The Blood
By Mike Althaus
Mike Althaus is an ordained baptist preacher and currently ministering out of Lighthouse Baptist Church, 7024 Amherst St., San Diego, CA 92115 USA; phone: (619) 461-5561. You may e-mail Mike Althaus at:malt55@juno.com
I believe one of the most important studies we can find in the Bible today is on the subject of the blood. Starting from Adam to Cain and Abel, running through the Bible, making application to us today in the year 2000, and even beyond, the blood has always been prevalent; whether it has been used symbolically (as in the case of the blood sacrifices in the Old Testament), or practically (in the case of the shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus; with the understanding that one of His intentions of shedding His blood was to bring us back to God. Eph. 2:13), futuristically (the tribulation saints washed their robes white in His blood Revelation 7:14; and the Lord has His garments dipped in the blood of His enemies (Is. 63:2-3, *Rev. 19:13) *note: this is the last time the word "blood" is found in the Bible.
Whatever the case, the blood has always been there, and always will be there. When the Lord Jesus ascended up to heaven after He was crucified, He took His own blood and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat (Lev. 16:15) and upon the altar (Lev. 16:18) which is in the tabernacle in heaven (Rev. 15:5).
In this study, we will look at the emphasis the Bible places on this subject and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will understand and truly appreciate the importance that the blood represents.
In Genesis 3:6, we know that Adam and Eve sinned against the commandment of the Lord, then tried to cover their sin by their own works And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. (Gen. 3:7)
The Lord was not satisfied with the coverings that Adam and Eve had made for themselves. Gen 3:21- Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. In this passage, we find the very first blood sacrifice in the Bible. It cost the life and the shedding of some innocent animal’s blood to cover up their sin. This was the beginning of the pattern set by God that continued until the Lamb came and did the same for mankind.
Genesis 4:2-5 … And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground (works)an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the *firstlings of his flock (blood sacrifice) and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect… (*Num. 18:17) But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
In Hebrews 11:4, the Bible tells us that God considered Abel’s gift "a more excellent sacrifice."
Why? Because Cain’s was by works, and Abel’s was with blood. The end result was the death of Abel by a jealous brother. And this is the society we live in today. Those of us that believe in the blood are mocked, ridiculed, and looked down upon by the world and those professing the Lord Jesus who desire not to have a "bloody religion" but wish to impress God by their own merits and self-righteousness! Never has worked, and never will.
Exodus 12:3, 5-7, 12-13 v.3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: v5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: v.6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. v..7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. v.12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment:
I am the LORD. v.13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Here we find a beautiful type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb without blemish. (1 Pet. 1:19)
He was a male of the first year (firstborn Matt. 1:25), He was killed on the Passover. (Lk. 22:1,7,15)
The blood was applied to the three posts a type of the three crosses at Calvary. Jesus in the middle He died for our sins the blood having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12) the thief on one side he died in his sins a type of the world who refuses to accept the sacrifice for sins that was paid the holy blood of the Lamb (Heb. 10:29), but is available to all who would receive (John 3:16) And the thief on the other side he died to his sins he took Jesus as his Savior and the blood cleansed him of all his sins (Rev. 1:5) However, it the last part of Ex. 12:13 that we need to keep in mind due to the fact that there is a teaching put out by John McArthur who makes the claim that it was not the blood that cleansed and gave us salvation, but it was His death! Nothing can be farther from the truth. Briefly, we will look the Lord’s death and what it did accomplish.
Hebrew 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he (1) might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And (2)deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
1) When Adam sinned, he sold mankind into the devils marketplace of sin and death. However, God sent a prophet named Hosea to announce that one day He would be sending someone to buy us back!
Hosea 13:14 I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: Satan would no longer have the rule.
With the death of Jesus, Satan’s hold was spoiled (rendered useless Col. 2:15), and now the Savior is in charge.
2) Mankind no longer has to fear death (1Cor. 15:54-57) seeing that Jesus went through it for us that we can go through it ourselves without fear. That is of course if we have prepared for it properly!
The Lord Jesus had to take on the form of flesh and blood to accomplish His mission here. He could not have come to earth as God.
The Bible tells us here that the Lord is very specific when He states:
"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" He did not say that the dead lamb would protect them. He wanted to see the sacrifice given by the lamb his blood. And then it was the faith of the people in the blood that was applied to their homes (their lives) that allowed them the opportunity to view the promise land (salvation), and to protected them from the wrath God was to pour out on Egypt (the world) for those who did not have the blood applied.
