The Blood Covenant                     

(Author - Vilbert Vallane) vvilbert@sify.com

THE BLOOD COVENANT

The Pt.1: Tracing the History of the Covenant

When you understand the covenant relationship, then you understand why Jesus came to this earth and the meaning of the scripture that tells us that He died that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. Through His death, the Lord Jesus brought about the New Covenant of His blood. That is what this is about. Most who go to church and even have been saved for some time have no idea what the blood covenant is all about or what Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary that we call the finished works of Calvary as captured by the words of Christ Himself when He exclaimed on the cross, " It is finished."

Let us begin with these verses: Psalm 25:14 "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant." Psalm 89:34 "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." What does the scripture mean by the word covenant? The first place the word covenant is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 6:18. "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons\' wives with thee." The first use of covenant has to do with God dealing with Noah and the saving of his family from the judgment that was to come upon the world.

The law of first reference says that whatever the meaning of a word or the way it is first used in the Bible, is the meaning of the word whenever it is used later in the Bible. Here the word covenant is used in reference to an Ark that would become the Ark of safety and deliverance for Noah and his family. Genesis 6:14 "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch." It says that the Ark was pitched within and without with a black pitch. In this verse there are two different Hebrew words used for pitch. The first word for pitch means to cover and is a word for atone and is translated in different places as appease, make atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge, make reconciliation. The last word for pitch in this verse is in reference to a black tar like substance that will seal wood. So the scripture could read; And Noah did atone the boat with pitch. So the Ark is a type of protection and atonement. Noah built a boat to the saving of his household, which is the covenant that God made with him. So the theme of the covenant is about God protecting a people. God raising up a people, protecting that people and developing a personal relationship with those people.

The Hebrew word for covenant, 'beriyth, ber-eeth' is found 280 times in the Old Testament and means a compact (because it was made by passing between pieces of flesh: It is translated as confederacy, covenant, or league). Ex: When God made covenant with Abram in Genesis 15:9-10,17-18a. "And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not... And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram..." The root word means to eat and also to cut. So a covenant, in Old Testament times, involved the eating of a sacrificial meal and the cutting of the flesh of an animal and so also refers to the shedding of blood. The English word covenant is used 272 times in the Old Testament. The word 'beriyth, ber-eeth' is sometimes translated as 'league', which appears 19 times in the Old Testament, but some of those are translated from the Hebrew word chabar, khaw-bar\' meaning to join or have fellowship with. The word covenant seems to come form an ancient Semitic word from the Middle East area where the Arab and Nomad people became blood brothers by cutting their wrists or palm of their hand, the blood of which ran into a cup and then it was mixed with wine and drank, signifying they were blood brothers by covenant. This introduced people into a tribe and also to the protection of the god that clan or tribe was under. This idea of blood being related to covenant is found throughout the world in various world religions. Dr. Livingston was in Africa and a man named Stanley went on a search to find him. Stanley wanted to know how to get into Africa and travel and be protected. He was told that he had to cut the covenant with a chieftain. He did. The chieftain had a man representing him and Stanley had a man representing him. They cut a slit in their wrist and drink from the cup their blood was caught in. Then they put gunpowder over the wound so that it would heal and then they had to exchange gifts. Now Stanley had ulcers so he carried a goat with him to drink the milk. The chief wanted the goat and Stanley was hesitant to do it and then he was told that if he didn't give up the goat the chief might kill him because they had made covenant and what was his now belonged to the chief. So, he gave his goat to the chief and asked what he would get in return. The Chief gave him a big stick with copper on top of it. Stanley thought that he just gave up his goat for some dumb stick. But what Stanley didn't realize was that that stick represented the chief. So when Stanley's man would hold this staff up when they went to different African tribes, they all honored Stanley and it opened the door to him because he had made covenant with one of the great chieftains in Africa. Also they spoke a blessing over a person for obeying the covenant and a curse if they disobeyed it, just as in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." We know that through the crucifixion of Christ we enter into a covenant relationship with Him and Jesus bears the scars, the mark of the covenant in his hands. I believe that he does not bear physical scars, but literal holes in his hands and feet where the nails were driven and there are numerous reasons for this including the scripture in John 20:27 "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." Jesus blood ran from his body and so there was no clotting of blood and no closing of the wound when He was buried. Then that body rose from the dead and has no blood according to scripture. I believe it is as it was in that respect. Also, because a man of God was taken to heaven said when he fell at his feet the first thing he saw was the holes left by the nails and it impressed upon him the great price that He paid for our salvation. But in the ancient time they cut the wrist or palm of the hand to cut covenant. Isaiah 62:8 "The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured." Many times in the covenant, they would make an oath by raising their right arm. It was a sign of oath or covenant. This oath was the sealing of the covenant. This has carried over even to our court systems today, in raising the right hand to make an oath to speak the truth. Abraham did this in Genesis 15. He raises his right hand and made an oath to the Lord.

