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BACKGROUND
DEFINITION OF TERMS
BLOOD
LAMB
LAMB OF GOD
WORD
TESTIMONY
TESTIMONY, TABERNACLE OF
MARTYR
DEATH
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
DETAILED DEFINITION OF TERMS
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| REVELATION 12:11 |
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"They overcame him (ie satan) by THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."
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| FINDING GOD THROUGH THE BLOOD |
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 Why blood? What is so special about blood?
I have had a special interest in blood over the years because it has provided food for our family! No, we are not blood-sucking vampires, but Kathy worked for over 5 years, as the full time nurse at our local, at the time, Tauranga Hospital Blood Donors unit. The blood that Kathy took from the donors literally provided “life” to patients undergoing operations in the hospital. Incidentally, Kathy then changed her job to become a theatre nurse, so she now uses the blood she used to collect!
My spiritual eyes opened wide, understanding why God attaches so much importance to blood, when I discovered this key verse in the Old Testament book of the law, Leviticus 17:11.
“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement (oneness with God) for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”
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 Yes, blood is the spiritual symbol of life. So if blood represents life, the shedding of blood represents death.
We have to add one further spiritual principle, to get a clear understanding of the real meaning and purpose of the “blood of Jesus”. This spiritual principle is one we often prefer to ignore in today’s world, that of capital punishment. “Old Testament, David”, I hear you cry. Yes, it is Old Testament law, I know, but the Old Testament established the principles for the New. Let’s look in Leviticus 24:17-18.
“If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. ……life for life.”
Leviticus 24:17-18
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 You may argue that Jesus replaced this law with grace and love, but the spiritual principle remains. Even though it may seem gory or even old fashioned to us, whether we like it or not, God has consistently, throughout all 6,000 years of recorded history, required ‘sacrifices’. The giving up of a life is a compulsory condition for the restoration of ‘life’ or our spiritual relationship with God, taken away when Adam and Eve sinned.
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 Let’s have a quick look at what Adam and Eve did. Effectively they committed spiritual suicide! They had a spiritual blood transfusion, replacing the blood of righteousness (right with God), with the blood of sin (separation from God). Not a great bargain as it was to turn out! We all make mistakes though, don’t we? To get back in relationship with God, mankind (and womankind too!) needed to reverse this sad situation, with a further blood transfusion of righteousness.
In Old Testament times this reconciliation with God was achieved through the sacrifice of animals, the lifeblood of the individual animal being “exchanged” for the forgiveness of an individuals unintentional sins. The sacrifice applied only from the time of his or her previous sacrifice, until the time of that sacrifice. Sins committed after the sacrifice had to wait until the next one, to be forgiven. Now this was hard on the animal population as well as on those who desired to be continually right with God! Jesus told us that God the Father didn’t regard this situation as satisfactory in Hebrews 10:8 when He said,
“Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them.” The writer went on to make the comment, “(although the law required them to be made)”
Hebrews 10:5-18
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 But God had on hold at that time a much better plan, one that was fulfilled in the person of Jesus. Jesus put the spiritual Blood Donors Clinic out of business once and for all! For He took it upon himself to give all His precious lifeblood, to enable everyone from that time on who would accept it, to have a once and for all “spiritual blood transfusion of righteousness.” To have all sins forgiven, and make possible a return to the relationship that Adam and Eve had with God before they sinned.
This process is much better explained than I can, in chapters 5 of the book of Romans. Here are two excerpts to confirm this to you.
(5:12) “therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”. (5:19) “For just as through the disobedience of one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man (Jesus) the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:12-21
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 So at the time of Jesus death we moved from the ‘Age of Law’ to the ‘Age of Grace’ (unmerited favour from God). From there being ‘numerous sacrifices for sins,’ to a ‘single sacrifice for all sin.’ Worked wonders for the animal population too!
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 To summarise, blood is symbolic of life. Adam rebelled against God, sacrificing his spiritual life in order to gain knowledge. To be restored to God, God requires a life for a life. Jesus gave His life as a substitute for ours, in order that we might regain our spiritual relationship with God. Thank you so very much, Jesus. We can now overcome Satan “by the blood of the lamb”.
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| THE THEORY AND THE REALITY |
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 Now we know that in reality, we aren’t yet walking in this intimate relationship with God. I have always had a problem here, for by nature I am a realist rather than a theorist. You might have gathered that by now anyway! I love to have a theory, an explanation to base reality upon, but not a theory for theory’s sake. So I do have problems with the blood of Jesus purifying me when I well know that I am not yet white as white. In a spiritual sense that is, for I do like a suntan. I am an awful lot better than I was 15 years ago though, for the Lord has changed even me.
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 Our studies are about putting theory into practice, about experiencing that which has been achieved by Jesus positionally, what He has opened up for us. We should be perfect. Jesus has made that possible by ‘the blood of the lamb’. But it is not always a reality yet, in my life anyway. In yours too? Why? God showed me that day 13 years ago when He explained Revelation 12:11 to me, that there are two further steps to the process. They are found in the last 2 parts of the verse. For God is ‘triune’, 3 parts or 3 manifestations of the one, depending upon your theology, and we must accept and implement the functions of all three in order to attain the perfection that Jesus provided the means to attain. For Jesus saved us, the Holy Spirit teaches, guides and empowers us so that God the Father can use and perfect us as we submit to His will.
For as there are 3 parts of God, so there are 3 parts to the verse, and 3 stages in life that we must all walk through in order to reach perfection. Two of these stages have been fully revealed in Jesus and the Holy Spirit, while the third is yet to be finally fulfilled. That is why we have not yet fully attained in reality, all that Jesus made possible for us positionally, when He sacrificed His life, shed the “blood of the Lamb” on the cross at Calvary, nearly 2,000 years ago. Makes sense? I am sure it will by the time we finish our study and you will be as excited as I am about what the future holds for us.
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| <i>NEXT WEEK</i> |
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 Now for something completely different!
Next week we are not going to directly study Scripture but experience it. A poem will provide a wonderful link between what Jesus did for us on the cross at Calvary and making our faith personal and real through the power of the Holy Spirit.
See you next week!
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 We really need to grasp the symbolism of 'blood' representing 'life'. For, as believers, we blithely talk about the 'blood of Jesus', and being 'covered in the blood', which likely have negative connotations for the unbeliever. It becomes just another form of 'spiritualese'.
May we now truly understand what it means, the ultimate sacrifice of the life of Jesus for the life of you and of me.
Today's 'adventure' gives the thrills without the effort and risk! All you do is sit - and wonder if you will get back home again! But others have before you! Great fun. The jetboat is a New Zealand invention. Uses the same propulsion principles as a jet engine, but using water instead of air.
Subject: Jetboating
Location: Shotover River, Queenstown
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
Learn more about us at...
www.wwj.org.nz/about.php
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
734. Man's blood spilled, is to be feared. Jesus' blood spilled, to be revered.
David Tait
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Check
out the WWJ website for….
More David's Doodlings: www.wwj.org.nz/dd.php
Till Death do us Part!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/tddup.php
Pets Rule!: http://www.wwj.org.nz/pets.php
The World's Greatest Groans: http://www.wwj.org.nz/groans.php
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