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The covenant was ratified by the shed blood of Christ:
"In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, This cup is the new
covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you" (Luke 22: 20, N.I.V.).
And the reader should carefully note what is written about the New Covenant in the
epistle to the Hebrews (chapters 9: and 10:).
There can be no doubt there must be a future restoration of Israel, for this rests on the
New Covenant of grace and the shed blood of Calvary. Rom. 11: seals all this by the
Apostle telling us that all Israel will be finally saved because of this covenant with them
(Rom. 11: 25-29) and the fact that God's gifts and His unconditional promises are
irrevocable. They cannot be changed or wiped out. All this cancels the idea held by
many that because of their failure, there is no future for the nation of Israel and all their
blessings have now been handed over to the church and they are the spiritual Israel. Such
teaching is quite unscriptural and therefore wrong. What we must not miss is the fact that
Israel were an elect people and although they have failed in the past and spiritual
blindness has come upon them, this is not for ever, but only "until the fullness of the
Gentiles be come in" (11: 25, 26). At the Lord's Second Coming, the blindness will be
taken away, the nation will be saved and become a channel of blessing to all the earth.
There is another Scriptural fact we must not forget, and that is God never leaves
Himself without a witness. In the darkest times of Israel's apostasy there was always a
godly remnant who were faithful. This is what Elijah had to be reminded of (11: 2-5), and
this was true during the period covered by the Acts of the Apostles during which Israel,
in the mercy of God, was given another opportunity to repent, in which case their sins
(including the killing of their Messiah and King) would be forgiven and He would return
to them and the kingdom promises, spoken of by all the holy prophets, could then be
fulfilled (Acts 3: 17-26); a passage of Scripture of great importance which is usually
overlooked. It is noteworthy that election is linked with this remnant, "even so then at
this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11: 5).
After the failure of Israel at the end of the Acts, we have the revelation of a new
creation, a new Man (Eph. 2: 11-16) consisting of a number taken from Jews and
Gentiles. They were elected by the Father before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1: 4)
and are identified with Christ in His death, resurrection and ascension (Eph. 2: 4-6), for
they are seen here as enthroned with Christ in the highest glory "far above all". No
wonder they are exhorted to set their hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God and not on earthly things! (Col. 3: 1, 2).
Thus we see that the wide plan of god embracing the highest heavens down to earth is
under-girded as it were by God's elective choice, for He has not only conceived this great
plan which embraces the whole universe of a new heaven and a new earth, but He has
selected those who take their part in the establishment of this plan and we can be sure that
an all-wise God has chosen the right people to do this!