The Compelling Exhortation bound within the principles of the atonement is reflected in the lesson of the blood. Blood is the icon of the atonement.
The repetitive application of the blood throughout the Mosaic rituals underlines the significance of its message. The pouring out of the blood represented the pouring out of life. God establishes this relationship between blood and life to Noah: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Gen. 9:4).
Blood and mortal life
Blood, however, does not represent life in general. There are three basic categories of life presented in the divine record:
- Undying life is how Adam and Eve were created. They were not immortal, nor were they dying. They were subject to death if they disobeyed but death was not a certainty as it is in our current cursed state.
- Mortal life is what we now inherit at birth, cursed with the certainty of death.
- Immortal life is what we hope to be clothed with. This is a life never subject to death.
Blood is symbolic of the cursed life of mortality but not representative of undying or immortal life. Blood sacrifice was not practiced before sin was introduced into creation but was immediately reflected in the animal skin coverings God provided for Adam and Eve to cover the shame of their nakedness. This eliminates the application of blood being representative of undying life.
Even though we know blood offerings will be practiced in the millennial kingdom when the saints will possess immortality, we can eliminate the relationship between blood and immortal life. This is clear in the apostle Paul’s declaration concerning blood in the context of his presentation of the experience of immortalization for the saints: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. 15:50). Paul continues his discourse on the resurrection by explaining the resurrection that follows judgment, the raising up of our nature from cursed to blessed and from mortal to immortal. Of all the components of the human body available to mention, Paul specifically identifies two highly symbolic features: flesh and blood. Blood and immortality are incompatible. We, therefore, cannot associate blood with immortal life. There is only one category of life left to associate with blood – the cursed life that creation groans and travails over.
Blood laws
There are two great laws concerning the blood in scripture. The first is expressed in Genesis 9: “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.” Eating blood was forbidden.
God commands His people what they must not do with the blood and also tells them what they are required to do with the blood. They must pour it out at the altar. These two blood laws are both presented in Deuteronomy 12:23,27:
Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the lift; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh…And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.
The second great law concerning blood is that it had to be poured out. Sacrificial animals had their blood poured out at the altar. Wild, but ritually clean, animals had their blood poured out into the dust and covered with dust.
Lessons for ourselves
Since blood represents life under the curse of death the divine message is inescapable. We are required by our Heavenly Father to pour out our lives at our altar – Jesus Christ. We are forbidden from consuming life or indulging in life (eating blood). The blood/life of the sacrificial animal, representing the saints, had to be poured out at the altar. The blood/life of the wild, untamed animal (roebuck, hart, etc.) could not be taken to the altar but had to be poured into the dust and covered with dust. This tells us that the life of those who refuse to pour their lives out at the feet of Jesus Christ is bound to the curse of the dust — “Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return,” dust shall be the serpent’s meat.
We are forbidden to indulge in life, to live indulgently, consuming life or to live for the moment. This is the philosophy of the world. We are required to live sacrificially, to put ourselves last and everyone else first, to live for the future and to be a giver, pouring ourselves out continually. We must live sacrificially as opposed to indulgently. This is the exhortational principle displayed in the blood, representing mortal life. This is why flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom. We must be symbolically bloodless when we stand before our judge. We must have poured our lives out continuously, living sacrificially every day if we hope to be covered with immortality.
We all know this is not an easy thing to do. There is very little appreciation shown to one who lives sacrificially, both in our society and sometimes even in the ecclesia. Far more frequently those who live sacrificially are exploited. Compounding the difficulty is the requirement that we accept this treatment without redress, returning good for evil and blessing for cursing. However, we recognize that the reward is infinitely worth the sacrifice. Our eyes of faith are focused on the horizon, not the next step in front of us.
The conflict within
These are issues we academically recognize and remind ourselves repeatedly in our efforts to fuel our resolve. We understand that the enemy is within us. Our natural impulse is to indulge and satisfy self. The flesh and the spirit battle for our mind constantly. This natural tendency to translate everything in our lives indulgently is reflected in the fact that the blood rushes through our body powered by the heart. We are told that the heart is the greatest deceiver in creation. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).
Blood, representing mortality, is driven through our bodies by our deceitful hearts, very appropriately. The very design of our bodies is consistent with scriptural symbolism and the principles of the truth.
The relentless ego
This feature of the relentlessly self-absorbed heart is well expressed in the term “ego.” Our ego catapults self-interest to the forefront of our attention. Daily readings, Bible study and prayer suppress the power of the ego. Over a period of time the reflective mind, remembering the pain of past ego-driven mistakes, will grow in wisdom. But ego never disappears. It can only be suppressed and its power limited by the constant reintroduction of spiritual thinking.
Although there are many so-called gods in our society, there has really only been one that challenges Yahweh for our allegiance. This is ego. When all forms of false religions are examined, we see a common thread: it is self-worship, surrendering to ego. When we consider the various doctrines of popular Christianity, self-worship stares us in the face. Each false doctrine promotes the flesh and degrades the one true God.
Man’s ego vs. God’s truth
The doctrine of the fallen angel devil tells us that we are not truly to blame. The evil in the world comes from outside us and in reality it is God who is to blame, since He can’t control His own angels. We are told God either doesn’t have the power or the inclination to stop this fallen angel, and therefore we suffer. This doctrine elevates the flesh and degrades the spirit.
The doctrine of the trinity asks us to believe that God had to change Himself into the image and likeness of man in order to save us. Yet the intention of creation was that man be in the image and likeness of God. The trinity reverses the order of significance. Instead of a doctrine that requires us to reshape ourselves into God’s image and likeness, we are told that God lowers Himself to be like us. Man becomes the standard to which God must align Himself when ego is unrestrained by truth. Yahweh is degraded while man is elevated. Mirror worship is the foundation for false doctrine.
The shallow concept of instant, guaranteed salvation is another ego written doctrine that tells us we can earn salvation by mouthing a short little magic phrase. The flesh is accommodated and the spirit is brushed aside.
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul declares that there is nothing inherently pure or sinless in God’s nature. Mankind, with its immortal souls, can still sin.
God’s nature is degraded and the flesh is elevated when ego establishes the terms of worship. It makes no difference what name a religion goes by or where in the world it is found. The common thread will always be there self-promotion at the expense of the Creator. There are really only two gods in the world to choose from: Yahweh or the mirror. The mirror is given a lot of different names around the world, but the consistent feature is exaltation of the flesh at the expense of the Creator.
If we wish to partake of God’s nature, we have to recognize the uncleanness of our own nature and reject it. We are told to pour out our lives at the feet of Jesus Christ, as reflected in the pouring out of the blood of the sacrificial animals at the bronze altar. In the next commentary, we will examine the ego conspiracy in Daniel and the practical application of the pouring out of the blood as it applies to the ego.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One