Introduction

† The Bible never presents the Old Covenant as something that would continue forever. It had a beginning at Mount Sinai, it served its God-given purpose, and it came to its appointed end in Christ. The New Covenant did not merely improve the Old Covenant, it replaced it. The funeral of the Old Covenant unfolded in three distinct stages. The cross was its death. Hebrews was the obituary. AD 70 was the burial, when the temple, priesthood, sacrifices, and every visible part of that covenant came to a permanent end.

Hebrews 8:13

When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

† The writer of Hebrews declared that the first covenant had already become old because Christ established the New Covenant. (Hebrews 8:6-13)

† Notice that it was "near" vanishing away, showing that the transition was still underway while Hebrews was being written. The covenant was legally replaced, but its outward system was still standing. (Hebrews 9:8-10)

† This wasn't speaking about the end of the physical universe. It was speaking about the covenant established through Moses that was about to disappear forever. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Colossians 2:14

having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

† The cross was the death of the Old Covenant's legal authority over God's people. (Romans 7:4-6)

† Christ fulfilled everything the Law pointed toward, leaving no further need for the Mosaic covenant to remain in force. (Matthew 5:17)

† The funeral began at Calvary because that is where the covenant of condemnation lost its authority through the blood of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:6-11)

Romans 7:4

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in regard to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

† Paul plainly says believers died to the Law through the body of Christ. (Romans 7:4-6)

† Death to the Law happened at the cross, not at AD 70.

† This perfectly supports the statement that the cross was the death of the Old Covenant.

Matthew 27:50-51

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

† The torn veil was God's public announcement that access into His presence would no longer come through the Levitical priesthood. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

† The temple was still standing, but its purpose had already ended because the true sacrifice had been offered once for all. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

† From that moment forward, the Old Covenant system stood as an empty shell awaiting its final removal. (John 4:21-24)

Hebrews 10:9

then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

† God did not repair the first covenant, He removed it in order to establish the second. (Hebrews 8:6-13)

† The New Covenant was never intended to exist alongside the Old Covenant as two equal systems.

† Christ fulfilled the first covenant completely so the second could stand forever. (Galatians 3:24-25)

2 Corinthians 3:11

For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

† Paul describes the Old Covenant as something that was passing away while the New Covenant remained. (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)

† The passing away language agrees perfectly with Hebrews 8:13.

† The New Covenant wasn't temporary, it remains forever.

Luke 21:20-22

"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

† Jesus identified the destruction of Jerusalem as the time when everything written concerning covenant judgment would reach its fulfillment. (Luke 21:20-22)

† In AD 70 the temple was destroyed, the priesthood ended, the sacrifices ceased forever, and the Old Covenant system was buried before the world.

† The burial completed what the cross had accomplished and what Hebrews had already announced. The covenant was dead at the cross, declared obsolete in Hebrews, and visibly buried in AD 70. (Matthew 24:1-2)

Matthew 24:1-2

Jesus left the temple area and was going on His way when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. But He responded and said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."

† Jesus foretold the complete destruction of the temple decades before it occurred. (Matthew 24:1-2)

† Once the temple fell, there could never again be a functioning Levitical priesthood or sacrificial system.

† This marks the visible burial of the Old Covenant order.

Historical References

† Josephus recorded that the temple was burned, the city destroyed, and the sacrificial system permanently ended in AD 70. (The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapters 4-8)

† Eusebius recorded that the Christians fled Jerusalem before its destruction in obedience to Christ's warning. (Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 5)

† Tacitus confirmed the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple under Titus. (Histories, Book 5)

† Irenaeus testified that the old order had been fulfilled in Christ and that the New Covenant had replaced the former covenant. (Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 9)

How It Applies To Us Today

† We don't live under the Law of Moses because Christ fulfilled it completely.

† We don't seek forgiveness through animal sacrifices because Christ offered the final sacrifice once for all.

† We worship God through the New Covenant where every believer has direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Q & A Appendix

Q: If the Old Covenant died at the cross, why wasn't it completely gone immediately?

A: Because although Christ legally fulfilled and ended it at the cross, God allowed the physical temple system to remain for a short transition period until His covenant judgment came upon Jerusalem in AD 70. (Hebrews 8:13; Luke 21:20-22)

Q: Why call Hebrews the obituary?

A: Because Hebrews repeatedly announced that the Old Covenant was obsolete, growing old, and ready to disappear, just as an obituary announces someone's death before the funeral is completed. (Hebrews 8:13; Hebrews 10:9)

Q: Why was AD 70 the burial?

A: Because the destruction of the temple permanently ended the priesthood, sacrifices, and every visible part of the Old Covenant system, leaving only the New Covenant standing. (Luke 21:20-22; Matthew 24:1-2)

Q: Was the Old Covenant abolished at the cross or in AD 70?

A: Both events were essential, but they accomplished different things. The cross legally ended the authority of the Old Covenant through Christ's sacrifice. Hebrews announced it was obsolete and ready to disappear. AD 70 was God's public and historical removal of the temple, priesthood, and sacrifices, visibly burying what had already died at the cross. (Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 8:13; Luke 21:20-22)

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index

† Hebrews 8:13, Colossians 2:14, Matthew 27:50-51, Hebrews 10:9, Luke 21:20-22

† Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book 6, Chapters 4-8; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 5; Tacitus, Histories, Book 5