Israel's Future Salvation Assured

January 22nd, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 8:8-9 For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; 9 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not care for them,” says the Lord.

In Hebrews 8:6-7 the author said, “But now [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much has He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” So, since Jesus mediates a better covenant, it is no wonder that the first thing said about Israel is that God found “fault” with them in v. 8. God did not find fault with the old covenant but with His people who failed to keep that covenant. For “the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). Therefore, the Law is not the problem but the sinful nature of the people. However, the Law “made nothing perfect” (Heb. 7:19) since it was unable to change sinful human hearts. Since only God can do that, He instituted the NC.

A second observation about the NC is that, when it was first prophesied, it was yet future: “the days are coming…” Based upon the argument of the Hebrews author, that prophecy began when Christ ascended to the Father to assume His priestly functions in heaven while sitting at His right hand. For Christ is presently the Mediator of the NC (Heb. 7:25; 9:15; 12:24).

A third note about the NC is that it is God’s will. A person who makes a will is the one responsible for its provisions. The NC is God’s will, and Israel can either benefit from it or reject it—the same way this might occur in one’s last will and testament following their death. Either the beneficiaries accept what is given to them by the deceased, or they reject it outright.

A fourth point is that the NC is made with Israel, not the Church. Some believe that after Israel rejected their Messiah, God transferred His promises to Gentiles believers, or the Church. The Church does benefit from the NC, but the covenant is primarily for Israel—“the house of Israel and the house of Judah,” that was still divided at the time of Jeremiah’s prophecy. God’s plan was for them to unite as one nation and be given a new, final, and eternal covenant of peace.

Now it is true that Israel is currently under God’s judgment, and they have been since their rejection and murder of their Christ. Prior to that they endured other times of God’s chastisement for their stubborn disobedience. But since God has made His promises unconditional to Israel, and since God cannot lie, His ultimate plan for Israel as a nation will in fact be carried to completion. This is what the NC is—the fulfillment of God’s plan for Israel.

Being superior, the NC is not like the old. In the old order, after God led Israel out of Egypt the way a father would take a child by the hand and lead him, giving them His Law for their benefit, and separating from the nations around them. But Israel failed to keep that Law, and “they did not continue in My covenant” (v. 9). Therefore God exiled them to Babylon. In so doing, God never annulled His covenant with them. Sure, the blessings of the old covenant were contingent on obedience, but when Israel failed to keep God’s Law, He withdrew the blessings, not the promise. While the blessings are contingent on obedience, the promise is eternal.

Food For Thought
God’s eternal plan is a promise, and God does not lie. A man’s disobedience to God does not annul God’s promises; it forfeits His blessings. God will fulfill what He has promised, and it will benefit and bless those who love Him—those who place their faith Jesus Christ—the ultimate Seed promised to Abraham. Since God promised Abraham and his offspring eternal blessings, then those chosen from Israel will one day come to Christ, joining Gentile believers.