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The Hebrew people were told, "It is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11). This pointed to the Blood of Christ, which cleanses us from sin. The New Testament says:

"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood" (Revelation 1:5).

"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin"
    (I John 1:7).

We are even told to have faith in Christ's Blood. The Scripture says:

"Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:24-25).

But John MacArthur tells us that there is no Blood. As I said this morning, Dr. MacArthur believes that the Blood is merely another name for the death of Christ. He believes that there is no Blood in Heaven, that Christ's Blood disappeared in the sand around the Cross. Logically, this leads to the belief that the Lord's Supper is incorrect, that both Christ and the Apostle Paul were wrong when they told us not only to remember the death of His Body in taking the bread, but also to remember His Blood in taking the cup (Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:24-25). Dr. MacArthur implies that Christ and the Apostle Paul were wrong. He says,

I believe that to speak of Christ's blood…is the same as referring to his death. They aren't two separate elements as some people [i.e. Christ and Paul] are trying to teach ("John MacArthur's Closing Statement," in Preaching to a Dying Nation, by R. L. Hymers, Jr. and Christopher Cagan, Hearthstone, 1999, p. 173).

The only logical conclusion we can draw from that statement is that he believes Christ and Paul were wrong when they spoke of two elements in the Lord's Supper - one referring to His Body and the other to His Blood (cf. Matthew 26:26-28; I Corinthians 11:24-25). But it is not Christ and the Apostle who were wrong. It is John MacArthur who is wrong!

"For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

This morning I said that Dr. MacArthur learned his false teachings on the Blood of Christ from Colonel R. B. Thieme, Jr. Any one who doubts this should obtain and read a copy of R. B. Thieme's book, The Blood of Christ (Houston, Texas: Berachah Publications, 1974). I was there and saw John MacArthur taking notes when Colonel Thieme taught on the Blood of Christ, in the fall of 1961. Dr. MacArthur repeats many of Colonel Thieme's errors on the Blood of Christ to this day.

This morning I also said that Dr. MacArthur is wrong when he tells us that the Blood of Christ is not in Heaven today. The Bible plainly lists "the blood of sprinkling" as one of the things that exists in Heaven, in Hebrews 12:24. I said that "Dr. MacArthur teaches things about the Blood of Christ which are not revealed in the Bible." That was my first point.  Now tonight I will explain the second point.

II. Dr. MacArthur neglects things about resurrected blood
which are revealed in the Bible.

It is just as wrong for Dr. MacArthur to intrude beyond what the Scriptures say as it was for medieval Catholics to do so. They said that an angel took the Blood of Christ into Heaven in a golden cup. He says that this didn't happen. How does Dr. MacArthur know that? He has no more Scripture to back up his claim than they did. Both MacArthur and the medieval Catholics were wrong to go beyond what the Scriptures actually reveal. We do not know from the Bible exactly how the Blood of Christ was taken into Heaven, because the Bible never tells us exactly how it happened. This much is certain, however. The Blood of Christ is now in Heaven! That is certain. Why? Because the Bible tells us that the Blood of Christ is in Heaven in Hebrews 12:24! We know it because the Bible says so!

The Bible never tells us exactly how the Body of Jesus Christ was taken up into Heaven. We are simply told that it was taken up there. In Acts 1:11 we are told that Jesus "is taken up from you into heaven," but we are not told how God performed this miracle! We are simply told that He did it.

There is a "mystery" about resurrection in general. We are told in I Corinthians 15:51,

"Behold, I shew you a mystery [Greek: musterion]; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51-52).

Dr. MacArthur himself tells us that "mystery" in I Corinthians 15:51 "refers to truth hidden in the past and revealed in the New Testament" (The MacArthur Study Bible, note on I Corinthians 15:52). There is a "mystery" regarding the resurrection of the human bodies of Christians. There is a "mystery" regarding the rapture, according to this passage of Scripture in I Corinthians, chapter fifteen. And this same passage of Scripture tells us,

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20).

Since Christ rose first, there is also a "mystery" concerning the resurrection of His Body and His Blood. As Dr. MacArthur says, this "refers to truth hidden in the past and revealed in the New Testament." And the New Testament plainly tells us that both Jesus Christ and "the blood of sprinkling" are now in Heaven, in "Mount Sion" (Hebrews 12:22-24).

How did the Body of Jesus get to Heaven? We are not specifically told. How did the "blood of sprinkling" get to Heaven? It is not specifically revealed to us. There is still a certain amount of "mystery" concerning both the translation of Christ's Body and His Blood into Heaven. Angels ushered Christ's Body into Heaven, according to Acts 1:10-11. Angels may very well have taken His Blood there as well. Dr. MacArthur cannot prove from Scripture that they didn't. We simply do not know. He should let it go at that. Human reasoning should never go farther than what the Scriptures reveal. There will always be a certain amount of mystery regarding the rapture of our own bodies, and blood, as well as the rapture of Christ's Body and Blood. It should be enough for us to know what when we get to Mt. Zion, the Heavenly city, we shall be taken into the presence of

"Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling" (Hebrews 12:24).

