It's all about the blood

Before I was a Christian I thought that Christianity was ghoulish. All that blood. Plus, eating the body. Ewww. As a Christian now, I am fascinated that God, who is Spirit, incarnated so as to shed His perfectly righteous blood to make a new covenant with His people so we can be with Him. It is a stunningly fearful and amazing thing. Below are interesting facts about the physiology of the blood from Dr. J. D. Watson, who according to his bio, "entered full-time ministry in 1974 and is currently the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Meeker, Colorado."

"There is some fascinating history here that illustrates all this. In his 1628 book, On the Motion of the Heart and Blood, English physician Dr. William Harvey (1578–1657) was the first person to describe in detail the systemic circulation and properties of blood being pumped to the body by the heart (although others had similar ideas before him). “It is the fountain of life,” he wrote, “the first to live, and the last to die, and the primary seat of the animal soul; it lives and is nourished of itself, and by no other part of the human body.” He did, in fact, fully revive the Mosaic principle of the vitality of the blood. This principle was later adopted by the celebrated Dr. John Hunter (1728-93), professor of anatomy in London, who fully establish the reality of this through experimentation. 

Later, the eminent French zoologist Milne Edwards (1800-85) made this amazing statement:

If an animal be bled until it falls into a state of syncope, and the further loss of blood is not prevented, all muscular motion quickly ceases, respiration is suspended, the heart pauses from its action, life is no longer manifested by any outward sign, and death soon becomes inevitable; but if, in this state, the blood of another animal of the same species be injected into the veins of the one to all appearance dead, we see with amazement this inanimate body return to life, gaining accessions of vitality with each new quantity of blood that is introduced, eventual beginning to breathe freely, moving with ease, and finally walking as it was wont to do, and recovering completely.

Pretty interesting about the physiology of the blood, isn't it?!

Here are just a few of the verses which speak to the blood throughout the bible.

• The blood cries out from the ground (Genesis 4:10). Even the ground is cursed until Jesus removes sin.
• Rivers are turned into blood (Psalm 78:44, Revelation 16:4) They could not drink, and were ever thirsty.
• The blood is the covenant. (Exodus 24:8). The LORD keeps His promises.
• The life is the blood. Leviticus 17:11. See above, about the physiology of blood.
• Justified by his blood. (Romans 5:). As Matthew Henry said, the justification is not simply a legal arrangement, it is life.
• This cup is the new covenant in my blood. (1 Corinthians 11:25).
• We have redemption through his blood. (Ephesians 1:7). He bought us with it! (also Ephesians 2:13).
• The blood of his cross made peace (Colossians 1:20).
• The blood cleanses. (1 John 1:7). Think of a blood transfusion, our dirty blood being circulated away as the new blood comes in.
• The blood freed us! (Revelation 1:5). How often does sinful man try to free captives by bloody warfare, but Christ's blood is an eternal freedom from captivity and oppression. In Him we're truly free.
• Ultimately, His blood sanctifies us (Hebrews 13:12).

Coming soon: the blood of the sinners. His blood was shed once for all. In the future He will shed their blood as He comes to judge and make war!

And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia. (Revelation 14:20, also Revelation 19:11)

It is ALL about the blood.