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FEAFEAFEAFEAFEATURESTURESTURESTURESTURES
77777 My First LoveMy First LoveMy First LoveMy First LoveMy First Love
byL.C.Tardy
1313131313 Please God Not AidsPlease God Not AidsPlease God Not AidsPlease God Not AidsPlease God Not Aids
by Loretta Parker Spivey
1616161616 Special Section:Special Section:Special Section:Special Section:Special Section:
The Blood CovenantThe Blood CovenantThe Blood CovenantThe Blood CovenantThe Blood Covenant
by Vincent Vallane
POEMSPOEMSPOEMSPOEMSPOEMS
1212121212 Christian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian Friendships
by Joe Floyd
12 The Invitation12 The Invitation12 The Invitation12 The Invitation12 The Invitation
by Joe Floyd
A SOLDIER IN THEA SOLDIER IN THEA SOLDIER IN THEA SOLDIER IN THEA SOLDIER IN THE
ARMY OF THE LARMY OF THE LARMY OF THE LARMY OF THE LARMY OF THE LORDORDORDORDORD
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by Rickey Macklinby Rickey Macklinby Rickey Macklinby Rickey Macklinby Rickey Macklin
Contents
CourtCourtCourtCourtCourtship:ship:ship:ship:ship:
Doing itDoing itDoing itDoing itDoing it
GodGodGodGodGods Ws Ws Ws Ws Waaaaayyyyy
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L.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. TL.C. Tararararardy Publisherdy Publisherdy Publisherdy Publisherdy PublishersssssPrPrPrPrPresident/CEOesident/CEOesident/CEOesident/CEOesident/CEO
ExExExExExecutivecutivecutivecutivecutive Edite Edite Edite Edite Editorororororsssss
Penelope White
WWWWWriterriterriterriterriters/Rs/Rs/Rs/Rs/Regular Contributegular Contributegular Contributegular Contributegular ContributorororororsssssJoe Floyd
Rickey MacklinL.C. Tardy
Vincent Vallane
Graphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic DesignersGraphic Designers
Chauntika Broggin
PhotPhotPhotPhotPhotogrogrogrogrographerapherapherapherapher
Kevin Lucas
Print CoorPrint CoorPrint CoorPrint CoorPrint Coordinatdinatdinatdinatdinatororororor
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Chauntika Broggin
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Romans 10:9-10
9That if you confess with your
mouth, Jesus is Lord, and
believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you
will be saved. 10For it is with
your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you confess and
are saved.
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by Rickey Macklin
I
Psalms 127:1,2
1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain
that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the
watchman waketh but in vain.
2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his
beloved sleep.
t is so important that I start here because if
the Lord is not the builder then the Lord is
not obligated to be the keeper. The bottom
line is all the decisions that we make outside
of Christ are subject to be vanity. So, what am I saying
in essence? Get the blueprint from God before you
commence to build your relationships. For if you
dont, you will begin to build a house and later discover
that you lack the resources to finish it. Have you ever
noticed houses or churches that were in the process
of construction years ago and are still in the process
of construction? Jesus puts it this way, which of you
will begin to build a house without first sitting down
and counting the cost?
if the Lord is not the builderthen the Lord is not obligated to be the keeper.
In the eyes of Jesus, any person that does this is
likened to a fool. So, how does this parable tie in to
Courtship? Its simple. Do it Gods way and you will
reap Gods benefits. Follow me in this article very
precisely as I mention a series of points that I believe
are critical when considering courting.
One: Understanding The Purpose
In the last article I was privy to write in Vision
Magazine, I wrote of purpose and its significance to
our destiny. Well that hasnt changed and the reasonwhy, especially when dealing with the area of
relationships, is that the person you hook-up with can
potentially destroy your destiny. So, what is it that I
want to speak of in regards to purpose here? For a
moment lets deal with the purpose of Courtship and
Dating. If you do a thorough research on the topic,
you will discover that courtship outlines the biblical
model of how relationships should work. Dating on
the other hand outlines the worlds way. As a matter
of fact, the concept of dating wasnt even introduced
on the scene until the early 1920s. Prior to that,
relationships were arranged often times based on
family background and the hopes and ambitions of
the parents. Dating implies that Ill try this and Ill try
that and perhaps Ill try this again. Its a system based
on trial and error.
I always compare this concept to a science
laboratory. In the lab, if the scientist mixes the wrongchemicals, he would probably produce an explosion.
Within that explosion, someone could get hurt, end up
scared for life or possibly even die. So it is when we
as men float from one woman to the next
experimenting, we too end up leaving a lot of hurt and
scared sisters behind. Unfortunately, most of the
people I talk to say, well if you dont date then how
will you ever know whos the one? My question to
them and you is, if you are of the same mind, since
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Pastor leads crusade against youth violencePastor leads crusade against youth violencePastor leads crusade against youth violencePastor leads crusade against youth violencePastor leads crusade against youth violence
when did God start allowing us to make decisions based
upon intellectualism? Its an earthly leaning on ones
limited intellect to choose a God-ordained mate that
may potentially be with them for the rest of their lives.
But I read in Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 that I am totrust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean to my
own understanding but in all of my ways acknowledge
Him and allow Him to direct my path.
My question to them and you is, if you are of the
same mind, since when did God start allowing us to
make decisions based upon intellectualism?
Thats why you know so many people that are in and
out of relationships and in and out of marriages
because God wasnt in the selection process. Listen,
either you are going to do it Gods way or youre not.
There is enough youll have to deal with once the
relationship starts so you may as well do it Gods way
from the beginning. Courtship is the process that
outlines this. If you follow the path of dating, you will
soon become frustrated and discouraged because your
decision will primarily be based on your likes and
dislikes; your backgrounds and similarities; how well
you get along and how attractive he or she is. Child of
God, although all of these things are important, none
of them are as important than a word from God. Ifthe Lord gives you a word, it really doesnt matter
what or how the situation presently is hell work it
out. Sure, you can meet someone who has it all together
today but only God knows where he or she will be in
five years.
Now lets deal with courtship since I believe
we have a grasp on dating. While dating happens
numerous times, courtship should really happen only
once leading to a life long covenant relationship. Aswith courtship, in what we called it in the olden days,
I still believe that God ordained relationships are
arranged. For Isaac, Abraham sent out his servant to
bring Rebekah. If you noticed, there were three
involved in this process: One, Abraham the father;
two, Isaac the son and three the servant as the
servant (Genesis 24). You havent caught it yet? Keep
reading! Today, the Father {God} already knows
what we need and what is needed to accomplish His
purpose. As with Isaac, we are His sons and
daughters. Oh, as for the servant, the Holy Ghost
lives within us leading and guiding us to all truth.
My God, a divine connection! Let me give you this
scripture it may help you a little.
Philippians 2:13
13. For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure.
You got it! When we become saturated and engulfed
with a passionate desire to please Him, our desire
becomes or shall I say is His desire. The Holy Spirit
is in us creating a desire towards that which pleases
the Father. And Daddy knows whats best for us. I
heard Pastor Tony Evans say, while we can choose
someone thats good for us only God knows what is
best for us. So, in courtship when God brings the
two of you together, it will not necessarily be flesh
attracting flesh but purpose attracting purpose
everything else are fringe benefits. So, whats the
purpose of this union? God has a mandate on earth
written from heaven that only the two of you together
can fulfill. In addition, even your offspring have been
written in Gods script to do a work in their generation.