So as the first use of covenant in the Bible was in relationship to Noah building an ark to save his household, the theme of the Bible is God saving a people, delivering a people, protecting that people and eventually replacing it with the New Covenant to save all men of all races that would believe in Christ and the price He paid to make covenant with all men who would receive it. Anytime the word 'beriyth, ber-eeth' is used it implies a cutting of some kind and the shedding of blood. Our Bible is made in two parts, the Old Testament or Old Covenant and New Testament or New Covenant.

The real covenant story began in Genesis. The Old Covenant was made by God with Abraham and carried till the death and resurrection of Jesus, which instituted the New Covenant of His blood. The word testament is an English word for a will, as we speak of a last will and testament concerning someone who has died. Hebrews tells us that a will or testament is not in force until the testator dies (Hebrews 9:17). It is a will with promises and provisions, that if we will obey we will be in covenant with God. Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant. This is the foundation to understand the covenant and that when you enter into a relationship with God, everything He has belongs to you and everything that you have now belongs to Him. You take His name and His nature and He removes your sins. I call it the Divine Exchange. What you have for what He has. What you are for what He is. It's your life for His life, not the harlot version of Christianity today where God gives you everything with no strings attached and you owe Him nothing in return.

The first reference of the cutting of animal skins is not with Abraham or even Noah, but in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Even fell by sin. God then killed two animals and used the skins to cover Adam and Eve. Later it became the slaying of animals for Hebrews 9:22 says, without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin). All covenants have several features. First there are the terms of agreement. This is what I am expecting out of you and what I am expecting you to do. The terms of agreement in Genesis for the covenant was that all Jewish males born from Abraham onward were to be circumcised on the 8th day. The reason God picked the 8th day for circumcision was never understood until modern medical science showed that on the 8th day the baby has more of the blood clotting substance, (vitamin K), that an any other time in their life. That way the child healed much faster with less bleeding. Also it is interesting to note that the number 8 is used in the Bible to represent new beginnings.

The circumcision of the male child was a verification and testimony that you were in agreement with God and were in covenant with Him. That circumcision was the mark of the covenant. In the New Testament the agreement is by circumcision of the heart and our agreeing to obey Him. The mark of circumcision in the New Testament is that of a change of heart and agreeing with the Word of God by repentance of sin. Secondly, in all covenants there was the swearing of an oath and sealing of the blood. In the Old Testament it was done through animal sacrifices and in the New Testament through the blood of Jesus that was shed for all men at Calvary. In the Old Testament, men brought a bull or goat or ram to offer on the altar as a sign of repentance of sin. Christ paid the price for our entering into covenant with God and we merely accept His sacrifice by faith and the covenant is sealed with His blood instead of the blood of animals.

In all covenants there are the blessing of keeping covenant and the curse for breaking covenant. That is spelled out in Deuteronomy chapters 27 & 28. There was the blessing of the law for keeping it and the curse of the law for disobeying the terms of the covenant. In the New Testament we have been redeemed from the curse of the law, Christ being made a curse for us. But that doesn't mean that there is not a qualification and demand for our obedience. We are redeemed from the curse of sin and the punishment for that sin when we repent of sin. But God still requires obedience to the repentant sinner, which brings God's blessings upon that life. If we disobey we are chastised or punished by God for disobedience. If we walk in obedience to the Lord, then we have the promises of the covenant. As, John 14:14 "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." Yet the requirement and condition is given in verse 15, that we keep his commandments. So all covenants have an agreement, a sealing of blood or an oath and a blessing and curse. That is the same whether in the Old or New Testament.

The first reference of the word covenant is Genesis 6:18 when God made a covenant with Noah and his family that if they would build an Ark, He would spare them and then through them repopulated the earth. "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons\' wives with thee." Genesis 9:15 was another covenant God made with Noah as representing all mankind, that He would never again destroy the earth with water and the sign of the covenant was the rainbow. "And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." We see a half circle; half rainbow on earth and the other part of it is round about the throne in heaven (Revelation 4:3). "And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald." If you put the two together they would form a complete circle, as there is a circle in circumcision. God put half the bow on earth and half of the bow in heaven. It doesn't matter that there is a scientific explanation that it is caused by the bending of light rays by the water in the air. There had never been a rainbow or rain prior to this time. So here God made a change in nature and science and caused this to be so that we have a visible sign and reminder of his promise and covenant with man.

Then God made a covenant with Abraham to make a great nation of him. Genesis 17:1-2, 5-6. "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly... Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee." So God promised to make Abraham great, his name great and his seed great. In Noah's covenant the sign of the covenant was the rainbow (Genesis 9:13). "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." For Abraham, the sign or token of the covenant was circumcision (Genesis 17:11-12). "And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed." God was so serious of this that he said if the child was not circumcised on the 8th day, then the soul of that child would be cut off from among the people.

In Exodus, Moses was told to go down to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go and Moses took his wife and two sons and their came the time where God sought to kill Moses and his two sons. Moses then did something that upset his wife greatly. He immediately had her circumcise his two sons, which had not been circumcised and she called him a bloody man. Exodus 4:24-26 "And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision."

God would not let Moses go gown to Egypt without putting his sons under the covenant. When Joshua was about to lead the children of Israel into the promised land, there were a lot of men born in the wilderness that were not circumcised and Joshua had them all circumcised and then they had to wait to recover before beginning the trip. In each case, God demanded that all males be circumcised before they entered into battle because He could not protect them and fulfill the promises of his covenant if they were uncircumcised going into battle. Because circumcision was a demand or condition and sign of the covenant with God, it became so important to the Jewish people that in the day of the early church many thought that without circumcision one couldn't become a Christian and be a follower of Jesus. They believed this so strongly because their law said the soul that was not circumcised would be cut off from among the people. When a Jewish man would go into his wife to have a child, the seed of sperm has to pass through the mark of the covenant before entering the woman's body. It meant that the seed was marked for the covenant and that is why the male circumcision was so important in the time of the Bible as a mark and sign of their covenant with God.

Remember the story of Mr. Stanley. In marriage, the covenant is the same. Whatever is your wife's becomes yours and what is yours becomes hers. That which you own or that which you owe become common ownership and responsibility in the marriage covenant. All covenants have that exchange of possession and responsibility. Again, showing the power of the covenant. When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham's nephew Lot was living in the city. So, God first went to Abraham with his plan to destroy the city and would not destroy the city without first telling Abraham because of their covenant and Abraham could negotiate with God because he had family relatives in the city. In Genesis 22:1-2 God asked Abraham to go offer his son upon an altar. "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Abraham didn't answer and say, but if I offer my son and he dies, how will your word to me then be fulfilled? Abraham understood the covenant he had and that if God wanted something from him, then he was obligated to give it to God, but also, if he needed something from God, then God would give it to him. This is the real understanding of the covenant that we have missed and lost today. We have this concept of God, at least as I grew up in the A/G, where He could make demands of us, but we are not allowed to make demands of Him. He is God and we are but servants and that is true. But that is not the covenant relationship we have been given through the blood of Jesus, if we truly enter into that covenant with Him. If we are walking in the covenant and being obedient of God's demands of us, then if we have need of anything, we have a right to ask it and He said He will do it. If I am in true covenant with God, if I believe it and walk in it, then all I have belongs to Him and all He has belongs to me. That is where the promise of Philippians 4:19 comes in. "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." It isn't good for anyone who claims to be a Christian, but those who walk in the covenant. My need becomes His, but only when His needs become mine. When He needs me to witness to someone, I do it. When he needs me to help someone, give to someone, whatever He asks me to do that I do it. As we obey Him and do what He asks of us, then we walk in covenant and the blessing and favor of God will come to us.

We see that the covenant and blessing is passed on from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob. Then in the time of Moses the Hebrew people are in Egypt. They have become slaves and are building these treasure cities for Pharaoh. Exodus 2:24 "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." As the people cried out to Him, He remembered His covenant with them. It doesn't mean that He had forgotten His covenant with the people, but when they began to cry out, then His covenant came in remembrance to Him, that He had promised Abraham that after 400 years He would bring them out of Egypt (Genesis 15:13-14). "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance." And God did all He promised Abraham He would do. Then they got into the wilderness and started worshipping this cow and the Lord told Moses that He would kill them and start over with Moses and rise up a new nation from him (Exodus 32:7-14). As Abraham understood that as He was required to give God anything He asked for, the Lord was also required to meet His needs and grant His requests, Moses understood that God will become angry with His people for their disobedience, but God is still faithful to His covenant if He is reminded of it and will never break it and He will be faithful in taking care of His people.

