The Cross-Part Four
The Blood of Jesus

We have taken a look at The Cross and the Hatred of Satan, The Cross and What God Did to Christ, and The Cross and What Christ Did. Now, this take a look at The Cross and the Blood of Jesus.

Last time we shared that the pure, holy, sinless, divine Jesus willfully became the sacrificial lamb and shed His blood (Hebrews 9:22  "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness"). Throughout  the Old Testament there was the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin or for cleansing. Today we want to take a look at the Day of Atonement found in Leviticus 16:1-34.

On the Day of Atonement there was two goats: Lev. 16:8-10 "He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat."

In verses 15-17 they state that the goat for the sin offering is to be slaughtered and its blood is to make atonement for the Most Holy Place, Tent of Meeting, Aaron, his household, and the whole community of Israel. On the cross Jesus became the goat for the sin offering and has made atonement for all mankind. That is why His shed blood is so important. Praise God, we are "at one ment" with God because of Jesus shed blood.

It is interesting to note that the second goat (the scapegoat) does not shed any blood and is never called a goat for sin offering. Scripture never states that the scapegoat cleanses the buildings, Aaron, his household or the whole community of Israel. It does state that all the sins of the nation are confessed upon the goat and it is released into the desert. Scripture states "that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." So the scapegoat cannot purchase our forgiveness. The scapegoat does ultimately take responsibility for our sins. In the end of time, who will ultimately take responsibility for our sins?

As stated previously, Christ suffering did not purchase our salvation (it is Him experiencing the second death that purchased our salvation, it is the shedding of  His innocent blood), but by His suffering we can have physical healing, deliverance, peace, sorrows lifted. The scapegoat did not purchase the nation of Israel's forgiveness (only the sin offering goat), but by the confession of the sins of the people upon the scapegoat and the scapegoat sent to the wilderness, the sins of the people were removed. No matter where the scapegoat wandered, it could not be set free from the sins of the people. Ultimately it died in the wilderness, never to be redeemed from the guilt of the people.

During the Old Testament, the Day of Atonement occurred once a year. Praise God, when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave (victory over the second death), the Day of Atonement was completed once for all time. He is not on the cross, He is not in the grave, He is seated at the right hand of the Father and is our advocate, our High Priest. And remember He is not an  advocate defending us from the Father's judgment. He is an advocate defending us from the accusations of  Satan. We are covered by the blood of Jesus. The Father is on our side. He sent His son to prove it.

We have one more study on the cross. It is titled "The Cross and Us". 

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Richard D. Dover
In His Steps Ministries
InHisSteps@creatingfutures.net

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