Many scholars teach that because Yeshua died for our sins, the animal sacrifices written in Torah are now done away with. Others question this, pointing out how Yeshua said that none of the commandments in the Torah (the Laws of Moses) would pass away so long as heaven and earth still exist.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:17-19
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (i.e., in fulfillment of part of them).
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Torah till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
If Yeshua tells us that the Torah is still in force, what should we do about the animal sacrifices that Israel was told to offer daily in the tabernacle (or temple)? Should we be offering them today? Since the temple is no longer standing, should we wait until the temple is rebuilt, as prophesied in Ezekiel 40-46? Or will we even be allowed to offer animal sacrifices then, since Yeshua died for our sins?
The subject of animal sacrifices is highly charged, and many people have strong convictions. However, let us recognize that Yahweh’s word is the ultimate authority, and that we need to believe what it says. With that in mind, let us survey the history of animal sacrifices, because it will show us some important things.
Many believe that sacrifices and burnt offerings can only be offered in a temple or tabernacle, yet the Torah shows us that sacrifices and burnt offerings were made long before the tabernacle was ever built. For example, both Cain and Abel made offerings to Yahweh.
| Genesis 4:3-5 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Qayin (Cain) brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to Yahweh. 4 Havel (Abel) also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And Yahweh respected Havel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Qayin and his offering. And Qayin was very angry, and his countenance fell. |
3 וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ יָמִים | וַיָּבֵא קַיִן מִפְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה מִנְחָה לַיהוָה: 4 וְהֶבֶל הֵבִיא גַם הוּא מִבְּכֹרוֹת צֹאנוֹ וּמֵחֶלְבֵהֶן | וַיִּשַׁע יְהוָה אֶל הֶבֶל וְאֶל מִנְחָתוֹ: 5 וְאֶל קַיִן וְאֶל מִנְחָתוֹ לֹא שָׁעָה | וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן מְאֹד וַיִּפְּלוּ פָּנָיו |
Not all commentators agree as to why Yahweh accepted Havel’s (Abel’s) sacrifice, but rejected Qayin’s (Cain’s). However, it may have had to do with the fact that Havel brought his firstfruits to Yahweh. In other words, Havel gave back to Yahweh of the first things that Yahweh gave him, whereas Qayin did not. This indicates that Havel’s heart condition was more devoted than Qayin’s, and we know that what Yahweh really looks on is the heart.
Shemuel Aleph (1st Samuel) 16:7
7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For Yahweh does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
Despite the fact that no temple existed in his day, Noach (Noah) also built an altar to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings upon it.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 8:20
20 Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
In like fashion, there was no temple in Avraham’s day either, yet this did not keep Avraham from offering sacrifices to Yahweh. For just one example, let us consider the binding of Isaac (Akeidah).
B’reisheet (Genesis) 22:13
13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Sacrifices are not restricted only to burnt offerings. In addition to making sacrifices and burnt offerings to Yahweh directly, Avraham also tithed to Melchizedek.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 14:18-20
18 Then Melchizedek, (the) king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was the priest of Elohim Most High.
19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of Elohim Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be Elohim Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
Two generations later, Avraham’s grandson Ya’akov (Jacob) also offered sacrifices directly to Yahweh.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 31:54
54 Then Ya’akov offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread.
And in addition to the sacrifices he offered, Ya’akov also tithed, just as his grandfather Avraham had done.
B’reisheet (Genesis) 28:20-22
20 Then Ya’akov made a vow, saying,
“If Elohim will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then Yahweh shall be my Elohim.
22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be Elohim’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
While we know that Avraham tithed to Melchizedek, Scripture does not tell us to whom Ya’akov tithed; yet because Hebrews are very tradition oriented people, it may well have been that Ya’akov also gave his tithes to the Melchizedekian Order.
However, why would Avraham and Ya’akov both tithe, and still offer sacrifices to Yahweh on their own? And how could they offer sacrifices without a temple or tabernacle? And what does this have to say about whether or not we should offer sacrifices now, with no temple, and after Yeshua’s sacrifice for our sins?