Now, although I do not have enough space to expound
on the numerous other points, I will at least mention
some of them.
Two: Understanding Your Purpose
I always say, as I learned from my Mentor Dr
Myles Munroe some 10 years ago, that where
purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. So, before
entering into courtship, do a little homework first. Ifpurpose is whats going to attract purpose then I need
to know what my purpose is. So, here you go for
those of you who are eagerly in search of your wives
and for those that are eagerly waiting to be discovered
by your husbandsfind out who you are and why
youre here first. Dig deep and find out the purpose
of the male, the purpose of the female and Gods
original intent for both. Then find out your own
individual purpose. You may not like what Im saying
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but Adams time of meeting Eve was after God laid
out Adams purpose. It is the discovering of it that
qualifies you for your mate.
Three: Fall In Love With Daddy-God First
Love Him with your whole heart, your whole
soul and your whole body. Because God is love, as
we fall head over hills in love with Him, He will teach
us how to love, honor and respect each other. This
type of love can only be manifested in those that are
in Him. Outside of Him (unsaved), as much as he or
she says they love you, its not the God kind of love.
The truth of the matter is any person you engage
yourself in relationship with thats not saved is in
essence a monster. You say how? Because they are
without Christ meaning they have no head.
Four: Understanding Covenant
Since courtship is designed to lead to marriage,
this is a perfect time to get your house in order. Work
on your character and your integrity. Understand the
significance of covenant keeping. In the Old Hebrew
text, almost every decision made was ratified by a
covenant. With the animals cut in two and blood
everywhere, the covenanter would walk through the
blood declaring that if he didnt keep his part of the
agreement then let the same thing that happened to theanimals likewise happen to him. So, since courtship is
designed to lead to marriage, make sure that you are
ready to make this kind of commitment.
These are just a few of the things that are essential
to courtship but trust me theres so much more.
However, let me leave you with this, courtship can be
seen as embodying three phases. The first is friendship,
the second is relationship and the third is engagement.
You say, but how do I start? If you happen to meet
someone and the both of you feel like there is a divine
connection, seek God for clarity. I would suggest that
the both of you fast until you get a word or a true peace
from God. Then as you begin your courtship, take
your time and develop a real friendship first. It is upon
this friendship that you will build your relationship.
Below is a simple abstinence contract the Lord gave
me . Its posted on my website but Ill give it to you
here. This will be helpful in assisting the two of you
maintain sexual purity in your relationship.
Abstinence Contract
I pledge, before God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost and Gods holy angels to live a
sanctified life and to walk upright before God and you. I also pledge to live in abstinence until we are
married.
I further pledge to honor and respect you as a friend and a mate but more importantly as Gods
chosen heritage. I will not become a stumbling block or create an occasion for you to fall to sexual sins.
I will commit rather to encouragement, prayer and if need be fasting on your behalf.
Together, we will walk upright before God and He shall give us the desires of our hearts.
Sign____________________________ (you) Sign____________________________ (your mate)
Date____________________________
Rickey E. Macklin (http://www.ambassador4christ.org/abstinence.htm) 2004
I cannot go into the dos and donts in this article but at least you have a foundation on which to start. If you are
already in a relationship, please think this process through and make sure that what youre in measures up with
the true standard the word of God.
Rickey E. Macklin is a Minister at the Jericho City of Praise, he teaches the class, Dating For Him, and is Author of two books,Daddys Waiting on You, and Gods Whole Armor.
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My First LoveMy First LoveMy First LoveMy First LoveMy First Love
by L.C. Tardy
nations, and every high thing that exhaulted itself above
the knowledge of God. I was starting to feel tempta-
tion, and I began to pray and fast. So, I got on my
knees with tears in my eyes, and ask the Lord to Take
this thing from
me if it is not of
you, OGod. I
asked the Lord
to give me clar-
ity on marriageand relationships
and where I
stood with Him.
I ask Him to
plant in my mind
the book of the
Bible that I
should read. I
said, Please,
Lord, I need to
know now, what
is going on in-
side of me. On
this very same
night, the Lord
spoke to my
spirit, Turn to 1
C o r i n t h i a n s
Chapter 7. The
funny thing is, I
had been read-ing that chapter
all along. But
God was telling
me to read it again, and this time God gave me a deeper
revelation about marriage and relationships. The Lord
had the Apostle Paul, the writer of the book of
Corinthians, who spoke in Corinthians, chapter 7 to
minister to my spirit. Paul was saying that he would
od is truly awesome! It is true when you
ask in Jesus Name, you shall receive. I had
been experiencing Gods miraculous power
in my life very strongly. Whatsoever I
asked in Jesus
Name I re-
ceived. I ask
the Lord to give
me clarity on
whether or notHe was divinely
connecting me
and someone
together for
marriage. I
kept seeing
signs of it, and
this person was
always in my
spirit 24/7.
When I desired
not to think
about him, he
was still on my
mind. When I
would see him,
I wanted to
bow in humble
adoration. He
was truly a re-
spected man ofGod. How-
ever, I had to
remind myself
that Jesus is the only one that I adore that much! Then
I was not sure what God had spoken to his spirit. I
kept thinking: Except the Lord build the house, it is a
house built in vain. Well, one night I was completely
exhausted from thinking and casting down all imagi-
G
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Linda C. Tardy is a Freelance Writer/Author. She is the Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christian Magazine.
advise me to be celibate, Not that married life is less
spiritual than celibate life, but his advice is the promo-
tion of faithful and undistracted devotion to the Lord.
So what I gathered from this was that God do not want
us man nor woman to put anything or anybody aboveHIM, whether husband, wife, children, sister or brother.
God is your First Love, and Husbandman.
I AM the true Vine andI AM the true Vine andI AM the true Vine andI AM the true Vine andI AM the true Vine and
mmmmmy Fy Fy Fy Fy Father is the Husbandmanather is the Husbandmanather is the Husbandmanather is the Husbandmanather is the Husbandman
John 15:1
The revelation got even deeper. I read in 1 Corinthians
7: 29-31 that it does not matter whether you have a
husband, wife, or even that you weep, because the
fashion of this world passeth away. I had a clear un-
derstanding as to why I was placed here on this earth,
and it was not for marriage to another human being,
but an undistracted devoted relationship of Praise &
Worship with God. My purpose is to have a marriage
covenant with God, whether single or married. Also
marriage is symbolic of the church: The Bible says in
Ephesians 5:22-23, Wives, submit yourselves unto your
own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is
the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of thechurch: and he is the savior of the body. And Isaiah
54:5 says, For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of
hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.
Then I went over to Revelations and read: And I John
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband.
The Bible tells us that An unmarried woman has more
time for God, and a married woman has more time for
the world and how she should please her husband, I
would have you without carefulness. Paul spoke this:If you cannot contain then you should marry, for it is
better to marry then to burn.1 Corinthians 6:13 Now
the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and
the Lord for the body.
The most awesome revelation that I received was dis-
covering who I am in Christ and my purpose here on
earth, which tells me where I stand with God and mar-
riage.
