THE POWER OF THE BLOOD: Part 2

“The Old Testament Sacrifices”

  • Last week, we left the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai….let’s back up just a bit…then we will go forward…
  • Leviticus 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”
  • The Bible has been telling us this fact for thousands of years….but for some reason it wasn’t til 1628 when a Dr. William Harvey discovered how blood actually circulates through our body…

BLOOD FACTS:

  • The blood that goes through our veins is still a mystery …it is so complex that a whole entire medical specialty, called hematology, is dedicated to its study!
  • Our blood circulates around our entire body approximately every 23 seconds! It is constantly in motion…..there can be NO LIFE without the BLOOD
  • Our BLOOD is the only part of our bodies that is not “fixed”…it is free to move all over our bodies.
  • The average adult has 10 pints of blood in his body….Normally 7% of our body’s weight is BLOOD.
  • Our BLOOD is made in the bone marrow…it recycles and cleanses itself hundreds of times a day…it gives us strength…it is the protector of the body…it fights illnesses and disease…it is our body’s frontline against germs, bacteria, and anything else that is harmful. It helps us maintain a constant body temperature
  • Approximately 32,000 pints of blood are used in the USA EVERYDAY!...so when we donate healthy blood…it is a HUGE DEAL….good health is not possible with poor blood…blood transfusions literally save thousands of lives each year.
  • BLOOD is a miracle fluid that only God could make…..without blood…life ends…think about it…if one of your muscles stopped working, you would still live…but if your blood fails…the ENTIRE BODY DIES
  • BLOOD is sacred…it is precious…it is vital to life….because of this…when the act of murder and the shedding of another person’s blood happens…the BLOOD itself CRIES OUT for God’s justice…
  • That’s exactly what happened when Cain killed Abel
  • Genesis 4:10-11 God asks Cain…”What have you done? The voice of your brother’s BLOOD cries out to Me from the ground. So now you re cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”
  • The bad news is…ever since this time…human beings have continued to shed one another’s blood….totally IGNORING what God said about how priceless the BLOOD is…
  • Look what Micah says about it…Micah 7:2-4 “The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for BLOOD; every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands; the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge.”
  • Now while most of us surely haven’t murdered someone…we have definitely all sinned one way or another…we have been selfish, jealous or other things like that…
  • Human life has become so cheap to us….we even have laws that say its OK to kill 3,700 babies EVERY DAY…that’s on every 24 seconds…or 1,350,000 every year through ABORTION. For every 100 births in the US, there are 31 abortions…
  • Like we talked about last week… One of the principles of life is that once we no longer understand WHY something is important…we no longer have a reason to value it….this is a very dangerous thing…hence the reasons for so many abortions and killings…
  • When you think of BLOOD…it either repulses you or it appeals to you….Our whole outlook on BLOOD has become distorted…..many people are squeamish when they see blood…others are fascinated it to a WEIRDNESS…
  • Hollywood even understands that people are drawn to bloodshed and gore…YUCK…people involved in the occult use blood in certain ceremonies …do you get it….Satan understands the SACREDNESS of BLOOD and causes people to misuse it for his PERVERSE and EVIL POWERS….which is the reason for all the vampire shows lately….Satan is perverting the sacredness of the BLOOD…..we need to OPEN OUR EYES and see in the spiritual realm at what is really going on….with all the OBSESSIVENESS of “Twilight” and “New Moon”…or the recent movies called “SAW”…the devil is trying to draw this generation more and more away from what God says is holy and sacred…and people who call themselves CHRISTIANS…go right along with it!
  • Check out this disturbing news: According to Variety, a vial of blood from SAW star Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) was used to make posters for SAW III.
    "We decided to do a poster and he's wearing a red cloak. I was talking to the printer and asked what we could do to get the deepest blood red. I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious," Lionsgate marketing's Tim Palen said."He said, 'That's really weird,'" Palen recalled. But Bell agreed, and a trip to the doctor's office was scheduled.The posters from the first printing, about 1,000 in all, will be sold for $20, minus the first print, which will be auctioned off. All proceeds from the auction and sales will go to the Red Cross”……………………….now check out the twist…”all proceeds will go to the Red Cross”…….that’s just like the devil to take something and try to make it seem “good” or “OK”, because they would give the money to a good cause
  • Look at what the Bible says about blood drinkers…Leviticus 17:10-14…“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them EATS ANY BLOOD, I will set my face against that person who EATS BLOOD and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.

