Explaining Hebrews 8:11. Follow Up

Q

Re: Explaining Hebrews 8:11. I am confused about your answer. It appears to cast this verse as if it is addressed to the church today, yet the preceding verses specifically the New Covenant will be with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (vs.8). Verse 10 stipulates their “New Covenant” will be after “those days”. I understand “those days” to be referring to those days where Israel and Judah have completed the 70th week of Daniel chap. 9. For the entire 70 weeks will be under the Old Covenant. This seems to place Heb. 8: 8-12 in the future.

A

In Hebrews 8 the writer was explaining why the New Covenant was necessary and identified Jesus as its High Priest, signifying that the New Covenant had come. Jeremiah had written about this 600 years earlier (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and the writer of Hebrews was quoting him in Hebrews 8:8-12. That makes it one of those open ended prophecies I’ve written about in the past.

You’re correct in saying that Israel has yet to receive the New Covenant although it was offered to them at the Last Supper (Luke 22:20). Israel could have accepted the Lord’s offer and had they done so Jeremiah’s prophecy would have been fulfilled at that time. But when they rejected it by rejecting the Lord’s death as payment for their sins, the fulfillment was delayed, Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy was interrupted, and the door was opened to the Church which did receive the New Covenant. This is the context in which I was asked to interpret Hebrews 8:11.

So where the Church is concerned, the New Covenant has come, but where Israel is concerned Jeremiah’s prophecy awaits a future fulfillment during the soon coming time of Daniels’ missing 70th Week.