The Sprinkling of Blood

Ezekiel 43:18-27

I want to do a complete Bible study on the topic of the sprinkling of blood. This isn’t a simple or easy Bible study to start as there are many different Scriptures that speak of the sprinkling of blood. Why is blood sprinkled? What is the purpose of this sprinkling of blood?

Before we get into the Scriptures, I put together a table with all the occurrences of sprinkling blood on an object or a person. Here’s how many times each of these are mentioned in the King James Bible.

#	Location	Times
1	Altar	26
2	People	2
3	Aaron and sons	2
4	Priest garments	2
5	Before the Lord/veil	2
6	Mercy seat	2
7	Before the mercy seat	2
8	Book of the covenant	2
9	Leper	1
10	House w/ leprosy	1
11	Before the tabernacle	1
12	Tabernacle	1
13	Vessels of ministry	1
Total:		45

By far, the object that has blood sprinkled on it the most is the altar. The children of Israel have blood sprinkled on them once but it is mentioned twice in the Bible so you see 2 times there. Aaron and his sons twice. The priestly garments twice.

Where and When is Blood Sprinkled?

Blood is sprinkled before the Lord and before the veil twice. Blood is sprinkled on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat twice. The book of the covenant mentioned twice in the Bible with blood sprinkled on it. A leper is sprinkled with blood once. Blood is sprinkled on a house with the plague of leprosy once in the Bible.

Blood is sprinkled before the tabernacle and tabernacle once each. And then once for the vessels of ministry.

We see a total of 45 times in the Bible where blood is being taken from some type of animal (oxen, ram, bullock, sheep, goat, lamb, turtledoves, pigeons) and sprinkled on an object or a person as you see in the table there.

Keywords: Sprinkle, Sprinkled, Sprinkling, and Sprinkleth

Now, where are all these instances seen within the Bible? And this is where it’s important to know what’s happening in the Bible. Here’s the Bible verses where the words sprinkle, sprinkled, sprinkling, and sprinkleth are located:

Now, keep in mind, we are trying to figure out why blood is sprinkled on objects and people within the Bible. What is the reason for doing this? Where are all of these Scriptures located? This is how you study the Bible to find the truth about a topic. And then when someone says you have strange doctrine, you can tell them it’s based exactly on what the Bible says.

Usually the people who are accusing you of having strange doctrine are the people who haven’t studied the Bible on that topic. They usually go with what someone preached, which doesn’t mean it’s the truth, versus what the Bible actually says.

I am showing you how I study the Bible from cover to cover to find the truth within. We are studying the topic of the sprinkling of blood within the Bible.

Did Jesus Ascend on Resurrection Day with His Physical Blood?

For example, some people will teach and preach that Jesus Christ had to take his physical blood that was shed when he died on the cross to a physical mercy seat in heaven or that we could not be saved from our sins.

They will teach that Mary Magdalene almost touched Jesus the morning he arose from the dead and that Mary Magdalene would have corrupted the sacrifice Jesus made.

Jesus had already died, his blood had already been shed, the offering for sins had already been made, the blood had already been applied, his body had already been buried for three days and three nights, his soul had already been to hell but not left there, and he had already risen from the dead in his new, glorified, and incorruptible body.

But these people will stay say that he gathered his physical blood from three days and three nights earlier, had it with him in a bowl or something similar when he appeared to Mary, told her not to touch him or he would be defiled, had to ascend into heaven in a new, glorified, and incorruptible body, and sprinkle that actual physical blood on the actual physical mercy seat in heaven or the blood is not applied and we cannot be saved.

They will say that if he wouldn’t have made it to the physical mercy seat in heaven with his physical blood before someone touched him, we would not be able to be saved from our sins.

Why Was Blood Sprinkled?

