What ever Became of the Blood?

I'm in the process of writing yet another book about the History of the Spanish Bible.  In this one, I'm mentioning the men behind the translation of the Spanish Bible, and the atmosphere of papal persecution during the time in which they lived.  Sadly, many believers in Christ were cruely tortured and exterminated under the senseless holocaust of the Spanish Inquisition, for no crime at all other then wishing only to follow their conscience in their own religious beliefs.  Their blood ran like rivers, as their bodies were turned to ashes in the blazing Inquisitorial fires of the religious assassains. 

But the more they were ridiculed, tortured, slaughtered, burned at the stake, disemboweled, and drowned, the more their numbers grew.  I believe it was the church father Chrysotom who said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Gospel."   That is to say, the more bloodshed there is, the more the Gospel is preached.

During the great revival in Spain in 1553-1557, in which the doctrine of salvation by faith alone spread like wildfire, throughout Seville and the countryside, Cipriano de Valera tells us the following:

“...There was no city, village, or place in Spain in which there had not been some to whom God by his infinite wisdom had not illuminated the light of the Gospel; and though the adversaries had done everything possible to put out that light, dishonoring with loss of goods, of life, and of honor to many, they did not achieve anything, because, it is said, the more they tried to stop it, the more they whipped them...the more they cast them into stocks and perpetual prisons or burned them, the more they multiplied.”

Even a Catholic historian of the time named Gonzales de Illescas in his work, Historia Pontifical, confessed:

“In those days the jails, the stocks, and the bonfires were populated by many illustrious people unsurpassed in letters and virtue, [well learned] and there were so many as such that it was believed that if [the Inquisitors] had waited two or three months more in remedying the damage done [by the reformation doctrines] all of Spain would have embraced it.”

The bloody Papal persecution did not squelch the spreading of the Gospel, but gave rise to even more revival.  That is to say, the more blood was shed the more people asked, "Why are these people dying for what they believe in?"  And, a deep-rooted curiosity led them to seek that doctrine with which others thought so important that it was worth giving their life to defend.

Yes, true revival has always come in times of persecution.  And it seems bloodshed is what draws men to the Gospel.  Why is this?

Certainly in Jesus' time, we remember he was persecuted by the Jews.  But still, he had his followers.  And after his death, persecution ensued towards them and their followers, eventually even coming from the Romans themselves, who slaughtered countless Christians by the thousands, even throwing them to the lions to be ripped in pieces.  Stories abound in works like "Foxe's Book of Martyrs" of the cruel persecutions against Bible Believers, and their courageous last words as they suffered, bled, and died, for what they knew to be true, leaving the bystanders scratching their heads and questioning within themselves, "What is it that makes these people willing to die for what they believe in?"

So what is the answer to that blaring question?  What on earth could have made them do this?  How could anyone willingly submit to death and allow themselves to be brutaly tortured, slaughtered, and savagely murdered? 

The only way to understand the state of mind of those martyrs is to look to him whom they all looked up to as their Saviour--the Lord Jesus Christ.  For it was he who first willingly suffered, bled, and died amidst the mass religious persecution and hatred from his fellow countrymen in his day.  

Jesus did not die an easy death.  He was tortured, whipped, beaten, and stabbed.  To look upon him, the scriptures say you would not have recognized him, for his visage (or appearance) was marred more than any man's. Jesus died a bloody mess, completely covered in his own blood.  And, if you were to stand there and look upon him in his agony, you would not have seen a clean, muscular, handsome Jesus, which the world tries to portray today.  You would have seen a bloody pulp of a man, beaten, broken, weak, and sore.

It is to this man that the martyrs of old saw as their inspiration in the time of their demise under the hand of their cruel executioners.  For they felt no matter what happened to thim, it could not have been as bad as what Jesus went through.  And what made it even sweeter for them was to know that He did it for them, as he died for their sins to give them eternal life, and it was the least they could do to give their lives for him. 

But what ever became of the blood?  Where is it today?  We in our day don't see much blood shed.  There is no religious persecution in our country.  And we don't see anyone dying for their faith like those faithful martyrs of old.  Could this be the reason we've forgotten about the blood?

It used to be Christianity was called "That old Slaughter House Religion" by it's critics, who squeamishly ran from its teaching about blood atonement.  But today you hardly ever hear a so-called minister of the Gospel even mention the blood of Jesus Christ.  Why is this?

Not only is it gone from the sermons and the pulpits, but the blood of Jesus Christ has even been taken out of countless verses in modern versions of the Bible.  And even removed from the sacred songs in our hymnbooks.  Why is this?  Who would do such a thing?  Who would remove the blood of Jesus which was so precious to saints and martyrs of old, so much so they willingly shed their own blood for him he shed his for them.

And where is the blood today in the modern Gospel being preaching in most churches, which instead of pointing sinners to Christ crucified and a founded faith on his bloody atonement for them in their place, simply compels sinners to just, "Repeat a Prayer" or "Turn their hearts and lives over to Jesus" and they "Ask or invite him to take control and forgive them their sins."  

But what about the Blood?  That oh, so precious shed blood?  Was is it not mentioned?  Why is it forgotten?  Could it be this is why there are so few converts in our day, so few Christians like those of old who loved God enough to die for him?

So many ministers today want revival.  They even sincerely and earnestly pray for it, seeking to see the mighty hand of God move yet again in a mighty way.  But they forget, in all of the History of the Church Age, no true revival has come without first contrition, then conversion, and finally persecution.

Where is the bloodshed of our day, to really get the Gospel spreading and souls saved?  It's gone, because ministers have stopped preaching the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Of all the questions that have ever been asked in the history of the world, truly this one is the most important for Christians to answer today: 

"What ever became of the Blood?"