The 34th old testament prophecy that Jesus fulfilled comes from the second part of the prophecy of Leviticus 17:11. God took very careful steps to insure that the reader of the old testament would understand the seriousness of sin and the single remedy to remove the sin of man by Jesus Blood
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
When Jesus appears in the new testament, He does so to complete the picture of sin, sacrifice, and redemption that Leviticus 17:11 portrays. When one reads the old testament account of the animal sacrifices, is difficult to understand how the blood of an animal can remove the sin of a human being. When Jesus becomes the ultimate and singular sacrifice for all men at the Cross, we understand what the animal sacrifices were pointing to. It was God’s eternal purpose to remove man’s sin by the blood of His Son. It is in Jesus fulfillment of Leviticus 17:11 in the new testament that we see that fellowship with God is not possible until our sins have been removed by Jesus Blood.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
In fact, it was never the purpose of God to remove man’s sin by the old testament sacrifice. These sacrifices were simply “A Shadow of the good things to come”. The blood of the animal sacrifices did not remove the guilty man’s sin who was offering it. The blood was a temporary “covering” for that sin until Jesus came to fulfill the law and become the one sacrifice that would forever remove all sins.
Hebrews 10:1-7 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”
Those who died before the arrival of Jesus and the completion of His sacrifice, were held in a place of rest somewhere in the deep recesses of the earth that is often referred to as “Abraham’s Bosom” or “Paradise”. This is illustrated by the thief of the cross next to Jesus at His crucifixion who is promised “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”. When Jesus died He descended into the lower parts of the earth and preached to the departed souls of the old testament who did not believe in the promises of God for salvation through a coming sacrifice.
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Ephesians 4:9 (Now this, “He ascended”, what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
1Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah…
Redemption for all men, for all time, is found only in the blood of Jesus Christ as He died as the one sacrifice that would forever satisfy the righteous requirement of God to put away sin forever.
1Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
In Jesus fulfillment of this amazing 34th old testament prophecy, we have the assurance that God will accept anyone who comes to Him through the sacrifice that Jesus made. It is a mistake to believe that God will allow those into heaven who are basically good people. Since the old testament prophecy of Leviticus 17:11 makes it clear that only by the death of an innocent can the guilty be made righteous.
By God’s own words He says that there is no one who is truly a good person. Even the stain of a single sin causes a person to be seen a unrighteous and a sinner.
Romans 3:12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
According to God, if any person breaks any of His commandments at any time, they are guilty of breaking the entire law of God.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
The blood was the only acceptable method for redemption in the old testament, and it remains the single acceptable method for salvation in the new testament. The wonderful news is that there is no person who cannot be cleansed by Jesus blood, no matter how deep or dark the stain of their sin might be.
Rob Robinson
