Bible Question for Messianic Believers...Help!?

Question

My friend and I cannot agree. She believes that as Believers we will be expected to participate in animal sacrifices when they are reinstated. I believe that all of the blood laws were taken care of once and for all when Messiah (Christ) was sacrificed. What do you think? Can you help me with Scripture to convince her.

War: If you look at B's other questions s/he has answered, they are all about reporting someone for something. Hopefully Yahoo will catch on to this.

Answer 1

Since you haven't had any answers yet from anyone that sounds like they are a Messianic Believer, I'll give you my answer.

Obviously we disagree with the Christian position that the Law was done away with. Matthew 5:17 and following clearly shows that He didn't come to do away with the Law, and that not the smallest part of it would be done away with. So that would appear to include even animal sacrifices.

But, it is generally the position of the Messianic Movement that the death and resurrection of Yeshua were sufficent to pay for all sin for all time and the blood of bulls and goats doesn't accomplish anything further and NEVER did. Read Hebrews 10:4.

However, Yeshua is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world - see Revelation 13:8. Many within the Messianic Movement there are many who believe that the coat of skin given to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) came from this Lamb (since that was the "foundation of the world" when this occured.)

That raises the interesting question of why other animal sacrifices were ever needed. Since the Lamb was already slain from the foundation of the world and since the blood of animal sacrifices did nothing, why should they ever have been offered? Apparently the only thing they ever did was show that the person bringing the sacrifice was repentant and was willing to act in faith on the instructions of the Bible in regards to animal sacrifice.

Now obviously Scripture forbids offering animal sacrifices at a place of our own choosing - they can only be offered at the place which the L-rd designated. Since there is no Temple currently, animal sacrifices aren't currently permissible. Your question suggests that you already understand this fact.

So, we would have to look at the examples of Believers from 2000 years ago, after the death and resurrection of Yeshua, but before the destruction of the Temple in 70. We are given one such example in Acts 21:24 where the leader of the Body of Believers instructs Paul to take the 4 men under a vow and go to the Temple and pay their expenses so that they can have their heads shaved.

You will find the instructions about this type of vow in Numbers 6. You will read about the animal sacrifices that followed the conclusion of a vow in Numbers 6:13 and following. The price of these animals would have been the expenses that the Body of Believers wanted Paul to cover for the men under the vow. This shows that Believers did indeed offer animal sacrifices even after the Resurrection.

So a case could be made for Believers offering animal sacrifices if the Temple were to be rebuilt. However, that rebuilt Temple that first shows up is going to be controlled by the Anti-Christ and so I don't think any Messianics are going to be comfortable taking part in that anyway. Plus the Anti-Christ puts a stop to the sacrifices after just a little while anyway. And that stopping of the animal sacrifices appears to last until the end of the Tribulation period.

So, after the Tribulation, Messiah reigns over the earth for 1000 years, and He will set the record straight at that time as to whether He wants us to offer animal sacrifices. The only clue that I come across about the nature of the Millennial Temple is found in Ezekiel 44:11 which does seem to indicate that animal sacrifices will be offered in the Millennial Temple.

Hopefully, this answer covers the broad spectrum of your question and gives you the verses you wanted. (Even if the actual evidence doesn't necessarily back your conclusion.) But you are correct that the blood of animals didn't cover sins.

Answer 2

The idea that the temple sacrifices will be reinstated during the "millennial kingdom" are based upon O.T. prophecies that are hard to reconcile with N.T. revelations. It all gets very confusing as people debate about what it means when the book of Revelation says that Jesus will come back and reign on earth for 1,000 years or if the sacrifices will be made before He comes again during the great tribulation..

One possible explanation is that sacrifices will be looking back at the sacrifice that Jesus made for us but that hardly seems likely. What I would counsel you and your friend is to agree that this subject is not an essential doctrine that should cause division between believers. There are many more important things to focus on during our short time here on earth like reaching out to the lost with the good news of God's love for all who will come to Him through faith in Jesus.

Answer 3

Some Jewish Christians who were “zealous for the Law” continued circumcising their children and observing certain features of the Law. (Acts 21:20) Others went further, even insisting that it was necessary for Jewish Christians to observe the Law in order to be saved. In this, they were seriously mistaken. For example, how could any Christian offer an animal sacrifice for the remission of sins? Christ’s sacrifice had made such offerings obsolete. What about the Law’s requirement that Jews avoid close fellowship with Gentiles? It would have been very difficult for zealous Christian evangelizers to observe those restrictions and still carry out the commission to teach the Gentiles all the things that Jesus had taught. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 1:8; 10:28)

Guidance came, not in the form of a letter from the governing body, but in additional inspired letters written by the apostles. For example, the apostle Paul sent a powerful message to Jews and Gentiles living in Rome. In his letter to them, he explained that a real Jew “is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit.” (Romans 2:28, 29) In the same letter, Paul used an illustration to prove that Christians were no longer under the Law. He argued that a woman could not be married to two men at once. But if her husband died, she was free to remarry. Paul then applied the illustration, showing that anointed Christians could not be subject to the Mosaic Law and belong to Christ at the same time. They had to become “dead to the Law” so that they could be united with Christ.—Romans 7:1-5.

Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Answer 4

Those animal sacrifices will NEVER be reinstated...

Heb 9:26 If he had, he would have had to suffer many times since the world was created. But now he has appeared once and for all time. He has come at the end of the ages to do away with sin. He has done that by offering himself.

Answer 5

Did you know that in the bible in the Revelations it talks about God not needing the blood of lams, or offerings of sacrifice of animals. Because He sent His son who gave His blood for our sins. Therefore, because He died for our sins there is no need to bring sacrifices, since there is only one sacrifice and it is of Jesus. Im not really sure its in Revelations, but its in the old testament too. So if you wait a couple of days Ill try to find it. But if you are a true christian you should know the bible pretty well, if you dont, then how can you teach others?

Answer 6

I believe there are several different opinions on that matter. Some say the temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices will begin again so that the Jews can reconcile with God. Others say it's a metaphoric prophesy. Personally, I think I'd concentrate more on improving my relationship with God and letting that take care of itself in God's time.

Answer 7

well y.g you are right Christ was the blood sacrifice for one and all time. That is why Christ said " I require forgiveness not sacrifice. He also said that " the law is done away with". The LAW He is referring to is the law concerning blood sacrifice for the forgivness of sin.

Answer 8

Once for all.

When the Christ is here the foreshadow is no longer needed.
He fulfilled the whole Law.
I think this is a topic of the letter to the Galatians.

Answer 9

Do a search of sacrifice and mercy @ biblegateway

Answer 10

What does your Bible say?