Again and again in the Old Testament we see the prophets prayed in the name of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That was to remind God that they were of the seed of Abraham, whom God had made covenant with. In Luke we were told the woman with a spirit of infirmity was a daughter of Abraham meaning that she came under God's covenant (Luke 13:16). So when Moses said remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus 32:13, he was praying a covenant prayer to remind God of His covenant with His people. "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever."

In the time of King David, God made a covenant with Him for a throne and a king to rule from Jerusalem. Abraham had a covenant concerning the land of Israel. Moses had a covenant concerning the nation of Israel and David had a covenant concerning the city of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. The covenant with David had to do with his being kind and his descendants ruling from Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 7:12-14 "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever." Psalm 89:4 "Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations." Also Psalm 132:11-12.

King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin was the first kind of Israel, then God raised up David out of the prophetic tribe of Judah. David ruled for 40 years and gave the throne to Solomon who ruled for 40 years, who passed the throne to Rehoboam. Rehoboam made some foolish decisions, which were from the Lord, so that He could split the kingdom between the North and South. From that time, David had a descendent that sat upon the throne in Israel, though only over one tribe. David had been a man after God's own heart, but he made a serious error in the matter of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. The prophet Nathan then came to David and he was told his judgment in 2 Samuel 12:9-11. "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun." David had a son named Adonijah, a son named Amnon, and a son named Absolom. The first son of Bathsheba died because of his sin and then the second was Solomon. But because this sword did not depart from David's house, he outlived four of his sons. But we can still see the power of the covenant with David, whom God made a covenant with concerning his throne. 1 Kings 15:4 "Nevertheless for David\'s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem." 86 years after David died. So even though this descendant of David didn't do what was right, God left him in power in Jerusalem to fulfill his covenant with David. This also is stated concerning several other descendants of David. 2 Kings 8:18-19 "And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant\'s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children." Jehoram came to power 156 years after David. 2 Kings 8:16 "And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign." Ahab's wife was Jezebel, one of the most wicked women in the Bible and it was her daughter that was married to Jehoram. They were wicked and didn't do what was right in God's sight, but God didn't do remove him because of His promise and covenant He made with David.

Psalm 89:34 "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Isaiah 45:23a "I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return." When God says something, it is settled and He will fulfill it. When God swears by Himself He is saying I guarantee that I will keep my word and if I break my word, I will destroy my throne in the heavens. That is the power of God's Word. That is why we were given Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Isaiah 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 2 Corinthians 1:20 "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Jeremiah 1:12 "For I will hasten my word to perform it."

And so God allowed these wicked men to reign on the throne because of His promise and covenant to David, which He would not break. In 2 Kings 20 king Hezekiah, 313 years after David had died, needs a miracle of healing, the Assyrians are invading the city. 2 Kings 20:5-6 "Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David\'s sake." This is the third example that specifically names David and God's faithfulness of His promise. God was still remembering David, 313 years after his death. That was the power of the covenant and word of God and why His covenant is unchangeable. Psalm 119:89 "For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 105:8 "He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations." In his anger, God could have gotten rid of those wicked kings. He didn't justify their sins but said the only reason you have not been removed from the throne is that I am remembering your father David and the covenant I have made with him.

Remember that in the first context and use of the word covenant in scripture, it had to do with Noah and his building an ark. It was God telling Noah that He would save Noah and his family if he would be obedient and build the ark. God's will is to save. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. His will is to save you and your house. We do our best to train up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, yet many of them leave the Lord and walk out in sin and rebellion. This is where, if we are walking in covenant, we can stand for them, that God would save them. Many sitting in church have come to Jesus to be their savior, but they have not made Him Lord in your life. They have come to Him for fire insurance and that is the extent of their understanding. When you make Him Lord, it means that you belong to Him, that He is your owner and He is the Lord over your life. Then you don't make decisions without consulting Him; you don't do things contrary to the Word of God. You walk in covenant with Him. Then God works on your behalf in ways He cannot in the lives of those who do not have a covenant with Him. There are others, who do more than just believe God for salvation and actually do things 'for' God. Matthew 7:21-23 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." The Greek word for knew, means to have an intimate relationship with. God wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him. To understand that is to understand the covenant that He wants to make and has provided to make with us through His blood. The theme of scripture in relationship to covenant is that God wants to save you and your family.

