The theme of blood is foundational to our understanding of the work of Christ in the generation of the first Adam. The Bible has been called ‘the book of blood’ because of this particular theme running through it. Killings and shedding of blood make the Scriptures unattractive to the natural man who always selfishly wants to survive as long as possible. However, the natural blood given to the first man Adam is merely a type of the real spiritual blood which the last Adam, Jesus Christ, will give to all eventually. The first man Adam and all in his generation are from the ground and all given the same earthy blood or carnal ‘breath of life’:

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Act 17:26 And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.

In this sense we are indeed our brother’s keeper as we share the same carnality since Adam, which Cain in his natural inherent hatred and anger could not see. Like Cain, we all are blinded to think that the war or battles are outward – against flesh and blood, with whom we all also ‘wrestle’ in our earthly communion (1Co 15:50, Gal 1:16, Eph 6:12):

Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Gen 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
Gen 4:10 And he [God] said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

All flesh is ‘of the ground’ and to the ground it will return, including the blood (Gen 2:7,9,19, Gen 3:19). The first human blood that was shed ‘from the foundation of the world’ was that of the ‘righteous Abel’, who is in this sense a type of the true righteous blood of Jesus that was shed for the sins of all in the generation of the first man Adam, ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’ (Luk 11:50-51, Mat 23:35, Rev 13:8).

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Abel’s offering or works found favor with God, and that cost him his own life. It points to the truth that when we follow carefully the doctrine of Christ and desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus, it will cost us our earthly life (Mat 10:17-39, Mat 24:4-36):

2Ti 3:10 You however have carefully followed my doctrine, lifestyle, purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,
2Ti 3:11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, in Iconium, at Lystra– what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
2Ti 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

We also will be delivered out of them all as God works it. This shedding of the blood testifies to a violent action which all who enter the spiritual kingdom of God will suffer and all will drink that ‘deep and large’ cup (Rev 15:8, Jer 25:15-28, Eze 23:32). Those who can receive it in this age will give account and admit that while “all things are [theirs]” they are guilty of the blood that was shed (Mat 4:4, 1Co 3:21-23).

Luk 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

This is all saying that we are guilty of the blood of Jesus because we all drink ‘unworthily’ of His cup first when we honour the false doctrines in our fornication with Babylon, the spiritual harlot, as we hate God’s elect (Mat 27:3-4, Eph 2:2-3, 1Jn 4:1):

1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
1Co 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Rev 17:6 I saw the woman [“mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots”], drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

As long as we are spiritually dead and sickly and celebrating the first Adam, we cannot discern the Lord’s body or His blood (Gen 9:4-6). As those before the flood could not digest meat, even so can no one under the natural laws eat the fat or drink the blood of an offering to the Lord (Gen 1:30, Gen 9:3, Deu 12:16,23, 1Sa 14:31-35):

Lev 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

In the time of the tabernacle and the earthly temples, blood was shed, among others, on the ground, and round about the brazen altar in the courtyard, and put on the horns of the altar of incense which is before the LORD (Exo 29:12, Lev 8:23, Lev 8:30, Lev 4:18). The blood of the sacrificed animals was also sprinkled on the brazen altar, on the people, before the veil of the sanctuary, on the garments of the high priests and his sons, and even on the mercy seat of the ark in the holy of holies on the day of atonement, among other uses (Exo 24:6, Exo 24:8, Lev 4:6, Lev 6:27, Lev 16:14). All of these are typifying the overall cleansing and atoning power which the spirit-life of Jesus will bring progressively in every aspect of the lives of all in the generation of the first man Adam. Jesus can truly save to the ‘uttermost’ (Lev 14:1-57, Lev 15:1-33, 1Co 15:22-28).

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost [Greek: panteles = all, completely] that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

At God’s appointed time all be given to eat His bread, and drink His cup in a worthy manner when we are given the ability to bear His words/works in us (Joh 14:10, Joh 16:12, Rev 1:2). This is when we are dying with Him to all in the world and we love not our earthy life (1Co 15:31, 1Jn 2:15-16, Luk 14:26). Dying with Him is understood to include being persecuted, rejected, reviled and killed for His sake (Gal 2:20, 1Pe 4:16-19). Only then are we the ‘heavenly things themselves’ (Eph 2:6):

Heb 9:23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

This is also when we do not resist the very evil around us which is given by God for this specific and wonderful purpose. If we can see His purposes with the evil that comes on us, we rejoice because we are given to suffer for His name’s sake (Act 5:41, Php 1:29).

Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

These persecutions are necessary to bring forth the water and the blood of our old Adamic life to make place for the new water and blood of the spirit life in Christ (Mat 9:15-17):

Joh 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

Mat 26:27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
Mat 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Mat 26:29 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.

Joh 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Through Christ in us we are being enabled to not resist evil around us, even when it comes to destroy our physical life. Vengeance is God’s prerogative, not man’s (Deu 32:35):

Heb 10:30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

It is not recorded in Scripture that Abel resisted when his brother killed him, but Christ, typified by Abel, did not resist when they apprehended him, mocked Him, abused Him, and eventually crucified Him:

Act 8:32 He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
Act 8:33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

As with Job, in type, it is revealed to those who can receive and give an account of it in this age, that ‘humiliation judgment [is] taken away’, because they know and proclaim that God will revenge all disobedience with His righteous judgment at the right time (2Th 1:5-11, Rev 16:7, Rev 19:2). God knows what He is doing, and His elected judges will be judging in the same manner if they can bear His righteous judgment first (1Pe 4:17, 1Jn 4:17-19, 1Co 11:31-32, 2Co 7:11-12). Those who are judged now are found to be worthy to suffer for His sake. This is what the Cain in us cannot have:

Gen 4:11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
Gen 4:12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Our ’till[ing] the ground’, or bondage to this earth, and the evil in us are revealed progressively as the evil man of sin in us naturally waxes worse and worse (“O earth, earth, earth”), before he is judged and totally destroyed (Jer 22:29, 2Th 2:3-8):

2Ti 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

The cursing of the ground is here just one more repetition and confirmation of what the first Adam and all physical things are by nature. All physical and carnal things were “sown in corruption, in dishonour, in weakness’ from the hand of the Creator (Rom 8:20, Jer 18:4, Rom 9:21):

1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

Our flesh cannot handle the thought and reality of death or us getting slain. Death is always “greater than [we] can bear” physically as we in ourselves will never be satisfied with God’s ways. When we cannot submit to His will, death will always be accompanied by a strong desire for our own will to be done, and we even accuse God of being excessive with His judgment. In its spiritual blindness, the flesh wants to be perfected and saved to be resurrected as so-called ‘spiritual flesh’ – so it is falsely taught and believed by many.

Gen 4:13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Gen 4:14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Even in God’s vengeance on Cain, and all of us in the generation of the first Adam, there is mercy (Jas 2:13, 2Sa 24:14, Psa 145:9, Luk 6:36, 1Pe 1:3):

Gen 4:15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Gen 4:16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

The land of Nod refers to our natural wandering and searching for peace and prosperity when that will remain as unfulfilled lusts of the flesh until God brings an end to our desire to serve and follow Him for natural things only (Joh 6:26-27). To drink the true blood and eat the true flesh of the spirit is a ‘hard saying’ to the natural man (Joh 6:60-61, 1Co 2:14):

Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Joh 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
Joh 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Joh 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

What is the meaning of the ‘mark’ God placed on Cain? This mark is indeed a confirmation of the very same mark Cain’s father, Adam, and all in him are given at their creation:

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God willing, we can see ourselves as the very beast and man of sin (antichrist) when we are given the wisdom to understand ‘the number’ of man and the progression of that (beast) in our own lives:

Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Everyone, in their own order, will get the victory over the beast, and his image, and over his mark – through the fiery judgments of God as He will destroy all fleshliness and death (1Co 15:26):

Rev 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.

Rev 7:14 …. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

[Any questions or comments can be directed to the author at glgroenewald@gmail. com]

[Detailed studies and emails written relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the www.iswasandwillbe.com website, including:]

Conclusion of Study in Matthew 24: “This Generation Shall not Pass, till all These Things be Fulfilled” – Tony Cullen
Mark of the Beast and Buying and Selling
What Does ‘Chief of Sinners’ Mean?
Why Was the Drinking of Blood Taboo/
This is My Blood of the New Testament
What is a Christian’s Role in this Present Evil World?