In Matthew 22: 30,32, When the Lord answered the
disciple and said, For when they shall rise from the
dead: they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but
are as the angels which are in heaven. The Lord said
that He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the
living.
It is imperative that we understand that we are not made
whole by our husbands and wives, but by the blood
and by the eternal love of Christ. Until we are con-
tented with being alone with God, we will never under-stand true love. Love is eternal not temporal, and God
is eternal, not temporal. He (God) has made every-
thing beautiful in its time, also He had set the world in
their heart, so that no man can find out the work that
God maketh from the beginning to the end (Ecclesiastes
3:11(a)).
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Spirit of Faith Christian Center
Faith Plaza
Drs Mike and DeeDee Freeman
2261 Oxon Run Drive
Temple Hills, Maryland 20748
(301) 630-3733
www.spiritofffaith.org
Hope Christian Church
4700 Boston Way
Lanham, Maryland
Jericho City of Praise
Dr. Pastor Betty P. Peebles, Sr.
8501 Bishop Peebles Drive
Landover, Maryland 20785
(301) 333-0500
www.jerichocop.org
EbenezerAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchReverend Dr. Grainger Browning, Sr. Pastor
Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning, Co Pastor
The Family of God
Serving the Family of God
7707 Allentown Road
Ft Washington, Maryland
(301) 248-8833
www.eamefw.com
Ministry EvMinistry EvMinistry EvMinistry EvMinistry Eventententententsssss:::::
Friday Night - January 23rd 7:00 PMSunday Night - February 29th 7:00 PM
Spirit of Faith Singles Ministry (South Location)Jericho Singles Ministry
Speakers: Pastor Michael & Dee Dee Freeman Movie Night - Passion Min. Krystal Tibbs on (301) 630-
3733 Dea. Rayetta Byrd on (301) 333-0500
Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church
610 Rhode Island Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C.20002-1292
Office: 202.529.4547
Fax: 202.529.4495 TDD 202-526-8247
First Baptist Church of Glenarden
Pastor John Jenkins
3600 Brightseat Road
Landover , Maryland 20785
(301) 773-3600
Singles MinistriesSingles MinistriesSingles MinistriesSingles MinistriesSingles Ministries
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Seniors Pastors, Dr. Michael and Deloris Freeman of Spirit of Faith Christian Centers (SOFCC) vision are to
build people of purpose, power and praise in faith, the family and finance through fellowship. As the ministry
grew, Pastors Mike and DeeDee, as they are so lovingly known as, saw an immediate need to house a group
of individual that were not married, yet seeking GODs best.
In 1998, Minister Krystal Tibbs, a faithful partner who rose up from the broken single
to the Woman of God she was called to be, was appointed by Pastors as the Head of
the Singles Ministry of SOFCC. Min. Kris, with no staff, took on her assignment from
GOD with excitement. She composed a vision for the singles: Every single is complete
in spirit, soul, and body lacking no components, andin need of no external resources to
make him/her whole. The singles know who they are in Christ and their self-worth.
There will be no compromise on the Body of Christ. Romans 12:1 I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable service. She was so determined
with the loving support of the Pastors and leadership of SOFCC to trust GOD. She
stood on GODs word. As a direct result of her faithfulness, the ministry has reaped the
fruit of her labor. The Singles Ministry has been blessed with thirteen anointed Minis-
try of Helps staff to inlcude a Research Developer, a Marketing Expert, 2 Administra-
tive Assistants and an Assist Department Head who all truly believe in 1 Corinthians 3:9
The SOFCC Singles Ministry purpose is to enhance the spiritual growth of every male and female in their
single state in accordance to the vision of SOFCC. Every single is complete in Christ (Spirit, Soul, and Body),
lacking no components, and in need of no external resources to make him/her whole.
As singles at SOFCC we receive the unadulterated, uncompromising word of GOD and have great fun. Each
year under the grace of GOD, the Singles plan and expedite activities and fun filled events include: Word BaseMeeting, Ski Adventures Crab Feast, Game
NIght, Lunch/Dinner Cruises, Roller Skating,
Bowling, and Jean Socials. Pastors Mike and
Dee Dee meet with us the first of the year to bring
forth a word from God for us, answer questions,a
nd encourage us to careth for the things of the
Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32
Throughout the year we learn: 1) who we are ac-
cording to the Word; a child of GOD-Roman8:16, joint heir with Christ-Roman 8:17, needs
met by Jesus-Philippians 4:19, more than con-
querors-Roman 8:37, an imitator of Jesus-
Ephesians 5:1 2) our purpose; careth for the
things of the LORD-1 Corinthians 7:32, dwell-
ing in fullness of the GOD head...complete in him-Colossians 2:9-10and 3) how to live in our single state; we
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body...2 Corinthians 5:8 with understanding-
Proverb 4:7 and full of joy 1 Peter 4:13.
We have replaced the old mans way with the new mans way 2 Corinthians 5:17!
Satisfied, inGod, Living Expectation-Single.
Spirit of Faith Christian Centers (SOFCC) Singles MinistryFaith Plaza-Drs Mike and DeeDee Freeman
2261 Oxon Run Drive, Temple Hills, Maryland 20748
(301) 630-3733 www.spiritofffaith.org
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poetry
Christian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian FriendshipsChristian Friendships
Friendships are based
On love and trust
And Christian values
Are a definite must.
God has promised
To be there for you
And Christian friends
Feel the same way too.
Finding Christian friends
Has a certain perk
Sharing the Word of God
Can make a friendship work.
Having Christ in common
Is a good place to start
Then you grow with timeAnd test each others heart.
God brings friends together
And he wishes you the very best
Remember your Christian values
Your friendship will be blessed.
Joe Floyd
An InvitationAn InvitationAn InvitationAn InvitationAn Invitation
Im going to be in church on Sunday
I thought maybe youd like to come along
Im sure that you would enjoy the service
Praising the Lord in word and song.
Just think how hard you worked this week
Under pressure that stressed your mind
Come with me and relieve the tension
Leaving the grief and troubles behind.
The time you spend with God in church
Could be a chance to open your eyes
Youll hear the reading of the Holy Word
The Word is truth youll hear no lies.
Youll learn the teachings of Jesus Christ
And the meaning of the life he gave
Youll know why all your sins are forgiven
Your life is one he was sent to save.
At times Ive seen your painful tears
You appeared to be looking for help
Come and see what worked for meBecause I know just how you felt.
If you should have a troubled heart
And youre living a life in despair
Come and Gods love will set you free
Come walk with me in prayer.
Joe Floyd
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Please, GodNotPlease, GodNotPlease, GodNotPlease, GodNotPlease, GodNot
AidsAidsAidsAidsAidsAs told to Loretta Parker Spivey
hen I found out that my son had AIDS, I
screamed. You could hear me all over the
neighborhood. My son was so
compassionate. He just held me and said,
Its gonna be OK, Mom. He believed it would be
OK because his will to live was incredible, and at that
time he really did not believe that he was going to die.
He lived 200 miles from me at the time, and I wanted
him to move home to live with us, so that I could care
for him properly. I had seen people live and die with
AIDS, and I knew it would be a rough road. Ultimately
we decided that it was best for him to stay where he
was. That meant that every weekend I hit the highway
to go see my baby. I say my baby because a mothers
child is always her baby, whether he is 3 years old or
33 years old, as my son, Jarred*, was.
