I came across a story a few weeks ago. This story was a tale of some cattle (sheep) ranchers in Washington state. They came upon one of their sheep who had a huge swollen head/neck. Upon closer inspection, they noticed what appeared to be a snake bite mark in the center of the swelling. It looked like two small missing tufts of skin about 1 inch apart from one another. Having grown up in the desert of the U.S., both men were all too familiar with the mark of an adult rattlesnake. Everyone knows that a rattlesnake bite is deadly, so they assumed that the sheep was in grave danger of perishing. Yet, despite the outward swelling and the bite mark on the sheep, the sheep seemed to be unfazed. She continued to eat, drink, and behave as normally as a she could with a swollen head. The ranchers continued to watch her and gradually, the swelling lessened until it disappeared and the sheep was perfectly fine after about 3 days. Later, upon farther research, they discovered that it was becoming more and more known in the medical and scientific communities that sheep had a natural immunity to the venom of snakes. Scientists have now begun to use the blood of sheep that has already been "infected" with the venom of snakes to use as an antivenin (anti-venom) or a cure to the bite of the deadly serpents.
As I read this news article, my mind began to race. Surely, I am not the only one to see the similarities between the physical aspects and the spiritual connotations of this story! It seems just like GOD to make a cure for the bite of the serpent from the blood of a Lamb. God has always big into symbolism. Time and time again in His Word, He uses an earthly lesson to teach us a Heavenly truth. He desires for everything we encounter in life to draw us back to the Savior. This discovery may have taken years for mankind to discover it and begin to utilize it (using sheep's blood as part of an antivenin treatment was formally approved by the FDA in late 2000) but it didn't take God by surprise. He created the antibodies and determined their reactions in the sheep's blood over 6,000 years before. So, I firmly believe it was always available, we just didn't know to use for a cure.
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. Lev 17:11 (KJV)
The Bible talks extensively about the importance of blood. The above verse plainly says the life of the flesh is IN THE BLOOD! You can't live without your blood. It brings life to your entire body. If you study any at all about biology, you will find that blood itself is quite remarkable. Every individual's blood has such an unique print / genetic code. We all have read about crimes that have been solved by forensic analysis because of a miniscule particle of DNA found at a crime scene. A micro drop of blood can identify a person. While it may appear to be the same in color and liquidity, share many similarities or DNA markers with other people's blood, each person’s blood is unique and one of a kind. I've read that an adult human has approximately 100,000 miles of intricate veins that transports our blood to all the regions of our bodies! That blood carries oxygen, DNA, and so on throughout our bodies. Because of this, infections can become dangerous when they reach the bloodstream. This is why when a person gets bit by a poisonous snake the situation can become life threatening very quickly. The toxins in the venom will spread quickly in the bloodstream of a human or an animal. The poison begins to cause localized tissue damage, changes in the blood cells, preventing blood from clotting. This damages blood vessels, causing them to leak. This can lead to internal bleeding and to heart, respiratory, and kidney failure and if left untreated for too long, will result in death.
For many years, scientists have explored ways to develop antidotes for the poisons of snakes. They have used horses and other large animals to experiment on in the past mainly due to their large size and availability but today, as I mentioned above, they have now started to use lambs ( or sheep ) to develop these anti-venoms that neutralize the effects of snake venom. They inject a lamb with controlled doses of a snake’s venom. The blood of the lamb immediately goes to work, producing antibodies to combat the venom. When the blood of the lamb has generated enough antibodies, those antibodies are extracted from its blood and an anti-venom would be formulated. Now, when a person is bitten by a similar snake, that same anti-venom created from the blood of a lamb is administered and it neutralizes the effects of the venom within that person.
