If you have watched the news or picked up a newspaper lately you saw the sickening images of the twenty one Egyptian Christians that ISIS lined up along the beach. They were then beheaded for the sake of Christ. Just for being Christians. ISIS called them, "people of the cross". It made me think back to a verse I read many times "... And I saw the souls of those beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God." Revelation 20:4. This verse sounds like something you would read in the current newspapers.
These men all lost their lives, and their blood was spilled because they were followers of Christ. In the Bible we see that blood is very important to God. The word "blood" appears in the Old Testament 346 times (KJV) and 101 times in the New Testament, a total of 447 times in all. Let me say here and now that it cannot be underestimated about the importance that the blood means to the heart of God. It is such a huge and vast subject, that I cannot delve into it sufficiently today. Going all the way back to Genesis, the blood was important to God. God Himself killed animals in order to clothe Adam and Eve when their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked. (Genesis 3:21) God instituted the blood sacrifice when He commanded Moses to offer a burnt offering. Moses said, "Behold the BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, which the Lord hath made with you..." (Exodus 24:3-8,10,15,17) Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son Isaac to the Lord as a blood sacrifice. (Genesis 22:2). The blood was important for the deliverance of Israel at the Passover. (Exodus 12:1-28).
I heard an incredible message by Tony Evans last Sunday in which he talked about the blood of Abel speaking. He said, " What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground." (Genesis 4:10) So here we have the blood of a dead man speaking to God from the ground. The blood itself was crying out to God for it to be avenged. Yes, blood is important to God. He heard the voice of the blood of Cain, and He heard the many voices of the blood of these Egyptian Christians. God will deal with their killers.
But there is another place in the Bible that speaks about blood speaking. It is the very blood of Christ. "And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking..." Hebrews 12: 24-25a. Going all the way back to the Old Testament, the blood was to represent what Christ would do for us on the cross. He would shed His precious blood for us and for our salvation. He would redeem us and bring us to God. This is the most important reason why blood is important to God. Jesus' blood also speaks, and it speaks even louder than the blood of Abel. It speaks better because it saves the souls of men. Jesus' blood speaks loud and clear even today.
That is why the blood of these men is important to God. It cries out for justice and vengeance. God will be the one to avenge their blood. We should never fear, for that WILL happen. For He Himself is just. This was a brutal and barbaric thing that happened to our brothers in Christ. The men who did this are demonic and barbaric. ISIS said this is " A message signed with blood to the Nation of the cross". On the video, (which I did not watch), one of the men that died uttered these words as his last, " Ya, rubbi Yasou." (in Arabic) which means in English: " Oh, my Lord Jesus." So the word "Jesus" was this man's last word. We got your message, loud and clear, but Christ sent us a message, written in red, that said, " I love you. That message rings out stronger and louder than yours! We the "people of the cross" can be people who have no fear, because just as Jesus' blood was speaking on the day that His blood was spilled on the cross, it is still speaking today...
And Jesus will have the last word.
