I so wish that every preacher of the gospel, every teacher, and every Christian would understand this:
When was the Old Covenant to New Covenant Transition?
There are two things that most Christians understand about the Old and New Covenants
1. Jesus Started the New Covenant at the Cross
2. Jesus Ended the Old Covenant at the Cross
Yet there is a third aspect which extremely few Christians (even many respected teachers) understand, which is the fact that the Old Covenant didn’t immediately disappear at the Cross, but
(#3) it began a process of disintegration which completed when the Temple was destroyed in 70AD.
To not understand this third aspect is to misread much of the context of the New Testament.
The clearest picture of this fading is in:
Hebrews 8:13: “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
Yes the cross made the Mosaic Covenant obsolete and outdated in 30AD, but it was still in the process of disappearing, which was completed in 70AD.
Another picture is in First John:
“For the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining.” -1 John 2:8b (NLT)
In the New Testament, the Old Covenant is consistently referred to as a time of darkness and the New Covenant is shown to be an age of light.
Based on that imagery, the New Covenant light was already shining since the cross, but the darkness was still in process of disappearing.
Also the Apostle Paul speaks of that OC Age passing away and the Temple System rulers passing away with it:
“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.” 1 Cor. 2:6 ESV
“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away.” 1 Cor. 2:6 NASB
When a teacher only acknowledges that the OC was made obsolete at 30AD and the NC was established at 30AD, but they ignore that the OC lingered until its removal in 70AD, the whole backdrop of the New Testament will be distorted.
Debates that were raging in the early church such as the following will make no sense:
who is a true Jew (Rom 9:6-9),
are genders and races equal (Gal 3:28),
does circumcision still matter (Gal. 6:15),
and what of OC celebrations (Col. 2:16)?
These debates only make sense in between 30-70AD, but should not extend beyond that time period.
70AD settled those debates.
Oh that all good teachers of the Word would begin to understand this simple concept which clarifies so much of the New Testament!
"After reading this, maybe some people will learn to start redefining what the 'kingdom of darkness' and the 'kingdom of light' actually were.
This is also the true meaning of Israel being 'born from above' and the true meaning of 'setting the captives (of the Old Covenant) free'. "
Adapted from David King’s marvelous note.