So, today I am just going to focus on the Bible study with the sprinkling of the blood. We will go deeper into other things in the coming weeks. And remember, we are still on the topic of the feasts of the Lord. Jesus is the Passover. Jesus is the unleavened bread. He is without sin. Jesus is the atonement for our sins. Jesus is the firstfruits.

The children of Israel were taking the blood of bulls, oxen, rams, goats, lamb, sheep, and birds and sprinkling that blood on objects and people. Why were they doing this? The Lord God Almighty instructed them to do this, but why? That’s what we’re studying.

We go to the first occurrence of blood being sprinkled in all the Bible. This is how you start a Bible study. We go to Exodus Chapter 24. But we also remember Exodus Chapter 12 is the Passover. It mentions the sacrifice of blood first.

But Exodus 24 mentions sprinkling first. But this is also why it’s important to know the entire Bible. The Passover is mentioned with sprinkling of blood in the New Testament.

In Exodus 24, Moses is called up into the mountain. God gives Moses commandments. Moses tells the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. The people answered and said, “All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.” Moses writes all the words of the Lord. He builds an altar under the hill with twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Blood of the Animal Sacrifices Was Sprinkled

The young men offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings unto the Lord.

Exodus 24:6-8
And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.  8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Blood of an oxen was sprinkled on the altar. Then the blood was sprinkled on the people after they said they would do the words of the Lord and be obedient to his words. “Behold the blood of the covenant.” They entered into an agreement with the Lord by blood being sprinkled.

Since we read and study the Bible here, we know this is also mentioned in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Hebrews Chapter 9 speaks of the first covenant or the old covenant or the old testament. It had ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary.

The tabernacle is described. The priests go into the first tabernacle accomplishing the service of God. The high priest goes in alone once per year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people.

The Old and New Are Different: The New is Better

Not everything between the high priest in the Old Testament and the New Testament is exactly the same. Not everything between the worldly sanctuary and the heavenly sanctuary is the same. Hebrews Chapter 9 is clearly teaching us that. Jesus is better. Jesus is different.

Hebrews 9:11-12
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;  12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

“But BY his own blood he entered in once into the holy place.” The Bible says by his own blood. The Bible doesn’t say WITH his own blood. The Bible doesn’t say he carried his actual physical blood into the holy place and sprinkled it on the mercy seat where the Father is sitting. Every word of God is important. The word BY, b-y, is not the same as WITH, w-i-t-h. They don’t mean the same thing either. Don’t change the words.

Hebrews 9:14
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God. Let me say it again. Christ offered himself through the eternal Spirit. Through the eternal Spirit.

Jesus Died on Earth and His Blood Was Shed on Earth

He died on the earth in his physical flesh and blood body that was absolutely perfect. He didn’t physically die on an altar in heaven. His physical blood was shed into the earth. It was sprinkled all over the earth. It spilled into the earth. That’s where the actual physical blood went.

If you want to argue that, show me a Scripture. His physical blood was shed for us. Beaten, whipped, scourged, crown of thorns. Blood sprinkled all over the place. Holes through his hands and feet. Jesus was bleeding. Soldier pierced his side and out came blood and water. The Bible doesn’t say anyone was catching this actual physical blood into a bason.

Jesus wasn’t on the altar outside of the physical holy place. He was hanging on a cross at Calvary. The high priest didn’t capture his blood and take it and sprinkle it on the actual physical mercy seat. He died on the cross on earth. If you want to call it an altar, the altar was on earth. Jesus was flesh and blood. Hebrews 9 continues speaking of the testament, the old testament.

Hebrews 9:18-20
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.  19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,  20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.

The Old Testament was dedicated with blood. The New Testament is dedicated with blood. The people had physical blood of an oxen sprinkled on them. We haven’t had the physical blood of Jesus sprinkled on us. They didn’t follow the commandments of God. We follow the commandments of God through the eternal Spirit and through the new man. The new is better.

