Leviticus 17:1-12
Life is in the Blood
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord —that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people. 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to theLord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings. 6 The priest is to splash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 7 They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.’
8 “Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance to the tentof meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord must be cut off from the people of Israel.
10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible. ’”
Hebrews 9:24-26
The Blood of Jesus
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
John 6:53
The Blood of Jesus
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
Revelations 1:1-8
Prologue
1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Greetings and Doxology
4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father —to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
John 14:6
No One Gets to the Father, Except Through Jesus
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:8-12
Jesus is Our Salvation
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Colossians 1:14-20 (KJV)
Jesus' Blood Redeems Us
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Hebrews 9:12
By His Own Blood He Enters Heaven
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Blood is of great importance to life, both in ancient times and today...Moses wrote in Leviticus that the life of a creature is in its blood, because the life of everything is its blood...God gave the blood of an animal to make an atonement for our life and and our soul, when we sinned...
Our ancestors of old, believed that blood was a sacred transaction with God...Life was exchanged for death...Our ancestors and their culture believed that blood could wash away their sins...Many nations outside of Israel also used to sacrifice animals, but God would limit sacrifices...And had the people of Israel never sinned, then they would have no reason to sacrifice an animal...A sacrifice was not a sign of being holy, but a sign that you (by making the sacrifice) had sinned and were willing to repent from your sins...Sacrifice was your confession of your sin...And sinning has a penalty (first we lost an animal)...But much, much more importantly, it keeps us from God...By repenting and following God is the good news that Jesus brought us...He brought us the Great News of God's willing to forgive us for our sins...
Jesus is our Savior...Jesus died on the cross and was sacrificed for us and our sins...Jesus appeared on earth one time and His dying and sacrifice is needed only once...Our sins are forgiven forever, because of Him...He has entered the Most Holy of Places and His blood fulfills the requirement of sacrifice for our sins...St. Paul wrote to the Colossians that we have redemption through His blood, and even the forgiveness of our own sins...We sin and are unjust, but God has allowed His Son to die on the cross, for our punishment and His justice by His Grace is forgiveness...
When Jesus was on earth, His Father was (and is) always a part of His life...No one talked more about God than Jesus did...Jesus was either talking about God and giving us lessons in His teachings and parables, or going off to pray to His Father in a solitary place...When He teaches us to eat His flesh and drink His blood, He is saying to us to depend on Him everyday, just like He does His Father...He wants to be a part of our lives, not just when we are in trouble, but in every aspect of our lives...He wants to be with us in the good times and our bad times...When we have a small decision to make or a large decision that we need help on -He is there for us...He wants us to pray to His Father in Heaven and to Him...
Jesus did not need another type of sacrifice to enter heaven and the Holy Place...He was allowed to enter heaven by His own blood...And by His own blood, He has obtained eternal redemption for us...No one gets to His Father, except through Him and salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must and can be be saved...