The World Turned Upside Down : Old Blood, New Blood and The Blood
The World Turned Upside Down
Acts 17:6 – “…These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also.”
These words, spoken about Paul’s preaching, brought to mind an event from over two hundred years ago at the very founding of our Republic. The American Revolution had succeeded, and as far as the world was concerned, the impossible had come to pass.
When General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, the British band struck up a tune called “The World Turned Upside Down.” It was meant as mockery—a sneer at what they considered the madness of defeat. The mighty empire had been humbled by ragtag colonies. Surely the world itself was off its hinges!
But truth be told, the world had been turned upside down long before Yorktown—long before muskets and redcoats and revolution. It happened in Eden, when Adam sinned. That was the day creation itself tilted. The crown of God’s handiwork traded life for death, fellowship for separation, peace for madness. Every war, every betrayal, every grave since has only been the echo of that first upheaval.
Madness and the Blood
The world is still upside down, and at times it seems as though it has gone mad. I have known the insane, and many of you reading this have too. But Scripture tells us the deeper truth:
“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1).
What greater madness is there than to deny the very One who gives us breath? And God Himself pleads with men,
“Why will ye die?” (Ezekiel 18:31).
History tells us that King George III, during the very days of America’s fight for independence, was stricken with madness. His affliction, they say, was rooted in a blood disorder. But friend, so it is with all of us. We are born with a deeper disorder—the contamination of Adam’s blood. Our minds are darkened, our hearts deceived, and our souls diseased. And unless we receive the transfusion that transforms—unless we are washed in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ—we too will follow the same path of confusion and terror, only this time with no cure, and for all eternity.
“For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD” (Jeremiah 2:22).
Man may scrub at the stain, but sin soaks deeper than skin. No ritual, no philosophy, no earthly cure can erase it. Only the blood of Christ speaks better things than the blood of Abel.
“…the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24).
Old Blood
From the very beginning, sin and death have been written in blood.
Cain rose up and slew his brother, and God said,
“The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10).
Innocent blood cried—not for mercy, but for justice. And the cry has never stopped.
The law of Moses confirmed the truth. Every lamb that bled, every bullock burned, every drop upon the altar or sprinkled upon the mercy seat was a reminder that sin demands blood. Yet Hebrews thunders,
“It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
The old blood only covered—it never cleansed.
And Adam’s blood runs in every one of us still. It is the universal inheritance of corruption:
“For as in Adam all die…” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Every casket lowered, every tear shed at a grave, every obituary written is another witness.
Nor is mankind alone in this ruin.
“The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22).
The curse seeps into earth and sky, bending trees with storm, cracking soil with drought, shaking mountains with violence. The old blood has poisoned everything.
And what is the result? Isaiah answers:
“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure” (Isaiah 5:14).
The grave yawns wider, generation after generation, because old blood condemns. Old blood dooms. Old blood stains—and no nitre, no soap, no striving of man can wash it away.
New Blood
Yet the world still glories in new blood. Every day headlines scream of fresh slaughter—whether on a battlefield, in a subway, or in a clinic where the unborn are torn limb from limb. The ancient appetite for bloodshed is alive and well.
Hollywood packages death as entertainment. Streaming platforms turn gore into “original content.” Video games make sport of slaughter, training young minds to glory in carnage. The prophets could not be plainer:
“All they that hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:36).
And our politicians? They weep before cameras over “gun violence,” yet in the next breath they enshrine womb violence into law—protecting the daily destruction of those who never drew a first breath. Their hands are red while their speeches drip with indignation. They cry against bloodshed in the streets while defending bloodshed in the womb.
The world has not grown wiser—it has grown bloodier. And all the while, Isaiah’s words echo across the centuries:
“They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web… their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood” (Isaiah 59:5, 7).
New blood fills the streets daily, and men shrug. They shake their heads, and then they scroll on to the next show. Maybe even a show that twists the very Scripture of God, corrupting His Word under the guise of “biblical” entertainment. Look at Hollywood’s Noah—mockery dressed as myth. Or The Passion of the Christ—lavish art, yet mingled with superstition and idolatry. Or the old Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston—truth diluted with Hollywood grandeur. Or the newest, The Chosen—a mixture of truth and mythology. How easy it would be, at this point in history, to simply tell the truth and stick to the Scriptures. How hard would it really be to avoid the entanglements of “woke mythology” and just proclaim the Word as it stands? But the world will not do it. Beauty and poetry without truth is still a lie, and lies dressed in Scripture are the deadliest of all.
It reminds me that Jesus Christ is never physically described in the Bible. Could it be that God withheld His appearance because to fashion an image is to fall into sin? The Scriptures declare,
“He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him… his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 53:2; 52:14).
That was God’s Word. And yet men dare to draw Him, cast Him, dramatize Him, and sell Him.
But the command still thunders:
“To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isaiah 40:18)
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus 20:4).
To fashion Him according to our imagination is to reduce the Holy One of Israel to an idol of our own hands. That is not worship—it is blasphemy.
Through His Eyes
What if instead of imagining Christ according to our own minds, we saw through His eyes as the Scriptures reveal? No actors, no embellishment, no invented dialogue—only the Word, only what God has given us.
- Through His eyes we would see the temple at twelve years old, the astonished faces of the doctors of the law as they marvel, and the anxious voices of Mary and Joseph calling for Him.
- Through His eyes we would see stones clenched in fists, the accusing eyes of men ready to condemn a woman, and their shame as they turn away one by one.
- Through His eyes we would see soldiers raise the scourge, hatred mixed with indifference, each lash cutting deeper until flesh and blood stained the stones.