In order to answer these questions, first let us look at the example the apostles gave us, in the first century.
Many scholars teach that Yeshua’s sacrifice did away with any present or future need for the animal sacrificial system. However, in opposition to this (and as we explain in the Nazarene Israel study), the apostles continued to offer animal sacrifices in the temple as long as the temple still stood. For example, the Apostle Shaul (Paul) shaved his head in Acts 18:18, for he had previously taken a vow.
Ma’asim (Acts) 18:18
18 And having remained many days more, having taken leave of the brothers, Shaul sailed to Syria, having shaved his head; for he had (taken) a vow.
The only vow that requires one to shave one’s head is the Nazirite vow, which is recorded in Numbers Chapter Six. The Nazirite vow is a very rich study, and we discuss the Nazirite vow in more detail in Yeshua the Celibate Nazirite (which is the next study in this book). However, for our purposes here, what we see is that as part of his vow, the Nazirite must abstain from all contact with the dead.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:6
6 All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body.
Yet if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, he must shave his head, and bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the tabernacle or temple. One of these is for a burnt offering (verse 11), and the other is for a sin offering (verse 11). Then the Nazirite is also supposed to bring a lamb as a trespass offering (verse 12).
Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:9-12
9 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.
10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tabernacle of Meeting;
11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day.
12 He shall consecrate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.
The Nazirite vow can also be taken for a set length of time. When one separates (ends) a Nazirite vow, one then shaves one’s head, and goes up to Yahweh’s house, and offers up animal sacrifices in purification.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 6:13-18
13 ‘Now this is the Torah of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
14 And he shall present his offering to Yahweh: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.
16 ‘Then the priest shall bring them before Yahweh and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering;
17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering.
18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the Tabernacle of Meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.’
Verse 14 tells us that the one ending the Nazirite vow must offer a ewe lamb in its first year as a sin offering. Therefore, when Shaul paid to separate the Nazirite vows of himself and four other men in Acts 21 (above), he was paying for five sin sacrifices.
Since Shaul was so devout, everything he did was oriented towards pleasing and obeying Yahweh. Therefore, if Acts 18:18 tells us that Shaul shaved his head “for he had taken a vow,” and if the Nazirite vow is the only vow in Scripture that has one shave one’s head, then the vow that Shaul separated was likely a Nazirite vow.
Ma’asim (Acts) 18:18
18 And having remained many days more, having taken leave of the brothers, Shaul sailed to Syria, having shaved his head; for he had (taken) a (Nazirite) vow.
In Numbers 6 (above), we are told that in addition to shaving one’s head, the one ending (separating) his Nazirite vow had to bring his animal sacrifices to the door of the tabernacle (or temple). Since the temple was in Jerusalem in Shaul’s day, obviously this meant that Shaul would have to go up to Jerusalem soon after shaving his head. Three verses later, we see that this is precisely what he does, since he tells us that he had to keep the coming feast “in Jerusalem.”
Ma’asim (Acts) 18: 21 – 22
21 But he took leave of them, saying, “By all means it is necessary for me to keep the coming feast in Jerusalem: But I will come again to you, Elohim willing!”
22 And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up (to Jerusalem) and greeted the assembly, he went down to Antioch.
When we understand that Shaul kept Torah, then we can see that what really happened here was that Shaul had a Nazirite vow. Either someone had died next to him, or else the days of his vow were completed, and he was going up to Jerusalem to offer the animal sacrifices for cleansing, as the Torah instructs.
There is a second witness to this. As we explain in the Nazarene Israel study, at some point Shaul must have taken yet another Nazirite vow, because Scripture shows us that he again shaved his head in purification some three chapters later, in Acts Chapter Twenty-one.
Acts Chapter 21 is the famous confrontation between the Apostles Ya’akov (Jacob) and Shaul. This passage tells us that those in Jerusalem were still very zealous for the Torah; but that they were upset with Shaul, because they had been told that he taught against it.
