed the covenant, the exact boundaries were given in Genesis 15:12-21. The borders are to extend from the Euphrates River in the north to the River of Egypt in the south.

2. The Prophetic Development

This third facet of Israel’s final restoration, the possession of the Land, was further developed in both the Law and the Prophets. For the first time in Israel’s history, she will possess all of the Promised Land while the Land itself will greatly increase in its productivity and be well-watered, all on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant.

D. The Reestablishment of the Davidic Throne

1. The Basis: The Davidic Covenant

The fourth facet of the final restoration of Israel is the reestablishment of the Davidic throne. This is based upon the Davidic Covenant found in two passages of Scripture: II Samuel 7:11-16; I Chronicles 17:10-14. In essence, the Davidic Covenant promised four eternal things: an eternal dynasty, an eternal kingdom, an eternal throne, and an eternal person. The eternity of the dynasty, kingdom, and throne are guaranteed only because the seed of David culminated in the person who is Himself eternal. This eternal descendant is destined to sit upon the Throne of David and to rule over Israel and the Gentiles from Jerusalem.

2. The Prophetic Development

This fourth facet is also developed by the Jewish prophets in various aspects. For example, Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Amos 9:11-12; Luke 1:32-33.

II. Other Characteristics of Israel’s Final Restoration

Besides the various features mentioned in the passages dealing with the covenants and their prophetic developments, other passages develop additional characteristics which may or may not necessarily be connected with any specific covenant. Some of these other characteristics which will be true at the time of Israel’s final restoration include the following: Israel will be reunited as a nation, never to be divided into two separate kingdoms again (Jer. 3:18; Ezek. 37:15-23). Israel will be the center of Gentile attention for various reasons: to observe the great work that God has done in the final restoration; to learn about the Jews and from the Jews because Israel will be the light to the Gentiles in that day (Is. 14:1-2; 49:22-23; 60:1-3; 61:4-9; Mic. 7:14-17; Zech. 8:23); and Israel will be characterized by the attributes of righteousness, holiness, peace, security, joy and gladness (Is. 32:16-20; 35:5-10; 51:3; 55:12-13; 61:10-11).

III. The Millennial Mountain of Jehovah’s House

At the time of the Second Coming of the Messiah, the Promised Land will undergo some tremendous geographical and topographical changes. One of the key changes in the Land of Israel will be the rise of a very high mountain, which will become the highest mountain of the world. On top of this mountain the Millennial Temple and the Millennial Jerusalem will stand.

There are several passages that speak of this millennial Mountain of Jehovah’s House: Isaiah 2:2-4; 27:13; 56:6-8; 66:20; Micah 4:1-2. These passages point out this will be the highest mountain in the world and will become the center of both Jewish and Gentile attention and world worship.

The prophet that received the most revelation regarding the Mountain of Jehovah’s House was Ezekiel. He speaks of it in Ezekiel 17:22-24; 20:40-41; 40:1-4; 45:1-8; and 48:8-22. Putting all these passages together, what we discover is at that time the mountain will become the highest mountain in the world and will be subdivided into three units, each having a special segment that will play a role in the Messianic Kingdom. This holy mountain is referred to as the holy oblation, because somewhere on this mountain the Temple is to stand as well as the City of Jerusalem. This very high mountain, the highest in the world, will itself have a fifty-mile square plateau on top. This square will be subdivided into three sections.

The northern section will be twenty miles by fifty miles, having in its center the Millennial Temple which will be one mile square. The rest of the area of the northern section will be reserved for a certain group of priests to live: the descendants of Zadok, because that segment of the Tribe of Levi remained faithful while the rest went astray.

The central section will also measure twenty miles by fifty miles. This area will be reserved for the rest of the Tribe of Levi, those Levites who did not belong to the line of Zadok. Their responsibility will be to serve as caretakers of the Temple.

