The Alarm is Sounding Part I: Joel 2:1

The Alarm is Sounding Part I

Written by Dr. Christi Butler / Oct. 2015

Note: Recently I was asked to speak at a home group meeting and the following article is a written version of the message that was shared. An audio version of this message is available on youtube. Search “The Day of the Lord Joel 2:1,” and the title screen says “Living Flame.”

In Joel chapter 2 verse 1, the prophet writes, “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain. Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the Day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand.”

In this passage, Joel is speaking under the unction and inspiration of the Spirit of God as a prophetic watchman. He is speaking a word that has a specific application for his generation, but there is also a further depth of meaning in Joel’s words as he foresees a time in the distant future known as “The Day of the Lord.”

Joel is writing to urgently call his nation to prayer and repentance before an immanent time of judgment. This book was written some time around 800 BC just before the Assyrian Invasion that devastated the 10 Northern tribes from 740-722BC. Some areas in the Southern Kingdom were also attacked, but the Southern Kingdom of Judah did not suffer the same level of destruction.

At any rate, I am mentioning this to point out that Joel was warning about very real events that were coming on the horizon for Israel, and at the same time, he was declaring prophetic truth for a future generation that would be alive just before the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.” We are that generation. Joel was calling his nation to humility, prayer, and repentance in the hope that many would turn away from sin and towards God. Joel believed that if the people would turn back to God, it was possible that God would display mercy towards the nation of Israel instead of judgment.

In much the same way, I believe there is an urgent call going forth in the realm of the spirit for America (and for the whole world), to repent and turn back to God. Joel says, “Blow the Trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm.” This message is meant to be the sounding of a spiritual alarm. Therefore, I have entitled this message, “The Alarm is Sounding.” Notice I did not say, “Sound the Alarm,” I said, “The Alarm is Sounding,” meaning that the alarm is already going off in the spiritual realm and it is time for the church to take notice and react accordingly.

The alarm is sounding and the Day of the Lord is at hand. In the Bible, the Day of the Lord has a few meanings. [As a side note, I highly recommend doing a study of all the passages in scripture having to do with the Day of the Lord, or “that day,” because there is far more to learn about this than I have time to teach on in this blog post]. At any rate, the Day of the Lord is both a literal day and a period of time that covers events occurring several years before the return of Christ and follows into the 1000 year Millennial reign of Christ on the earth. Therefore, the Day of the Lord, according to scripture, involves all of the events described in the book of Revelation (such as various judgments being poured out on the earth, cosmic signs, the wrath of God, Armageddon, and so on), but it also involves the blessings associated with the establishment if the Kingdom of God on this earth (meaning the healing of the nations of the world after the Second Coming of Christ). So, the Day of the Lord involves both a period of wrath and a period of blessing.

For more on this study read the following scriptures and read them in context: Is. 2:10-21; Is. 13; Jer. 46:10; Ez. 30:3-4; Joel 1:15 – 2:17; Joel 3:9-16; Amos 5:16-27; Oba. 1:15-16; Zech. 14; 1 Thes. 5:1-10; 2 Pet. 3:10-14; 1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; Rev. 6:16; Rev. 14:10

The Shaking of the Heavens – Is. 13:13; Is. 2:19-21

The Blessing – Is. 4:2-6; Joel 2:18-27; Joel 3:18-21; Zech. 14:8-11; Hos. 2:16-23; Amos 9:11-15; Ez. 34:23-31; Ez. 37:24-28

This article will be continued tomorrow with Part II. Have fun studying!

Pleading the Blood of Jesus

Article written by Dr. Christi Butler on September 19, 2015

Recently, I was praying with some friends, and a good friend of mine who was listening to my prayers asked this question,” “What does it mean to plead the Blood of Jesus?”

