Principle #1: The Blood Represents the SPIRIT/LIFE of the Creature The first principle, is that the blood of a person (or an animal symbolically) speaks of its spirit/life. The very essence of our existence is contained in our blood. In a certain sense, a persons blood and a persons spirit represents the same thing. To look at this briefly from a physiological standpoint, the blood in the body provides an amazing array of functions. It is the life giving transportation system of the entire body, with veins and arteries functioning as roadways. The blood delivers the good and removes the bad. As blood circulates throughout the body, nutrients and minerals are absorbed from the intestine and distributed to the cells by the blood. It also delivers oxygen from the lungs to the cells. At the same time the blood cells are the garbage trucks that pick up the waste products and impurities, and deliver them to the kidneys and liver to be eliminated from the body. If you were to take any living creature, and drain the blood from their body, what would happen? The obvious answer is that they would immediately die and cease to exist. The blood is absolutely essential to the life of man. It is very similar to the electricity that flows through your computer. If the power was turned off everything would quit working instantly. All of this has a spiritual aspect as well as a natural one. Look now at these verse in Leviticus. 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 (Lev 17:11). For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof (Lev 17:14). And in Deuteronomy. Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life (Deu 12:23). And then in Genesis, where it talks about God creating man in His image. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every mans brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man (Gen 9:4-6). Many passages in the Bible are more subtle—yet clearly show the connection between the life and the blood. THEOMATICS NOTE: A complete analysis has been done, and there is a clear theomatic connection between the spirit within man and the actual blood itself—based upon the prime number of 43. Shown previously in Angelfall (see Chapter 2h), was a complete study showing a spectacular pattern of 86 to do with God specifically creating man and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life (giving him individuality and spirit). The number 86 is also based upon the prime of 43 x 2. Principle #2: The Blood Represents the DISPOSITION of the Creature Now we come to the most foundational and valuable aspect of what the blood itself is all about in the Bible. The following is going to be the MAJOR KEY to essentially understanding everything relating to the blood in the Bible and what it represents. The blood of a creature is not only synonymous with its spirit/life, but it speaks primarily of its DISPOSITION. This one word, disposition, is the major definition. DISPOSITION, among other things, means: (1) an orderly arrangement of things, the power or authority an individual has to arrange, settle, or manage and control things; (2) Inclination, or the tendency and frame of mind, how one thinks, bias; (3) Temperament, the normal or prevailing aspect of ones nature, which are the balance of traits that are manifested in ones behavior or thinking; (4) Temper which refers to ones basic emotional nature; (5) Character, which in a person is applied to the sum of moral qualities associated with a distinctive individual; (6) Personality, which is the sum of physical, mental, and emotional qualities that distinquish one as a person. In a nutshell, a persons disposition essentially constitutes the arrangement of all factors that add up to WHO THEY REALLY ARE, i.e. their total composition. Whenever God uses the word blood in the Bible in reference to a specific person or animal (any living being), the blood symbolizes their disposition. Animals on the Altar (and their Disposition) Throughout the Old Testament all types of animals were sacrificed on the altars of the Jewish people during the feasts and various temple ordinances. Literally thousands were slaughtered yearly in sacrifice to Jehovah. These animals included lambs, rams, goats, sheep, bullocks, heifers, birds (such as pigeons), etc. among others. The number of Jewish feasts and all the specifics of the animal sacrifices that took place, were almost mind boggling in their scope. Here is an interesting web page that shows the vastness of how involved the ancient Judaism sacrificial and religious practice was during the days of the Old Testament. atschool.eduweb.co.uk/SBS777/vital/sacrific.html#part2-4 The question that must be asked is, why did God instigate this religion of slaughter under the Old Testament covenant? Some of it of course pointed to the future and ultimate sacrifice of Gods only Begotten son on the cross. But there is much