Moses Sprinkled With Blood

Hebrews 9:21-22
Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.  22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Moses sprinkled with blood the people, the book, the tabernacle, and all the vessels of ministry. Look at verse 22 closely, though. “And ALMOST all things are by the law purged with blood.” Not all things were purged with blood. You can study that in the Old Testament. Some things are cleansed by water or fire.

Purged means purified or cleansed. And ALMOST all things are BY THE LAW purged with blood. And without shedding of blood is no remission. Let me repeat that. “And without shedding of blood is no remission.” It doesn’t say, “And without the sprinkling of the physical blood of Jesus on the physical mercy seat in heaven there is no remission.”

It doesn’t say, “Without the sprinkling of blood on the mercy seat, there is no remission.” It says, “Without SHEDDING of blood is no remission.” There must be blood SHED to receive forgiveness of sin. Did Jesus shed his blood for us? Yes, he did. His blood saves us from our sins.

The Blood of Jesus Saves Us from Our Sins

Hebrews 9:23-24
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.  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:

The patterns of the things in the heavens should be purified with these. But the heavenly things with better sacrifices than these. The things of heaven are all purified by Jesus Christ already. The things in heaven are perfect. The unclean things in heaven were the people, the sinners. But they only entered into heaven because Jesus cleaned them from their sin in his own blood.

Jesus appears in the presence of God for us.

Hebrews 9:25-26
Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Does the Bible Say Jesus Sprinkled His Blood on the Mercy Seat?

The high priest on earth, Aaron was the first, entered into the holy place once per year WITH the blood of others. What did Jesus do, though? Verse 26 says, “But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin BY the sacrifice of himself. His sacrifice saves us. Not once does the Bible ever say Jesus sprinkled his own physical blood on the mercy seat in heaven.

Could it have happened? Yes, it could have. But the Bible doesn’t say that so don’t make it up like the Bible does say that.

What does the Bible say about sprinkling blood? Here’s a table showing all the books and chapters where blood is being sprinkled.

A Table Showing Scripture Where Blood is Sprinkled

#	Chapter	Context
1	Exodus 24	The blood of the covenant Moses sprinkled blood of oxen on the altar. Moses took blood and sprinkled it on the people.
2	Exodus 29	Consecrating Aaron and his sons Moses sprinkles blood of ram on the altar. Moses puts blood on Aaron and sons. Moses takes blood & oil and sprinkles on Aaron, sons, garments.
3	Leviticus 1	Burnt offering from a man in the congregation Aaron’s sons sprinkle blood on altar for burnt offering of herd. Aaron’s sons sprinkle blood on altar for burnt offering of flock.
4	Leviticus 3	Peace offering from a man in the congregation Aaron’s sons sprinkle blood on altar for peace offering of herd. Aaron’s sons sprinkle blood on altar for peace offering of flock.
5	Leviticus 4	Sin offering of ignorance for priest and congregation Priest dips finger in blood and sprinkles 7 times before the Lord. Priest dips finger in blood and sprinkles 7 times before the vail.
6	Leviticus 5	Sin trespass offering Priest sprinkles blood of sin offering upon side of altar.
7	Leviticus 7	The law of the trespass offering and peace offerings Blood sprinkled round about upon the altar. The priests sprinkle the blood of the peace offerings.
8	Leviticus 8	Consecrating Aaron and his sons Moses sprinkles blood of ram on the altar. Moses puts blood on Aaron and sons. Moses takes blood & oil and sprinkles on Aaron, sons, garments.
9	Leviticus 9	First offerings of Aaron for himself and the people Burnt offering for himself. Sprinkled blood on altar. Peace offerings for the people. Sprinkled blood on altar.
10	Leviticus 14	Cleansing leprosy Priest dips living bird in blood of killed bird and sprinkles 7 times. Priest dips into blood of killed bird and sprinkles house 7 times.
11	Leviticus 16	Day of atonement where high priest enters into holy place High priest sin offering for himself. Sprinkles blood on & before mercy seat 7 times. High priest sin offering for the people. Sprinkles blood on and before mercy seat.
12	Leviticus 17	The blood of slain beasts Priest sprinkles blood upon the altar.
13	Numbers 18	Firstling Sprinkle their blood upon the altar.
14	Numbers 19	Red Heifer, its ashes, water of separation for purification from sin Eleazar the priest sprinkle of her blood before tabernacle 7 times.
15	2 Kings 16	King Ahaz offered peace offerings Sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings upon the altar.
16	2 Chronicles 29	King Hezekiah cleansing Sprinkled blood of bullocks, rams, and lambs upon the altar.
17	2 Chronicles 30	King Hezekiah keeping the feast of unleavened bread The priests sprinkled the blood
18	2 Chronicles 35	King Josiah keeps the Passover They killed the passover and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands.
19	Ezekiel 43	The ordinances of the altar Offer burnt offerings and sprinkle blood upon the altar
20	Hebrews 9	The blood of the covenant Moses sprinkled blood of oxen on the altar. Moses took blood and sprinkled it on the people and the book. Sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
21	Hebrews 11	Kept the Passover And to the blood of sprinkling.
22	Hebrews 12	Jesus the mediator of the new covenant To the blood of sprinkling.
23	1 Peter 1	Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blood is Sprinkled on the Altar First