Ma’asim (Acts) 21:20-22
20 And hearing, they glorified Yahweh, and said to (Shaul), “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed (on Yeshua), and all are (still) zealous for the Torah!
21 “But they were informed about you, that you (now) teach against (the Torah of) Moshe, telling all the Jews throughout the nations not to circumcise their children, nor to walk according to the (Hebraic) customs.
22 “What, then, is it? At all events (i.e., pilgrimage festivals), a multitude must come together; and they will (surely) hear that you have come.”
As we explain in Nazarene Israel, the Apostle Kepha (Peter) tells us that Shaul’s epistles are Scripture, but that they are easily misunderstood (2 Kepha 3:15-17), and that even in the first century there were those who misunderstood his writings. From the above passage, it seems that even the apostles in Jerusalem found Shaul’s letters confusing, which is why they felt the need to confront him and find out whether he was teaching against the Torah or not.
Scripture is compact: it does not waste space telling us things we can figure out for ourselves with a little study. Therefore, while Scripture does not record the whole conversation, it seems once Ya’akov was convinced that Shaul taught Torah, Ya’akov told Shaul it was very important to demonstrate this to the people. Therefore, Ya’akov told Shaul that so long as he was going to be cleansed of his own Nazirite vow, he should also pay the expenses for four other men who were being purified of their Nazirite vows as well.
Ma’asim (Acts) 21:23-24
23 “Then do this, what we say to you: There are four men (here, besides yourself, also) having a (Nazirite) vow on themselves:
24 Take them, be purified with them, and (you) pay their expenses (so) that they may (also) shave their heads:
And then all shall know that what they have been told about you is nothing; but that you yourself walk orderly, keeping the (whole) Law (of Moses).”
As we have already seen, it takes at least three separate animal sacrifices to separate a Nazirite vow. Therefore it took fifteen animal sacrifices to separate all the Nazirite vows here. In first century terms, fifteen animals would have been a huge expense. Had Shaul believed that Yeshua’s sacrifice did away with the need for such animal sacrifices he would never have agreed to pay this expense (nor would Ya’akov likely have urged him to do so).
However, while Acts Chapter Twenty-one shows us the apostles still offered animal sacrifices in the temple, many people have questions about why the apostles would do that, in light of Yeshua’s perfect sacrifice for our sins. Many believers think that it would have been an offense or a blasphemy unto Yeshua, were the apostles to offer animal sacrifices in the temple. The reason for this is probably because there is so much misunderstanding about the sacrificial system.
While a complete examination of the sacrificial system is beyond the scope of this study, Scripture shows us that the sacrificial system was never intended to take away sin. As we shall see, the sacrificial system was only ever intended to remind us not to sin.
And yet, what exactly is sin? In Hebrew, the word for ‘sin’ is ‘chatah’ (חֲטָאָה).
OT:2403 chatta’ah (khat-taw-aw’); or chatta’th (khat-tawth’); from OT:2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender:
When we look up the reference to the root word at OT:2398, we see that sin is ‘missing the mark.’
OT:2398 chata’ (khaw-taw’); a primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn:
It is interesting that sin is ‘missing the mark,’ because while the word ‘Torah’ (תּוֹרָה) means both ‘Instructions’ and ‘Law,’ it comes from a root word that means, among other things, ‘to shoot.’
The base definition in Strong’s is not very complete.
OT:8451 towrah (to-raw’); or torah (to-raw’); from OT:3384; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch:
Looking up the root word at OT:3384, we start to see this idea of ‘hitting (rather than missing) the mark.’
OT:3384 yarah (yaw-raw’); or yara’ (yaw-raw’); a primitive root; properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach:
To keep Yahweh’s Instructions is to ‘hit the mark.’ To hit the mark is to walk before Yahweh perfectly, even as Yeshua walked. However, Shaul tells us that all of us have sinned, and that we all ‘miss the mark’ regularly.
Romim (Romans) 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim….