It is unfortunate that so few people in the modern church understand the idea of pleading the blood of Jesus in prayer. There is great power in the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is a strategic weapon of spiritual warfare against the kingdoms of darkness, but if no one in the body of Christ is ever taught about the power of the blood or how to apply it in times of prayer, the church will remain like a warrior, stripped naked by ignorance, and left ill prepared and disarmed in the face of the battle. In the book of Revelation the Apostle John writes:

     “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Rev. 12:11 NKJV

If we want to overcome the devil by the blood of the lamb, we need to know what the blood of Jesus means to us and how to apply the power of the blood in prayer. There is not time to do a complete teaching on the power of the blood in this brief blog post. I could easily teach an entire bible college class just on this one subject, but I highly recommend purchasing and reading many of the excellent books that exist explaining the significance of the blood covenant and what that means for us as New Testament Christians. Just this week I will be proof reading a book that a friend of mine has written on the blood covenant. I cannot wait. This is such a wonderful and amazing subject to meditate on.

At any rate, let me respond to the question at hand, “What does it mean to plead the blood?”

In the 12^th chapter of the book of Exodus, the Bible records the story of how the children of Israel were commanded by God to kill a lamb and apply the blood of the lamb to the doorposts of their homes. In our modern era, the idea of taking blood and smearing it all over the top of the front door sounds repulsive, but God had a very good reason for asking the Israelites to do this.

In fact, there were at least three reasons why God commanded the Hebrew descendants of Abraham to do this. First, the blood was meant to be a symbol of the covenant relationship that already existed between God and the descendants of Abraham. The blood on the door spoke to God and the people about the Abrahamic covenant that had been established some 400 years previously (see Gen.12, 15, 17). In that covenant God promised to bless the descendants of Abraham and bring them into a great inheritance.

Secondly, the blood of the lamb was meant to paint a prophetic picture of what the Messiah (Jesus) would do when He came into the world to save and deliver the human race from slavery to sin. Jesus Christ became the “Lamb of God” that was slain for the sins of the world (John 1:29).

Finally, God used the blood as a sign for the death angel. The death angel knew that any house that was anointed with blood was under the direct protection of God. God was defending and protecting His people because of His covenant relationship with Abraham and his descendants.

In much the same way, anyone in the modern era who enters into a blood covenant relationship with God the Father, by believing on the shed blood of Jesus Christ, will be considered to be under the protection of God. The blood of Jesus is a sign in the realm of the spirit that what is “under the blood” is going to be protected and defended by God Himself.

Therefore, the New Testament Christian can speak out in prayer to spiritually apply the blood of Jesus to their lives, their homes, their families, their relationships, their finances, their property, their health and so on, and when they do this, they are invoking the power of the blood covenant that was made between Jesus and the heavenly Father when Jesus shed his blood on the cross of Calvary.

In prayer, a believing Christian can say, “I apply the blood,” or “I plead the blood,” or “I claim the power and protection of the blood.” The terminology is not what is important, the key lies in understanding and believing in what the blood of Jesus has done and what the blood of Jesus makes available to the Christian who has faith. No one can have faith in the covenant if they do not know what covenant is or what the covenant promises of God are. The power in the blood comes from understanding and believing in the power of covenant and the power of what was accomplished on the cross.

Just like the Old Covenant made with Abraham and his descendants, the New Covenant is a legal arrangement between God and Jesus Christ, and between God and humankind. (Read the following scriptures: Jer. 31; Matt. 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 8:7-12; Heb. 9:14-15).

Therefore, when we talk about the idea of “pleading the blood of Jesus,” we are talking about communicating with God in prayer on the basis of His law and His legal Covenant.

Some people have come up with the theology that Pleading the blood is not scriptural. They say, “Pleading is begging and we do not need to beg God for anything the blood has already purchased for us.” This demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the scriptural concept of “pleading.” What is more, this is a divisive and tedious argument over the semantics of a word. Pleading the blood is a short and concise way of claiming what has been purchased for us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. The believer could just as well say, “I come to you Father to make a legal case in heaven according to what has been purchased and paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. According to the new Covenant that has been ratified and sealed with the blood of Jesus, I ask for provision, protection, healing, deliverance, etc., and I command the enemy to take his hands off what belongs to me by faith in the power of the blood.” The Christian could say all of that, but it is a lot easier and less time consuming to say, “I plead the blood.”

