Hebrews 11:28 is a key to the truths that are revealed in the Feast of Passover. By faith he (Moses) kept the passover (or instituted the Passover), and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the first-born should not touch them. Two important things had happened as we see from Verse 27: By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. From that point on, by an act of faith, Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood in order that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them; then by faith they passed through the Red Sea. In this word we are concerned about two things: the deliverance from bondage and from Satan, and the significance of this sprinkling of the blood.
We do not let fully appreciate the depth of what the blood of Jesus Christ is to mean to us. We remember that at the first Passover in Egypt they made a little broom out of a bundle of hyssop. Then they dipped this little brush into the blood of the lamb and sprinkled the blood upon the doorposts and the lintel of the door, so that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them (Exodus 12:22–23). Two things were to be assured by the Passover blood. First, that blood was to be the key to the judgment of the Egyptians; they were to be destroyed and broken as a nation. Second, God’s people were to be delivered from bondage. To be liberated from the bondage of Satan is wonderful, but we must also he brought forth into the place where God wants us to live.
A foundation for the unfolding of this revelation will be laid by a number of Scriptures. We read in the twenty-fourth chapter of Exodus that after they came out of Egypt, Jehovah called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders to come out to Him in the mountain to receive His word. And Moses came and told the people all the words of Jehovah, and all the ordinances: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of Jehovah, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace-offerings of oxen unto Jehovah.
And Moses took half the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that Jehovah hath spoken will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which Jehovah hath made with you concerning all these words. Exodus 24:3–8. It was by the Passover lamb and the shed blood of that lamb that they came out of Egypt, but it was by the sprinkling of the blood of the lamb that they were sealed to the covenant and the Word of God. Not only do we want to be liberated from Satan, but we want to be bound to God.
We go to the book of Hebrews for an understanding of the blood of sprinkling. Moses said. But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. Hebrews 12:22–25a. Consider very carefully what is said here. God, through Moses, mediated the first covenant with Israel. Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant.
The most significant event of Passover time occurred when Jesus kept the Passover the night before His death. He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). We have come to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood sprinkled upon us, which seals that covenant and word to our hearts. The blood of Christ speaks better things than did the blood of Abel. Abel’s blood cried to God from the ground (Genesis 4:10); it was crying for justice.
The life of the flesh is in the blood. That is why the blood of animals was sacrificed; the life of an animal was given for the life of a human being. This was a type of that which was to come. Once and for all the blood of Christ became the substitute for your blood guiltiness. Blood guiltiness is a word used in the Scriptures (Psalm 51:14). Genesis 9:5–6 shows us that the blood of an individual was to be held sacred, and the Lord would not hold anyone guiltless who shed that blood. For this reason, the laws were very stringent against even eating an animal that had been strangled, because the blood was still retained in it. Those who drank or ate blood were to be cut off (Leviticus 17:10–12). It was an abomination in the sight of God because the life was in it.
The significance of the sprinkling of the blood is that Christ actually sprinkles His life upon the Word that you embrace and upon your own heart to seal it and make it one with you. It is part of the new covenant in His blood. We have never thought of it entirely in this light before.
We continue the revelation from Hebrews 10, beginning at the last part of verse 9, He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. This is speaking about that first covenant which Moses wrote in a book. Then he sprinkled the blood upon the book and upon the people, which sealed them to the blessings of that covenant by their obedience to it. Jesus took that covenant away that He might establish a second covenant. This is what Jesus meant when He gave the disciples the wine at the Passover supper and said, “This is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Covenant and testament are synonymous. He was taking away the first covenant that He might establish the second covenant.
Hebrews 10:10–18: By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (This sacrifice and this shed blood are total in their provision for you.) And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins: but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; henceforth expecting till his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also beareth witness to us; for after he hath said, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord (this covenant was prophesied; it is the covenant that Jesus made at the Passover time with His disciples): I will put my laws on their heart, and upon their mind also will I write them; then saith he, And their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
It is the blood that seals us to a new covenant, and what is that covenant? It is His guarantee that He will write His living Word within our hearts until it lives in us. The blood of Christ not only cleanses the heart from sin, but the covenant and the sprinkling of the blood makes possible the writing of the Living Word upon your heart. It becomes a living thing, and you become the oracle of God to speak the Word of God. The Lord wants us to speak the living Word of God and become the Word of God to the earth.
Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water… Hebrews 10:19–22. Note the comparison with the old covenant. Our hearts are sprinkled until they are fully cleansed. Oh, the power and tremendous efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ to effectually complete everything that God planned in making us His dear sons manifested in this world! How we ought to be reverencing the blood of Jesus Christ more than ever and praising Him for the blood that was shed for us.
The Bible is a book of blood all the way through. At the beginning, Cain had a mark set upon him because he killed his brother. Then at the end of the Book, Revelation 14:20 describes the great winepress of the wrath of God being trodden outside the city, until the blood flows up to the bridles of the horses for a distance of two hundred miles. Interwoven with all the bloodthirstiness of man and the judgments upon him is this amazing story of the blood of Jesus Christ and how it liberates us from the bondage of the Adamic nature and lifts us out of the human level.
That blood, incorporating the Word, becomes the new and living way into the very holy of holies of His presence. It is the way by which we become partakers of the divine nature as we eat His flesh and drink His blood. The only time we are commanded to drink blood is found in John 6:53: “unless you drink of My blood and eat of My flesh, you have no life in you.” Jesus was saying, “You are going to eat My very life; you are going to become Me.” We are to become the living essence of Christ. We must understand the fulness of that one sacrifice: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 10:14. It has all been done, and aggressively we reach out to appropriate it to partake of it, and to see it come forth.
In Luke 22:15–20 we find a very significant word given by Jesus at the last Passover with His disciples. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I shall not eat it, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. What is to be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God? When Jesus spoke about drinking the fruit of the vine, He was talking about you partaking of His blood in the Kingdom of God, and seeing the Kingdom of God fulfilled through its power.
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you. (This account is recorded also in Matthew 26 and Mark 14.) This covenant superseded the Mosaic covenant. He took away the first that He might establish the second. The old is gone.
When Christians observe the Passover today, they do not keep the old Passover with it rituals and form. They keep the Kingdom Passover and the new covenant that Jesus was talking about. They concentrate upon the reality that is in Christ. The old covenant has passed away. It is history; it served its purpose as a foreshadow of things to come. It was written as an example for us upon whom the ends of the ages are come, and there is wisdom in it for us (I Corinthians 10:11). We have entered into the realm of the new covenant, into the realm of the Kingdom, the realm of which Revelation 3:20 speaks: Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. In the new covenant, we have come to the Kingdom supper.
Specific verses in Hebrews 9 highlight the blood. The Holy Spirit is signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing; which is a figure for the time present… Verses 8–9. It was inevitable that the temple in Jerusalem be destroyed, as it was in 70 A.D. Otherwise, the Jewish Christians would have continued to have a mingled worship, reverencing the temple in Jerusalem, as well as the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the Scriptures, it is safe to assume that a literal temple will never be rebuilt. The temple now will not be made of natural stones, but of living stones, built up for a habitation of God by the Spirit. There is a picture of a temple in the book of Revelation, but it is symbolic. His people are the temple of God. He has said, “I will dwell in them and walk in them and be their God, and they shall be My people” (II Corinthians 6:16). Paul wrote, “Having these promises, dearly beloved, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1).
But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come … through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of a new covenant… Hebrews 9:11–15.
Wherefore even the first covenant hath not been dedicated without blood. (This is speaking of the sprinkling of the blood.) For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses unto all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded to you-ward. Verses 18–20.
When the angel asked, “Who is worthy to open the sealed book of destiny?” the reply came that the Lion of the tribe of Judah had prevailed to open it. When John turned to see the Lion, he beheld a Lamb as if it had been slain (Revelation 5:1–6). Because of the shedding of His blood, Jesus Christ was worthy to take the seals off the book of destiny and open it up to us. It is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we come into the destiny that God ordained for us from before the foundation of the world. Those predestined things could never come forth apart from the blood of the new covenant the ministration of the blood of Jesus Christ as He ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). As we walk in the light, that blood continues to cleanse, as we read in I John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Verse 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The blood is not only the source of our redemption and liberation, but also of our purification, bringing us into the presence of the Lord and into absolute perfection. This is exactly what Hebrews 10:14 speaks of, that by one sacrifice He has forever perfected us. It has all been finished, but we keep making fresh application of the blood.
