WHOSE blood? (Jesus Christ, ritual, Earth, Messiah, Leviticus)

[charles brough]

It is no longer popular in churches to emphasize BLOOD, but it most certainly was emphasized in churches until a generation or so ago. Why? The reason comes right from the scripture. There is so much emphasis on it that people indoctrinatede with it feel vacant without it and "thirst for blood." That does not mean they want to cut up people, nothing like that. It is just difficult-to-describe lust for blood.

Keep in mind that the Old Testament in a Jewish book. Before their Temple was torn down by the Romans, their whole worship centered around the ritual slaughter of animals in that Temple. The Temple itself was regarded as "the house of God." Does that explain why the blood emphasis? Not quite. Lets go back for an explanation of why all the animal slaughtering.

In the earliest forms of the Near Eastern religious heritage was the belief that if you conquer another people, slaughter them and take their land, it was a 'BLOOD SACRIFICE." It is like the god wanted that blood and giving it to him made him happy. It occurred in early India before the Buddha and still happened in the Mayan/Aztec world until the Spanish arrived. That is why whole army contingents were sacrificed in early China. Some human sacrifice even survived into the society of Ancient Crete.

below are some of the blood sources in the Scriptures:

"When I see the Blood, I will pass over you." Exodus 12:13
"It is the Blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11
"The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." I John 1:7
"We have redemption through His Blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Colossians l:14

Below is a vivid description of the "blood lust" common to Judaism, Christianity and Islam:

Day and night one verse would ring in my ears: "It is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul." I knew I had broken the law. I needed atonement. Year after year, on that day, I beat my breast as I confessed my need of it; but it was to be made by blood, and there was no Blood! In my distress I at last opened my heart to a learned and venerable rabbi. He told me that God was angry with His people the temple was destroyed, and a Mohammedan mosque was reared up in its place. The only, spot on this earth where we dare shed the blood of sacrifice, in accordance with Deuteronomy 12 and Leviticus 17, was desecrated and our nation scattered. That was why there was no blood. God had Himself closed the way to carry out the solemn service of the great day of atonement. Now we must turn to the Talmud, and rest on its instructions, and trust in the mercy of God and the merits of the fathers.

I tried to be satisfied but could not. Something seemed to say that the law was unaltered, even though our temple was destroyed. Nothing else but the blood could atone for the soul. We dare not shed blood for atonement elsewhere than in the place the Lord had chosen. Then we were left without atonement at all. The thought filled me with horror. In my distress I consulted many other rabbis. I had but one great question, "Where can I find the blood of atonement?"

I was over thirty years of age when I left Palestine and came to Constantinople, with my still unanswered question ever before my mind, and my soul exceedingly troubled about my sins. One night I was walking down one of the narrow streets of that city, when I saw a sign telling of a meeting for Jews. Curiosity led me to open the door and go in. Just as I took a seat I heard a man say: "The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." I was my first introduction to Christianity, but I listened breathlessly as the speaker told how God had declared that "Without shedding of blood is no remission," but that He had given His only begotten Son, the Lamb of God, to die, and all who trusted in His Blood were forgiven all their iniquities. This was the Messiah of the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah; this was the Suffering Servant of Psalm 22. Ah, my brethren, I had found the blood atonement at last. I trusted it, and now I love to read the New Testament and see how all the shadows of the law are fulfilled in Jesus. His Blood has been shed for sinners. It has satisfied God, and it is the only means of salvation for either Jew or Gentile.

[wizanda]

So does that mean we should drink blood?

What does Balaam teachings mean?

Was Yeshua a clean 'sacrifice'?

[may]

Originally Posted by wizanda

So does that mean we should drink blood?

What does Balaam teachings mean?

Was Yeshua a clean 'sacrifice'?

For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU, except these necessary things, to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU!" ACTS 15;28-29

(Genesis 9:4) Only flesh with its soul—its blood—YOU must not eat.

(Leviticus 3:17) "‘It is a statute to time indefinite for YOUR generations, in all YOUR dwelling places: YOU must not eat any fat or any blood at all.’"

(Leviticus 7:26) "‘And YOU must not eat any blood in any places where YOU dwell, whether that of fowl or that of beast.

(Leviticus 17:10) "‘As for any man of the house of Israel or some alien resident who is residing as an alien in YOUR midst who eats any sort of blood, I shall certainly set my face against the soul that is eating the blood, and I shall indeed cut him off from among his people.

(Deuteronomy 12:16) Only the blood YOU must not eat. On the earth you should pour it out as water.

(Deuteronomy 12:23) Simply be firmly resolved not to eat the blood, because the blood is the soul and you must not eat the soul with the flesh.

(1 Samuel 14:32) And the people began darting greedily at the spoil and taking sheep and cattle and calves and slaughtering them on the earth, and the people fell to eating along with the blood................................... Taking a leaf out of your book, i thought i would quote some scripture, and i think it will answer your question. and the answer is quite clear that we should not drink blood . and that applys to christians also. infact in acts 15;28-29 it says to abstain from blood . so to abstain means to have nothing to do with it . if a doctor told us to abstain from something, we would not touch it . because it would be bad for us , its the same with blood God says to abstain from it .

[sojourner]

The preponderance of Christianity do not embrace substitutionary atonement.

Christians do not drink blood. We drink wine in which is recognized the real presence of Christ.

[FatMan]

Blood had a significance as being the sign of life. Some cultures/sects believed that by drinking blood that you were rejuvenating yourself - adding life per se.

[wizanda]

Originally Posted by sojourner

The preponderance of Christianity do not embrace substitutionary atonement.

Christians do not drink blood. We drink wine in which is recognized the real presence of Christ.

Lev 10:9
(9) Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

Mar 9:41
(41) For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Rev 14:8
(8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 16:6
(6) For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are accountable.

[Wandered Off]

Originally Posted by charles brough

It is no longer popular in churches to emphasize BLOOD, but it most certainly was emphasized in churches until a generation or so ago.

It's interesting how subtle and pervasive the messages are. As a kid, I never gave much thought to all the hymns where we sang about blood. We just sang whatever the music person said to. For me now, it's almost surreal to look around and see ordinary people who would otherwise be squeamish around blood smile, sway, and sing rapturous songs about it.

For fun, I made a list of some (certainly not all) hymns that feature blood in the title. Many more mentioned it in the verses...
- - - - - - - - -
Are you washed in the Blood?

By The Blood That Flowed From Thee

Covered by the Blood

Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

Jesus, Whose Blood So Freely Streamed

Let Thy Blood in Mercy Poured

Nothing But the Blood

Oh The Blood of Jesus

Saved by the Blood

The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power

The Bloodwashed Pilgrim

The Blood-Washed Throng

There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood

There Is Power in the Blood

Redeemed Through the Blood

Under the Blood

When I See the Blood
- - - - - - - -


If taken literally, it can get a bit creepy.

[wizanda]

Good point.....it is also very noticeable in most fake bits in the Bible (John, Paul, Simon the stone (peter), as they start with Blood sprinkling and Grace...which is obviously false as Zechariah 4 says, "they will shout grace, grace unto the plummet-line (test)....yet grace was cut off due to Zechariah 11 completion to the letter of the potters field prophecy......

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by wizanda

Lev 10:9
(9) Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

Mar 9:41
(41) For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Rev 14:8
(8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 16:6
(6) For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are accountable.

Proof-texting is not good exegesis. Bad exegesis breeds bad theology.