The meaning of the word “plead” from Webster’s Dictionary is as follows: (1) To present a case in a court of law. (2) To argue a case. (3) To make an earnest appeal or entreaty (4) The pleading of evidence, contractual, or civil rights (5) To declare oneself guilty or not guilty in answer to a charge. (6) To offer an excuse or defense.

     Therefore, Pleading the blood is legal terminology to be used in the Heavenly court of appeals.

I think there is a problem that has developed in the body of Christ where people have learned to religiously say the phrase, “I plead the blood of Jesus,” without having any idea what they are saying or what this phrase means. Whenever something is done in church as a matter of religious repetition, it will lack power and authority. Power and authority comes when people know what they mean and can exercise faith for results.

“Pleading the blood” is simply about using legal terminology in prayer like a lawyer would use in a court of law. We have a legal covenant with God sealed and ratified in the blood of Jesus. Like a lawyer, the believer is to go before God the Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ, through the power of blood. The blood of Jesus is the ultimate reason why God should hear and answer our prayers; it is the blood of Jesus that gives all believers access into the Holy of Holies to make their appeals in the first place.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is our High Priest, our Advocate, our Intercessor, and our Heavenly Mediator. Jesus is our ‘go between.’ He goes between us and the Father. He speaks on our behalf. In a sense, He is our heavenly defense attorney (1 Jn. 2:1; Heb. 7:25; 1 Tim. 2:5).

We are to appeal to God based on our legal covenant in the Word of God. The Word of God is the law book we refer to. It is a written account of the New Covenant we have with God through the blood of Jesus.

So, to sum up what I am saying — when we “plead the blood,” we are claiming the right to come before God legally and make a case in the Heavenly court of law; we are explaining to God why we have access to Him and to everything He has promised.

When we plead the blood, we are arguing according to scripture; we are making an earnest appeal or entreaty based on the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. When we plead the blood, we are presenting our evidence. The blood of Jesus is our evidence that we have contractual and civil rights to claim the blessings of the covenant. And furthermore, if we were being tried as criminals, if we plead the blood we are explaining the evidence for why we should be acquitted and forgiven of all our sins.

The blood of Jesus is the answer to give when we are confronted by the “Accuser of the Brethren.” The believers entire case before God hinges on the blood. The blood is the reason why God the Father should hear and answer our prayers. We are to come to God through the blood, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins (Heb. 9:22). The blood is the only thing that provides for us to have access to stand in the heavenly courtroom in the presence of Almighty God.

There were times in the bible where people living under the Old Covenant would go to God as though He would be their defense attorney. For example, in Psalm 119:154, the Psalmist writes, “Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.”

This was the Psalmists way of asking God to move on his behalf and to defend and protect him against his enemies. This type of prayer was asking God to be the advocate or defense attorney. There are several other scriptures like this. I will not take time to go through them all, but what I want readers to realize is that there is a very legal and binding relationship between God the Father and Jesus, and when the believer, “pleads the blood,” by faith, he or she is able to lay claim to everything that was purchased on Calvary through the blood.

This word plead, in the Hebrew is reev, and it means to strive or contend, to conduct a legal case in a court of law. – The Psalmist was crying out to God to legally defend and protect him based on the Abrahamic Covenant. If New Testament Christians have a “better Covenant based on better promises,” how much more should we be able to cry out to God in prayer and expect the Lord to protect and defend us from the works of the enemy.

In Isaiah 43:25-26, God says through the prophet, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.”