Even when we try our hardest, we all miss the mark in many ways; and therefore we need Yahweh’s favor (grace) in order to cover our shortcomings.
When we accept Yeshua as our personal Savior and Messiah, and when we begin doing our utmost to walk even as He walked, then our past and present sins are completely forgiven; and our unintentional future sins are forgiven as well, so long as we continue to do our utmost.
This, however, does not alter the fact that we are still imperfect people, and that we all still make mistakes. Even when we do our best to walk before Him correctly, hearing and obeying His voice, we will still fail to ‘hit the mark’ from time to time. It is precisely these times that we sin, and sin requires some form of earthly atonement.
Hebrews 10:3-4 tells us that the blood of bulls and goats never could take away sins.
Ivrim (Hebrews) 10:3-4
3 But in these offerings is (only) a reminder of sins year by year;
4 For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
While the Christian church uses this passage as an alleged ‘proof text’ that Yeshua came to do away with the animal sacrificial system; in reality, the opposite is true.
Israel is operationally defined as those who strive to keep Yahweh’s Instructions (Torah). Those who do not strive to keep Yahweh’s Instructions are supposed to leave the camp (one way or another), so that the camp remains pure, and the next generation of children can grow up straight and undefiled.
Since all Israel is supposed to fear Yahweh, all Israel is supposed to strive to stay in His good graces. Therefore, whenever an Israelite misses the mark (sins), all one should have to do is to gently bring the matter to his attention. Since the one sinning is supposed to fear Yahweh, he is supposed to hasten to correct himself, lest he be cut off from Israel. Thus external punishment is not supposed to be necessary.
Since punishment was not supposed to be needed in a land where brothers were diligently striving to stay in Yahweh’s best graces, the sin sacrifices were only ever intended to serve as a physical reminder to the one having sinned, not to make the same mistakes again.
In other words, the sin sacrifice served as a hard lesson to the sinner that the wages of sin is death; and it also served to drive home the point that except for Yahweh’s favor (grace), the price for even so little as making a mistake with regards to obeying the Torah was not just to be cut off from Israel, but also to be cut off from eternal life.
Romim (Romans) 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of Elohim is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our Adon.
It is important to remember that both Leviticus 4 and Numbers 15 tell us that the sin sacrifices were only intended to serve to remind us of sins that were committed accidentally or unknowingly.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 4:13-14
13 “’Now if the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally, and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done something against any of the commandments of Yahweh in anything which should not be done, and are guilty;
14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a young bull for the sin, and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting.’”
In contrast, Numbers 15:30 tells us that the punishment for disobeying the Torah with a ‘high-hand’ (or for rebellion) was always death.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 15:30
30 ‘But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on Yahweh, and he shall be cut off from among his people.
In effect, the only time sin is forgiven is when the sinner repents of his sin, and returns to obedience. In other words, sin is only forgiven once the sinner stops ‘missing the mark,’ and begins ‘hitting the mark’ again, for only then is he walking in righteousness.
King David’s infamous sin with Bathsheba was both intentional and premeditated; however, he was also in denial. David did not set out to rebel against Yahweh, or to flagrantly defy Yahweh’s authority. Rather, his actions were committed in so-called ‘hot blood’; and when the prophet Nathan finally broke through David’s wall of denial and made his sin clear to him, King David immediately repented; and Yahweh forgave his sin.
Notice, however, that despite King David’s repentance, and despite the fact that Yahweh forgave him, there was still a death penalty to be paid. The child of the illicit liaison between David and Bathsheba died.
Shemuel Bet (2 Samuel) 12:15-19
15 Then Nathan departed to his house, and Yahweh struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.
16 David therefore pleaded with Elohim for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
17 So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.
18 Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
19 When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?”
And they said, “He is dead.”
The death of David and Bathsheba’s child served as a powerful reminder to King David not to sin like that again. Likewise, the death of one’s best stud male animal serves to remind the one ‘missing the mark’ to pay closer attention to Yahweh and His voice.
