Leviticus 17:11 (NLT) - “for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the LORD. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.”

God in His intrinsic design put the life in the blood. In order for transgressions to be forgiven, it’s exchanging a life for a life. Christ said that He came so we may have life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). He’s talking about an exchange. He’s referring to what the Old Testament describes as an atonement. An atonement is an offering that appeases God.

We are not perfect people. We are in constant need of help. Animal sacrifice was a temporary solution to an ongoing problem throughout the Old Testament. There was a point where God was ready to release His wrath, His judgment against the gods of Egypt, and in sending this judgment, He still wanted to protect His people. At the Passover, He gave specific instructions for His protection.

Exodus 12:11-13 (NLT) – “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD’s Passover. On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD! But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

Once again, we see God, when He wants to find a way for His people, placed blood (life) over the doorposts of their lives. He placed life on their doorposts and the death angel passed over them -- another provision by the One who loves you. The same life-giving blood transfers into the New Covenant, a covenant of faith:

Hebrews 11:28 (NLT) – “It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.”

Hebrews 10 is the reason we have the promises of life that we have today:

Hebrews 10:1-18 (NLT) – “The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God--as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,

“This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD:      I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”

Then he says,

“I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”

And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.”

So what does that mean? It means that it doesn’t matter what you’ve been through; it doesn’t matter what you’re facing now; it doesn’t even matter what might come your way–Jesus has already paid the price so you can claim the victory.

Genesis 2:2-3 (KJV) “… on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

In the scripture, the number seven means “finished, completed and divine protection”. In the Bible, the word seven is mentioned 735 times, seven-fold is mentioned 6 times, and seventh, 119 times, for a total of 860 times.

In Leviticus, chapters 4 and 8, when the priest sacrificed an animal for the forgiveness of sin, he dipped his finger in the bull’s blood and sprinkled it on the altar seven times before the Lord. There was a required seven times of shedding and sprinkling of the blood to appease God. When it was time for Jesus, of His own will, to place Himself upon a sacrificial altar, He would shed His blood seven times at seven places so you and I could have rest and divine protection.

The shedding of His blood was not a one-time event. There were seven times at seven different stations of torture, agony and sufferings that give us eternal life. This time the blood isn’t covering the doorposts of our homes, but rather the gateways of our lives.

Luke 22:39-44 (NLT) – “Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

The condition of Jesus sweating blood is a physiological condition called hematidrosis. He was under such agony that the capillaries that fed His sweat glands burst and blood flowed from the pores in His skin. When the blood was shed at that place, your will became His will. Remember, Jesus said not His will, but the will of the Father be done. There was a transference of the will.

Look at it another way. Maybe you couldn’t quit drinking, sleeping around, doing drugs–all those lifestyles that were taking you down to a quick Hell and destroying your life. When Jesus was in the Garden and spilled His blood, He purchased the ability for God’s will to come on the inside of you. When you didn’t have the power to overcome it, His will came in and now you have the willpower to overcome those things you couldn’t overcome by yourself.

They took a cat of nine tails intertwined with pieces of bone and metal that, when lashed across His back, the Roman soldiers would snatch the whip back and pull stripes and ribbons of flesh from His back and ribcage. The Bible records that He took forty less one lashes--Thirty-nine times of slamming and ripping.

1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) – “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

That blood purchased your right for healing. Why were there thirty-nine lashes across His back? He took a lash for every book of the Old Testament (thirty-nine books) and fulfilled the Old Covenant just as He said He came to do. 

They jammed a crown of rigid, sharp thorns into His brow, and blood began to run into His eyes and down His body. The significance of the thorns driving in and meeting with the blood was to reverse the curse:

Genesis 3:17 (NLT) – “And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground...”’

When that blood was spilled, He purchased back our ability to have prosperity. Galatians 3:13 says He became a curse for us. At that moment, the ground was no longer cursed, and the ground returns the blessing: financial struggle, hardship, burdens have been removed from our lives. We must understand the fullness of the covenant of the One we serve. We will never understand that until we understand the price that He paid.

John 19:17-18 (NLT) – “Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross..”.

They took two large spikes and drove it through His hands. The blood, when it came out of His hands, revoked the curse, untying our hands so that now everything we set our hands to shall prosper!

Psalm 8:6 (KJV) - “…thou has put all things under His feet:”

The piercing of His feet simply returned the dominion back to every place that we walk. We no longer must stumble and wander around aimlessly. Now, our steps are ordered, and we sit back waiting until our enemies become our footstools. Jesus gave you the power to put the devil under your feet. He shouldn’t be bothering your home, your family, your health, or anything else. If he is, you just put him under your feet.

John 19:33-37 (NLT) – “...when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. ³⁵(This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the One they pierced.”’

When they pulled the spear out, it was evident that the spear pierced the heart, because blood and water flowed. The contents of the pericardial sac (fluid and water) mixed with the blood and it gushed out of His side. At that moment, our joy was purchased. Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled...” (John 14:1, NLT). All the trouble, misery, anguish, guilt and shame were borne by Himself and purchased for us. His pierced heart won back our Joy.

John 16:20 (NLT) – “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.”

What looks like the end and defeat was just the beginning of a victorious life.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (KJV) – “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Jesus took it all. Don’t ever think there was something you did that was too bad, too great for God to forgive. He already has forgiven you; He’s waiting on you to ask. He can’t wait to tell you, “Yes, you are forgiven.” Jesus has already paid for that sin.

Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He was the sacrifice, the atonement, the appeasement of God. His blood was shed seven times so He can give you rest. You don’t have to struggle with sin. You can have peace and joy.

There’s only one thing in this world that covers everything: Nothing but the blood of Jesus.