“Hearken again to the Apostle’s discussion of the matter with the Galatians. He says, “This I say, that the [Abrahamic] Covenant, that was confirmed (“previously ratified“–Strong’s Lexicon) before of God in Christ, the Law [Covenant], which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”

As showing the inferiority of the Law Covenant in comparison to the Old (original) Abrahamic Covenant, St. Paul tells us (Gal. 4:22-31) that Abraham’s two wives, Sarah and Hagar, were allegorical; that is to say,

THE SON OF SARAH (Isaac) represented The Christ, the Church, Head and Body, while THE SON OF HAGAR (Ishmael) represented the nation of fleshly Israel.

He says, “Which things are an allegory (symbolic): for these are THE TWO COVENANTS; the one from the Mount Sinai, which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar (the Law Covenant) which corresponds to Jerusalem which now is (fleshly Israel), and is in bondage with her children,” while the other, the Sarah Covenant corresponds to *Jerusalem which is above (spiritual Israel) and free, *the mother of us all. He adds, “We, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise, (the Abrahamic Covenant).” (Verse 28)

It required nearly seventeen centuries for the development of Hagar’s son, Fleshly Israel, under the Law Covenant.

The son of Sarah [the original or Abrahamic Covenant], has already been more than eighteen centuries in process of development. Through him (our Lord, typified by Isaac the son of Sarah) all nations shall be blessed. He secured earthly-life-rights by his obedience; he sacrificed or laid these down at Calvary; and during this age has made them available to his “Body,” and soon will again have laid them down sacrificially. Then he will be ready to give them as a legacy to Natural Israel and the world.–Rom. 11:31.

Israel realized the value of this Covenant made with Abraham: it constituted the basis of all their hopes and faith and trust. They supposed that the Law Covenant needed to be added to it, and therefore they accepted it as an amendment; but they continually trusted, hoped, in the original Covenant, as St. Paul says, “Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God, hope yet to come.” (Acts 26:7) It was after Israel had become discouraged with their inability to keep the Law that God encouraged them, by assuring them that he would make a NEW COVENANT with them, which would operate more favorably–more to their advantage. And so he will. By the end of this Gospel Age, after having selected the Spiritual Seed of Abraham, the New Covenant with Israel will go into effect. As it is written, “This is my Covenant with them (the New Covenant), when I shall take away their sins. The Deliverer (the Great Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King) shall come out of Zion (The glorified Gospel Church, spiritual Zion) and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (natural Israel).”– Rom. 11:26, 27.

Undoubtedly then we may assure all who have the hearing ear, that the Gospel Church is NOT the seed of two mothers or Covenants, but of one, and that that one is the Sarah Covenant, the old, original, oath-bound Covenant. Sarah had but one child, Isaac, who typified The Christ, Head and Body–the heir of all.

“We, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of the promise“–heirs of the great privilege of blessing all the families of the earth, as members of the great antitypical Mediator of Israel’s New Law Covenant, which will displace and supersede the old Law Covenant.”

---

Question: In the text, “Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26),

Who are meant by “us,” and how is the spiritual Jerusalem the “mother of us all“?

The Apostle here uses a figure of speech which is common in the Scriptures, and in which a city is referred to as the mother of its inhabitants; for instance, “daughters of Jerusalem,” “daughters of Zion,” “Sodom and her daughters,” etc.

The “us” class means the saints of God. The citizenship of the saints is above, in Heaven — in the Heavenly Jerusalem, which will not he built until the First Resurrection. By faith we look forward and speak of that promised condition and of our citizenship therein.

The New Jerusalem was symbolized by Sarah, the wife of Abraham. The New Jerusalem is our Covenant, under which we become New Creatures in Christ, members of the Spiritual Isaac.

The Church is developed under the same Covenant-Mother as was Christ; for we are His members. His was a covenant of sacrifice. “Gather My saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psa. 50:5) The Man Christ Jesus entered into a covenant with the Father, which meant the sacrifice of His flesh, His earthly nature. As a reward for this sacrifice, the Father made Him a New Creature of the Divine nature–“far above the angels,” constituting Him the Great Messiah who shall bless the world.

Carrying out the Father’s Plan, our Lord imputes His merit (his earthly life-rights which were not forfeited) to such as now follow His example, and walk in His footsteps, performing the same covenant of sacrifice. If these are faithful, they will share in the great work of Messiah in blessing the world, and will constitute the New Jerusalem, the Millennial Kingdom. By faith we are its children’. Even now, our citizenship is in Heaven.” (Q 361:3; 362:1)

“Another important consideration is found in Gal. 4:21-31–particularly Verse 29–in which it is intimated that Isaac was born “after the Spirit,” and that “even so it is now,” with respect to Isaac’s antitype, the Church, whose members are spirit-begotten, heavenly-minded beings, “new creatures.”

In Verse 26 we see that Sarah was a type of the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Covenant that produces the Seed class—the Christ, Head and Body. As Isaac was produced by unnatural means, under the operation of God’s Holy Spirit, so his antitype, The Christ, is thus produced. And as Isaac was a child of “promise,” so are all the members of The Christ, the Seed class, children of promise.

In Jer 31:27-34 it is plainly intimated that the “New Covenant” will be earthly, and NOT heavenly; that the Lord will “Sow the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, with the seed of man, and the seed of beast.” How plain it is to see that the “New Covenant” is entirely earthly, while the Sarah Covenant–“Jerusalem which is above“–is entirely heavenly. It is quite evident that the Church, whose members are spiritual, “new creatures,” could not be under a covenant which, when in operation, will replenish Israel with “man and beast!” (R4530)

Continued with next post.