Rom 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Remember how John the Baptist identified Jesus on the banks of the Jordan river? As Jesus came to be baptized, John said: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) This is tremendous to think about! Jesus himself IS the Lamb of God. If our blood is precious and so vital to life, what can we say of His blood??! If our blood is unique and designated to our specific makeup, how much more so is HIS divine blood? If our blood carry the genetic markers unique enough to identify us then Jesus' blood carries all those characteristic/qualities that make Him God!
John 1:14 —And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Just think : He was conceived without the help of a man. The Holy Spirit came upon Mary and she became pregnant with Jesus as a virgin.
(see Luke 1:35) It was truly supernatural occurrence!
By Jesus being birthed from a human mother, God literally became flesh. (see the foot note at the bottom of article for further medical explanation about how the blood circulation system works between mother and child in pregnancy.) This is truly amazing information in the medical sense. Definitely worth reading the full excerpt.
Despite the fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was highly favored of God and a righteous lady, she still had been born as a sinner. She needed a savior. Because of fall of man in the Garden, by default, Mary, too, had been poisoned by the toxins of sin. She had the proverbial "venom" flowing through her veins.
When God became flesh and subjected himself to a human pregnancy/birth, Jesus was “injected” or infused with the blood of mankind. That is why he could be 100% God and 100% man. While a baby's blood is separate from its mother's, in utero, in short simple terms, the mother's blood is used to circulate oxygen, nutrients, and life support to her child. The baby's waste and carbon dioxide is likewise removed from it by its mother's blood. God set up this circulatory system in a mother as a mean to ensure that a way could be made that God could be made “one” with mankind, while retaining His own Divine Deity.
2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us—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.
Jesus humbled himself and came to earth to be “injected” with the venom of sin and Satan that he might bring forth the cure by HIS blood!!
Hebrews 4:15-16 —For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
He walked as we walk. He hurt just like we hurt. He was tempted just like we are. This had to happen so he could feel the “feelings” of our infirmities and know how temptation felt to a human soul. Despite being 100% human, he was still 100% God. He remained perfectly sinless, but he “walked in our shoes” as a man ….But He not only brought us hope, he brought us a perfect cure!! Praise be to God!
1 John 4:9-10 —In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might LIVE through him. [10] Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 Timothy 3:16–And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Colossians 2:9 —For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Another thing I thought was amazing was the fact that in the beginning, scientists used the blood of horses (and cattle) to produce anti-venom. While this was a temporary solution, there was many side effects to this procedure. Technically, it did save the life of a snake bitten victim but it caused a lot of other issues within that person. They required much more treatment due to the incompatibility of the antigens in the horse‘s blood in the human body. So the treatment, while life saving, wasn’t ideal. There needed to be a better way to save people from the snake’s venom. (see article source note at end of article for more details )
The serpent that bit Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden was indeed poisonous. He poisoned humanity with sin, suffering, and death. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death! (Rom. 6:23) Sin was spreading, squeezing God's gift of life out of the souls of man. Something had to be done! A cure needed to be found. God needed the blood of a Lamb to develop that cure to save the human race from eternal damnation. This lamb was to be the ultimate sacrifice to redeem and save mankind from the bite of the serpent!!
Jesus entered this sin-sick, poisoned, and polluted world as a pure, innocent, perfect, and spotless Lamb of God. He was exposed to every temptation, evil and sinful condition imaginable, yet he remained without sin.
Jesus gave His life for us. He actually became sin for us. Our poison was introduced into His life so His precious blood could produce a cure for us. Can you see the similarity to the sheep here? Like I said earlier, Sheep are injected with the venom in order to produce the antibodies necessary to result in a cure... their blood becomes the cure for the bite of the deadly serpents! While this phenomenon is quite amazing, there is something so much more marvelous in the spiritual sense !! The Lamb of God was injected into this sinful, evil world in order to become the sacrifice (or the propitiation) for our sins (the venom) to produce the cure for the “bite”!! Only HIS Divine blood could produce a cure for sin and an antidote for the venom of the Old Serpent--SATAN!