We didnt have the luxury of easing into the illness the
way some families do. First, they hear the words HIV
positive and that it could literally be years before the
disease turns into full-blown AIDS. Jarred was sick,
went to the hospital, was tested, and was diagnosed
with AIDS. It all happened very fast.
One moment I had a typical mothers concern that
her son wasnt feeling well, and within weeks I was
visiting him at a residential-care facility for people with
HIV/AIDS. I remember when I first heard that he
was in the hospital with pneumonia. I was at work,
and, I guess, way in the back of my mind I knew. I
broke into a cold sweat and said, Oh, my God, please
dont let my child be sick. I recalled a beesting that
didnt properly heal and started putting some other
things together in my head. O Lord, please dont let
my child have AIDS..
Not long after, I was screaming and crying
uncontrollablymy son had AIDS.
Looking back, I can see how the Lord was preparing
me. He taught me compassion and acceptance. I
remember, two years before Jarred was diagnosed,my friend calling me one night, tired and stressed, to
tell me her son had AIDS. All she wanted to do was
to get out of the house, but she couldnt leave her son
and she couldnt take him with her, not because he
was too sick, but because of peoples reactions. I
invited her to our home. She hesitated because people
reacted so negatively to him in social situations that
she had really stopped taking him out because of the
hurt that both would experience as a result of the fears
and ignorance of people (Christian people, I might
add).
She and her son came over and just enjoyed being
out and accepted. I knew I couldnt get AIDS from
being kind, compassionate, and supportive. I was
never fearful that I could get AIDS from casual contact.
That experience and similar ones helped me to develop
a sense of compassion. And God helped me to love
W
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my son unconditionally. You see, he was a homosexual;
he was openly gay. I knew that, and although I did not
approve of his lifestyle, he was my child, and I loved
him unconditionally. I say to parents that it is so
important to love your children unconditionally.Accepting salvation is a choice. We cannot choose
salvation for our children; they must choose it for
themselves, and no matter what their choice, we must
love them. Maybe we can love them right into the arms
of Christ.
We must love them in the good times and in the bad
times. AIDS caused my son to lose a tremendous
amount of weight and experience severe dementia,
which is a broad term for a syndrome characterized
by a general decline in higher brain functioning, suchas reasoning, with a pattern of eventual decline in ability
to perform even basic activities of daily living, such as
toileting and eating. Dementia is also characterized by
memory loss, wandering, and significantly decreased
judgment.
At one point, his behavior became so erratic and
troublesome that the residential facility where he lived
said that they just couldnt handle him and that we
would have to place him elsewhere. I convinced them
to let him stay. There was nowhere else for him to go.
I did attempt to keep him at home. It was very difficult.
My husband and I worked full-time jobs, and Jarred
required much more care and attention than we were
able to provide. At the residential facility he was loved,
supported, and very well cared for.
Believe me, he had everything he needed and wanted.
I treated him as if every day might be his last. I never
wanted him to want for anything. From flowers to
socks to CD players to whatever he needed to makehim more comfortable, I got it for him.
I was happy to meet his material needs whenever I
could, but it was his emotional and spiritual needs that
I was most interested in. One night he admitted that
he was afraid: afraid of his future, and afraid to die. At
that moment God gave me supernatural strength to be
calm as I talked to my child about his impending death.
I told Jarred, You dont have to be afraid. God is so
faithful. You have given your heart and life to Jesus.
You dont have to be afraid. You will go to sleep, and
when you wake up you will see the face of Jesus.We talked and prayed. Later he told me that he had
indeed given his heart to Jesus and was looking
forward to going to heaven. Three days after that, he
slipped into a coma and died peacefully. People
reminded me of what a blessing it was that he died
peacefully, but I still couldnt believe it.
I couldnt believe that he was dead. Others were in
disbelief as well. People who die of AIDS usually suffer
a lot and ultimately die slowly and painfully. I took his
death very hard. He was my son, and even though hewas grown, it just isnt natural for parents to outlive their
children.
After his death I was a total wreck. I was so despondent
that counselors called me to offer their services. I couldnt
concentrate on anything; I really couldnt thinkit just
consumed me. Years later, not a day goes by that I dont
think about him. It has taken me almost until now to get
to the point where I am not screaming and crying. I still
miss him, but its different now.
Now my focus is on Christ and helping others. Now I
can see that I am a better person because of that
experience. I am much more compassionate. I understand
more about unconditional love and the ministry of Jesus
Christ. He was willing to reach out and touch the
untouchables. I really learned how to pray and depend
on God for physical and emotional strength. Throughout
the whole ordeal I never once got sick. I was exhausted
at times, but God kept me well enough to be there for
my son. Most of all, I really want to go to heaven. I havea longing for it. I want to help as many people as I can,
especially those impacted by AIDS. I want to live my life
on this earth in such a way that I will be able see my
Jesus and my son Jarred in heaven.
*All names have been changed.
LORETTA PARKER SPIVEY is the music and book review maven for Message Magazine. She is working on her second book, Eternity
Interrupted, which addresses the grief associated with the death of a loved one. She writes from Windsor, Connecticut.
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Battles Religious Bookstore
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SPECIAL SECTIONbbbbby Vincent Vy Vincent Vy Vincent Vy Vincent Vy Vincent Vallaneallaneallaneallaneallane
THE BLOOD COVENANTTHE BLOOD COVENANT
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W
The Pt.1: Tracing the History of the
Covenanthen you understand the covenant
relationship, then you understand why Jesus
came to this earth and the meaning of the
scripture that tells us that He died that we
might have life and that we might have it more
abundantly. Through His death, the Lord Jesus brought
about the New Covenant of His blood. That is what
this is about. Most who go to church and even have
been saved for some time have no idea what the blood
covenant is all about or what Jesus accomplished for
us at Calvary that we call the finished works of Calvary
as captured by the words of Christ Himself when He
exclaimed on the cross, It is finished.Let us begin with these verses: Psalm 25:14 The
secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he
will show them his covenant. Psalm 89:34 My cov-
enant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone
out of my lips. What does the scripture mean by the
word covenant? The first place the word covenant is
mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 6:18. But with
thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come
into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy
sons\ wives with thee. The first use of covenant has
to do with God dealing with Noah and the saving of
his family from the judgment that was to come upon
the world.
The law of first reference says that whatever the
meaning of a word or the way it is first used in the
Bible, is the meaning of the word whenever it is used
later in the Bible. Here the word covenant is used in
reference to an Ark that would become the Ark of
safety and deliverance for Noah and his family. Gen-
esis 6:14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms
shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within andwithout with pitch. It says that the Ark was pitched
within and without with a black pitch. In this verse
there are two different Hebrew words used for pitch.
The first word for pitch means to cover and is a word
for atone and is translated in different places as ap-
pease, make atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be
merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge, make recon-
ciliation. The last word for pitch in this verse is in ref-
erence to a black tar like substance that will seal wood.
So the scripture could read; And Noah did atone the
boat with pitch. So the Ark is a type of protection and
atonement. Noah built a boat to the saving of his house-
hold, which is the covenant that God made with him.So the theme of the covenant is about God protecting
a people. God raising up a people, protecting that
people and developing a personal relationship with
those people.