The word translated in this scripture as ‘contend’ can also be translated as ‘plead.’ This is the Hebrew word shawfat and it means to plead as in a controversy; to seriously and passionately assert. God tells us to come before him and plead our case. As I said before, our whole case before God can be summed up in three words, “I plead the blood.” The blood of Jesus has given me access to the Father and access to the answers.

Finally, the last point I need to make about pleading the blood, is that the blood itself speaks on our behalf to defend us before the Father.

     Hebrews 12:24 says, “To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

       If you remember the story from the book of Genesis, Cain murdered his brother Abel, and the Bible said that Abel’s blood was crying out from the ground. The blood of Abel ways crying out for vengeance and justice, but the blood of Jesus speaks before the throne of God day and night crying out for mercy for all those who place their faith in Jesus. Jesus’ blood speaks.

When I plead the blood, I bring God in remembrance of the argument that the blood is making before Him day and night. I’m in Christ Jesus, He is in me, and He already paid the penalty for my sins. Therefore, I deserve mercy not judgment. I plead the blood and obtain mercy in a time of need because the blood is my legal argument. Hallelujah!

There is a perpetual and eternal work of mediation occurring before the throne of God day and night as the blood of Jesus speaks and cries out for mercy on our behalf.

H. A. Maxwell in a book entitled, The Power of the Blood, said, “When we plead the blood of Jesus, it immediately pleads for us, because it is speaking blood” (p.32).

When we plead the blood we are bringing God in remembrance of the argument that the blood is making day and night for Mercy.

For more on this subject, I recommend reading “The Blood and the Glory,” by Billye Brim – There is an excellent chapter in that book on pleading the blood.

Blessings to you in the Name of Jesus!

Tending the Flame Part II: Sacrificial Offerings

Written by Dr. Christi Butler   July 2015

In yesterday’s blog post I began to teach about the need to tend the fire of God in our hearts. If you did not read the post entitled, “Tending the Flame Part I,” you may wish to read that now because it is the first half of this lesson.

In that previous post I discussed Leviticus 6:12-13 which says, ^“And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. ¹³ A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

Under the Old Covenant the priests were given a command to tend to the fire of God and to see to it that the fire never went out. In the New Testament, the believer is the temple of the living God (1 Cor. 6:19), and the fire of the Spirit of God is to burn eternally on the altar of the human heart. Under the Old Covenant, the priests had to care for the fire that God had provided by grace. In much the same way, in the New Covenant, we (believers) are called to watch over, care for, and guard the fire of God that came into our hearts by grace through faith when we invited Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior.

With this in mind, I was considering the various offerings that were made by the priests, because in many ways the offerings were used to fuel the fire. They were used to keep the fire perpetually burning on the altar. Therefore, I wanted to see if there was something I could learn about fueling the fire of God in my life by looking at the various types of offerings that were ordained by God under the Old Covenant. This is what I found —

There are many types of offerings listed in the law. In Lev. 1, and also in chapter 6:8-13, the Burnt Offering is described. The burnt offering was of a male lamb, a male goat, a male dove, or a young pigeon depending on what the person who was giving the offering could afford. This offering was to be a voluntary offering given freely from the heart as a “propitiation” or payment for the sin of the person making the offering. The individual making the offering would lay his or her hand on the head of the animal that was to be sacrificed, thereby symbolically transferring their sin to the animal. The animal would then completely consumed by fire on the altar.

As New Testament Christians, this should remind us that all of our sins were completely transferred to Christ when we entered into a faith relationship with Him. He became for us the “lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). He also became our “propitiation,” or ransom payment for sin (1 John 2:2). Just as the burnt offering was completely consumed by fire on the altar, so to our sins were completely consumed by God Himself when Jesus died on the cross. Hallelujah!