For all the offerings being offered, you see blood being sprinkled on the altar first. You see blood being sprinkled on Aaron, his sons, and their garments to make them holy. You see blood being sprinkled on a leper to cleanse the plague. You see blood being sprinkled on a house to cleanse the house of leprosy.

Why was blood sprinkled on things? To purge or cleanse those things. To make those things holy. Did that actually make them holy? No. Aaron had the blood of animals put on his skin. Did that make the flesh of Aaron perfect? No.

Have you had the actual blood of Jesus sprinkled upon your flesh? No. Did the men beating and scourging Jesus get this actual physical blood sprinkled on them? Yes. Did they get saved because it touched them? No. Let’s look at that table we saw at the beginning again.

Blood is Sprinkled to Purge or Cleanse Those Things

#	Location	Times
1	Altar	26
2	People	2
3	Aaron and sons	2
4	Priest garments	2
5	Before the Lord/veil	2
6	Mercy seat	2
7	Before the mercy seat	2
8	Book of the covenant	2
9	Leper	1
10	House w/ leprosy	1
11	Before the tabernacle	1
12	Tabernacle	1
13	Vessels of ministry	1
Total:		45

The altar is sprinkled with blood the most times by far. And keep in mind the altar where Jesus died on earth. Why is the altar sprinkled with blood before every offering is placed on the altar? It is to hallow it or it make it worthy for the offering to be placed upon.

Leviticus 16:15-16
Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:  16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

An Atonement FOR The Holy Place on Earth

Sprinkling blood on the mercy seat to make an atonement for the holy place because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

Leviticus 16:18-19
And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.  19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

Sprinkling blood to cleanse it. To hallow it. Why? Because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel. This altar is on earth. It is unclean. It was made with unclean hands. The altar in heaven wasn’t made with unclean hands. Did God appoint some men from earth to come up there and physically build the altar in heaven? No.

Leviticus 16:20
And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

The “Holy Place” Needed Reconciliation

They had to reconcile the holy place to make it the holy place. They sprinkled blood to do that. That’s what the sprinkling of blood is doing. Aaron sprinkled blood on the mercy seat to cleanse it because it needed to be cleansed. Does the mercy seat in heaven need to be cleansed so God can sit there? Do you think the mercy seat in heaven is unclean and needs to be cleansed so God can sit there?

Ezekiel 43:20
And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the settle, and upon the border round about: thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it.

Cleanse and purge IT. Not the people. IT. The altar. Purge it. Cleanse it.

Ezekiel 43:22-23
And on the second day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock.  23 When thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.