The Hebrew word for covenant, beriyth, ber-eeth
is found 280 times in the Old Testament and means a
compact (because it was made by passing between
pieces of flesh: It is translated as confederacy, cov-
enant, or league). Ex: When God made covenant with
Abram in Genesis 15:9-10,17-18a. And he said unto
him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she
goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old,
and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took
unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and
laid each piece one against another: but the birds di-
vided he not... And it came to pass, that, when the sun
went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking fur-
nace, and a burning lamp that passed between those
pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant
with Abram... The root word means to eat and also
to cut. So a covenant, in Old Testament times, involvedthe eating of a sacrificial meal and the cutting of the
flesh of an animal and so also refers to the shedding of
blood. The English word covenant is used 272 times
in the Old Testament. The word beriyth, ber-eeth is
sometimes translated as league, which appears 19
times in the Old Testament, but some of those are
translated from the Hebrew word chabar, khaw-bar\
meaning to join or have fellowship with. The word
covenant seems to come form an ancient Semitic word
from the Middle East area where the Arab and No-mad people became blood brothers by cutting their
wrists or palm of their hand, the blood of which ran
into a cup and then it was mixed with wine and drank,
signifying they were blood brothers by covenant. This
introduced people into a tribe and also to the protec-
tion of the god that clan or tribe was under. This idea
of blood being related to covenant is found through-
out the world in various world religions. Dr. Livingston
was in Africa and a man named Stanley went on a
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search to find him. Stanley wanted to know how to
get into Africa and travel and be protected. He was
told that he had to cut the covenant with a chieftain.
He did. The chieftain had a man representing him and
Stanley had a man representing him. They cut a slit intheir wrist and drink from the cup their blood was
caught in. Then they put gunpowder over the wound
so that it would heal and then they had to exchange
gifts. Now Stanley had ulcers so he carried a goat
with him to drink the milk. The chief wanted the goat
and Stanley was hesitant to do it and then he was told
that if he didnt give up the goat the chief might kill him
because they had made covenant and what was his
now belonged to the chief. So, he gave his goat to the
chief and asked what he would get in return. The Chief
gave him a big stick with copper on top of it. Stanley
thought that he just gave up his goat for some dumb
stick. But what Stanley didnt realize was that that stick
represented the chief. So when Stanleys man wouldhold this staff up when they went to different African
tribes, they all honored Stanley and it opened the door
to him because he had made covenant with one of the
great chieftains in Africa. Also they spoke a blessing
over a person for obeying the covenant and a curse if
they disobeyed it, just as in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the
palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before
me. We know that through the crucifixion of Christ
we enter into a covenant relationship with Him andJesus bears the scars, the mark of the covenant in his
hands. I believe that he does not bear physical scars,
but literal holes in his hands and feet where the nails
were driven and there are numerous reasons for this
including the scripture in John 20:27 Reach hither thy
finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand,
and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but be-
lieving. Jesus blood ran from his body and so there
was no clotting of blood and no closing of the wound
when He was buried. Then that body rose from the
dead and has no blood according to scripture. I be-
lieve it is as it was in that respect. Also, because a man
of God was taken to heaven said when he fell at his
feet the first thing he saw was the holes left by the nailsand it impressed upon him the great price that He paid
for our salvation. But in the ancient time they cut the
wrist or palm of the hand to cut covenant. Isaiah 62:8
The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the
arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn
to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the
stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou
hast laboured. Many times in the covenant, they would
make an oath by raising their right arm. It was a sign
of oath or covenant. This oath was the sealing of the
covenant. This has carried over even to our court sys-
tems today, in raising the right hand to make an oath
to speak the truth. Abraham did this in Genesis 15.
He raises his right hand and made an oath to the Lord.So as the first use of covenant in the Bible was in
relationship to Noah building an ark to save his house-
hold, the theme of the Bible is God saving a people,
delivering a people, protecting that people and even-
tually replacing it with the New Covenant to save all
men of all races that would believe in Christ and the
price He paid to make covenant with all men who
would receive it. Anytime the word beriyth, ber-eeth
is used it implies a cutting of some kind and the shed-
ding of blood. Our Bible is made in two parts, the OldTestament or Old Covenant and New Testament or
New Covenant.
The real covenant story began in Genesis. The Old
Covenant was made by God with Abraham and car-
ried till the death and resurrection of Jesus, which in-
stituted the New Covenant of His blood. The word
testament is an English word for a will, as we speak of
a last will and testament concerning someone who has
died. Hebrews tells us that a will or testament is not in
...the theme of the Bible is God saving a people, delivering a people, protecting
that people and eventually replacing it with the New Covenant to save all men of
all races that would believe in Christ and the price He paid to make covenant
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force until the testator dies (Hebrews 9:17). It is a will
with promises and provisions, that if we will obey we
will be in covenant with God. Christ is the mediator of
the New Covenant. This is the foundation to under-
stand the covenant and that when you enter into arelationship with God, everything He has belongs to
you and everything that you have now belongs to Him.
You take His name and His nature and He removes
your sins. I call it the Divine Exchange. What you have
for what He has. What you are for what He is. Its
your life for His life, not the harlot version of Chris-
tianity today where God gives you everything with no
strings attached and you owe Him nothing in return.
The first reference of the cutting of animal skins is
not with Abraham or even Noah, but in the Garden of
Eden after Adam and Even fell by sin. God then killed
two animals and used the skins to cover Adam and
Eve. Later it became the slaying of animals for He-
brews 9:22 says, without the shedding of blood there
is no remission (of sin). All covenants have several
features. First there are the terms of agreement. This
is what I am expecting out of you and what I am ex-
pecting you to do. The terms of agreement in Genesis
for the covenant was that all Jewish males born from
Abraham onward were to be circumcised on the 8th
day. The reason God picked the 8th day for circumci-sion was never understood until modern medical sci-
ence showed that on the 8th day the baby has more of
the blood clotting substance, (vitamin K), that an any
other time in their life. That way the child healed much
faster with less bleeding. Also it is interesting to note
that the number 8 is used in the Bible to represent new
beginnings.
The circumcision of the male child was a verifica-
tion and testimony that you were in agreement with
God and were in covenant with Him. That circumci-sion was the mark of the covenant. In the New Testa-
ment the agreement is by circumcision of the heart
and our agreeing to obey Him. The mark of circumci-
sion in the New Testament is that of a change of heart
and agreeing with the Word of God by repentance of
sin. Secondly, in all covenants there was the swearing
of an oath and sealing of the blood. In the Old Testa-
ment it was done through animal sacrifices and in the
New Testament through the blood of Jesus that was
shed for all men at Calvary. In the Old Testament,
men brought a bull or goat or ram to offer on the altar
as a sign of repentance of sin. Christ paid the price for
our entering into covenant with God and we merely
accept His sacrifice by faith and the covenant is sealedwith His blood instead of the blood of animals.