Exodus 23:18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; Leaven represents sin and corruption. The Lord was instructing His people concerning the sacrifice made to Him that, although the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins (Heb. 10:4), it was not to be offered with leavened bread. It was to be accepted only with unleavened (pure) bread.
1 Corinthians 5:6-8 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth (corrupts) the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Exodus 24:6-8 And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. We will cross reference this scripture with Heb. 9:18-21.
Hebrew 9:18-21 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated(confirmed) without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined(commanded) unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
As we can clearly see, the confirmation of the Old Testament was completed when the blood was applied to the altar, which was used to present the sacrifice. This was done for two reasons:
Leviticus 8:15 And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and (1) purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and (2) sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.
- It was to purify the altar. This was to remove whatever rendered it unclean and unfit for sacred services.
- It was to sanctify the altar. This was to prepare it for the holy sacrifices that were to be burnt upon it.
In type, this is what the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ does for us when we get saved. First He purifies us by washing away our sins, thereby making us fit for His service.
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
And then He sanctifies us to make up His body the church. Heb. 13:12- Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. And He does it by His word! Eph. 5:26- That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word
Moses than took the blood and sprinkled it on the book and finally on the people. **This was done to sanctify the book (which was AND is the Word of God) and the people (symbolic of the reconciliation of God and His people Col. 1:20).
**footnote Although this writer knows the reason for this (as stated above), anyone who is a student of the history of the Christians down through the ages will find that much, much blood was shed for the Word of God and for the stand they took as Christians (of whom the Bible tells us in Heb 11:38 that …the world was not worthy.) An excellent source to gather this information is a book entitles Fox’s book of Martyrs. Psa 72:14-He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
Leviticus 8:14-15 And he brought the bullock for the (1) sin offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bullock for the sin offering. And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it. There was two offering that were to be made. The first one was was for the altar. It had to be prepared to be used to make reconciliation for Israel.
Leviticus 8:22-24,30 And he brought the (2) other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.
And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. The second offering was made for Aaron and his sons, to prepare them to serve in the office of priest. Again, it was blood that was chosen by God as a means to sanctify them for this work.
Leviticus 16:11-14 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. The first thing we see is Aaron offering up the blood for himself and his house.
Leviticus 16:15-19 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. The second offering made by Aaron was for the tabernacle. The Lord promised to meet with them in the tabernacle.(Ex. 29:42) However, because of the wicked sinfulness of the children of Israel, and their unrepentive attitude as they come to the tabernacle to offer up praise and worship with their mouth and not their heart (Is. 29:13), God cannot and will not meet with them until it is sanctified. And that comes from the blood of the sin offering. Perhaps this could be the reason for most churches today not having the power of God on them. The pastor offers up no sin offering for himself to beg God to make him the undershephard that God would have him to be. This is done today by understanding just how holy calling God is and then making a total commitment to that calling. The best way to do this is by prayer and fasting. Then the pastor needs to make atonement for the congregation. Just as it was with the children of Israel, so is it today for us here in America. Sinfulness is in every church. A pastor that turns a blind eye to this fact is one that will see his church fall apart. Don’t fool yourselves friends; if you live like hell all week, don’t expect God to show up on Sunday when you offer up one of your little prayers!
Levitcus 16:20-24 And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Finally he makes an atonement for the people. However, he does this different than the other two cleansings. He takes a live goat, confesses all the sins of the children of Israel over it, then sends it by a fit man, and the goats bears the iniquities in the wilderness. What a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And perhaps this "fit" man is Simon the Cyrenian?
Hebrew 13:11-13 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.
Mark 15:21-22 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Nothing can be more clearer!
Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Deuteronomy 32:14 … and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. What we call "grapejuice", the Bible calls that which is squeezed out of the grape "blood" Perhaps that is why Jesus at the last supper, when He took the cup, squeezed the blood of the grape into the cup and said "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matt. 26:28)
2 Kings 3:22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
Isaiah 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
One day, all the murders that have been committed with be revealed; along with those that die them!
Beware all abortionist, beware all murderers, beware all those that have shed blood who haven’t been caught by this worlds police system; beware! One day, you will answer for your actions.
Matthew 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. This covers the Old Testament from Genesis to Zechariah.
Psalm 72:14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. We will cross ref. this with Psa.116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. In John 15:13, Jesus makes this statement: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Although we understand that Jesus was telling His apostles that He was about to give His life for them, I believe He was given them a two fold lesson.
