The Old Covenant
In the following diagrams, above the center line represents Israel, and below the line represents the Gentiles. Notice, in figure 1, Israel under the Old Covenant is divided into believers (light green) and unbelievers (tan). While the Scriptures still recognize all of the physical descendants of Jacob as 'Israel,' there is clearly a distinction to be made between the faithful remnant of Israel and the majority of the nation that rejected God and His covenant all throughout their history, [1 Kings 19:13-15,18, Mal. 3:13-18, Matt. 23:29-33].

Figure 1

The New Covenant
The New Covenant was made with Israel, but only a small remnant embraced it by accepting Jesus Christ, [Matt. 26:27,28, Rom. 11:1-5]. The faithful remnant of the Old Testament were justified at the time of Christ's death. His sacrifice retroactively atoned for the sins of the OT saints who died in faith, [Heb. 9:15]. They are therefore joined with us 'in Christ,' [Heb. 11:39,40]. Notice, in figure 2, the angled line represents the end of the Old Covenant. There was a gradual passing away of the Old Covenant over a period of 40 years (one generation), from the beginning of Jesus' ministry in AD30 until the destruction of the Temple in AD70. The writer of Hebrews wrote that the Old Covenant was made 'obsolete' by the New Covenant, and that it was in the process of passing away, [Heb. 8:13]. This was written shortly before AD70. So we have an overlapping of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant for one generation. Gentile believers are also included in the New Covenant, represented by the light blue section below the center line.

Figure 2

Things to Come - Tribulation, Day of the Lord, Millennium, Eternal State
At the end of the age, a brief period of 'great tribulation' will overtake the world. There will be three classes of people affected. In figure 3, the light pink represents unbelievers, both Jew and Gentile, that will suffer through this period. The light blue represents Christians in the tribulation. And the dark blue represents a remnant of Israel that will receive special protection and provision by God, even though they do not as yet believe the Gospel. [See: Rom. 11:25-29, Rev. 12:6,13-16].

The 'Day of the Lord' follows the tribulation. This is the day of Christ's return. The hot pink section represents the remnant of unbelieving Israel that God supernaturally will protect in the tribulation. This remnant will resist the Antichrist, and be saved in a moment, when they see Jesus returning in power, the partial blindness being removed from their eyes, [Zech. 12:9,10 & 13:1, Joel 3:14-16,21, Rom. 11:26,27]. The Bible says this remnant of Israel will be 1/3 of the surviving nation at the end of the tribulation. The rest will be destroyed, [Zech. 13:7-9, Zeph. 1:4-18, Mal. 3:13- 4:3]. (The 2/3 destroyed are probably those who worshipped the Anti-Messiah). The red sections represent those who will be destroyed at Christ's coming, both Jew and Gentile.

Figure 3

The purple sections represent both believing Israel and believing Gentiles. During the Millennium both will be under the full realization of the New Covenant (all of Israel will know God, having their sins forgiven [Jer. 31:33,34]), as well as the Davidic Covenant, when Jesus will rule the nations from Jerusalem, [Jer. 33:14-17].

The white section in the 'Millennium' represents a remnant of Gentile mortals who will survive the Battle of Armageddon, and enter the Millennium, [Zech. 14:16,17, Isa. 14:1,2]. These are the 'nations' that Christ will rule with a 'rod of iron,' [Rev. 19:14-16]. This remnant will spawn the great army that will rebel against Christ at the end of the Millennium, [Rev. 20:7-10]. The dark grey section represents the Last Judgment of the dead unbelievers.

The Church
Traditional dispensationalists use the word 'Church' to distinguish believers between Pentecost and the rapture from all other saints. This contemporary dispensational meaning is absolutely contrary to biblical and historical usage. The Greek word 'eklessia' is NOT used in the Bible exclusively of New Testament believers. Steven referred to Israel as "the church in the wilderness" in Acts 7:38. The writer of Hebrews quoted Psalm 22:22 (from the LXX), and used the Greek word 'eklessia' for congregation [Heb. 2:12]. Furthermore, the LXX - Greek translation (200BC) of the OT used by the Apostles and the early Christians - uses the word 'eklessia' many times in reference to the people of God in the Old Testament. Therefore, the early Christians who used this translation would NOT see this word as having exclusively post-Pentecost / pre-rapture connotations!

Progressive dispensationalists see the word 'church' (when used in the universal sense) in the biblical and historical context. Therefore, the universal 'Church' today is all saints of all ages, and includes ALL who's names are written in heaven [Heb. 12:23].

Figure 4

Some, no doubt, will object that Jesus referred to "my Church" in the future tense [Matt. 16:18]. This is true. However, the building of Jesus' 'Church' is in reference to the Old Testament believers being brought under the blood of Christ after the crucifixion [Heb. 9:15]. The very first act of Jesus after His crucifixion was to gather the OT saints into the New Covenant. This occurred prior to Pentecost. Both Jew and Gentile from all dispensations must be brought under the New Covenant in order to partake of eternal life. The 'Church,' from a New Testament perspective, includes all saints who possess eternal salvation. Paul wrote of "those in heaven" (OT saints) and "those on earth" (NT saints of the first century) as being joined together "in Christ" [Eph. 1:9,10]. That this joining of both the Old Testament and New Testament saints had already occurred when Paul wrote is seen from his use of the present tense when referring to this united group of saints as "the whole family" in both heaven and earth named after Christ [Eph. 3:14,15].

Physical Israel
All of the natural descendants of Jacob are seen as physical 'Israel' in the Bible. Progressive dispensationalists do not believe that Gentile believers replace Israel, and usurp Israel's promises and covenants. PDs continue to distinguish Israel as a nation to whom God has made many promises that will be literally fulfilled. Therefore, Israel is made up of both believers and unbelievers of all dispensations.

