1. The Atoning Death of Christ– This replaced all the Old Testament animal sacrifices (cf. Hebrews 9-10). This included a cleansing of Creation (cf. Acts 10-11). Sin had polluted the creation, and made it symbolically/ typologically unclean; by Christ the creation now has been cleansed, other than human hearts for which cleansing requires our individual response of repentance and faith. In Christ, people are no longer defiled by contact with dead things and blood, or by “mixing”, and the external clean/unclean distinc­tions are removed, including the details of the Law as the barrier between Jews and Gentiles (cf. Ephesians 2:14-16). 

 

2. The Resurrection– The “first day of the week” became “the Lord’s Day” in honor of the Resurrection, replacing and transforming the Sabbath (cf. Acts 20:7, Revelation 1:10). 

 

3. The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit– Since Pentecost (Acts 2), God is present in all true believers by the indwelling Holy Spirit, so now there is no need for special protective measures, such as binding the Church to a particular nation, within geographic boundaries, with its own military force, or with supernatural acts of protection; there is also no need for reminders of obedience, such as tassels on clothing; our warfare is now primarily spiritual.

 

4. Destruction of the Temple in AD 70– This was the proof of Jesus’ Ascension and Enthronement. It was God’s final ending of the Old Covenant era. (cf. Hebrews 8:13 in context). It revealed and confirmed that Jesus has made a new and better way; animal sacrifices are now no longer even possible (since they were to be done at the Temple), and the last visible boundary between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2) has finally been effectively removed. Also, now we don’t bring a God-seeker to a central geograph­ical location, but instead we are sent to disciple the nations.

 

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Consequently, basic concepts are expanded and transformed:

• Tabernacle/Temple– Now there is no central Temple, but we worship in Spirit and Truth wherever two or more are gathered in His name (John 4:23-24, Matthew 18:20). His temple presence is in us, in our midst (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19). 

• “Israel” people– Now the true Israel is seen to include both Jew (the “remnant”) and Gentile believers in the full/true Israel (Romans 2:28, 9:6, 11:26; Galatians 3:29, 4:28). All the identifiers for God’s people from the Old Covenant are now applied to Christians. 

• The Kingdom of God has been established, with His rule over hearts still expanding.

• The Promised Land– God’s promise to Abraham now extends to all his joint-heirs in Christ (Galatians 3:16, 22, 29), and is extended to the whole earth as we apply His Kingship to everything in the whole earth and call others to do so as well. 

• Salvation and judgment are now primarily and, ultimately, eternal.

• Warfare– Now it is the battle of the gospel to redeem human hearts from spiritual evil (Ephesians 6:10-17), advancing the Kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Circumcision and the Passover meal as Covenant signs– These are now transformed and replaced by Baptism (initiatory, for both men and women) and The Lord’s Supper (repeated) as signs of the New Covenant.

• A new and better Covenant in every way– The Old Covenant was mediated through Moses and angels; now God Himself in Jesus is the Mediator (cf., Isaiah 42:6-9, Ezekiel 34; “I am the Way”). Hebrews 1-10 shows the New Covenant as better in every way.

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