Homer A. Kent, Jr., writes that "the Apostle Paul clearly connected the upper room instruction regarding the New Covenant to the practice of the Christian church (1 Cor.11:25)" (Kent, "The New Covenant and the Church," Grace Theological Journal, 6:2, Fall, 1985, p.298).

Yes, Paul certainly connected the Lord Jesus' upper room instruction with the practice of taking communion but it is obvious that he did not apply it in the sense of the New Covenant promised to Israel.

It was only later after Paul was converted that a fuller understanding of the significance of the Lord Jesus' death upon the Cross was understood. Evidently Paul received a special revelation ("I have received of the Lord...") to give him a fuller understanding of the meaning of the Lord Jesus' words spoken on the eve of the Cross:

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you...For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor.11:23; NIV).

In the upper room the blood of a New Covenant was set in the context of the kingdom, and that is clearly in reference to Israel's New Covenant:

"...for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom" (Mt.26:28-29).

Again, Dr. Saucy says that "the connection between the new covenant and the kingdom is evident in Jesus' teaching that his work, which throughout Scripture is intimately identified with the coming of the kingdom, is also the fulfillment of the new covenant. In fact, Jesus expressly tied the fulfillment of the Passover, which he celebrated with his disciples, to the coming of the kingdom of God (Lk 22:16, 18; cf. Mt 26:29; Mk 14:25)" [emphasis added] (Saucy, The Case For Progressive Dispensationalism, p.133).

Paul specifically ties communion to the Lord's return at the rapture and not to the kingdom--"you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Progressive Dispensationalists Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock admit that the rapture "would appear to be pretribulational" (Progressive Dispensationalism, p.317).

This is clear evidence that Paul's words in regard to the Lord's supper are not in regard to Israel's New Covenant but instead is in regard to the New Diatheke which is in operation today. Further proof that Paul received a special revelation from the Lord in regard to this sacrament is found in his words here:

"When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the blood of Christ? And when we break the loaf of bread, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor.10:16-17; NIV).

David K. Lowery writes that "the one loaf of bread, of which all partake, pictured their unity as members of the one body of Christ" (Walvoord & Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary; New Testament [Colorado Springs: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1983], p.527).

The truths concerning the Body of Christ were not known until Paul was converted. Charles C. Ryrie said: "In the Upper Room that payment is clearly related to the future fulfillment of the new covenant. This is to be expected since those gathered there did not understand that there would even be an intervening church age" [emphasis added] (Ryrie, Dispensationalism [Chicago: Moody Press, 1995], p.172).

H. A. Ironside states that "The twelve were, as we have seen, connected primarily with the testimony to Israel. Paul, as one born out of due time, was selected to be the messenger to the nations, announcing the distinctive truths of the present dispensation" [emphasis added] (Ironside, Mysteries of God, [Neptune, N.J.: Loizeaux Brothers, 1938], p.74).