So, what does this have to do with us maintaining the fire of God in our lives? I think the Lord placed all of these instructions about sacrifices in the Bible so we could consciously look at the Word and remember what Christ has done for us. God wants us to come before Him in prayer “voluntarily,” (just like the Old Testament saints did when the Burnt Offering was made), and He wants us to lay our hand on Jesus; He wants us to hand Him all of our sin and receive back the grace of forgiveness that is available to us because He has become our propitiation.

God wants us to remember that our sins were consumed by the death of Christ on the cross, and then He wants the reality of that truth to ignite thanksgiving and praise. God wants the revelation of Christ as our burnt offering to fuel a flame of passionate love for Christ that can never be extinguished.

The next type of offering that was burned on the altar was the Grain Offering or Cereal Offering (see Lev. 2, and 6:14-23). This was an offering of flour, bread, or grain made with olive oil and salt, and was also accompanied by the burning of incense. This was a voluntary first fruits offering. In other words, the worshipper gave the first portion of his or her grain harvest to the Lord as a freewill act of thankfulness for God’s provision in their life. The offering was made with incense to symbolize worship ascending to heaven as a sweet-smelling and pleasing offering to God.

This offering should remind the New Testament Christian about the reality of God as our provider. Just as God provided the grain for the harvest under the Old Covenant, Christ now provides for us both spiritually and physically under the New Covenant. He is the ultimate source for all spiritual and physical sustenance. Jesus is “the bread of life” (John 6:35), and He has become the “firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:20-23) of those who will be raised from the dead. He is the first of the harvest of redeemed human beings from the earth.

Therefore, as Christians, we are to look at this type of grain offering under the Old Covenant and we are to remember with great praise and thanksgiving how Jesus is the first fruits of the harvest. He has gone before us into the grave and been raised up to the right hand of the Father. Therefore, we can know with certainty that because we believe, we will also be raised from the dead and given eternal life in the presence of God. Meditating on this truth should kindle fresh fire in our hearts to continually praise the Lord and give Him the first fruits of all of our increase. Furthermore, our prayers of praise and thanksgiving should ascend to God as a sweet-smelling aroma like the incense that was burned on the altar.

Next, Leviticus described the Fellowship Offering or Peace Offering (Lev. 3, and 7:11-36; 22:17-30; 27). This was also a voluntary offering of any animal “without blemish” (and in some cases this could be a grain offering). This offering was given to God as an act of thankfulness for God’s many blessings. Secondarily, this offering was made when a person wished to make a vow or special commitment to the Lord (see Gen. 31:43). As the name, “Fellowship or Peace Offering” implies, this offering was about being in covenant communion with God. Peace was made between God and man through the shedding of blood, and it is through the shedding of blood that a person can enter into covenant with God. For without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sin (Heb. 9:22).

As New Testament Christians, we should look at this offering and remember that Christ has made peace with God for us by dying on the cross for our sins (see Eph. 2:15). Jesus was the lamb that was offered “without blemish” so we could be brought into covenant relationship and fellowship with the Father. And now because He has made “peace,” we should give God our vow that we will serve Him in thankfulness all the days of our life. God has reconciled us to Himself through the death of Christ on the cross (Rom. 5:10). Let this truth fan into flame the fire of God in your heart.

The last couple of offerings that are mentioned in Leviticus are the Sin Offering and the Guilt Offering (Lev. 4:1-5; 6:24-30; 12:6-8; 13; and Lev. 5:14-6:7;7:1-6;14:12-18). The Sin Offering could be a bull, a male goat for the king, a male or female lamb or goat without blemish for the common person, a dove or pigeon for the poor, or a tenth of an ephah of flour for the very poor. The Guilt Offering was a lamb without blemish. Both of these offerings were mandatory and were for the purpose of cleansing a person from various sins.

The importance for the New Testament Christian is this: Jesus Christ has become our sacrificial lamb. He has become the mandatory offering to pay the penalty for sin on our behalf. Jesus Christ has paid for our intentional sins and our unintentional sins once and for all. As we meditate on this we should fully receive forgiveness for sin and lay hold of the tremendous power of grace in our lives. These truths should kindle the fire of God within us and keep it perpetually burning on the altar of our hearts. Praise God, Hallelujah, and Amen!