In all covenants there are the blessing of keeping
covenant and the curse for breaking covenant. That is
spelled out in Deuteronomy chapters 27 & 28. There
was the blessing of the law for keeping it and the curse
of the law for disobeying the terms of the covenant. In
the New Testament we have been redeemed from the
curse of the law, Christ being made a curse for us. But
that doesnt mean that there is not a qualification and
demand for our obedience. We are redeemed from
the curse of sin and the punishment for that sin when
we repent of sin. But God still requires obedience to
the repentant sinner, which brings Gods blessings upon
that life. If we disobey we are chastised or punished
by God for disobedience. If we walk in obedience to
the Lord, then we have the promises of the covenant.
As, John 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name,
I will do it. Yet the requirement and condition is given
in verse 15, that we keep his commandments. So all
covenants have an agreement, a sealing of blood or
an oath and a blessing and curse. That is the samewhether in the Old or New Testament.
The first reference of the word covenant is Gen-
esis 6:18 when God made a covenant with Noah and
his family that if they would build an Ark, He would
spare them and then through them repopulated the
earth. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and
thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and
thy wife, and thy sons\ wives with thee. Genesis 9:15
was another covenant God made with Noah as rep-
resenting all mankind, that He would never again de-stroy the earth with water and the sign of the covenant
was the rainbow. And I will remember my covenant,
which is between me and you and every living crea-
ture of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become
a flood to destroy all flesh. We see a half circle; half
rainbow on earth and the other part of it is round about
the throne in heaven (Revelation 4:3). And he that
sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone:
and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in
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sight like unto an emerald. If you put the two together
they would form a complete circle, as there is a circle
in circumcision. God put half the bow on earth and
half of the bow in heaven. It doesnt matter that there
is a scientific explanation that it is caused by the bend-ing of light rays by the water in the air. There had never
been a rainbow or rain prior to this time. So here God
made a change in nature and science and caused this
to be so that we have a visible sign and reminder of his
promise and covenant with man.
Then God made a covenant with Abraham to make
a great nation of him. Genesis 17:1-2, 5-6. And when
Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD ap-
peared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Al-
mighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
And I will make my covenant between me and thee,
and will multiply thee exceedingly... Neither shall thy
name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall
be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made
thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will
make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of
thee. So God promised to make Abraham great, his
name great and his seed great. In Noahs covenant
the sign of the covenant was the rainbow (Genesis
9:13). I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be
for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.For Abraham, the sign or token of the covenant was
circumcision (Genesis 17:11-12). And ye shall cir-
cumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a
token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he
that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you,
every man child in your generations, he that is born in
the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which
is not of thy seed. God was so serious of this that he
said if the child was not circumcised on the 8th day,
then the soul of that child would be cut off from amongthe people.
In Exodus, Moses was told to go down to Egypt
to tell Pharaoh to let His people go and Moses took
his wife and two sons and their came the time where
God sought to kill Moses and his two sons. Moses
then did something that upset his wife greatly. He im-
mediately had her circumcise his two sons, which had
not been circumcised and she called him a bloody man.
Exodus 4:24-26 And it came to pass by the way in
the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill
him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off
the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said,
Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him
go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, becauseof the circumcision.
God would not let Moses go gown to Egypt with-
out putting his sons under the covenant. When Joshua
was about to lead the children of Israel into the prom-
ised land, there were a lot of men born in the wilder-
ness that were not circumcised and Joshua had them
all circumcised and then they had to wait to recover
before beginning the trip. In each case, God demanded
that all males be circumcised before they entered into
battle because He could not protect them and fulfill
the promises of his covenant if they were uncircum-
cised going into battle. Because circumcision was a
demand or condition and sign of the covenant with
God, it became so important to the Jewish people
that in the day of the early church many thought that
without circumcision one couldnt become a Christian
and be a follower of Jesus. They believed this so
strongly because their law said the soul that was not
circumcised would be cut off from among the people.
When a Jewish man would go into his wife to have a
child, the seed of sperm has to pass through the markof the covenant before entering the womans body. It
meant that the seed was marked for the covenant and
that is why the male circumcision was so important in
the time of the Bible as a mark and sign of their cov-
enant with God.
Remember the story of Mr. Stanley. In marriage,
the covenant is the same. Whatever is your wifes be-
comes yours and what is yours becomes hers. That
which you own or that which you owe become com-
mon ownership and responsibility in the marriage cov-enant. All covenants have that exchange of posses-
sion and responsibility. Again, showing the power of
the covenant. When God was going to destroy Sodom
and Gomorrah, Abrahams nephew Lot was living in
the city. So, God first went to Abraham with his plan
to destroy the city and would not destroy the city with-
out first telling Abraham because of their covenant and
Abraham could negotiate with God because he had
family relatives in the city. In Genesis 22:1-2 God
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asked Abraham to go offer his son upon an altar. And
it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt
Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said,
Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son,
thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get theeinto the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell
thee of. Abraham didnt answer and say, but if I offer
my son and he dies, how will your word to me then be
fulfilled? Abraham understood the covenant he had
and that if God wanted something from him, then he
was obligated to give it to God, but also, if he needed
something from God, then God would give it to him.
This is the real understanding of the covenant that we
have missed and lost today. We have this concept of
God, at least as I grew up in the A/G, where He could
make demands of us, but we are not allowed to make
demands of Him. He is God and we are but servants
and that is true. But that is not the covenant relation-ship we have been given through the blood of Jesus, if
we truly enter into that covenant with Him. If we are
walking in the covenant and being obedient of Gods
demands of us, then if we have need of anything, we
have a right to ask it and He said He will do it. If I am
in true covenant with God, if I believe it and walk in it,
then all I have belongs to Him and all He has belongs
to me. That is where the promise of Philippians 4:19
comes in. My God shall supply all your need ac-
cording to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. It isntgood for anyone who claims to be a Christian, but
those who walk in the covenant. My need becomes
His, but only when His needs become mine. When
He needs me to witness to someone, I do it. When he
needs me to help someone, give to someone, what-
ever He asks me to do that I do it. As we obey Him
and do what He asks of us, then we walk in covenant
and the blessing and favor of God will come to us.
We see that the covenant and blessing is passed
on from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob. Then in the
time of Moses the Hebrew people are in Egypt. They
have become slaves and are building these treasure
cities for Pharaoh. Exodus 2:24 And God heard their
groaning, and God remembered his covenant withAbraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. As the people
cried out to Him, He remembered His covenant with
them. It doesnt mean that He had forgotten His cov-
enant with the people, but when they began to cry
out, then His covenant came in remembrance to Him,
that He had promised Abraham that after 400 years
He would bring them out of Egypt (Genesis 15:13-
14). And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that
thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,
and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four
hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall
serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out
with great substance. And God did all He promised
Abraham He would do. Then they got into the wilder-ness and started worshipping this cow and the Lord
told Moses that He would kill them and start over
with Moses and rise up a new nation from him (Exo-
dus 32:7-14). As Abraham understood that as He was
required to give God anything He asked for, the Lord
was also required to meet His needs and grant His
requests, Moses understood that God will become
angry with His people for their disobedience, but God
is still faithful to His covenant if He is reminded of it
and will never break it and He will be faithful in takingcare of His people.
Again and again in the Old Testament we see the
prophets prayed in the name of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. That was to remind God that they were of the
seed of Abraham, whom God had made covenant with.
In Luke we were told the woman with a spirit of infir-
mity was a daughter of Abraham meaning that she came
under Gods covenant (Luke 13:16). So when Moses
said remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus
Psalm 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out
of my lips.
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32:13, he was praying a covenant prayer to remind
God of His covenant with His people. Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou
swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will
multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all thisland that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed,
and they shall inherit it for ever.
In the time of King David, God made a covenant
with Him for a throne and a king to rule from Jerusa-
lem. Abraham had a covenant concerning the land of
Israel. Moses had a covenant concerning the nation of
Israel and David had a covenant concerning the city of
Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. The covenant with
David had to do with his being kind and his descen-
dants ruling from Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 7:12-14 And
when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall
proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his king-
dom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will
stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. Psalm 89:4
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy
throne to all generations. Also Psalm 132:11-12.
King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin was the first
kind of Israel, then God raised up David out of the
prophetic tribe of Judah. David ruled for 40 years and
gave the throne to Solomon who ruled for 40 years,who passed the throne to Rehoboam. Rehoboam made
some foolish decisions, which were from the Lord, so
that He could split the kingdom between the North
and South. From that time, David had a descendent
that sat upon the throne in Israel, though only over one
tribe. David had been a man after Gods own heart,
but he made a serious error in the matter of adultery
with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah
the Hittite. The prophet Nathan then came to David
and he was told his judgment in 2 Samuel 12:9-11.Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of
the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah
the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be
thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the chil-
dren of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never
depart from thine house; because thou hast despised
me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be
thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up
evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take
thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy
neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of
this sun. David had a son named Adonijah, a son
named Amnon, and a son named Absolom. The first
son of Bathsheba died because of his sin and then thesecond was Solomon. But because this sword did not
depart from Davids house, he outlived four of his sons.
But we can still see the power of the covenant with
David, whom God made a covenant with concerning
his throne. 1 Kings 15:4 Nevertheless for David\s
sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusa-
lem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusa-
lem. 86 years after David died. So even though this
descendant of David didnt do what was right, God
left him in power in Jerusalem to fulfill his covenant
with David. This also is stated concerning several other
descendants of David. 2 Kings 8:18-19 And he
walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the
house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife:
and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD
would not destroy Judah for David his servant\s sake,
as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his
children. Jehoram came to power 156 years after
David. 2 Kings 8:16 And in the fifth year of Joram the
son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king
of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judahbegan to reign. Ahabs wife was Jezebel, one of the
most wicked women in the Bible and it was her daugh-
ter that was married to Jehoram. They were wicked
and didnt do what was right in Gods sight, but God
didnt do remove him because of His promise and cov-
enant He made with David.
Psalm 89:34 My covenant will I not break, nor
alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Isaiah 45:23a
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my
mouth in righteousness, and shall not return. WhenGod says something, it is settled and He will fulfill it.
When God swears by Himself He is saying I guarantee
that I will keep my word and if I break my word, I will
destroy my throne in the heavens. That is the power of
Gods Word. That is why we were given Numbers
23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the
son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and
shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not
make it good? Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that
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goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it
shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 2
Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him
are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God byus. Jeremiah 1:12 For I will hasten my word to per-
form it.
And so God allowed these wicked men to reign
on the throne because of His promise and covenant to
David, which He would not break. In 2 Kings 20 king
Hezekiah, 313 years after David had died, needs a
miracle of healing, the Assyrians are invading the city.
2 Kings 20:5-6 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the cap-
tain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of
David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen
thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou
shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will
add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee
and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and
I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my
servant David\s sake. This is the third example that
specifically names David and Gods faithfulness of His
promise. God was still remembering David, 313 years
after his death. That was the power of the covenant
and word of God and why His covenant is unchange-
able. Psalm 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word issettled in heaven. Psalm 105:8 He hath remembered
his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded
to a thousand generations. In his anger, God could
have gotten rid of those wicked kings. He didnt jus-
tify their sins but said the only reason you have not
been removed from the throne is that I am remember-
ing your father David and the covenant I have made
with him.
Remember that in the first context and use of the
word covenant in scripture, it had to do with Noahand his building an ark. It was God telling Noah that
He would save Noah and his family if he would be
obedient and build the ark. Gods will is to save. Jesus
came to seek and to save the lost. His will is to save
you and your house. We do our best to train up our
children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, yet
many of them leave the Lord and walk out in sin and
rebellion. This is where, if we are walking in covenant,
we can stand for them, that God would save them.
Many sitting in church have come to Jesus to be their
savior, but they have not made Him Lord in your life.
They have come to Him for fire insurance and that is
the extent of their understanding. When you make Him
Lord, it means that you belong to Him, that He is yourowner and He is the Lord over your life. Then you
dont make decisions without consulting Him; you dont
do things contrary to the Word of God. You walk in
covenant with Him. Then God works on your behalf
in ways He cannot in the lives of those who do not
have a covenant with Him. There are others, who do
more than just believe God for salvation and actually
do things for God. Matthew 7:21-23 Not every
one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?
and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity. The Greek word for knew, means to
have an intimate relationship with. God wants us to
have an intimate relationship with Him. To understand
that is to understand the covenant that He wants to
make and has provided to make with us through His
blood. The theme of scripture in relationship to cov-enant is that God wants to save you and your family.
In the time of Abraham, God birthed the nation
through Isaac and then Jacob who became Israel and
his sons became the nation of Israel, Gods covenant
people. Then through His covenant people, God re-
vealed His prophets, His covenant and raised up a
people through which the Messiah would come into
the world and bring redemption through the New
Covenant of His blood. The Old Testament predicted
that God would write His word upon their hearts andestablish a New Covenant with His people and this
He did through Christ.
In Hebrew, the word for covenant means to cut
and implies a cutting of flesh. In the Old Testament it
was the slaying of animals. The whole understanding
of the covenant is tied to understanding the role of
blood, for there can be no covenant without the shed-
ding of blood. World religions have some form of of-
fering of blood. Even Satanism uses blood in sacri-
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fices, sometimes animal and sometimes-human blood
because they believe that in sacrificing blood there is
power.
Most alleged haunted houses have demons con-
nected to them. Though men believe that the souls ofpeople haunt them, we know that is not true, for the
souls of men who have died do not remain on the sur-
face of the earth to roam about. But demons like to
hang around areas where blood has been shed, whether
through human sacrifices of false religions or from
murder. They hang around areas where blood is shed.
We know that the life of the flesh is in the blood from
Leviticus 17:11 and the word for life means soul. The
soul of he flesh is in the blood. We know that when
Cain killed Abel, scripture says that his blood began
to cry out from the ground. So, blood has some kind
of voice.
The spirit world is given a certain amount of au-
thority or it can be restrained through blood. This
works in both kingdoms, that of God and that of dark-
ness. You might ask, what do you mean by that? In
Exodus 12 at the time of the Passover, when the blood
of the lamb was placed on the doorposts of the He-
brew, the death angel was restrained and unable to
enter into the Hebrews house. Blood can restrain the
enemy. In Revelation 12:11 it tells us the same things,that we can overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb.
So blood affects the spirit realm. In the Old Testa-
ment they could lay an animal on an alter and shed the
blood of that animal and that blood didnt bring for-
giveness, but atoned for their sins. It covered their sins.