The following Scriptures in Hebrews 9 give us more understanding of how the blood becomes the cleansing agent by which the new covenant is ministered to us. Moreover the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry he sprinkled in like manner with the blood. And according to the law, I may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now, to appear before the face of God for us.… but now once at the end of the ages hath he been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:21–22, 24–26. We see that there is a greater purification by the blood of Jesus Christ that we must appropriate.
Let us go back to the account of the Passover and the judgments that were pronounced on the gods of Egypt. Jehovah had shown Moses what He would do through his rod by the miracles He demonstrated, such as turning the rod into a serpent. The beginning of the judgments upon Egypt had to do with blood. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. Exodus 4:9. It is significant that both the first plague and the last plague upon Egypt were related to blood.
The first plague is described in Exodus 7:14–18: And Jehovah said unto Moses, Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, he refuseth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. And thou shalt say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened. Thus saith Jehovah, In this thou shalt know that I am Jehovah: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the river. This lasted for seven days.
The tenth plague was the Passover judgment. The Passover liberated the children of Israel, only because it was the total judgment. Likewise, in this day, there is no freedom apart from the judgment of demonic powers. Satan is the usurper who stands in the way. God’s chosen people have a greater position than they know. It would have been very difficult to convince a slave in Egypt of his true identity, while he was making bricks without straw, while his back was bleeding from the whip of an Egyptian taskmaster, while he was eating the rotten spiced meats of the fleshpots of Egypt. It would have been very difficult to persuade that man that he was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that the whole land of Canaan was His inheritance—a land flowing with milk and honey and cared for by God from the beginning of the year to the end (Deuteronomy 11:12). While he was working in the hot fields and deserts of Egypt, he felt like a slave. Before he could realize that he was a free man, he first had to be convinced that he was among the true Israel of God; and second, he had to see the necessity of having the blood of the lamb applied.
The blood of the Lamb brings judgment to the enemy who is holding you captive, and it liberates your own spirit from the innate bondage which is your own doing. You may be more chained than you know by your own thoughts and your own feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Not only do you need to be loosed from the devil; you must also be freed from the conditionings of the past.
We read on in Exodus 12:21–22: Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. They were to stay under the protection of the blood. How do we stay under His blood? By constantly keeping an awareness that we are under the protection of the blood. Christians often use the expression, “We plead the blood.” If they do not know what they are doing, it is merely an empty phrase. But when they understand it, it really works for them. We must come to truly understand its power and learn how to abide under the blood of Jesus Christ.
True overcoming exists where judgment passes over. Let us believe for a great Passover of judgment—not for a “rapture out” of judgment, but for a “passing over” of judgment. Remember that God left the Israelites right there in Egypt when He was judging the whole situation; and finally when He had finished, they walked out as free men with all the jewels and the treasures of Egypt. God is saying to us, “I am not going to smuggle you out by some trick, but I am going to judge your oppressors. When you go out, they will have relinquished any claim on you, and You will have relinquished any subservience to them.” We are not going to be slaves of Egypt. Not only are we going to leave Egypt, but Egypt will even be taken out of our hearts by the blood of the Lamb.
After Moses gave instructions for killing the lambs and applying the blood, he said, For Jehovah will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. Exodus 12:23–24.
And it came to pass at midnight, that Jehovah smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. Exodus 12:29–30.
In the symbolism of the book of Revelation, there is a very close parallel between many of the vials of judgment and the plagues described in the book of Exodus. Revelation 14:14–20: And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud I saw one sitting like unto a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a great voice to him that sat on the cloud, Send forth thy sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is come; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped.
And another angel came out from the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, he that hath power over fire; and he called with a great voice to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Send forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel cast his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and cast it into the winepress, the great winepress, of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and there came out blood from the winepress, even unto the bridles of the horses, as far as a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Revelation 16:1–7: And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, Go ye, and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God into the earth. And the first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth; and it became a noisome and grievous sore upon the men that had the mark of the beast, and that worshipped his image. And the second poured out his bowl into the sea; and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living soul died, even the things that were in the sea. And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the waters; and it became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, Righteous art thou, who art and who wast, thou Holy One, because thou didst thus judge: for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and blood hast thou given them to drink: they are worthy (they deserve it). And I heard the altar saying, Yea, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Taking the first Passover and the plagues of Egypt as a symbol and a type of what was to come, we can infer from the book of Revelation that the blood judgments will take place again. No doubt the greatest Passover is not the one described in the book of Exodus, but that which brings us wholly out of Babylon and into the Kingdom. Our deliverance will be by the blood of Jesus Christ.
