Need for blood to seal testimony?

[Dlowellbrown]

I realize the blood of Christ had to be spilled for the atonement to be complete. What about the prophets who sealed their testimonies with their blood? Joseph Smith, Abinadi, Peter, etc. is their a need for their blood to be shed? Does the shedding of their blood increase the efficacy of their testimony?

[estradling75]

I am not sure about blood...

But I do know what a person is willing to die for (usually painfully and prematurely ) says alot about their convictions and where their faith and trust lies.

Therefore shedding of blood could simply being a symbol of that ultimate faith/conviction. (Of course there really is nothing simple about that)

[Seminarysnoozer]

I realize the blood of Christ had to be spilled for the atonement to be complete. What about the prophets who sealed their testimonies with their blood? Joseph Smith, Abinadi, Peter, etc. is their a need for their blood to be shed? Does the shedding of their blood increase the efficacy of their testimony?

One definition of "shed" is 'to repel without penetrating' and another is 'to rid one self of' (like - I shed 10 pounds). All of us are asked to live in the world but not be of the world. We try not to let the corruption of this world penetrate to our spirits so that we don't take it with us after we shed this corrupted body. We forsake the things of this world, that is part of our testimony and faith in Christ. We take on His blood, via the sacrament, which is pure and not corrupted like ours. So we shed our blood, symbolically, to be replaced with His.

"Blood" refers to 'flesh and blood' or the mortal body. Do we chose to serve the body or the spirit? Matthew 6: " 24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"

Shedding of the blood is a symbolic statement of not serving the body (mammon).

[Speakzeasy]

What about the prophets who sealed their testimonies with their blood?

(Note that this is a long post, sorry)

The answer to your question probably is best answered by God. I do not have a direct answer myself. I can give you what the scripture explains to us in the Book of Revelation:

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:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Rev. 6:9-11)

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Rev. 7:13-17)

I do not know if this is the answer to your question.

There are other times that "blood" is necessarily used as a factor in bring forth as a precursor of something that God wants to accomplish.

We see this in at least two last day events.

The first event is is related to the house of Israel, in the people of Manasseh. We know them as Lamanites from the Book of Mormon. They are the descendants of Lehi, a descendant of Manasseh (Alma 10:3).

The European Gentiles are brought to the New World (what we now know as The United States of America) after the house of Israel, in the descendants of Manasseh, reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (In 1 Ne. 20:27 "after" relates to rejecting the Gospel of of Jesus and "blessed" relates to be given the Gospel of Jesus Christ)

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed-unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel. (3 Ne. 20:27)

9 And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them- (3 Ne. 16:9)

28 And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. . . (3 Ne. 20:28)

30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.

31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren. (1 Ne. 13:30-31)

Was God using "blood" to set the stage (precursor) so that the fullness of the Gospel can be brought forth to the Gentiles here in America?.

Another example is found in the Old Testament, in the Book of Ezekiel.

14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

15 And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

17 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

18 And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.

19 For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; (Ezek. 38:14-19)

23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezek. 38:23)

Here God will be sanctified by an invasion of the State of Israel. We find in Ezek. 38:16 and 23 that when the invasion occurs and God is sanctified that he will be made known in the eyes of many nations. Ezekiel chapter 38 is about the beginning of the Invasion into two different locations at about the same time. The second location is the State of Israel. The current inhabitants of the State of Israel are members of the house of Israel, in the descendants of tribe of Juda.

"I will be known in the eyes of many nations" (Ezek. 38:23). Nations here is a reference the house of Israel. That makes this prophecy or rather its fulfillment an important one. God setup the State of Israel in 1948 as a precursor that there can be a fulfillment of the prophecies Ezekiel 38 and 39.

These are the two times since the death of Jesus that I know of when "blood" is part of prophecy relating to an important event that serves Gods purpose. There may be others. It appears to be necessary for the use of blood so that God can bring about an event to fulfill his purposes. It seems to apply to us as individuals as well.

Reading from the Book of Daniel we find that there will be a group of people from the house of Israel that are yet to be tried:

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. (Dan. 11:35).

This falls in line with the parts of the Book of Revelation quoted above.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Speakzeasy

[Martain]

I realize the blood of Christ had to be spilled for the atonement to be complete. What about the prophets who sealed their testimonies with their blood? Joseph Smith, Abinadi, Peter, etc. is their a need for their blood to be shed? Does the shedding of their blood increase the efficacy of their testimony?

In this matter, the shedding of your own blood for the cause of Christ has greater efficacy in saving your soul than testimony alone. Those who lay down their lives for the sake of the Lord and his gospel are promised that they will have eternal life. They are also rewarded a martyrs crown of which I'm convinced the glory is such that could we fully understand it, many more of us would pray to be allowed to prove our devotion to God in such a way.

The shedding of a prophets or saint's blood also increases the effectiveness of their testimony in that the accountability of the nation, community and people involved are held to a much greater accountability than they otherwise would be.

One of God's divine attributes is long-suffering. In his love and his mercy for us, he often waits until a people or nations cup of iniquity is full and running over before coming down in justice and anger against them.

Though a people or nation may be in the gall of iniquity, scripture shows us time and time again that it is when they slay the Lord's servants and people that the sword of his justice is loosed against them in anger.

While the blood of prophets and saints has been shed in the past and will yet be shed again in the future, it isn't necessary. Christ's suffering and bleeding was necessary in order for Him to work out and finish the atonement. The suffering and blood of the prophets and saints is not and thus incurs the vengeance of the Lord.

[Pioneer47]

Great comments. I think on a physical level it is like what estradling75 said. A person willing to die or who has died for their beliefs adds more potency to their witness.

[Seminarysnoozer]

Great comments. I think on a physical level it is like what estradling75 said. A person willing to die or who has died for their beliefs adds more potency to their witness.

It is interesting to think that by passing the first estate test we all said that we were willing to "die" (separate from God) so that we might be more like Him. Now the test is to see if we actually will do what we said we would. We all said we would be willing to die for this belief in God's plan. Those that were not willing to die were thrown out of the program.