When Jesus died on the cross, His blood was freed to work its miracle in our lives. We were DEAD in our trespasses and sin, ( the bite of sin and the Serpent--Satan had killed out our spirit) but Praise be to God! God didn't leave us there!! Hallelujah!
Jesus provided the only antidote that would defeat sin in our lives! He became our restoration!
Not only just for salvation, His blood became the source of our healing!! Both of our bodies and of our spirits !!
Isaiah 53:5-10– [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. [8] He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. [9] And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. [10] Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
His blood bought our redemption and our healing! His blood made a way for us to be reconciled once again to the Father!! What sin had destroyed, Jesus’ blood restored!! We now have access to the Father through and by the blood of the LAMB 🐑!!
Hebrews 10:3-12,14,16-19 –[3] But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. [4] For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. [5] Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. [8] Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein ; which are offered by the law; [9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. [10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [11] And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: [12] But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; [14] For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. [16] This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; [17] And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. [18] Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. [19] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Isn't that tremendous?!
God is saying,
Accept the anti-venom and LIVE!!
You may say, Sis. Tiph, I am saved. I go to church faithfully. I accepted Christ as my savior years ago. I'm not snake bit.
But let me ask you...
Have you been bitten by the serpent of bitterness?
What about the viper of worldliness?
Has the adder of anger/hatred latched on to you?
Have you allowed the snake of discord and the destruction of unity to have a place in your heart?
What about the rattler of self pity, fear, or negativity?
Satan, unfortunately, is good at being a devil. He is a master snake. He is sly. He sometimes creeps right into our lives without us even recognizing his presence. He whispers his lies into our ears and we allow him to sink his fangs of deception into our minds. We become "sick" spiritually. If we do not get treatment--the antidote (JESUS)--we soon begin to "shut down" spiritually. This "spiritual death" caused by Satan is much worse than any snake bite in the natural sense. But thanks be to God, there was that perfect sacrifice made! The blood of the lamb destroyed the venom of the serpent.
Did you catch that?
The blood of the LAMB has destroyed the venom! and one day, the blood is going to overcome Satan once and for all!!
In Revelation chapter 12, we read about the end of time and there is a great war being waged in heaven between a great dragon (that old Serpent--the Devil) and Michael and his angels. In the scripture passage here, we get a sneak peek into the future. We learn that the dragon loses the final battle and is forced out of heaven forever more:
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death --Revelation 12:7-11
We read that they gained final VICTORY over Satan because they were cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, and they defeated Satan by the word of their testimony!
According to God's Word, that is the key to successfully overcoming our adversity, the accuser of the brethren--the Devil.
First, we overcome him by the blood of the Lamb. That has already been taken care of for us. WE couldn’t do that one on our own!!
Jesus shed his blood on the cross, paying for our sins in full.
Second, we overcome “by the word of our testimony”.
Do you find yourself living in defeat spiritually?
Do you long for Victory, yet seem to never attain it?
If you can relate to these feelings, may I ask you a question?
Are you, perhaps, missing one of those critical steps in your life?
What is your story? What’s your testimony?
You have a story that is uniquely yours, that others need to hear.
It doesn’t matter if you think your story isn't anything great or powerful...What matters is that it is YOURS. And somebody out there needs to hear it.
Maybe even you.
When was the last time you worked your way through your own story and were reminded of all the good that God has done for you in your own life?
Even King David did that in the Psalms. ALL. THE. TIME. It is good thing to reflect on the goodness of God and His marvelous mercy to His children.
Even when I wrote our family's personal testimony posts a while back about our early years and also, the testimonies of our daughter's healings, all those memories came flooding back to me as I was writing those posts. I became overwhelmed by emotion. Just remembering all the goodness of God in times past will give you a fresh perspective on your current situation!
