I seems to me that the new covenant had already traveled the world through the apostles and those who had gone out from jerusalem in the 37 years or so since Pentecost, which was the real “new paradigm”. The fall of Jerusalem was more like the death throws of the old covenant than the beginning of the new. Most of the New Testament scripures, if not all, were already written, and there were dynamic new creation/new paradgm communities in Ephesus, Corinth, Colossae, Phillipi, and cities no less than Rome and were experiencing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit through new covenant communities made up of Jews and Gentiles incorporated into the “one new man”- for decades.
I think we are outposts, forerunners, and first fruits of the coming age when Jesus will rule the world in righteousness and the present evil system of principalities and powers, against which we struggle. Soon and very soon, it will be overthrown and bound(Come quickly Lord Jesus)-
He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”
The leaven of the kingdom was planted on Pentecost. The 120 saints in the upper room received the new paradigm, fulfilling the law through love in the power of the Holy Spirit, adding to the covenant from every nation, through the gospel. On that day a renewed testament was born, and Abraham’s children began to rise up from the stones of Jew and Gentile, barbarian and Scythian, slave and free.
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day** there were added about three thousand souls.**
These three thousand were saved from the perverse generation and added to the new covenant in Abraham. They were just the beginning.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. Gal 3:27-29
Many thousands, tens upon tens of thousands were added over the next 37 years so that by the time Jerusalem fell the new covenant in Christ had already been in force and transcended the shadow of the old as the revolutionizing force of God re-creating the world and gathering all things into the all in all.Old covenant Israel was already rendered impotent, as the light of the world and lampstand to the nations. In this age(as I see it), in Christ, we suffer with Him, as the leaven is worked throughout the kingdoms of this world, until the epiphanea of the Lord Jesus Christ when we will be revealed with Him in glory, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become that of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign to the ages of the ages.”
This coincides with the first resurrection(1 Cor 15:52), aftr which we, who have the first fruits of the Spirt will continue the task of reconciling all as the word of the Lord and the glory of the Lord covers the earth like the water covers the sea- the ministry of reconciliation.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Rom 8;18-25
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures. James 1:18
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father,** when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power**.
1 Cor 15:22-24