- Through His eyes we would see the crowd pressing close as He stumbles beneath the crossbeam, the ground rushing up, the jeers of some, the tears of others.
- Through His eyes we would see the world as He was lifted up—mockers below, thieves beside, and above all, the Father’s face turning away as He bore our sin.
No face could capture Him. No actor could portray Him. The only image God gave of His Son is not in how He looked, but in what He gave—the cross, the blood, the sacrifice.Through His ears we would hear His final cry, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Not a sigh of defeat, but a shout of victory. And in that moment—through His eyes—we would see His blood washing away sin. Not in theory, not in symbol, but for real. His eyes saw us. He saw you. Every soul, every sinner, every name. He saw you as you either confess Him or reject Him.
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief… he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:3, 5).
That vision is more than any screen could ever hold.
Ah, but where were we?
Oh yes—thank God, there is The Blood.
Not Abel’s blood crying for vengeance, not Adam’s blood carrying corruption, not new blood spilled in vanity. No—this is the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
(1 Peter 1:19)
This Blood stained the pavement at Pilate’s hall when He was scourged. This Blood had to be scrubbed from the floors of judgment after Pilate pretended to wash its guilt from his hands. This Blood dripped along the Via Dolorosa as He staggered under the cross, even as He said, “Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves” (Luke 23:28). This Blood fell from the crown of thorns, from the nails in His hands and feet, from the spear that pierced His side.
And this Blood does not cry for vengeance—it speaks of mercy.
“…the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24).
Abel’s blood cried, “Justice!” Christ’s blood cries, “Forgiveness!”
Here is the only transfusion that transforms. Here is the only cure for Adam’s madness. Here is the only Blood that makes men whole.
Conclusion
The world is upside down. Men glory in Old Blood and New Blood. But there is only one hope—the Blood.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood… it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
Friend, the choice is before you. You can remain in Adam’s bloodline and die in your sins. You can follow the world’s madness, drinking in its love for death. Or—you can be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
One day every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. On that day, the world will finally be turned right side up. Will you stand condemned in Adam, or redeemed in Christ?
“These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6).
May that be said of us—not because we glory in death, but because we preach the Blood that gives life.
The World Upside Down, The Blood That Sets It Right
The world is upside down. You can see it. You can feel it. Men glory in Old Blood—Adam’s blood, Cain’s blood, Abel’s blood crying from the ground. They glory in New Blood—today’s blood, shed in streets and subways, in wars and in wombs. They glory in violence, and they call it progress. They glory in sin, and they call it freedom. But there is only one hope—the Blood.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood… and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).
Friend, the choice is right here before you. You can remain in Adam’s bloodline—condemned, corrupted, lost—and die in your sins. You can follow the world’s madness, drinking in its love for death, and share its end. Or—you can be washed in the blood of the Lamb.
Hear me—there are no other options. Neutrality is a lie. Delay is a decision. Jesus Himself said,
“He that is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30).
There is no middle ground. There is Adam—or Christ. There is Old Blood—or The Blood.
One day—mark it down—
“every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11).
On that day, the world will finally be turned right side up. The madness will end. The King will reign. The Judge will sit. And the question will be this: will you stand condemned in Adam, or redeemed in Christ?
“These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also” (Acts 17:6).
Oh, may that be said of us—not because we glory in death, not because we glory in politics or power, but because we preach the Blood that gives life!
Through His eyes we see it all—the old blood of Adam that brought death, the new blood of man’s endless violence, and finally the Blood—His own, shed for the remission of sins. And while Abel’s blood cried for justice, Christ’s blood speaks mercy.
“…to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24).
Friend, this is the crossroads. Do you hear me? This is the turning point. The world is upside down—mad with sin, addicted to death, blind to truth. But through the pierced hands of Christ, God offers you the transfusion that transforms. Not soap, not nitre, not good works, not church membership, not religion—but the blood of the Lamb, cleansing and making you new.
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).
Will you come? I ask you plainly—will you come? Will you look through His eyes, and finally see yourself as He sees you—guilty, yes, but loved; condemned, yes, but offered pardon?
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
Come to Him. Call upon Him. Be washed in His blood. Don’t wait until the world turns right side up and the chance is gone. Don’t wait until eternity dawns and your soul is weighed and found wanting. Don’t wait until your blood is required of you, and it is too late.
Come now. Call upon Him now. Be washed in His blood now.
And when that final day breaks—when the trumpet sounds, when the graves open, when Christ appears—you will not be forgotten. You will not be condemned. You will not be cast out. No—hallelujah—you will be remembered, redeemed, and received by the Savior who died and rose again for you.
Friend, the world is upside down. But Christ will set it right. Don’t leave this world in Adam’s blood. Leave this world washed in the Blood.
One More Time: The World Turned Right Side Up
Friend, the choice is yours. Right side up or upside down. You can remain in Adam’s bloodline, upside down in sin and death. Or—you can be turned right side up in Christ, forgiven and made new.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
This is the gospel, as clear as Paul declared:
“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and… he was buried, and… he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
And God’s Word lays the path in the Romans Road:
“All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
That is the right side up. That is life instead of death. That is mercy instead of judgment. That is the blood that speaks better things than that of Abel.
So, what will it be? Upside down with the world, or right side up in Christ? Condemned in Adam, or redeemed in Jesus? Blind in sin, or washed in the blood of the Lamb?
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
Friend, come to Him. Call upon Him. Be washed in His blood. And when that day comes, when the trumpet sounds, you will not be forgotten, not condemned, not cast out—you will be remembered, redeemed, and received by the Savior who died and rose again for you.
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