His Blood - Matthew 27:24-26

Matthew 27:24-26 NASB 

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “ His blood shall be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.

God used this awful deed for the good of mankind. The people shouted for the blood of Jesus and God would let that happen.  They spitefully spilled the blood of Jesus and chose a criminal over the Son of God. God took His blood as an offering and atonement to cleanse the very people who poured it out in hatred. He performed this sacrifice out of love. 

His blood would be on them and us and allow man to be reconciled with God.  We are able to find and fulfill our purpose, and to eat from the tree of life. 

Leviticus 17:11

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement. ’

Zechariah 9:11

Deliverance of Judah and Ephraim

 As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you,

I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Hebrews 9:22

And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Exodus 12:13

The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Eighth Day - Genesis 17:12-14

Genesis 17:12-14 NASB
He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

There were seven days in the creation story.

The new creation might be implied as the eighth day, and foreshadowed by the covenant of circumcision in the flesh. This would prepare the way for an understanding of a circumcised heart, for the type of worshipper sought by God.

The heart that God seeks is one that is covenanted with His.
He took on our flesh so that we might take on His Spirit.
We are marked by that Spirit and sealed as children of His household.

Those born in the house of Israel and those ransomed by the blood of Jesus are brought into an everlasting covenant with the Living God.

Romans 2:28-29
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Exodus 12:48-49
If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

God Did - Romans 8:3

Romans 8:3 NASB 

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did:sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

The Law was perfect but was unable to perfect man. It was but a shadow of the full revelation.  It pointed to the light of life when we began to see the walls of our sin which blocked the way to that life. 

Then God did a glorious thing. He came in the likeness of the flesh that was decaying with the sickness of sin. He was lifted up as a sin offering on our behalf, cleansing our flesh if we would drink of the living water. 

We were all condemned through the Law.  Israel received the word of God in order that the world could hear it.  They passed it along without hearing the word themselves. They could not see Him though He stood before them. Through them we are given that word.  They will join us in the fullness of time. 

Galatians 3:21-22

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Hebrews 7:18-19

For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 10:1

 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

If We Love - 1 John 4:12

1 John 4:12 NASB 

No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

God is visible when we love one another.  We become brighter stars in the kingdom of heaven.  This is the knowing. 

John 1:18

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Like A Tree

Psalms 1:1-3 ESV 

 Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

 He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

 In all that he does, he prospers.

The meditation of the blessed man is the stream which flows from the throne of God through His word and the Holy Spirit into the heart of the believer. Like the tree of life that feeds this planting, its leaves do not wither and it yields its fruit in season according to the season. 

He lives in the way that leads to life.

1 Peter 4:3-6

For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

Luke 11:28

But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The Law - Romans 8:2

Romans 8:2 ESV 

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

The Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. He does so for us. 

There are two laws, but they both speak of what is acceptable to God. 

The law of sin and death made a way and pointed to the Son. 

Jesus fulfills the law. The law is in Jesus and is overcome by Him. The chains of the old law taught us of our need for Christ.  We are no longer slaves to death, but have an inheritance as children of the Living God. 

It gave us the language to understand something of what God desires for us and the foundation of how we are to live. The law of the Spirit gives us the freedom to access that life. 

Galatians 5:1

 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

John 8:32

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

By The Sword, Famine, and Pestilence

Jeremiah 14:11-12 ESV
The Lord said to me: “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.”

Israel has turned their back on The Lord. The Lord tells Jeremiah they will be consumed and describes the judgement in terms that appear in Revelation as three of the four horseman loosed when the seals are broken on the scroll.

The fourth horseman in Revelation is actually the first, an unnamed rider on a white horse who goes forth conquering. In the Ezekiel passage below, four acts of judgement are listed. The the rider of the first horse may be representative of the beast of Satan. It is given that the saints will be conquered for a time. The length of this time is known only to God, but it has an end. The time of God's wrath will be fulfilled.

The horseman relay judgement on the world that Christ has set into motion when He rose to His throne. We are in the last days and the labor pains are increasing as the birth of a new creation grows closer. God increased the labor pains of Eve for her disobedience and we feel them now as mankind staggers toward the light.