WARNING!!!!

THIS NEXT SECTION MIGHT TOTALLY FREAK YOU OUT!!!!

  • but I want you to hang with me….the Bible clearly tells us to “watch and pray”…it also tells us that the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour”…and the enemy comes “to kill, steal, and destroy”…we are also “not to be ignorant of the devil’s schemes”…..let me enlighten you to just such a scheme…
  • First, you need to understand that the demonic realm is very real…
  • Without giving the devil any glory and without going too deep into it…with the recent OBSESSION with Vampires…in the movies, in books…even with “Christians”…I started wondering just what the deal was…so I did a lot of research and this is what I discovered…
  • Why the fascination with vampires??? From the very ancient Jewish writings…all through history…(even Michelangelo painted a picture of her with Adam and Eve!!!!) there has been talk of a demonic presence that was named “Lilith”….Lilith…a prostitute of the demonic presence Ishtar (sound familiar?...Ishtar=the pagan demonic spirit that is worshipped through eggs and bunnies in the celebration of what we call Easter)…..this presence or demonic spirit…is the naked woman with long flowing hair and wings that you see in many of the “weird art” stores…like those in the Mall that also have those dragons and other strange demonic-looking stuff…some pictures show her as with a tail, others with claws and fangs…sometimes with the HEAD OF A LION….(now, how is THAT for “prowling around like a lion, seeking whom he can devour”!) she is considered the spirit behind willful abortions and lustful dreams…she is also considered the “mother of vampires and demons, the wife of Lucifer” (with is from a website on modern occultism)…she is also considered to have “seductive qualities” and is very popular among “feminists” and is talked about in some Masonic orders…..o WOW…..these things all have STRONGHOLDS in our area!
  • NOW…why did I tell you all of that?.....TO GET YOU TO THINKING…..the demonic realm is REAL….and it operates here on the earth…..I believe that we are living in the end times…Jesus is coming back soon….the devil is aware of the signs of the times (as we should be too), he knows his time is short….so he is using everything he can to pull people over to his side…he is very seductive in this…I believe…hence the IMMENSE interest in vampires…the movies portray them as a “good thing”….something that appeals to people…because after all…we all hunger for the supernatural, so the devil will twist that all he can (which he only can if we give him a foothold)…how would we give him a foothold???...by watching or reading these books and movies!!!!!
  • There is even a current weekly show called “Supernatural” on TV that is apparently “good vs. evil”…but twisted as Satan loves to do….but it also has an evil character named “Lilith”…coincidence? I don’t think so
  • CHECK THIS OUT: Twilight is a fictional character from the DC Comics series Supergirl. She first appeared in Supergirl # 15, 1997.

History

A girl named Molly and her twin Jane were originally born on Apokolips and meant to become members of the Female Furies. The girls fled from Apokolips, and they found a new home on Earth (specifically Britain in the Middle Ages).

Immortal, and gifted with the power to resurrect the dead, Molly grew up in the times of the Black Death and used her healing powers to help the populace. However, Jane apparently had no abilities, and died from the Plague, but Molly had overused her powers, and could not bring her back. Cursing The Presence for this, Molly became the being now known as Twilight, who wandered the Earth for centuries hoping for revenge.

When she encountered the Earth Angel Supergirl, she decided to get revenge on The Presence by destroying one of his creations. Twilight learned how to tap into the darkness of her own soul, and project blasts of inky shadows, an ability she had no problem using to attack Supergirl.

But then Twilight learned that the Demon Queen Lilith had her sister Jane (who was very much alive), and Lilith used Jane as bait to lure Twilight into her services. When the Matrix/Angel aspect of Linda Danvers was separated from her, Lilith captured the Angelic Matrix, and used Twilight as a "bodyguard" for it. When Linda came to retrieve her other half, she had to fight Twilight, but gained her as an ally when Linda rescued Jane from Lilith. Lilith fatally injured Twilight, so Linda had Matrix merge with Twilight, and make her the new Angel of Fire, since Twilight deserved a happy ending. Twilight in turn used her healing abilities to restore Linda's powers to the levels she had when she and Matrix had first merged into Supergirl. Twilight's whereabouts are unknown.