But the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. The
blood of Jesus justifies us. So we see that many times
in false religions they use blood. It is a coping of what
God intended for His people to understand in rela-
tionship to the covenant of the blood of the Lord JesusChrist. False religions, witchcraft, Satanism always use
some form of blood because they believe that blood
has power to it and they gain power by shedding blood.
In the Old Testament it was always the blood of
animals that was sacrificed. The blood of a bull, goat,
ram, lamb or even a turtle dove. When we come to
the New Covenant and understand the mystery of the
blood of Jesus Christ, we understand the New Cov-
enant was ratified and sealed by the blood of Jesus.
However in some religions as Muslims, there is no
concept of sin or of the shedding of blood. Now when
God created Adam, He breathed into Adam. Scrip-
ture says that when Jesus breathed the breath of life
into the dirt that became Adam, he became a livingsoul. Scripture tells us that the life of the flesh is in the
blood. The soul is in the blood. The name Adam means
Gods blood and Adam was the created son of God.
Jesus was called the second Adam, because He was
the second man Adam to come into the world with the
pure blood of God. We know that Jesus having not an
earthly father and that the blood comes from the fa-
ther, received his blood from God the Holy Spirit who
impregnated Mary with the seed of God. And we know
that without the shedding of blood there is no remis-
sion of sin. When Adam sinned, something happened
to his blood and he died. Had he not sinned, he would
have lived forever. Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by
one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all have
sinned: So, through Adams sin and death, that sinful
nature and death was passed on to all. That seed of
Adam, now a fallen seed, was and is still passed on
from father to son or daughter. This is the very reason
and purpose for the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. That
He might not be of the fallen seed and corrupted bloodof Adam, but the second Adam, having the pure blood
of God. God dropped the seed of the Word of God
into Mary. That seed is a life force. As man has a
seed, the Word of God is called seed and they both
come from the same Greek word. The seed of Gods
Word has a life force within itself and is able to repro-
duce life. And we are born again of the incorruptible
seed of the Word of God. 1Peter 1:23 Born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. WhenGod dropped His seed into the virgin Mary, she con-
ceived not only in the physical part of her body, but
blood began to form in the body of Jesus. We also
know that the blood type comes from the fathers seed
and not the mother and so the blood that was in Jesus,
as the blood that was in Adam, was pure blood that
came from the father in heaven. I think the blood of
Adam and Jesus were the same. They both were pure
and originated from God. Why in the crucifixion, did
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the blood of Jesus have to come out of His body? His
blood was unique in that Jesus knew no sin for He
was sinless and His blood pure. But He that knew no
sin; took our sins upon Himself, that we who are sin-
ners, might become the righteousness of God, throughChrist. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him.
Next we will look into mystery of the blood, the
mystery of the marks on the body of Christ and the
New Covenant that we might understand our rela-
tionship to Jesus and our covenant to Him.
Part 2 - The Mystery of the Blood Covenant
The blood of Jesus was unique and incorruptible
because it came from God and Jesus was sinless. Also
we must consider the question that some have asked,
If Jesus truly was the Son of God, then why would
God want to crucify His own son? the only reason
for the crucifixion has to do with blood and the shed-
ding of blood for atonement according to Hebrew
9:22. So the blood of Jesus had to be shed and flow
from His body for Him to be the final Passover sacri-
fice. The blood of all the animals being sacrificed at
the temple had to flood out of the animal for the sacri-
fice to be proper and effective. Also, we must under-stand that his hands, feet and side carry the marks of
the cross. The nail prints from his hands and feet, liter-
ally left holes, not just scars, and also their is hole left
by the spear in his side. John 20:27 Then saith he to
Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side:
and be not faithless, but believing. So Jesus is a
marked man, marked for all eternity. One man whose
testimony I have heard that was taken to heaven stated
that he could see light through the holes in the feet ofJesus when he fell down before Him. Large holes left
by hugh nails. Adam was a marked man in that God
took a rib from his side to make a wife for him.
Abraham and his descendants were marked in their
flesh by circumcision. This is one of the ways that the
Jewish people will recognize Jesus when He returns,
by the marks of the crucifixion that He carries. That is
why none will be able to say that He wasnt crucified
for our sins.
We know that when the animal sacrifices were
brought to the temple and the blood was shed, sins
were covered. Now lets talk about the New Cov-
enant through the blood of Jesus. First, Jesus was born
of the virgin Mary to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.Why? So, that the blood in His body would be pure
and sinless in nature. At age 12 he was confounding
the scribes and doctors of the law, so He obviously
spent time learning the scriptures and had great wis-
dom even at that early age. But at age 30, the age that
a man was allowed to enter into the priesthood, Jesus
went into public ministry. Jesus was introduced by his
cousin John the Baptist at the Jordan River as the
Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the Word.
So, Jesus is introduced as the Lamb. When you talk
about a lamb in Jewish thinking, you are talking about
Passover. That was the time when all the lambs were
offered and sacrificed. He is introduced as the Lamb
of God and as the one who would take away the sins
of the world.
Several things happened at the time of Jesus suf-
fering and crucifixion. The first thing that happens ac-
cording to Matthew is what is called the Last Supper
between Jesus and His disciples. They have the Pass-
over Meal that He would share with His disciples. In
the Jewish Passover, there are four cups used in thePassover Meal. The third cup is called the cup of re-
demption. Apparently, this is the cup Jesus is lifting
when He makes the statement of Matthew 26:27-29.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of
the new testament, which is shed for many for the re-
mission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when
I drink it new with you in my Father\s kingdom. What
He is referring to when He speaks of drinking of thiscup with His disciples in His Fathers kingdom is most
likely what is known as the Marriage Supper of the
Lamb which is a tremendous time of celebration and
worship while partaking of this great feast in heaven.
Revelation 19:7-9. Let us be glad and rejoice,
and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb
is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to
her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen,
clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
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of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are
they which are called unto the marriage supper of the
Lamb... The fourth cup used in the Passover Meal is
called the cup of rejoicing, which is the wedding cup.
That is the particular cup Jesus was probably refer-ring to partaking of with His bride in Heaven. We are
told that as oft as we drink of this cup of the Com-
munion of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, we
do so in remembrance of Him and His death for us
until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:25-26). After that
moment was sealed with the drinking of the cup - which
also is pictured in the Jewish wedding, for after the
man is engaged and he sits down, they drink from a
cup together showing that they are engaged. So that
cup is more than a cup of redemption, but also when
we drink from it, we are showing our fellowship with
Him and that we are espoused to Him.
John 6:53-56 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of theSon of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in
you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
dwelleth in me, and I in him. He was talking about
this supper. When Abraham met Melchizadek, who
was the first king and priest of the Most High God,
king of Salem, which later became Jerusalem, he of-
fered the wine and the bread to Abraham. So it was atype of the Passover Supper and the Communion
Supper that was to come.
Second: Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of sil-
ver, Matthew 26:14-15. Why did Judas pick 30 pieces
of silver? Yes it was a fulfillment of prophecy of
Zechariah 11:12. More than that, a female slave could
be redeemed back to the owner for 30 pieces of sil-
ver. The word church comes from the Greek ekklesia,
ek-klay-see\-ah, which is a feminine word. We are
considered the bride of Christ on earth. At the mar