All those martyrs of yesteryear, those living in this day and age, and those that will give up their lives in the days to come that have given their lives for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ understand this. To truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, one must be willing to uphold that friendship; no matter the cost!
Matthew 27:4-10 (READ) The potter’s field was a tract of land in the Hinnom Valley outside Jerusalem. It was used as a cemetery for pilgrims to the Jerusalem. It was located just south of the city (Josh. 15:8). The valley had a somewhat unglamorous history during the Old Testament period. The worshipers of the pagan deities, Baal and Molech, practiced child sacrifice in the valley of Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10). The first specific mention of human sacrifice in Israel is in 2 Kings 16:3 and in Judah is in 2 Kings 17:17. The parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 28:3 indicates that the scene of the abomination was the valley of Hinnom. The phrase "valley of Hinnom" in Hebrew may be transliterated ge-hinnom. The reputation of the valley was understood by the writers of the New Testament who transliterated the word into Greek as gehenna. That is the word attributed to Jesus as one of the several designations for hell (Matt. 5:22). Because of its ancient association with fiery sacrifices, the valley came to symbolize the place of torment reserved for those who reject God's offer of salvation. The field of blood was for those that rejected the blood that was shed for them.
Matthew 27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
Pilate was no more innocent of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ than the nation of Israel! There were things about Jesus that Pilate knew:
- The Jews delivered Jesus up because they were jealous of Him. (Matt. 27:18)
- Pilates wife warned him about dealing with Jesus, calling Him a just man (Matt. 27:19). Pilate also called Jesus a just man. (Matt. 27:24)
- Jesus had done no evil. (Matt. 27:23)
- There was no fault to be found in Jesus (Jn. 18:38; 19:4,6)
What Pilate did know was that he needed to hand Jesus over in order to maintain peace in his juridiction. In the eyes of his superiors, Pilate's first priority was public order, not the execution of justice. They would not have categorized his conduct of the trial of Jesus as irresponsible. If an innocent Galilean peasant was the focal point of a civil disturbance, the quelling of the disturbance, and not justice for the individual involved, was the uppermost concern for Roman officials fearful of revolts in occupied provinces. This was according to Roman law.
Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. Because governor’s were sent by kings "…to punish evildoers and for the praise of them that do well" (1 Pet. 2:13-14), they were to execute the office with righteousness for which it was established. When Pilate chose to execute Roman law (condemn an innocent man in order to maintain peace) than execute God’s law (Not to do unrighteousness in judgement *Lev. 19:15)
Jesus made it known to him. Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above(God ordained): therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. (John 19:11)
*Although this is written to those in the Jewish nation who would be in authority, I believe it shows the mind of God combined with Prov.16 in His view of executing judgment correctly.
Matthew 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
Pronounced a vow on themselves that has caused much bloodshed over the years.
Mark 5:25-29 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole(healed). And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
Mark 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; (Complete; entire; not defective or imperfect) go in peace, and be whole(Restored to health) of thy plague.
The life of the flesh is in the blood, so is the death. The reason for this is because we as humans have bad blood. All the diseases that cause us to die are found in the blood. This woman had one of those diseases which the Bible calls a plague. Try as she might, she found no comfort in the help of man. It was despair that drove her to Jesus. As soon as she touched the Lord, she was healed of her disease. This is a perfect picture of those of us who have already reached out to the Lord and have been healed of our plague sin. We were dying in our sins and despair drove us to reach out and touch Jesus. And when we did that, we were healed!
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
How important is church? The Lord thinks so highly of it that He gave His blood for her!
Romans 3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation(atoning sacrifice) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; The last part of this scripture says so much for the mercy and grace of the Father.
Nehemiah 9:31 Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.
Psalm 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Ezra 9:13 And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;
Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
And it’s all because of the shed blood of the Lamb! Not only are we cleansed when we get saved, but it is a continual cleaning everyday. GLORY TO GOD!!!
Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
The Bible clearly states in v.9 of Rm.5 that we are justified by His blood, not His death! To be justified is to be aquited from all guilt and crimes.
1 Corinthians 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. That is why we are getting a new body. Sinful flesh and diseased blood cannot see the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to *reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
*To reconcile to is to call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated;
The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve "…heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the cool of the day:" In the beginning, all was peaceful. However, when sin entered in, peace was removed and chaos entered in. Man was thrusted from the garden, breaking the frienship between God and man, animals were thrusted into corruption,(Rm. 8:19-23) and it was the start of sin and death. However, with His blood, the peace of God was once again freely offered to those that wanted it, which brings about the union between God and man.