We find a Scripture to support this in Revelation 12. Verses 7–9 tell about the war in heaven, with Michael and his angels fighting Satan, and Satan being cast down to the earth. The song of victory begins in verse 10: And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down (no more place is found for the accuser in heaven), who accuseth them before our God day and night.
At this present time, the concentration of the battle against Satan is not in the heavenlies with the angels, but down here among us. The victory that counts now is not Michael’s victory, but our victory through Christ’s victory within us. Michael kicked Satan out of heaven, and when it is all finished, the Lord Jesus will speak one word and an angel will drop him into the bottomless pit. Do not get the idea that Satan has tremendous power. Anyone who moves under the authority of a Word from God can outmaneuver and overcome Satan every time. In spite of all of his cleverness and cunning, the thing that troubles him the most is the fact that all authority in heaven and in earth is vested in the Lord Jesus Christ and has been committed to its to enforce His victory.
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb (again it is by the blood of the Lamb), and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Revelation 12:11–12a. Although we may see many evidences of Satan’s raging, we should not be afraid of him, for the angels kicked him out of heaven; and an angel will eventually throw him into the bottomless pit. That is one show we really want to see.
By the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony we overcome Satan. The sprinkling of the blood seals the Word to us until it is written upon our hearts. The word of our testimony is not our little personal testimony, praising the Lord for what He has done for us; it is the testimony of the Word that is moving in us and through us by His authority. We overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. The blood so cleanses us and brings us the victory of Christ over Satan, that by the authority and power of His Word, we overcome the enemy. Satan is able to persist, only because we are slow to comprehend who we are and what has been committed to us by the blood of Christ. We must realize the position of victory that is ours.
I am believing that we are in the beginning of the great end-time Passover; and because of the blood of Christ upon us, judgment will again pass over us. Many people believe in a pre-tribulation rapture theory, and they continue to walk as carnal Christians. The pre-tribulation coming of the Lord has been preached to them, and so they believe they will automatically escape. The Word does not teach this. The Word definitely teaches a pre-millennial coming of Christ, but it does not teach a pre-tribulation coming of Christ. It is our heritage to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the living Word within us (Revelation 12:11). All that is happening to God’s people today is a direct unfolding of the plan of God to bring through them the victory over Satan here in this earth.
The beautiful benediction found in Hebrews 13:20–21 sums up the glory and perfect accomplishment of the blood of our Lord. Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. Oh, the power of that precious blood!
Do we see that it was by one sacrifice that Christ forever perfected us? By one sacrifice it was completed. By that precious blood He will not only deliver us from sin, but He will perfect us and seal His Word within us. Do not forget that the Word is also the agency of our perfection. Keep speaking the Word of God and know that the precious blood of Jesus Christ is responsible for it being etched upon your heart. Then watch your perfection begin to come forth. He will make you perfect to do His good will.
The precious blood of Jesus Christ seals the living Word to us, so that it becomes a living thing etched upon our hearts. By the sprinkling of the blood, His covenant and His promises are sealed to us, and we are sealed to the Word. The Word shall live in us and we shall live out the Word.
Each time we take Communion, let us have a new awareness and appreciation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us repent of it ever being just a careless ritual to us. The Passover brings a new understanding and a new dedication to what the Communion service means, because it was instituted at the Passover. The blood of Jesus Christ that was shed is brought actively into every present situation when we take Communion. The Passover of the Old Testament has ended, and the Christian partakes of the Passover that Christ instituted—the new covenant in His blood.
Why should we take Communion often, if by one sacrifice He has perfected us? Why not take it once and then forget it? Systematic, frequent attendance at the Communion service is very important. We should take it every week because it brings the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ for us right up to that moment when we partake of it. It is as real then as if we were taking it at the foot of the cross and His blood were being sprinkled upon us at that moment. He instituted it so that what took place nineteen hundred years ago can be real to us at that very moment. It is timeless.