Ezekiel 8:18
Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Ezekiel 14:21-23
“For thus says the Lord God:How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! But behold, some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”

No Condemnation - Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 NASB 

 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Condemnation has been lifted for those who follow after Jesus. He bore the penalty of death on our behalf. We participate in His death to experience His life. In that way we are raised with Him. 

How is it that we are in Christ Jesus?

It is because He is in us. We have the Holy Spirit poured out on each believer. That Spirit unifies that person with and in the body of Christ. 

Is it still possible that we still sin?  Most assuredly, but if we follow after the leading of the Spirit, we will find the Father. 

To wonder if this gives license to sin without fear of judgement is to reveal a precarious understanding the gospel. God will not be mocked. 

This might be an example of how someone might call out to The Lord and do things in His name only to hear Him say, "I never knew you".

John 14:20-21

In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

One Is - Matthew 23:8-12

Matthew 23:8-12 NASB 

But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

The mountains will be brought down and the valleys lifted up. The rough places will be made smooth and we will be One with The Lord. We are all brothers. 

Christ humbled Himself and He alone is our Teacher, our Father, and the King of Kings. 

 Romans 8:14-17

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “ Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

It Shall Come To Pass - Jeremiah 12:14-17

Jeremiah 12:14-17 ESV 

Thus says the Lord concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage that I have given my people Israel to inherit:“Behold, I will pluck them up from their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah from among them. And after I have plucked them up, I will again have compassion on them, and I will bring them again each to his heritage and each to his land. And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ even as they taught my people to swear by Baal, then they shall be built up in the midst of my people. But if any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord.”

The message is consistent in Scripture. 

There is one name by which all men will be saved. He overcame death and the world and lives, for He is the power of God.

Judah will once again teach the nations about The Lord. There are always those that will not listen. 

It shall come to pass. 

Amos 9:14-15

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,

and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;

 they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,

and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

 I will plant them on their land,

 and they shall never again be uprooted

out of the land that I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

Zephaniah 3:19-20

Behold, at that time I will deal

with all your oppressors.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

 At that time I will bring you in,

at the time when I gather you together;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

 when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes,” says the Lord.

From Dust To Light

Man was created from the dust of the earth. 

The earth was formless and void. 

Light shown on the earth, and earth began to take shape and be filled with that light. 

Man began to assume the image of God, most purely referred to as the Light. 

No image can represent that Light which fills everything. Shadows are created by those things which resist the light, casting the shadow of rebellion.  

This darkness of night serves as the setting for the stars of light whose source is the light of life. The night will end and the city of God will be filled with the bright and morning star that is given to each believer.  We will be clothed in the light of God and will serve as a light to the nations. 

We See Light - Psalms 36:7-9

Psalms 36:7-9 NASB 

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.

 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

The deep darkness of the earth lies in the heart of man.  God called out in the darkness and His word was the light of the world.  The earth was without form until the word took form and creation began to take shape. 

The Lord rises upon us and His glory will rest upon us. 

We will trade the glory of creation for the glory of God. We will come face to face with His Son and we will be like Him. The light of life will be ours and it will be very good!

Job 29:3

When His lamp shone over my head,

And by His light I walked through darkness;

Proverbs 4:18-19

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

 The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble.

Isaiah 60:1-2

 “ Arise, shine; for your light has come,

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth

And deep darkness the peoples;

But the Lord will rise upon you

And His glory will appear upon you.

Isaiah 60:19-20

“No longer will you have the sun for light by day,

Nor for brightness will the moon give you light;

But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,

And your God for your glory.

 “Your sun will no longer set,

Nor will your moon wane;

For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,

And the days of your mourning will be over.

John 8:12

 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “ I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who said, “ Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Not All Men - Matthew 19:10-12

Matthew 19:10-12 NASB 

The disciples *said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “ Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”

Different people have different gifts. We have different strengths and weaknesses, yet we are part of the single body of Christ. 

Within the purpose of the creation of man is the splendor of variation and wonder that is each person. The creative impulse from God is infinite. 

The Lord has given us life and calls us to life. 