more to all of it than just that. A close investigation will reveal some interesting facts. Throughout the Bible there are a large number of animals, birds, etc. that are mentioned. The important fact is that these creatures contain SYMBOLIC significance in a spiritual sense. In other words, each animal has certain CHARACTERISTICS and attributes that exemplify both its nature and ultimately its disposition. A few quick and obvious examples would be the following. The wolf in the Bible is a type of Satan, a sheep killer, predator, false ministers of the gospel. The lion represents royalty, power, Christ Himself, but the lion is also a destroyer, i.e. the devil as a roaring lion. The horse in the Bible speaks of swiftness, strength, warfare, triumph, grandness. The eagle in the Bible is the king of birds, flies high, speaks of heavenly concepts. A dog in the Bible is an unclean and dirty animal, and represents the unredeemed. Flies in the Bible are symbolic of evil spirits, filth. Frogs in the Bible are unclean and symbolic of demonic activity. Likewise, dozens of other animals, birds, etc. have different characteristics (there are verse references to support all of these). Now we come to some of the animals that were actually used for blood sacrifices in the Old Testament. Here is a sampling of meanings. The lamb in the Bible represents helplessness, purity, innocence, and utter humility. In many applications it is representative of Christ. A sheep in the Bible represents someone who is meek and humble, does not resist, feeds on green pastures furnished by the shepherd, and can be led. Represents Christians. Goats in the Bible are symbolic of sinners and mans sinful nature, are self-willed, have willful ignorance, climb on rocks seeking prominence, feed on refuse. They are much smarter and more crafty than sheep, tricky and deceitful at times. A ram or male sheep in the Bible is symbolic of belligerence and impulsiveness and rebellion—one who charges ahead and uses its horns as power to get its way, runs over others in the process. A calf in the Bible is symbolic youthful immaturity and impulsiveness. The cow in the Bible is the symbol of stupidity, a dumb beast, idolatry. A bull in the Bible is symbolic of belligerence, stubbornness, and false religious leaders. The pigeon (or turtle dove) in the Bible was symbolic of a poor mans sacrifice in the Old Testament. The dove is symbolic of the Holy Spirit. Understanding the Meaning Now here is the key to understanding what all of this means. In the Book of Hebrews it says, But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure (Heb 10:3-6). Here it emphatically states that the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament could not take away sins. God took no delight in them. So why then, did God even implement them? To answer this question, the only animal (evidently) that was a type of the sacrifice of Jesus was the Lamb. There is nothing bad or negative about a perfect Lamb (or even a sheep). All the other creatures have certain characteristics and character flaws that speaks volumes relative to the sinful nature itself. This now is the key to understanding the animal sacrifices. The blood of the animal that was sacrificed—carries within itself all the personality characteristics and essence of what that specific animal represents. When the Bible says that the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins, it simply means that the person that sacrificed a bull or a goat—those specific negative qualities (and sins) inherent in the animals nature itself, represented the same sins (from a human standpoint) that the animal was atoning for. In other words, a sacrificial goat carried within its blood the nature of a goat. It was symbolic of the sin of the human sinner (also a goat, Mat 25:32,33) who was required by God to sacrifice it or give it up. And the beast had to give up its life in order for there to be reconciliation for the specific sin. But it did not permanently remove sin or the guilt of the sin. Only the blood of Jesus could accomplish that. And that is why on the cross the Father turned His face away from His Son. Here we see the same SUBSTITUTIONARY principle. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21). As the bull and goat substituted for the sinner in the Old Testament, Christ now does likewise for us as Christians. Theomatics and the Blood of Bulls and Goats When Jesus addresses the billions of sinners to His left and pronounces their eternal judgment, he calls them goats. In theomatics, there are two key and specific numbers to do with the actual fall and rebellious nature of the angels who fell. One is 558 (see Chapter 6d), and the other is 122 (see Chapter 6a). These numbers are absolutely overwhelming and powerful in their consistency to do with those specific topics. The expression blood of goats (ôï áéìá ôñáãùí) equals 558 x 4, and just the word goats (åñéöùí) by itself is 122 x 12. and blood of bulls (ôï áéìá ôáõñùí) equals 122 x 17. A bull is a dumb male cow that is stubborn and belligerent. The words and bulls (êáé ôáõñùí) has a value of 153 x 11, which is the key number for hardness of heart and hating God (see Chapter 12b). Thus in the blood of these animals, we see the very CHARACTERISTIC of the sin nature itself. An interesting observation related to this discussion, is that all through the Old Testament, God warned the Jews repeatedly not to consume the blood of animals they sacrificed. This is the exact opposite of the blood of Jesus, where Christians are actually admonished during the communion service to drink His blood (obviously spiritual in meaning). This shows that the blood of Jesus itself was the only REAL blood that mattered in the end and was permitted for consumption. The only life that exists is Gods life, and that life is found in everything the blood of Christ represents. We are thus able to drink all of it (Mat 26:27). There are volumes that could be discussed on all of this to do with the blood of animals, i.e. chapters could literally be written. Lets move on. Principle #3: The Significance of the Blood of Jesus Now we come to the central truth and meaning related to all of this, which is the blood of Jesus. Since the blood represents the spirit life of the being, and the blood incorporates within itself the disposition of the person or being to whom the blood belongs—understanding these two factors will help us understand the meaning of the blood of Jesus in the Bible. In order for there to be any salvation, God demands blood. What that means is that before God can do any work of grace that has eternal value in the life of any individual, that person must be willing to sacrifice their life and give it back to God—it means to actually be willing to give up ones very existence as a conscious living being. That is why Jesus stated four times in the Gospels, Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it (Luke 17:33). To be willing to lose ones life means to sacrifice and give it up. But in order to have any eternal validity, it must be done according to Gods standard. This was an impossibility for any human being to accomplish. No sacrifice in the Old Testament (under the law) could accomplish that. Only one person was capable of presenting His life as a perfect requirement before the Father in heaven. That is what the blood of Jesus represents. And that is why only the blood of Jesus can save us. No human blood, no blood of bulls or goats, nothing will ever satisfy the heart of God except the blood of His ONLY begotten son—the standard is absolute and no less than that. Within the blood of Jesus was the very life of God. The blood of Jesus represents the Divine disposition in totality. Everything to do with Gods holy nature, His purity, His holiness, all of His attributes—were contained WITHIN the very blood of Jesus. It was the eternal Holy Spirit of the Living God that flowed through the veins of the Son of God as he walked this earth (see Heb 9:14). The Spirit and the blood cannot be separated. The very eternal spirit of God flowed through the Saviors veins. Yet even as perfect as all that was, it still had to be given up and sacrificed back to the Father in heaven. Born of a Virgin From a physical standpoint, when a baby is conceived in the womb and the female egg and male sperm unite—it is the male who is the source of the blood. That is a medical fact. For that very reason Jesus was born of a virgin. He had NONE of Adams blood flowing in His veins. He was conceived by the very Spirit of God. The blood which flows in an unborn babes arteries and veins is not derived from the mother but is produced within the body of the fetus. Yet it is only after the sperm has entered the ovum and the foetus begins to develop that blood appears. (The Chemistry of the Blood, p.30, M.R. DeHaan M.D.) Medical science has shown that none of the mothers blood is given to a developing embryo. She supplies the nutrients for developing the baby, but no blood ever passes from the mother to the child. In doctor M.R. DeHaans book The Chemistry of the Blood, page 32, he quotes from the Nurses Handbook of Obstetrics by Louise Zabriskie, R.N., fifth Edition, pages 75 and 82. Mary supplied the womb for Jesus Christ, and nourished His body, but her sin blood (since she was from the seed of Adam) was not passed on to Him. It was not the sperm of a man, but the Holy Spirit of God who supplied the seed for Jesus‚ conception, and the divine blood for His body. (see en.allexperts/q/Pentecostals-2256/Christ-blood-human-genetics.htm) Since it is the blood of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, it is also the divine blood of God the Father. The blood that flowed through the veins of Jesus Christs body while He was on Earth came from God the Father, alone. Jesus Christ had divine, sinless, non-human blood while He was on this Earth (it would have been impossible for Him to life a sinless life otherwise). To accept or deny this fact has eternal ramifications. A person cannot go to heaven who does not believe in the absolute divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ through the virgin birth (Joh 8:24), and is trusting in His saving blood as the sole means of salvation and acceptance before God. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him (Rom 5:9). Eternal Life is in the Blood Without a doubt, the following is one of the most significant passages in all of scripture. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me (John 6:53-57). For someone to make a statement like this (highly offensive to the Jews), that only His flesh and blood has life, and unless you drink and take his blood into yourself, you have no eternal life; furthermore, without my blood you will die in your sins and perish—absolutely nothing could be more direct and terminal than these statements that Jesus made. No wonder the Jews hung Him on a cross. Our bodies are mortal because they came from the dust of the earth. But our souls are immortal because they came from God; they are actually a part of Him. Because they are a part of God, once restored by salvation and redemption, they can never die. But that eternal life can only come through the blood of Jesus, not Adams blood. The divine blood must be passed on to us from Another brand new Source, and ingested into our very being, i.e. the divine blood of Jesus must flow within us in order to receive eternal life. If not, we wont live forever with Him. Anything tied into the old Adam has the sentence of death. When you have the blood of Jesus in you, you have eternal life and are thus spared the wrath and judgment of God. It brings reconciliation—the word reconciliation means to settle an argument and bring into harmony. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Rom 5:9,10). Theomatics note: The numbers relative to when we were enemies, points directly to the angelic pre-existence and rebellion in heaven. The value of the blood is spiritual and eternal. The meaning of the blood is Gods deliverance through substitution—Jesus took the wrath of God that we deserved to have poured out on us. The death which Jesus died was my death. He bore my sins. Therefore I need not die now. Yet the deliverance which God has now prepared is only through substitution—Jesus my substitute has paid it all—all my indebtedness is now gone; I can at once, be entirely acquitted and freed from all my sins. But even though the blood provides salvation and eternal life, its meaning extends far beyond that. To drink Christs blood means to accept the divine nature in to our very being, and to eventually have the same DISPOSITION that He possesses. A list of Items to do with the Blood of Jesus In a nutshell, here are just some of the benefits and entitlements that the blood of Jesus provides. These were jotted down in haste. There are perhaps a few other items that could be added to this list. Entire discourses could be written on any one of these. We are saved by His blood (Rom 5:9). We are redeemed by the blood (Eph 1:7, Rev 5:9). Christ purchased and bought us with His blood (Act 20:28). There is remission (cancellation) of sins by the blood (Heb 9:20). Our sins are forgiven through the blood (Rom 5:9, Col 1:14, Eph 1:7). We are justified by His blood (Rom 5:9). We are reconciled to God (made friendly) through the blood (Col 1:20, Heb 2:17). There is propitiation (favor with God) through the blood (Rom 3:24,25). We have entrance into heaven because of the blood (Heb 9:22-26). We have eternal life through His blood (Joh 6:54). There is an everlasting eternal contract with God through the blood (Heb 13:20). Our very faith as Christians is in His blood and because of His blood (Rom 3:25). There is communion and fellowship with God through the blood (1 Cor 10:16). There is peace with God through the blood (Eph 2:12-14, Col 1:20). We are cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus the Son (1 Joh 1:7). Our conscience itself is cleansed by the blood (Heb 9:14). Obedience to God is possible through the blood (1 Pet 1:2). All the requirements of the law are taken care of by the blood (Heb 9:21,22). There is power in the blood (Heb 2:14, Rev 12:11). We are clothed and our garments made white because of the blood (Rev 7:13-15). We are sanctified and made holy by the blood (Heb 10:29, 13:12). We can enter Gods presence in the holiest by the blood (Heb 10:19, Eph 2:13). Our very life and right to exist is because of the blood (Joh 6:54). Heavenly joy is because of the blood (Rev 5:9,12). We are able to defeat Satan entirely through the blood (Rev 12:10-12, Heb 2:14). Let it be stated that anybody who denies