To what time does “after those days” refer?

Explanation:

The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34 to introduce the notion that there was a problem with the old covenant, which was rectified by the ministry of Christ (Hebrews 8:6). The quote states that God made a covenant with Israel, but they were not able to keep it (Hebrews 8:9). The quote from Jeremiah goes on to explain that after those days God will establish a new covenant with Israel (Hebrews 8:10). By stating that Jesus’ ministry is superior to the old covenant, the author of Hebrews has already indicated that the time after those days refers to Jesus’ ministry. Still, in case there is any doubt, the author spends the next chapter and a half comparing the ineffectiveness of the old covenant with the effectiveness of Jesus' ministry, which marks the beginning of the new covenant.

First, he characterizes the old covenant as having regulations for worship in an earthly sanctuary (Hebrews 9:1), and he will contrast this with Jesus, who entered into the greater, more perfect sanctuary, which is the heavenly sanctuary in the full presence of God (Hebrews 9:11; Hebrews 9:23–24). He also explains that the sacrifices offered by the priests were unable to cleanse the conscience of the worshipper (Hebrews 9:9). Jesus’ sacrifice, on the other hand, is without blemish and so it can effectively purify the conscience of a sinner from dead works (Hebrews 9:14). He also points out that the law was but a shadow of the things to come, because the sacrifices had to be conducted over and over (Hebrews 9:14). Jesus offered his own body, and only had to do this once before sitting at the right hand of God in heaven (Hebrews 10:12).

Now, after describing specifically why Jesus’ ministry is superior to the old covenant, the author quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34 again (Hebrews 10:16–19), reiterating the fact that after those days God will establish a new covenant. There can be no doubt that by bookending the comparison between the old and the new covenant with the quote from Jeremiah 31:31–34, the author wants us to see that Jesus’ ministry ushers in the time after the days of the old covenant.⁴

Counterargument:

The author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah that after those days God will establish a new covenant (Hebrews 8:8–12). Then, when we reach Hebrews 8:13 he uses the present passive form of the verb to make old to indicate that the old covenant is becoming obsolete. What is important to notice is that the present tense refers to ongoing action, which means that the old covenant is not yet obsolete but is becoming obsolete.⁵ If the old covenant is not yet obsolete, then it is hard to see how we have reached the time after those days which refers to the days after the old covenant.

Response to counterargument:

The present tense can carry a variety of aspects, including ongoing action. Still, the participle form of the present tense can refer to action that is contemporaneous with the main verb.⁶ In this case, the main verb is the perfect tense of to make old. The perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed in the past with results existing in the present time.⁷ In other words, when Jeremiah prophesied that a new covenant would be established, the action of the verb was essentially complete. Still, the effect of that action was held up until the time of Jesus’ ministry, at which point the new covenant was established. Since the present participle of to make old is contemporaneous with the main verb, the old covenant passes away when the new covenant is ushered in by Jesus’ ministry.

Explanation:

The author of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31–34 to indicate that God promised to establish a new, better covenant, after those days, and the time of that new covenant has arrived. When precisely did the new covenant, which is established after those days, arrive? It arrived when Jesus’ ministry was completed, and he was established at the right hand of God in the heavenly sanctuary. And how do we know that Jesus’ ministry is what inaugurated the new covenant? The author expressly says so. First, after describing the terms of the old covenant and why Jesus’ ministry is superior, he writes Therefore, he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant (Hebrews 9:15).

Then, after describing the efficacy of Christ’s once and for all sacrifice for sinners, he states that Jesus abolishes the first in order to establish the second (Hebrews 9:9). These passages indicate that the time after those days is the time when Jesus’ ministry ushered in a new covenant between God and all who believe.

Counterargument:

The author of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah 31:31–34, which explains that God made a covenant with Israel that they were unable to follow. Still, after those days God will establish a new covenant. In order to understand the time to which after those days refers, we must look to the original context of Jeremiah 31. When we look to the original context, we find that Jeremiah is prophesying that a day is coming when the house and Israel and Judah will prosper in the land (Jeremiah 31:28). By the time Hebrews is written, the Israelite exiles in Assyria have been scattered for centuries, and the exiles from Judah that returned from Persia are now under Roman occupation. If Israel's and Judah’s thriving together in the land marks the time after those days, it is hard to see how the time after those days has arrived.

Response to counterargument:

While it is helpful for us to consider the original context of Jeremiah 31, such an exercise does not dictate the meaning of the passage in the context of Hebrews 8:10. Rather, the author of Hebrews is indicating that what Jeremiah prophesied is being fulfilled.⁸ That the author of Hebrews considers the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:1–40 fulfilled in the ministry of Christ sheds light on the meaning of Jeremiah, not the other way around.⁹

We know from other Old Testament prophets that due to Israel’s inability to keep his commands, God promised to reshape his interactions with them. For example, in Ezekiel 36:26–27 we read that God would give his people a new heart and a new spirit and will even put his own Spirit within them. In Joel 2:28–29 we read something similar. There Joel states that a day is coming when God will pour out his Spirit on all flesh. Jeremiah 31:31–34 offers a similar message of hope, explaining that after those days (the days of the old covenant) God will write his laws on the people’s hearts.

Now, the author of Hebrews is announcing that the time after those days has arrived with the ministry of Jesus Christ, and this fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning a new covenant.

Possible weakness:

Our commentators are unanimous that Jesus’ ministry establishes the new covenant, and therefore marks the time after those days. Yet on the face of it, it seems as though the time after those days has not yet been fulfilled because during the new covenant, all will know the Lord (Hebrews 8:11), but it does not seem as though all know the Lord. Maybe this implies that the time after those days is the end of times, when all will bow before Christ (Philippians 2:10–11). Still, although this interpretation is possible it is highly unlikely. The reason is that, as the arguments for Interpretation 1 show, the author goes to lengths to make clear that after those days refers to the time of the new covenant, and the new covenant has been ushered in by Jesus.