The Nine Biblical Covenants and What These Covenants Mean To You

The Nine Divine Covenants and what they mean to you!

The first eight covenants were made by God with man: the ninth was made in eternity in the counsels of the eternal Godhead.

All of the covenants are a progressive unfolding of this ninth covenant.

1. The Edenic Covenant: Made before the entrance of sin with Adam and Eve. It reveals God's original purpose for the whole of Adam's race
(Gen.1-1;2:25).

This covenant stands unique as it is the only covenant made with man before the entrance of sin. It declared God's creative purpose for man including covenantal relationship, character, dominion, fruitfulness and eternal life upon obedience and faith. The fall of man necessitated the revelation of the redemptive covenants to bring this covenant to fulfillment. This was particulary made possible by the new covenant, which restores to man all that was lost in the Edenic Covenant.

2. The Adamic Covenant: Made after entrance of sin. It reveals God's judgment on sin and is the "seed" covenant of the coming of Messianic redemption (Gen 3).

3. The Noahic Covenant: Made with Noah after the flood involving all creatures and all future generations of mankind. It it confirms and adds to God's purpose as stated in the Edenic Covenat and is an extension of the "seed" covenant (Gen. 6-9).

4. The Abrahamic Covenant: Made with Abraham (the father of all who believe) after the Tower of Babel. It involved Abraham, his natural and national seed (Israel), and the Messianic seed, jesus Christ. it includes in itself the coming in of the believing Israelites and Gentiles into the Kingdom of God (Gen. 12-22).

5. The Mosaic Covenant: was made strictly and only with the nation of Israel, after their exodus from Egypt. It was not made with any Gentile nation but acted as a "schoolmaster" to bring Israel to the Christ who would be the Savior of the world (Gal. 3:24 ; Exodus 19-40).

The Mosaic Covenant finds its perfect fulfillment in the Lord jesus Christ. He was the only man who ever perfectly kept the law in all its requirements. he fulfilled and abolished, in His work on the cross, all of the temporal ceremonies and externals of the law. Now we live in accordance with the law under Christ's Righteousness....as in Him we live and move and have our being.

6. The Palestinian Covenant: was made with the nation of Israel at the end of the 40 year wilderness wanderings, and upon entering Canaan, the promised land of the Abrahamic Covenant. It laid out the conditions for entering into and maintaing the promise land.

This is undoubtedly a "land covenant" as it pointed to the geographical promise of God that would be replaced by the spiritual focal point of God's redemptive purposes for the earth. The Word speaks of the Church as being God's land which he tills with the expectation of receving spiritual fruit (1Cor. 3:9). In this way the outpouring of the early and latte rains represent the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church and upon all flesh (James 5:7; Joel 2:18-32). This is also dependent upon obedience to the terms of the New Covenant.

7. The Davidic covenant: was made with David after the death of King Saul and at the establishment of the kingdom of Israel under a Davidic King. It involved David, both his natural and spiritual seed and ultimately pointed to the Lord jesus Christ, His everlasting throne, and His Kingdom of the King of kings and Lord of lords (2Sam 7; Ps. 89 and 132).

Christ Himself is the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. In Him David finds both his Lord (as to His Divinity), and his Son (as to His Humanity). The King will return the second time without sin unto salvation and reign over all His redeemed Israel, both of the Old and the New Testament.

8. The New Covenant: made with the two houses of Israel and Judah after the judicial rejection of Messiah by Jewry and just prior to His crucifixion. It replaced the Old or Mosaic Covenant with its external and temporal elements and carnal ordinances. It made available through the cross salvation for the whole world. (to the Jew first and then also to the Gentile). The New Covenant makes possible and brings the believer in the Everlasting Covenant, completing the cycle of Covenantal revelation.

9. The Everlasting Covenant: is made in Eternity, before time began, in the counsels of the Eternal Godhead; between the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. It was made before the creation of man and the entrance of sin into the human race. It embodies, as an all-encompassing Covenant, God's complete plan involving Creation and redemption. It is the heavenly foundation Covenant in eternity for all Covenants revealed in Time. Man was not a party to it, but is the object of it.

This Covenant is made possible because:
1.God is Eternal (He inhabits eternity, He could and did plan things in eternity)

2.God is Omniscient (He is all knowing and therefore spoke the end from the beginning)

3.God is Omnipotent (He is all-powerful; Sovereign in all realms)

4.God is Omnipresent (He is all-present; He occupies and accounts for all realms)

5.God is Immutable (He is unchanging; God's Logos never fails; He is sure)

6.God is Self-Existent(He exists in and of Himself; independent of time and space)

7.God is Holy (He is ABSOLUTE HOLINESS AND PURITY and cannot tolerate sin)

8.God is Righteous (He is perfectly just and must judge sin. God is righteous.)

9.God is Love (He is perfect love, grace, mercy, and kindness manifested toward us)

10.God is Faithful (He is absolutely reliable, dependable and steadfast. The Covenant Keeper.)

Life More Abundantly