So, I challenge you to take some time today to remind yourself of the great sacrifice that the LAMB of GOD paid for our redemption! May we never forget the high cost that was paid that we can go free. Remember all the times past that God brought victory to your life and allow Him to build your faith and become your “antidote” from whatever ails you now…
From my heart to yours,
–Tiphanie ❤️
extra verses:
Philippians 2:6-11--
[6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-blood-sheep-protects-against-tongue-viper-there-may-be-no-rattlesnakes-wales-researchers-small-carmarthen-farm-may-save-some-two-million-people-worldwide-bitten-snakes-each-year-1392764.html
For almost a century before, virtually all antivenins have been produced by injecting horses with progressively large amounts of venom and then extracting the resulting antibodies. The horse's reaction to the venom is very powerful and stimulates a specific immunoglobulin, or antibody, IgG(T). The 'T' is for toxin and a high proportion of patients given snake-bite serum were allergic to it. Figures for an adverse reaction rate range from 10 to 80 per cent, with experts settling at around 40 per cent. This can vary from a rash or asthma- type attack to death in extreme cases. Using sheep, which do not produce the 'T' immunogloblin that causes the side-effects, was the brainchild of John Landon, professor of chemical pathology at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, whose research company, Therapeutic Antibodies Ltd, has a budget of pounds 10m for its antivenin programme. The antivenin produced from sheep offer little to no side effects. this was a tremendous scientific breakthrough!! https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-blood-sheep-protects-against-tongue-viper-there-may-be-no-rattlesnakes-wales-researchers-small-carmarthen-farm-may-save-some-two-million-people-worldwide-bitten-snakes-each-year-1392764.html?amp
Blood circulation during pregnancy
During pregnancy, the unborn baby depends on its mother for nourishment and oxygen. Since the fetus doesn’t breathe air, their blood circulates differently than it does after birth: The placenta is the organ that develops and implants in the mother's womb (uterus) during pregnancy. The unborn baby is connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord. All the necessary nutrition, oxygen, and life support from the mother’s blood goes through the placenta and to the baby through blood vessels in the umbilical cord. Waste products and carbon dioxide from the baby are sent back through the umbilical cord blood vessels and placenta to the mother's circulation to be eliminated. While still in the uterus, the baby's lungs aren't being used. The baby’s liver isn't fully developed. Circulating blood bypasses the lungs and liver by flowing in different pathways and through special openings called shunts.
Blood flow in the unborn baby follows this pathway: Oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood are transferred across the placenta to the fetus through the umbilical cord. This enriched blood flows through the umbilical vein toward the baby’s liver. There it moves through a shunt called the ductus venosus. This allows some of the blood to go to the liver. But most of this highly oxygenated blood flows to a large vessel called the inferior vena cava and then into the right atrium of the heart.
Here is what happens inside the fetal heart. When oxygenated blood from the mother enters the right side of the heart, it flows into the upper chamber (the right atrium). Most of the blood flows across to the left atrium through a shunt called the foramen ovale. From the left atrium, blood moves down into the lower chamber of the heart (the left ventricle). It's then pumped into the first part of the large artery coming from the heart (the ascending aorta). From the aorta, the oxygen-rich blood is sent to the brain and to the heart muscle itself. Blood is also sent to the lower body. Blood returning to the heart from the fetal body contains carbon dioxide and waste products as it enters the right atrium. It flows down into the right ventricle, where it normally would be sent to the lungs to be oxygenated. Instead, it bypasses the lungs and flows through the ductus arteriosus into the descending aorta, which connects to the umbilical arteries. From there, blood flows back into the placenta. There the carbon dioxide and waste products are released into the mother's circulatory system. Oxygen and nutrients from the mother's blood are transferred across the placenta. Then the cycle starts again. At birth, major changes take place. The umbilical cord is clamped and the baby no longer receives oxygen and nutrients from the mother. With the first breaths of air, the lungs start to expand and the ductus arteriosus and the foramen ovale both close. The baby's own circulation and its own blood flow starts up and begins to function like an normal person’s.