Cleanse the altar. Made an end of cleansing it. Then offer the young bullock.

Ezekiel 43:26
Seven days shall they purge the altar and purify it; and they shall consecrate themselves.

The altar needed to be purged and purified. The people needed the same. Consecrate themselves. Now, would it be weird doctrine to say that the mercy seat in heaven needs to be cleansed because it’s unclean? Yes it would be weird. Does the altar in heaven need cleansing? Is there an altar in heaven?

Does the Mercy Seat in Heaven Need Cleansing?

Revelation 6:9
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

Revelation 9:13
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

There’s the four horns of the altar that we see the blood of animals being wiped on that is located on the earth. Does that altar in heaven need the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled on it? If the physical blood of Jesus Christ needed to be sprinkled on the mercy seat in heaven for us to be forgiven of sin, does the altar in heaven need that as well? Does the most holy place in heaven need to be cleansed because, at times, it’s not holy?

The altar on earth is seen being sprinkled with blood the most in the Bible. Far more times than anything else. Does that altar in heaven need physical blood to be cleansed?

Physical Things are Being Cleansed with Physical Blood

Hey, physical things on the earth are being cleansed in the Old Testament by the sprinkling of blood. The blood of animals. Those things need cleansing because of the people. The people, the physical people, are sinners. Aaron was a sinner. His sons were sinners. The Levites were sinners. People on earth made the tabernacle, the altar, the mercy seat with their own unclean hands.

The people continued to sin. You can read all about it in the Bible. The holy things in heaven are holy. They are always holy. They have never been unclean. Physical uncleanness doesn’t ever enter into heaven. Not once. Never. The mercy seat in heaven doesn’t need physical blood sprinkled on it to make it clean. You can argue all you want that the blood had to me sprinkled on the mercy seat in heaven. But why not the altar in heaven?

Why is the altar of the death of Jesus Christ on the earth but the mercy seat of the death of Jesus Christ in heaven? One is on earth and one is in heaven? You’re mixing physical things with spiritual things. You’re trying to take physical blood to heaven to cleanse things in heaven.

When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are cleansed with the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s not an actual physical act of Jesus taking his physical blood and sprinkling it on our bodies. That hasn’t happened as far as I remember. Does anyone remember Jesus coming to you when you believed and sprinkling his physical blood on you so that you are now clean?

Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Physical Blood Being Sprinkled on Your Physical Heart

Was physical blood sprinkled on your physical heart? No.

This is a spiritual thing that you don’t see. You’re saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ. The blood is then applied to you. His sacrifice is then applied to you. His payment is applied to you the moment you believe. Do I believe in the blood of Jesus Christ? Yes, I do. His blood was shed for us.

Do I believe his physical blood was taken into heaven and sprinkled on the mercy seat? No. Do I have to believe that to be saved? If so, I sure missed that.

Jesus died, his blood was shed, his body was buried, his soul was not left in hell, and he arose from the dead in a new and glorified body that can never die and can never be corrupted. There was never a chance that Jesus Christ would be corrupted.

Hebrews 11:28
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Passover = Sprinkling of Blood

The Passover is also called the sprinkling of blood. Jesus is the Passover Lamb. Did people take his blood and go wipe it on their homes? No. Jesus is the high priest. Did Jesus need cleansing. No. Jesus died. His blood was shed. He is the high priest. How did he do that? He didn’t need cleansing. He’s a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Not after the order of Aaron. Not the same.

Obviously things are different with Jesus vs. Aaron. Things are different on earth than in heaven. Physical things and spiritual things are not the same. They are different. The blood of Jesus went down into the altar of earth. Earth needs cleansing. We need cleansing. Jesus doesn’t. Heavenly things do not. We need cleansing before we can enter into heaven. We are from the earth.

And the blood of Jesus is applied. Did Jesus enter into the Holy place? Yes he did. The veil was torn when his body was broken and his blood was shed.

Let’s pray.