Were Men Born Again Before Pentecost? (Discussion/Debate)

I would agree, but we do not see anything mentioned about the New Covenant either.

The New Birth should have been known and understood, at the very least, the resurrection of Israel as depicted in Ezekiel 37. Nicodemus' response is physical, as was his expectation.

What Nicodemus should have immediately thought of was, not an ongoing process taking place at that time, but the promises of God as found in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Kingdom Nicodemus would have been in expectation of was temporal, whereas the New Birth brought men into a Kingdom which was eternal. In understanding that the Eternal Kingdom of God was not something known to men in that day, for the Mystery of the Gospel was not yet revealed, we look at Nicodemus' understanding in that day and ourselves understand that Nicodemus looked for the earthly Kingdom promised to Israel, which was Israel restored to her former glory.

If you consider the Lord's response you may see that the Lord makes it clear Nicodemus cannot have understanding. The reason? Because he is not born again. While the Greek implies birth from above, we balance that with all regeneration texts and see that it is from above as well as...again. It is new birth. Nicodemus states the Lord is from Heaven, the Lord states this cannot be understood apart from the New Birth. In other words...Nicodemus' words were empty. When we look at the disciples of Christ, we see Peter...fully in opposition to the Gospel of Christ. He rebukes the Lord when the Lord tells them He will go to Jerusalem to die, be buried, and raised again. And this...right after confessing the Lord is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (which was not internal knowledge but revealed to Peter by the Father, Matthew 16)! Again we see Peter opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ when he takes up the sword in the Garden of Gethsemane. Again we see lack of understanding, even after the Lord had risen: the disciples ask "Will you at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?" Now consider a New Covenant believer's understanding: if you were there with the understanding you had, would you have acted as Peter? Would you have sought to keep Christ from dying? Would you ask about the earthly Kingdom when the Lord had just told you...the Comforter was coming not many days hence?

The answer is no, for most. Our understanding is a result of the Ministry of the Spirit of God, the Comforter, which was not present in the Old Testament Economy. It was necessary that the Lord return to Heaven from whence He came that this Ministry might begin. The Lord distinguishes between the two ministries here...


John 14:16-17

King James Version (KJV)

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.


While men were "saved" in the Old Testament economies, it was not until the Redeemer had come that God began saving on an eternal basis. The indwelling of God became eternal. The remission of sins became eternal:


Hebrews 9:12, 15

King James Version (KJV)


12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.




If we consult Hebrews 9 we see that man was dependent upon the coming of Christ that he might enter into God's presence. Prior to that time man did not enter into His presence, but was consigned to the Old Testament resting place of the dead, a place for the just, and a separate place for the unjust, as taught by Christ in Luke 16. The "Holiest of All" in Hebrews 9 is Heaven itself. Man was separated from God, the veil being the Incarnate Christ as spoken of in Hebrews 10:


Hebrews 10:19-20

King James Version (KJV)

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;


The places made with hands were but a parable of the true, that cloth veil of the Tabernacle an earthly blanket symbolizing the way that was True, which is Christ, through Whom we all must go through to come into God's presence.

That is just one promise of God which we do great injustice to the Gospel when we impose the promise as having been realized when He Who was promised had not yet come and effected the necessary work required for man to be forgiven His sin, have the penalty of that sin removed, that he might come into the presence of God. Two Kingdoms are valid, that which we enter into through regeneration, and that Eternal Kingdom we enter into when we die.

Lastly, for now, I would also mention that Christ's Ministry towards Israel stands separate from His salvific Ministry towards all men. Nicodemus would have been correct to consider the earthly Kingdom which we (many of us) call the Millennial Kingdom. And it is just as true for those that survive the Tribulation that...they must be born again to enter into that Kingdom as well. Only those that are saved during the Tribulation will enter into that Kingdom physically alive. God will separate the believing from the unbelieving, the Sheep from the Goats (Matthew 25). The unbelieving will be destroyed and only those that believe who are born again during the Tribulation will see the Kingdom of God.


God bless.