Figure 5

However, we must recognize that, while the covenants of God to Israel are unconditional (they will be realized by physical Israel no matter what individual Jews do), participation by individual Jews is conditional. Under the Old Covenant, individual Jews could either believe God and obey Him, or they could reject God's covenant and follow other gods (which many did). Likewise, once the New Covenant was introduced by Jesus, some Jews partook of the covenant by trusting Jesus, and some did not. At the end of the age, Israel's partial blindness will be removed and the remnant of Israel will believe and be restored to partake on both the New Covenant and the Davidic Covenant (Millennial Kingdom). Gentiles who believe the Gospel do not become 'Israel,' but only partake of Israel's covenants through being 'in Christ' [Gal. 3:14,16.29].

Spiritual Israel
There are a few places in the New Testament that refer to 'spiritual Israel' (Jews who are saved from all dispensations) as separate from physical Israel. The best illustration of this concept is found in Paul's epistle to the Romans.

Rom 2:28-29
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
(NKJ)

Here Paul shows that to be a true 'Jew' in God's sight, it is not sufficient to merely point to one's heritage and the sign of circumcision. In Deut. 30:6, God said He would also circumcise the hearts of the Jewish people.

Deut 30:6
6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
(KJV)

Likewise, God sometimes referred to the rebelious Jews as "uncircumcised in heart" [Lev. 26:41, Jer. 9:26]. Stephen repeated this accusation when addressing the Sanhedrin as "stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart," [Acts 7:55]. Paul's point was that the unbelieving Jews were "uncircumcised in heart" and this alienated them from the true Israel (the descendants of Jacob with whom God had fulfilled His promise in Deut. 30:6 to circumcise their hearts). Jews with "circumcised hearts" accepted Jesus as Messiah in Paul's day. Those with "uncircumcised hearts" did not.

Jesus also denied that the Scribes and Pharisees were "spiritual Israel," denouncing them as "of your father the devil" [John 8:39,44]. In the seven letters of Revelation, Jesus used even stronger language than this to deny that the Jews who persecuted Christians were truly of 'Israel' in God's sight, denouncing them as "of the synagogue of Satan." [Rev. 2:9 & Rev. 3:9]. Finally, Paul spoke of the 'Israel of God' as a distinct entity within the Church [Gal. 6:15,16].

Figure 6

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NOTES:
IKing 19:13-15,18
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
15 Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. ...
18 "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
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Mal 3:13-18
13 "Your words have been harsh against Me," says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?'
14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?
15 So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.'"
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.
17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."
18 Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
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Matt 23:29-33
29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
30 "and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
31 "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 "Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.
33 "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
(NKJ) [Back]

Matt 26:27-28
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
(NKJ)

Rom 11:1-5
1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 "Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life"?
4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
(NKJ) [Back]

Heb 9:15
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
(NKJ) [Back]

Heb 11:39-40
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,
40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
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Heb 8:13
13 In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
(NKJ) [Back]

Rom 11:25-29
25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
(NKJ) [Back]

Rev 12:6,13-16
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
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Zech 12:9-10 & 13:1
9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. ...
1 "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.
(NKJ)

Joel 3:14-16,21
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. ...
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
(KJV)

Rom. 11:26,27
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins."
(NKJ) [Back]

Zech 13:7-9
7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion," says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 And it shall come to pass in all the land," says the LORD, "That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but onethird shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people'; and each one will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
(NKJ)

Zeph 1:4-18
4 "I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, the names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests--
5 Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, but who also swear by Milcom;
6 Those who have turned back from following the LORD, and have not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him."
7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; for the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has invited His guests.
8 "And it shall be, in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
9 In the same day I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
10 "And there shall be on that day," says the LORD, "The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second Quarter, and a loud crashing from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut down; all those who handle money are cut off.
12 "And it shall come to pass at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are settled in complacency, who say in their heart, 'The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.'
13 Therefore their goods shall become booty, and their houses a desolation; they shall build houses, but not inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine."
14 The great day of the LORD is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers.
17 "I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse."
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.
(NKJ)

Mal 3:13-4:3
13 "Your words have been harsh against Me," says the LORD, "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?'
14 You have said, 'It is useless to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the LORD of hosts?
15 So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; they even tempt God and go free.'"
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.
17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."
18 Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves.
3 You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this," says the LORD of hosts.
(NKJ)[Back]

Jer 31:33-34
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
(KJV) [Back]

Jer 33:14-17
14 'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:
15 'In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'
17 "For thus says the LORD: 'David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
(NKJ) [Back]

Zech 14:16-17
16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
(KJV)

Isa 14:1-2
1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
(KJV) [Back]

Rev 19:14-16
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
(KJV)[Back]

Rev 20:7-10
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
(KJV) [Back]

Acts 7:38
38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
(KJV) [Back]

Heb 2:12
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
(KJV) [Back]

Heb 12:23
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
(KJV) [Back]

Matt 16:18
18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
(NKJ) [Back]

Heb 9:15
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
(NKJ)[Back]

Heb 11:39-40
39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,
40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
(NKJ) [Back]

Eph 1:9-10
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-- in Him.
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Eph 3:14-15
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
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Gal 3:14,16,29
14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. ...
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. ...
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
(NIV) [Back]

John 8:39,44
39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. ...
44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
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Rev 2:9
9 "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
(NKJ)

Rev 3:9
9 "Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie-- indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
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Gal 6:15-16
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
(NKJ)[BACK]

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