God took the body and the blood of Enoch and Elijah into Heaven. We are told very clearly in the Bible that both the body and blood of these two men were taken directly into Heaven. The Bible specifically says so.

"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him…" (Hebrews 11:5).

We are not told how God "translated" the body and blood of Enoch into Heaven "that he should not see death." We are simply told that God did this. The hair of Enoch was translated. His fingernails were translated. His blood was translated. Human reasoning cannot explain how it happened. It was a miracle.

Also, the body and blood of Elijah were directly translated into Heaven. The Bible specifically tells us this:

"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (II Kings 2:11).

If you or I were caught up in a whirlwind, we would be killed! We would not be taken "into heaven." How did God do this? We are not told. We are simply told that God did this. The hair of Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The fingernails of Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The blood of Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven." Human reasoning cannot explain how it happened. It was a miracle.

Since we are not specifically told in the Bible how the body and blood of Enoch and Elijah were taken directly into Heaven, we should not be concerned to explain it by human reasoning. It is enough that the Bible says this happened. It was a miracle. You do believe that God can perform miracles, don't you? And miracles cannot be explained by human reason - and don't need to be! God can do anything, because He is sovereign. He is the Lord of Creation. He can do whatever pleases Him.  He does not have to explain everything to our rational minds.

Since we know from the Scriptures that God took the body and blood of Enoch and Elijah directly to Heaven, why should we have a problem with Him doing the same thing with the Body and Blood of Jesus - especially since we are told that both the Body and Blood of Jesus are now in Heaven, in Hebrews 12:22-24?

"For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

Now turn with me to I Thessalonians, chapter four, verse sixteen:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

This is the rapture, the "catching away" of true Christians to meet the Lord in the air. When true Christians are caught away, their hair will be caught up to meet Him "in the clouds." Their fingernails will be caught up to meet Him "in the clouds." Their bodies, and their blood, will be caught up to meet Him "in the clouds."

Since we are not told specifically in the Bible how our bodies and our blood will be raptured, we should not be concerned about explaining it by human reasoning. It is enough that the Bible says this will happen at the rapture! It will be a miracle. You do believe that God can perform the miracle of the rapture, don't you? And miracles cannot be explained by human reason - and don't need to be! God can do anything, because He is sovereign. He is the Lord of creation. He can do whatever pleases Him - without explaining it in detail to our rational minds.

Since we know from the Scriptures that God will rapture the body and blood of true Christians, directly into Heaven, why should we have a problem with Him doing the same thing with the Body and Blood of Jesus - especially since we are told that both the Body and Blood of Jesus are now in Heaven, in Hebrews 12:24?

"For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

A person who believes that the body and blood of Enoch were "translated that he should not see death" ought to be ashamed of himself for not believing that God could do the same thing with His own Son!

A person who believes that the body and blood of Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven" ought to be ashamed of himself for not believing that God could do the same thing with His own Son!

A person who believes that the body and blood of true Christians will be "caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" ought to be ashamed of himself for not believing that God could do the same thing with His own Son!

Shame! Shame! Shame on such unbelief! It is nothing but ungodly disbelief, especially in light of the fact that the Word of God plainly tells us that the Body and Blood of Jesus are now in Mount Zion, the Heavenly city, in Hebrews 12:22-24. Such unbelief in the Word of God is a shame!  It is unbelief in the Blood of Christ!

"Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain"
   (Jude 11).

Let it never be said of you that you thought that the "precious blood" of Jesus ran into the dirt and rotted! Horrible thought! Demonic doctrine! Perfidious, Hell-inspired teaching!

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (I Timothy 4:1).

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables"
    (II Timothy 4:3-4).

Never believe the lie that Jesus' Blood ran into the dirt and rotted. Never let it be named by you. Never let this demonic lie rest in your heart or mind!

"For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

Hebrews 12:24 tells us that the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ are both in Heaven. (For the citations to the following preachers, see Preaching to a Dying Nation by R. L. Hymers, Jr. and Christopher Cagan, pp. 175-181). Chrysostom believed it in the fifth century. Calvin believed it in the sixteenth century. Isaac Watts believed it in the eighteenth century. So did John Wesley and Matthew Henry. Great Spurgeon believed it in the nineteenth century. Andrew Murray, M. R. DeHaan, and J. Vernon McGee believed it in the twentieth century. You should believe it in the twenty-first century!

"For it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul" (Leviticus 17:11).

I have no hope of entering Heaven if there is no Blood of Jesus left to wash my sins away. I hang my only hope of salvation on the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. That is my only hope of ever escaping Hell and entering Heaven.

Oh, Jesus, since I know of no other hope, I rest in Thy eternal Blood. And to you who are unsaved tonight, I say, come to Jesus Christ. Believe in His Blood. Throw yourself into the crimson flood. Be washed from your sins tonight by Jesus' Blood!

His blood atoned for all our race
And sprinkles now the throne of grace,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.
   ("Arise! My Soul, Arise!" by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788).

Scripture Read Before the Sermon by Dr. Kreighton L. Chan: Hebrews 12:22-24.
Solo Sung Before the Sermon by Mr. Benjamin Kincaid Griffith:

"Arise! My Soul, Arise!" (by Charles Wesley, 1707-1788).