Hebrews 9:12 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. Many time that the Bible tells us that we have redemption in His blood: Rom. 3:24, Eph. 1:7, Col. 14, Heb. 9:12, 1Pet. 1:18-19, Rev. 5:9 If the Bible tells us something once, it’s important. These 6 ref. alone shows us that the redemption that was made available to us by His blood must be very important!
Hebrews 9:13-14 (1) For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: (2)How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (1) When God instituted the animal sacrifices, it never was intended to purify the soul. All it was intended for was to allow Israel to stay in contact with God. The Lord JEHOVAH loves His people, and was there to lead, guide, protect, and fight for them. However, because of the sins of the people, they were driving themselves away from Him. So to appease God of their sins, and to stay in contact with them, He instituted the blood sacrifices. It was not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Heb. 10:4) The Father knew this would be temporary however. His plans to purify the soul had already taken place. There was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev.13:8), the Father had prepared the Son a body for the task He was to send Him on (Heb. 10:5) because The Father knew that when "…the fulness of the time was come He would be sending His Son to shed His blood which would appease the Father once for all!
(2) The blood of bulls and goats never changed anyone’s thinkings or desires because there was no healing power in it. It’s like going to a confession booth and telling your sins to a priest, who is just a man. He has no power to forgive your sins or cleanse you from your guilt. A person may walk away from there fooling themselves into believing that it did. It doesn’t last very long though. However, when we get saved and the blood of Jesus cleansed us from our sins and washed our brains, our thinking and desires are different.(Rm. 12:2) We no longer enjoy the sins of this world. We then having a burning desire to serve the Lord. People that backslide are not happy, but very miserable. The reason being is because they are out of fellowship with God. People that are not saved may not like their situation, but learn to live with it and go on.
Hebrews 10:19-20 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Where at one time the high priest had to apply the blood to himself to go into the presence of God in the Holiest of Holies to make petitions for himself and the people, that is no longer the case. We no longer have to rely on anyone to get in touch with God for us. All we need is the blood applied to our own lives and we can enter into the Holiest of Holies ourselves to make petitions for our sins.
The Lord showed this clearly when the veil of the temple was ripped from top to bottom. (Mk. 15:38) He had opened the way for man to come to Him directly.
Hebrews 10:29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? All those that have rejected, mocked, ridiculed the blood have a warning sent to them by God in this passage. God views the blood of His Son extremely holy. When He sends His Spirit to convict sinners of their need of cleansing and they reject it and go about to establish their own righteousness, what they are doing is taking what the Lord offered for them and viewing it as worthless, with no real meaning. That is what is meant at the end of this passage when it says "…done despite unto the Spirit of grace" It is a total contempt for what God has to offer.
Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. We know that God was pleased with Abel’s sacrifice, the Bible calling it "…a more excellent sacrifice" (Heb. 11:4) And yet, the blood of Jesus speaks of a better sacrifice than that of Abel. There is and never will be any that will be better than His.
Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. To sanctify is to to cleanse, purify and make holy to be set apart for His service.
Leviticus 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: There is nothing we can offer that would obligate God to deliver us out of the bondage of our sins. The time we spend working for Him, the money we give to His work, the talents that we posess, or works we may perform for His service. These are all without value if the blood has not first been applied to their lives. Unfortunately, there are many around this globe, in churches and out, that are doing this very thing. What a pity it will be for them to hear the Lord say unto them "…I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. 7:21-23)
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Past, present, and future.
Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; Because of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, it doesn’t matter what gender, race, or nationality you may be the gift of salvation is offered to all those that would take it. Praise God for His grace and mercy and unselfishness!!!
Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. No matter the dispensation, it’s the blood and only the blood that cleanses and makes us white as snow. (Is.1:18)
Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Notice that it is NOT written "And they overcame them by the word of their testimony and by the blood of the Lamb" There is POWER in the blood. First, it is applied to our lives and we pass from death unto life (Jn. 5:24) we become part of God’s family, now referred to as sons of God. (1Jn. 3:1-2) It gives us our boldness not only to speak for Him, but to magnify God with our lives, either by life or death.
Philippians 1:20-21 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
And with daily application, it produces the kind of testimony that we as Christians today need to get the victory over the enemy when he accuses us before the Lord. It’s much better when Satan stands before the Lord to make his accusations to hear the Lord tell him "No, you’re wrong" than for the Lord to agree with him!
Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. Our God is a righteous God. He wants us to apply the blood of His Son to our lives. For those that reject it, He will apply their blood to His garment to show that He is the victor.
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