Tending the Flame Part I

Article written by Dr. Christi Butler  July 2015

For quite some time now, the Lord has been impressing on my spirit the urgency of the hour we are living in. Jesus Christ is coming, and He is coming soon! With that being said, I believe it is more important than ever to exhort the Body of Christ to be fully awake, alert, and ignited in the realm of the spirit. Believers cannot afford to be living in a spiritual stupor. We must “arise and shine,” for it is time for our light to shine and for the nations to come to the brightness of our rising (Is. 60:1-3). We must stir up the gifts of God within us and fan into flame the fire of God in our hearts (2 Tim. 1:6).

In the book of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus begins to tell his disciples a parable about 10 virgins who were waiting for the appearing of “the” bridegroom. The bridegroom in this parable is a pictorial type of Jesus Christ who will come again for His church (the bride). As the virgins wait, five are described as foolish and five as wise. The foolish virgins did not look after and care for their lamps properly. Therefore, they ran out of oil. The wise virgins, on the other hand, were diligent to care for the condition of their lamps. Therefore, they were ready and prepared to meet the bridegroom when He arrived.

The lamps in this parable are mentioned to illustrate to believers the importance of looking after and caring for the condition of the human heart. Christians must “keep their hearts with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23), because it is from the heart that the issues of life flow. The oil that was used to fuel the flame within the lamp is meant to speak to the reader about the necessity of abiding in Christ (who is the Anointed One and His Anointing), as well as being filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit (who is the Spirit of Christ). Oil is frequently spoken of in scripture as a symbol for the presence of the Spirit of God.

This means that Jesus’ illustration is meant to teach that believers must look after and care for the condition of their hearts. They must see to it that their faith in Christ remains alive, active, and effective. And finally, they must pursue and maintaining a deep communion with the person and presence of the Holy Spirit who is with them and in them. Believers who do these things will be “wise” and they will be prepared for the coming of the bridegroom when He returns for His bride.

Along these same lines, I was reminded of a scripture from the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus chapter 6, verse 12 and 13, Moses writes some instructions for the Levitical priests that are very applicable for believers today. Moses says, ^“And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. ¹³ A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

In the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple, the fire that was used to burn the sacrifices on the altar was a holy fire. It was a fire that originally came from God Himself (Lev. 9:24). The fire was initiated and ignited by God. It came from heaven by grace and it was to be kept perpetually burning on the altar in the temple. There was never to be a man-made fire or a fire that was created by human effort. Instead, the fire that burned in the Temple was to be the fire that came down by grace and it was to be kept perpetually burning by the priests who tended to what grace had provided.

In much the same way, the Apostle Paul teaches that in the New Testament, believers are living temples who carry the presence of Christ’s Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). When a person becomes born again and filled with the Spirit of God, by grace through faith, the fire of Holy Spirit descends and ignites the flame of eternal life within the heart of the believer. A fire is kindled on the altar of the human heart, and from this alter, one’s life is to be presented up to God as a “living sacrifice” which is a holy, acceptable, and pleasing act or worship (Rom. 12:1-2).

Furthermore, just as the Old Testament priests were told to keep the fire burning, so to believers are exhorted throughout scripture to maintain a burning fire in their heart for Jesus Christ. Romans 12:11, in the Amplified Bible reads, “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, in the Message Bible, Paul writes, “Do not suppress the Spirit,” and in 2 Timothy 1:6, in the New International Version, Paul says, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

The witness of scripture is clear. The human heart is a holy altar ignited by the living presence of the Savior, and as believers, we must care for the fire on the altar and see to it that the flames of our love for Jesus never go out. Be blessed as you go and fan into flame the fire of God that is in you.

Look for Part 2 of this message to be coming soon.