New Earth

Twilight's status after the events of the Death of the New Gods is still unknown. Her existence in the post-Infinite Crisis continuity has yet to be determined as the Matrix Supergirl may or may not have been wiped from reality.

Powers and abilities

Twilight is an immortal who has the power to resurrect the recently dead for a limited amount of time. She also has the power to heal virtually any injury. She can also project shadowy energies which drain power from her victims. Even gods of darkness have been depicted as afraid of her darkness-based powers. Since bonding with Matrix, she has gained telekinesis, flame wings, flame vision, and the ability to teleport.

  • SO…..why have I told you this????? What does this have to do with the BLOOD OF JESUS? …..EVERYTHING!!!!! We are not to be ignorant of the devil’s schemes….he twists and turns what is meant to be SACRED into craziness…..BE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR CULTURE!!!
  • KNOW the Word of God!!!!!.....KEEP A WATCH OVER YOUR MIND!!!!
  • ______back to our study…
  • Do you think Adam and Eve really understood the immensity of their disobedience??? Do you think they realized that they were unleashing a BLOODBATH on the entire earth? …probably not, because the Bible tells us that Eve was “deceived”…that’s how it all begins…we are DECEIVED by Satan…..thinking that things are “OK”, when the Bible has told us all along that they are NOT
  • For thousands of years now we have had wars, massacres, and innocent killings…lots and lots of BLOODSHED…but the ultimate problem really is REBELLION against God
  • ALL sin leads to death…ALL sin must be atoned for…
  • Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus speaking: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”
  • Our sin could only be paid for by BLOOD SACRIFICE…which is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us…..but before we go there….let’s continue our trek through the Old Testament

BACK TO WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST WEEK…at Mt.Sinai:

  • Exodus 19:17-18 reads “Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God and they stood as the base of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was smoking, because the Lord came down upon it in fire; its smoke went up like the SMOKE OF A FURNACE, and the whole mountain quaked severely.”
  • Notice that Moses is describing the God of the covenant just exactly like Abraham did…”a SMOKING FURNACE”
  • Abraham has been dead for 0ver 400 years….so God is going to reintroduce Himself to these people of His…He needs to tell these people about His character and what He is really like….so He gives them the 10 Commandments…
  • Exodus 20 (recap)…”Thou shalt have no other Gods before me…Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image nor bow down to them…Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain…Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…Honor thy father and thy mother…Thou shalt not kill…Thou shalt not commit adultery…Thou shalt not steal…Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor…Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s”
  • For the many loving reasons that God gave the 10 Commandments…one of which was to guide them in things that would be extremely beneficial to them and would keep them from harm….because, after all, these people had been in bondage for 400 years…they didn’t know how to live FREE…..another reason was to show them how holy He was….and how gracious He was to enter into this covenant with them….even knowing that they would never be able to keep all these commandments…
  • To make all this super clear to the Hebrews,….along with giving the 10 Commandments…God also gave super specific directions for building a Tabernacle…Exodus 25:8 “Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them”….for establishing a very elaborate system of sacrifices (which we are going to look at today, because you guessed it….they are SACRIFICES that involve BLOOD!!)…and instructions for ordaining a priesthood.
  • After Moses gets all these instructions from God…he builds an altar and offered a sacrifice to God. He took the BLOOD and splashed it against the altar, on the Commandments and other laws, and then on the people….later he would sprinkle the BLOOD over the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and then the people who would minister as priests
  • Then check out what Moses says…..it’s very important!!!...
  • Exodus 24:8 Then Moses said…”This BLOOD (not the 10 Commandments!) confirms and seals the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws.”
  • GET THIS: I have heard people say that they can approach God by keeping all the 10 Commandments…..but God never intended Him to be approached that way…”by our works”…..think about it…..By keeping the 10 Commandments can you prove that BLOOD was shed?????...the answer is NOPE!
  • God intended the Hebrews to approach Him the way He had always intended…through a BLOOD SACRIFICE for the forgiveness of sins…..That’s the ONLY way
  • Hebrews 9:18-22 says it this way…..“This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without BLOOD.