In the time of Abraham, God birthed the nation through Isaac and then Jacob who became Israel and his sons became the nation of Israel, God's covenant people. Then through His covenant people, God revealed His prophets, His covenant and raised up a people through which the Messiah would come into the world and bring redemption through the New Covenant of His blood. The Old Testament predicted that God would write His word upon their hearts and establish a New Covenant with His people and this He did through Christ.

In Hebrew, the word for covenant means to cut and implies a cutting of flesh. In the Old Testament it was the slaying of animals. The whole understanding of the covenant is tied to understanding the role of blood, for there can be no covenant without the shedding of blood. World religions have some form of offering of blood. Even Satanism uses blood in sacrifices, sometimes animal and sometimes-human blood because they believe that in sacrificing blood there is power.

Most alleged haunted houses have demons connected to them. Though men believe that the souls of people haunt them, we know that is not true, for the souls of men who have died do not remain on the surface of the earth to roam about. But demons like to hang around areas where blood has been shed, whether through human sacrifices of false religions or from murder. They hang around areas where blood is shed. We know that the life of the flesh is in the blood from Leviticus 17:11 and the word for life means soul. The soul of he flesh is in the blood. We know that when Cain killed Abel, scripture says that his blood began to cry out from the ground. So, blood has some kind of voice.

The spirit world is given a certain amount of authority or it can be restrained through blood. This works in both kingdoms, that of God and that of darkness. You might ask, 'what do you mean by that?' In Exodus 12 at the time of the Passover, when the blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts of the Hebrew, the death angel was restrained and unable to enter into the Hebrews house. Blood can restrain the enemy. In Revelation 12:11 it tells us the same things, that we can overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb. So blood affects the spirit realm. In the Old Testament they could lay an animal on an alter and shed the blood of that animal and that blood didn't bring forgiveness, but atoned for their sins. It covered their sins. But the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. The blood of Jesus justifies us. So we see that many times in false religions they use blood. It is a coping of what God intended for His people to understand in relationship to the covenant of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. False religions, witchcraft, Satanism always use some form of blood because they believe that blood has power to it and they gain power by shedding blood.

In the Old Testament it was always the blood of animals that was sacrificed. The blood of a bull, goat, ram, lamb or even a turtle dove. When we come to the New Covenant and understand the mystery of the blood of Jesus Christ, we understand the New Covenant was ratified and sealed by the blood of Jesus. However in some religions as Muslims, there is no concept of sin or of the shedding of blood. Now when God created Adam, He breathed into Adam. Scripture says that when Jesus breathed the breath of life into the dirt that became Adam, he became a living soul. Scripture tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. The soul is in the blood. The name Adam means God's blood and Adam was the created son of God. Jesus was called the second Adam, because He was the second man Adam to come into the world with the pure blood of God. We know that Jesus having not an earthly father and that the blood comes from the father, received his blood from God the Holy Spirit who impregnated Mary with the seed of God. And we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. When Adam sinned, something happened to his blood and he died. Had he not sinned, he would have lived forever. Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" So, through Adam's sin and death, that sinful nature and death was passed on to all. That seed of Adam, now a fallen seed, was and is still passed on from father to son or daughter. This is the very reason and purpose for the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. That He might not be of the fallen seed and corrupted blood of Adam, but the second Adam, having the pure blood of God. God dropped the seed of the Word of God into Mary. That seed is a life force. As man has a seed, the Word of God is called seed and they both come from the same Greek word. The seed of God's Word has a life force within itself and is able to reproduce life. And we are born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. 1Peter 1:23 "Born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." When God dropped His seed into the virgin Mary, she conceived not only in the physical part of her body, but blood began to form in the body of Jesus. We also know that the blood type comes from the father's seed and not the mother and so the blood that was in Jesus, as the blood that was in Adam, was pure blood that came from the father in heaven. I think the blood of Adam and Jesus were the same. They both were pure and originated from God. Why in the crucifixion, did the blood of Jesus have to come out of His body? His blood was unique in that Jesus knew no sin for He was sinless and His blood pure. But He that knew no sin; took our sins upon Himself, that we who are sinners, might become the righteousness of God, through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 "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."

Next we will look into mystery of the blood, the mystery of the marks on the body of Christ and the New Covenant that we might understand our relationship to Jesus and our covenant to Him.

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