or waters down the blood of Christ and its importance—this is an absolute sign that they are a false teacher and not even saved. Comment: In Our Stead It is not true that Christ died INSTEAD of me. Rather He died in my STEAD. To die in ones stead means that the person has the place or position of a person or thing as filled by a replacement, substitute, or successor; such as, If you cant come, send him in your stead. The word INSTEAD means, in place of the person or thing mentioned: as, since we had no sugar, we used honey instead. Christ did not die so that I would not have to. He died SO I COULD DIE to myself (and take up my cross just like He did). However, God does not require specific performance for eternal salvation (otherwise we would be saved by works), but His only requirement is FAITH in His blood which is Christs finished work (in our stead) that actually saves us. Finally, here is the glorious aspect of what the blood and the cross accomplishes for us. This now is the end result. The Mind of Christ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth (Phil 2:5-10). We see in this passage what the blood of the cross has accomplished. It has everything to do with the SPIRIT and DISPOSITION, i.e. the MIND that was in our Lord when He died upon it. Here we see self-abasement to the lowest possible level under heaven; we see obedience to the uttermost to all the will of God; finally we see self sacrifice as the One who actually was willing to sacrifice Himself and die (the Lord was willing to give up His very right to exist). The consummate message of the cross was the SPIRIT OF THE CROSS which satisfied the heart of the Father, which brought about the worship of the angels, and most importantly brought forth the love and confidence from all who are now redeemed. It is this very thing that made Him to be the Lamb, as it had been slain, standing in the midst of the throne—as the all powerful and glorified One (Rev 5:6). It Was All Done for You and Me The precious truth to all of this, is that the SAME mind that was in Christ Jesus, can now be inside of us too. All that Christ was and is, all that Christ accomplished, was done for us and unto us. He desires by His Holy Spirit to become one with us and in us (see John chapter 17). The spirit of the cross was His blessedness and His glory. And it should be the same for us as well. That is why Jesus constantly told His followers, that in order for a person to be His disciple, he must take up his OWN cross daily and follow Him. There is no other way the cross of Jesus can become our blessedness, other than for each one of us to take up our own. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Mat 16:24,25). By taking up our cross and dying with Christ, we actually become joint-heirs with Him. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (Rom 8:17). And the end result is this verse. We become not only joint heirs, but partakers of Gods very nature. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Pet 1:4). The entire objective of the blood in the Bible, from the very beginning, was to bring about this work of surrender and sacrifice unto death—to the heart and mind of the Christian—which would then result in victory over sin and ultimate glorification. It has no other objective than that. Since Jesus died in our STEAD, His entire sacrifice was to make A WAY for us to walk in His footsteps. Through faith alone, in His blood, this is entirely possible. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (Rom 3:25). The Blood Guarantees our Eternal Security The beauty of the gospel is that it eliminates salvation by works. Faith in the blood of Jesus EXONERATES the believer and REMOVES the sins that are past—including all future sins as well (1 John 1:7). The sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross establishes the fact that we: (1) cannot be saved by works, and (2) we do not have to retain or keep our eternal salvation by works (the false heresy of Armenianism). Jesus did a complete and final work—once and forever (Heb 10:10)—fulfilling ALL the requirements of the law before God. When the blood is applied to the life of the Christian, all sin is forgiven and blotted out, and good works and obedience then become the RESULT of our salvation rather than the basis for salvation. Yet this is only possible through faith. The blood, as it is applied, automatically and ceaselessly works its mighty wondrous power in us and through us. Since we have died with Christ, we no longer live to ourselves because we are already dead (Gal 2:20 and Rom 14:7-9). But in order to experience salvation on a daily basis, we must have both faith in the blood and also apply the blood, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Phil 2:13).
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:40:56 +0000
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