The southern section is to measure ten miles by fifty miles, in the middle of which the Millennial Jerusalem is to be built. Jerusalem will be in the very center of this southern section and will measure ten miles by ten miles. The two remaining portions of the southern section, east and west of Jerusalem, will each measure ten miles by twenty miles and will be for the purpose of growing food for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will not belong to any particular tribe but will be inhabited by members of all the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

IV. The Millennial Temple

The Millennial Temple is described in Ezekiel 40:5-43:27. In this passage he gives us a lot of detail of what the Millennial Temple is going to be like and how it will be constructed. There is no way we can make any sense of this passage if we try to allegorize all these details away. We are given as much detail here as in the construction of the Tabernacle and the construction of the First Temple. Certainly the historical books will become meaningless if those measurements were not meant to be taken literally. The same thing has to be said about this prophetic passage. It will be the largest and most beautiful Temple Israel has had so far.

V. The Millennial System of Priesthood and Sacrifices

Ezekiel 44:1-46:24 addresses the various laws regulating the millennial system of priesthood and sacrifice. The question often raised is this: "In light of the fact that Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin, why do we need to have sacrifices in the Millennial Kingdom?" We must remember that even before the Messiah died, animal sacrifices did not take away sin either; the purpose of animal sacrifice was never to take away sin. Hebrews 10:1-4 points out that the animal sacrifices did not take away the sin of the Old Testament saint, it only covered it. Animal sacrifices in the Mosaic Law had one purpose and that was to have a temporary covering until Messiah’s blood would be shed.

The millennial sacrifices are going to have a different purpose. The millennial sacrificial system will have the same purpose that communion has for the Church. We are obligated to this day to observe a special ceremony called the Lord’s Table or the Last Supper, in which we distribute two literal elements, the bread and the wine, in order to remember the broken body and shed blood of our Lord. The communion service is the physical way of remembering what the Messiah accomplished on the cross for the Church. For Israel, they, too, will have a physical way of remembrance by way of the sacrificial system. The purpose of the sacrificial system in the Kingdom will be the same as the purpose of communion for the Church: in remembrance of Me. We who are in the Church practice communion. Israel in the Kingdom will be practicing the sacrificial system so that throughout the Kingdom there will be a physical and visible reminder of what Yeshua the Messiah had accomplished on the cross. It is not to remove sin but to remember that sin has been removed through Jesus the Messiah.

VI. The Millennial River

Altogether, there are three passages that speak about the Millennial River: Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:8 and Ezekiel 47:1-12.

From the front part of the Temple, by the threshold of the door and the right side of the altar which will stand in front of the Temple, the Millennial River will gush out, heading east first until it passes the Eastern Gate and then heading south toward the Dead Sea. It will not flow directly from the Temple to the Dead Sea, but will first flow to Jerusalem as depicted in Zechariah 14:8. There it will flow southward to the City of Jerusalem where it will be divided into two branches. The western branch will flow down the mountain and empty into the Mediterranean Sea. The eastern branch will flow into the Dead Sea. The branching out of these waters towards the areas designated for growing food on both sides of Jerusalem will provide the necessary water for the growth of crops.

Since the eastern branch empties into the Dead Sea, the character of the Dead Sea will change; it will begin swarming with life.

VII. The Millennial Israel

For the first time in Israel’s history, the Jews will possess and settle in all of the Promised Land, and it will again be subdivided into the twelve tribal divisions. But these tribal divisions will be different than those described in the Book of Joshua. Ezekiel 47:13-48:29 states that the division of all of the Promised Land will be the final fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.

Ezekiel sets out the boundaries of the Land in the Millennium. The northern boundary will extend from the Mediterranean Sea, incorporating all of modern-day Lebanon and parts of modern Syria over to the Euphrates River. The eastern border will move south from the Euphrates River, incorporating the Golan Heights and portions of Syria almost up to Damascus, and continue south to the Jordan River where it exits from the Sea of Galilee. The border will then run along the river all the way down to the southern end of the Dead Sea. The southern border will move from the southern end of the Dead Sea, incorporating the Negev and parts of Sinai all the way along the Brook of Egypt (Wadi el-Arish) to the point where it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea will serve as the western border.

VIII. The Millennial Jerusalem

Ezekiel 48:30-35 describes the Millennial Jerusalem as having four sides to the city with twelve gates, three gates on each side, and named after the twelve sons of Jacob. At that time, Jerusalem will be given a new name which will be Adonai Shammah which means "Jehovah is there." Since the Messiah will personally reign from this particular city, the city will not only fulfill its name of Jerusalem, "the city of peace," but also Jehovah Shammah, "Jehovah is there."