We respond with who we are. God takes that unformed clay and fashions a work of art. 

Comparing that artwork piece by piece distracts from the comprehension of the new creation. Stepping back allows us to see more of how the whole works together. I think we will be pleased. 

1 Corinthians 7:17

 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.

The Face Of My Father - Matthew 18:10

Matthew 18:10 NASB 

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

It may be possible to consider these angels to be the spirits of the believer that have been made alive and transferred into the kingdom of heaven. We have the witness and presence of the Holy Spirit here on earth. It could be that we have a presence before the Father as we dwell in heaven. As God walked on the earth, we move in heaven. We have our movement and life in Him. 

Our spirits are one with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we can hear the word of God. The Holy Spirit speaks for us when we have no words. The door of heaven is open and we are able to commune and abide with Him. He is with us and we are with Him. 

The Angel of The Lord took on our flesh that we might be wrapped in the Spirit. We stand before The Lord in Jesus and His eyes are on us. They never close. 

Psalms 17:15

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;

 I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.

Wraps Himself - Psalms 104:2-4

Psalms 104:2-4

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

 He makes winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

Wraps Himself with light and that light became the light of the world. 

We enter into His light when we enter the body of Christ. That light shines in the world. 

1 John 1:5

 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Psalms 18:10-12

He mounted the cherubim and flew;

he soared on the wings of the wind.

 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,

with hailstones and bolts of lightning

Heaven Suffers Violence - Matthew 11:11-15

Matthew 11:11-15 NASB 

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

What makes the difference between John, the greatest man born of woman, and those in the kingdom of heaven?

It is being reborn in the Spirit. At Pentecost, the Spirit came upon the disciples by a violent wind and tongues of fire. The new thing coming at the hand of God had begun and was turning the world on its ear. 

The world is giving way to a new creation as the labor pains of this process increase until we take our place in a new heaven and a new earth. The old brings forth the new and at last will be revealed at the birth of the accomplished word and will of our Creator.  Violence gives way to the peace of Jesus. Violent men will give way to the peace makers. 

He comes with the sword of His mouth, which are the words of life. Darkness will give way to the light and the earth will bask in the warmth of His peace. 

Luke 16:16-17

“ The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

The law remains though it is superseded by the new covenant of Christ. The Law results in death by revealing sin, but the grace of Jesus overcomes the Law  and brings life. 

Awesome - Jeremiah 2:18-19

Jeremiah 2:18-19 NIV 

Now why go to Egypt

to drink water from the Nile?

And why go to Assyria

to drink water from the Euphrates?

 Your wickedness will punish you;

your backsliding will rebuke you.

Consider then and realize

how evil and bitter it is for you

when you forsake the Lord your God

and have no awe of me,”

declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

Why drink anything other than the living water of God?  Does it taste that good or is it an acquired taste?  We acclimate to our surroundings much too easily. We can take the familiar for granted, even if it is the Creator.

Without awe there is no wisdom. 

To revere The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 

We have an awesome God. 

Our Transformation

Creation is the visible manifestation of the invisible Creator. 

Jesus was the visible incarnation of the invisible Father. 

We are the visible earth hidden in Christ, reborn into the life of the invisible Father, our feet planted in the invisible kingdom of God. We have responded to the light that has shown on the waters of the deep. 

The seed has taken root in our earth.  The word has gone forth and will result in the full harvest in the garden of His planting. It will be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Earth will be subdued with the knowledge of The Lord. 

Heaven and earth will combine. 

We will become one with ourselves and with God. 

Just as our spirits transcend the natural when we are born from above, our bodies will follow to complete our transformation. 

Jesus came into our earth and ascended to the Father.  We will rise into His house with a body like His. 

Hidden In A Field - Matthew 13:44

Matthew 13:44

 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

The harvest of the earth grows and matures. 

Fields are made white by those who wear the white robes of the righteousness of Christ. 

Proverbs 2:2-6

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding —

 indeed, if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

 and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

 then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

 For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Colossians 3:3

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

We are hidden in Christ. We become jewels in the kingdom of God, a treasured possession.