Last Days of the Old Covenant (EO07)

Last Days of the Old Covenant
 'Word of their Testimony'

John the Baptist's Ministry
Mark 1:2-4  As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
  During the last days of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist (as Elijah) was sent to prepare the Jews to repent of their sins and keep the law of Moses so that they could believe Jesus as their Messiah in the New Covenant.
  In the book of Acts, thousands upon thousands of Jews were saved and baptized into the body of Christ.
John 5:46  “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me."

Fulfilments of the Kingdom Gospel
Mat 3:1-2  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
  As soon as a Jew (anyone for that matter) believes and accepts the gospel of Christ, our Lord Jesus will give the Holy Spirit of redemption to dwell within him, making his physical body the temple of God, thus fulfilling the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Luke 17:20-21  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Powerful Effects of Death of Jesus
1. Start of New Covenant of His blood
Heb 9:16  For where there is a testament (covenant), there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
 The death of Jesus pouring out His blood on the cross started the New Covenant.
Mat 26:27-28  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

2. End of Old Covenant
Heb 8:13  In that He says, “A new covenant ,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
  The great and dreadful day of the Lord (death of Jesus) would end the Old Covenant where Jews are no longer His people. Before the end of the Old covenant the Lord sent John the Baptist (in the spirit of Elijah) to bring the Israelites to repentance for there was so much of hypocrisy then, that even parents and children did not trust one another.
Mal 4:5-6  "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

3. Elijah has come already
Mat 17:12a “But I say to you that Elijah has come already,...”
   Before the end of the Old Covenant (Judaism), John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah and this was confirmed again and again by our Lord Jesus.

4. End of Judaism
Mat 27:50-51a  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…

5. Power of Jesus' Blood
   Jesus became the sacrifices (Jesus fulfilled the Law) offered by faithful saints since the days of Adam. These saints with their sins finally cleansed by the blood of Jesus, came out from below and appeared to many in Jerusalem.
Mat 27:52-53  and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.