“Jesus took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to His disciples, and they all drank from it. “This is my BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, which is poured out for many,” He said to them.” (Mark 14:23-24) In ancient times this type of ritual was done to “seal” the promises made. Through this BLOOD COVENANT, God was confirming primarily three promises He had made to Abraham: the promise of heirs, of land, and of blessings, God said, “I will make you into a GREAT NATION, and I will BLESS YOU; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen. 12:2-3) A BLOOD COVENANT AMY, communicated a self-maledictory (the act of calling down a curse) oath. The parties involved would walk the path between the slaughtered animals so to say, “May this be done to me if I do not keep my oath.” This was a very serious covenant, as was the covenant Jesus made with us.
He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if it were not so, I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU. I go to PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU! And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and TAKE YOU TO BE WITH ME that you also may BE WHERE I AM.” (John 14:1-3)
This is a description of Heaven, “…So the angel showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The angel who talked to me held in his hand a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its LENGTH and WIDTH and HEIGHT were each 1,400 MILES. Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for the LORD God Almighty and the LAMB are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the GLORY OF GOD illuminates the city, and the LAMB IS ITS LIGHT.” (Rev. 21:10-23)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham