The New Covenant through Christ was ordained in heaven from before the foundation of the world. That's when God provided HIMSELF the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. All the promises of God are 'yes' and 'amen', so according to promise whosoever from the beginning of creation to the sounding of the last trumpet believe on Messiah, The Christ promised by God belong to the New Covenant through the blood of the Lamb.
The first New Covenant promise given to mankind is found in Genesis.
Genesis 3:15 (KJV) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
These words have been appropriately called the "Protevangelium," the first gospel. This passage tells us that though mankind, because of sin, will be burdened and persecuted by the great adversary of mankind, the seed of evil (Satan), the Seed (Christ) of life shall come and through Him the curse of death might come to all who believe on Him.
I don't believe;
""Protevangelium," the first gospel."" (quoting you above), was the first gospel in
Gen 3:15. It was the CURSE for breaking the 'first covenant' of '
don't eat of the tree of good and evil'. They Adam/Eve both did eat, and they both lost immortality. IOW they both were going to "
surely die" BECAUSE they were kicked OUT of the Garden and no longer had access to the fruit of the tree of life and they were going to die in the flesh, as a consequence.
Yes, there was more in store for
all of humanity which was
created BEFORE Adam was removed from WEST EDEN by God. The same God who placed the 'spirit of Christ' in
Adam ONLY and not the rest of the
Pre Adamic race ("host") which were created in
Gen 2:1.
"
host" = SRN 6635 tsaba':
a mass of persons (or fig. things),espec. reg. organized for war (an army); by impl. a campaign, lit. or fig. (spec. hardship, worship).
The first '
son of God' was "
formed" by God out of that 'mass of persons'
Gen 2:7. And God put a
christos/anointed spirit into Adam making him the FIRST 'son of God' (not born of a woman
Luke 3:38). God THEN went farther EAST in Eden and planted a garden
Gen 2:8. Then God went back and got ADAM out of the pre Adamic race "
host" and put him in the "
Garden.." which was farther "
..eastward in Eden"
Gen 2:8.
This is already plenty to deal with, if you've never heard or studied it before.
Why is Christ the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world if God had not prepared and ordained before creation the way/means for which mankind might be eternally saved through the Lamb slain?
Because when the 'first Adam' sinned, the '
christos spirit' in Adam left he lost access to the life available from the tree of life.
NB....I honestly am still trying determine if 'the tree of life' provided the
immortality life or the
eternal life....mentioned in
Rom 2:7. to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;
Hebrews 11:39-40 (KJV) And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
The promise the Old Covenant saints had not received was a place, eternal in heaven.
Can you support that from the OT? I ask because I believe; God's promise to Abraham, detailed in Genesis, centers on
three core blessings: a great nation (
Israel) from his descendants, a promised land (
Canaan), and universal blessing through his lineage, culminating in the Messiah (Jesus Christ) for
all families on Earth. IOW. a people, a land, a world.
They weren't looking for an eternal home in the land of promise on this earth. They sought something far better! They died in faith waiting to receive the promises they knew of and were persuaded of them, and embraced them understanding the promises would not be found on this earth of which they saw themselves as strangers and pilgrims. The place they desired and had not yet received is an heavenly place where God hath prepared for them the holy city, New Jerusalem unto mount Sion the city of the living God. They believed and patiently waited to be the general assembly and church of the firstborn, being spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant which speak of better things that that of Abel.
I see in scripture a plan that this visible earthly world was to manifest visibly what God was doing FROM the invisible heavenly or spiritual realm. I don't think heaven is a physical place beyond some black hole in outer space with literal streets of gold etc. etc.
I'm just going to stop now RWB. It would take a lot of fellowship to wade through all the theological positions of 40,000 denominations to ever agree 100%. And I'd rather 'get along' with you/others/ALL as we all search for TRUTH; Rather than argue who's right and who's wrong until the day of judgment.
Plus, a dear 88 yo brother just died this morning. Been visiting him every day he has been in the hospital for the last three weeks.
Hebrews 11:9-10 (KJV) By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:13-16 (KJV) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (KJV) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.