So what then shall we say about the apostles? While they knew that Yeshua’s death led to forgiveness of their sins in the heavenly realms, they also knew that the Hebraic concept of belief is action oriented. In Hebraic thought, belief in Yeshua requires one to obey the whole Instruction (including the animal sacrifices).
Ma’asim (Acts) 21:20
20 And hearing, they glorified Yahweh, and said to (Shaul), “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed (on Yeshua), and all are (still) zealous for the Torah!”
While those who believe and seek diligently to walk just as Yeshua walked are forgiven in the heavens, all of us who remain here on earth are imperfect, and we need reminders from time to time. It is this need for the occasional reminder to which the sin sacrifices speak.
Not everyone is King David, so for a much more mundane example, suppose that a Temple existed today. Also suppose that you are a cattle rancher, and that you have fallen short of perfection, and have committed some sin unintentionally. When your sin is made known to you, if you do not repent, then you are missing the mark (and are therefore sinning). As brutal as it sounds, you must surely be put to death, because the only way to keep the next generation of children safe from the leavening effects of sin is to maintain absolute purity within Israel’s borders. One way or another, evil must be purged from within Israel’s midst.
In contrast, if you fear Yahweh then you will cherish your opportunity to regain your status as part of His bride; and so once your sin is brought to your attention you will quickly and eagerly change.
Once you have repented, Yahweh forgives your sin. It was always thus; even in King David’s time. However, once you are forgiven you are then expected to punish yourself. You must voluntarily take your very finest stud male bull up to the Temple, and offer him in sacrifice to Yahweh. Then you must even eat part of him, so you may feel true revulsion at your sin.
The blood of your finest prize bull can never take away your sin in the heavenlies; only belief in Yeshua can do that. However, the loss of your finest stud male bull will serve as a reminder not to sin like that again; which is why Hebrews 10:3-4 tells us that these offerings serve only as a reminder not to sin, in that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take sins away.
Ivrim (Hebrews) 10:3-4
3 But in these offerings is (only) a reminder of sins year by year;
4 For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The blood of bulls and goats can never make us walk perfectly before our Elohim, and it can never cause us to ‘hit the mark.’ Only the blood of Yeshua can do that.
While the blood of bulls and goats only serves as a reminder not to sin, when we willingly correct ourselves when we make mistakes, and give ourselves a good punishment in reminder, then this will remind us not to sin; and then we can ‘hit the mark’ again.
As we explain in Revelation and the End Times, Ezekiel 40-46 prophesies that the Temple will be rebuilt. This will take place after the Ingathering and the Religious Unification; and in that day a man called ‘the prince’ will begin offering up animal sacrifices again, including the sin offerings.
| Ezekiel 45:22-23 22 And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. 23 On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to Yahweh, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. |
22 וְעָשָׂה הַנָּשִׂיא בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד כָּל עַם הָאָרֶץ | פַּר חַטָּאת: 23 וְשִׁבְעַת יְמֵי הֶחָג יַעֲשֶׂה עוֹלָה לַיהוָה שִׁבְעַת פָּרִים וְשִׁבְעַת אֵילִים תְּמִימִם לַיּוֹם שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים | וְחַטָּאת שְׂעִיר עִזִּים לַיּוֹם |
As we explain in Revelation and the End Times, this prince cannot be Yeshua because among other things, verse 22 tells us that he offers up sin sacrifices “for himself.” Whoever this ‘prince’ is, he will also offer sin sacrifices on the New Moon Day, and on the Sabbaths.
Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 45:17
17 “Then it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the House of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the House of Israel.”
So if the apostles continued to offer animal sacrifices in the Temple as long as it still stood, and if the prince of the coming Third Temple will again offer sacrifices (including sin sacrifices) once the Temple is rebuilt, then what are we to do today, in the dispersion, and in the absence of a Temple?
In “About the Change in Priesthoods”, we explain that since the Melchizedekian Order served Yahweh before there was ever a Tabernacle, it is able to serve Yahweh in the absence of a Temple or Tabernacle. Since we are of the Order of Melchizedek, the question then becomes, “Should we be offering these sacrifices today?”
