The New Covenant

Shortly before his death, Jesus told his followers that his shed blood was the "blood of the [new] covenant." (Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20)  Ten days after he ascended to heaven, the new covenant was seen to be in operation when holy spirit was poured out on about 120 disciples gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.  (Acts 1:15; 2:1-4) The bringing of these 120 disciples into the new covenant showed that the "former" covenant, the Law covenant, was now obsolete. -Hebrews 8:13.

Was  the old covenant a failure? Not at all. True, since it was now replaced, fleshly Israel no longer God's special people. (Matthew 23:38) But that was because of Israel's disobedience and rejection of Jehovah's Anointed One.  (Exodus 19:5; Acts  2:22, 23) Before the Law was  replaced, however, it accomplished much.  for centuries , it provided a way of approach to God and protection from false religion.  It contained foregleams of the new covenant and, with its repeated sacrifices, demonstrated man's desperate need of redemption from sin and death.  Indeed the Law was a "tutor leading to Christ." (Galatians 3:19, 24; Romans 3:20; 4:15; 5:12; Hebrews 10:1, 2) However, it was through the new covenant that the blessing promise to Abraham would be realized  in full. 

Next time: Nations Blessed Through Abraham's Seed

From the Watchtower magazine, 1998