It is difficult if not impossible to answer this question, as Scripture does not speak to this matter directly. There are seemingly good arguments to be made both for and against animal sacrifices today.
In Deuteronomy 12, Yahweh gives us commandments that apply when we live in His land.
| Deuteronomy 12:1 1 “These are the statutes and judgments which you shall be careful to observe in the land which Yahweh Elohim of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the soil.” |
1 אֵלֶּה הַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּן לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֶיךָ לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ | כָּל הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם חַיִּים עַל הָאֲדָמָה |
When we live in His land, we are to bring our sacrifices to ‘the place where Yahweh our Elohim chooses.’
| Deuteronomy 12:5-14 5 “But you shall seek the place where Yahweh your Elohim chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go.” |
5 כִּי אִם אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִכָּל שִׁבְטֵיכֶם לָשׂוּם אֶת שְׁמוֹ שָׁם | לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ וּבָאתָ שָׁמָּה |
We know Jerusalem was that place, and Yahweh tells us that Jerusalem will once again be that place.
Zecharyah (Zechariah) 2:12
12 And Yahweh will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Set-apart Land, and will again choose Jerusalem.
Yahweh chose Judah as His inheritance and chose Jerusalem ‘again’ back in 1948, with the creation of the State of Israel. Therefore if Jerusalem is the place which Yahweh is presently choosing, then it stands to reason that any animal sacrifices which are made in today’s times should only be made in Jerusalem.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 16:5-6
5 “You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates which Yahweh your Elohim gives you;
6 but at the place where Yahweh your Elohim chooses to make His name abide, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at twilight, at the going down of the sun, at the time you came out of Egypt.
Ironically, the Melchizedekian Order can offer sacrifices without a Temple; and therefore, the Melchizedekian Order can technically offer sacrifices in today’s times. However, in 1948 Yahweh chose Judah, and has ‘again’ chosen Jerusalem; and therefore the Melchizedekian Order is prohibited from making sacrifices at this time.
Also ironically, since the Jewish-Levitical (or in this case the Jewish-Rabbinical) Order needs a Temple or Tabernacle in which to operate, yet no Temple or Tabernacle currently exists, the house of Judah is not able to offer up animal sacrifices at this time, either. Therefore, while both houses may slaughter and eat meat, these slaughtering are not ‘sacrifices.’
As we show in Revelation and the End Times, at the time of the Ingathering, Yahweh will take some of the Melchizedekian priesthood for Levites as well.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:20-21
20 Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to Yahweh out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My set-apart mountain Jerusalem,” says Yahweh, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of Yahweh. 21 And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
It will likely be at this time that the sacrificial system will be reinstated.
While Yeshua our Passover was the perfect sacrifice for sin, and while He took our sins upon Himself, and while our sins are forgiven in the heavenlies, Scripture is clear that once the Temple is restored, the animal sacrifices will again be offered, so that all those who would purify themselves to be part of His bride will have some means of physically punishing themselves when they sin.
Yoel (Joel) 2:13-14
13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to Yahweh your Elohim, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.
14 Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him — A grain offering and a drink offering for Yahweh your Elohim?
It is the heart that Yahweh is most concerned about; yet what does it say about our heart condition if we are not willing to keep all His commandments? Many have been taught that the animal sacrificial system is cruel, even though they wear leather and eat meat. But what does it say about our heart condition if we question Yahweh’s statues and judgments?
In contrast, what does it say about our heart condition if we are eager to do what Yahweh says; and to remind ourselves that it is only by Yahweh’s unmerited favor, and by the blood of His only Son, that we ourselves have escaped the ultimate penalty for sin?
Dear Abba Yahweh, please teach us to trust Your Word. Please turn our hearts back to You, and cause us to trust in Your judgments; and we will be turned back to You.
In Yeshua’s precious name, Amein.