ANIMAL SACRIFICE DURING THE MILLENNIUM

It is difficult for Christians to imagine why God would "reinstate" animal sacrifices during the Millennium, Christ's 1000 year reign upon this earth. After all, we know Jesus "needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His own sins, and then for the people's: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself" (Heb. 7:27). The writer of Hebrews also had this to say:

"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:12-14).

And again, he wrote:

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:10-12).

So what is the reason for animals to be sacrificed during the Millennium? First of all, the millennial system of sacrifices described by Ezekiel differs profoundly from the Aaronic system, so that it is not simply a reinstitution of Mosaic Judaism as many have claimed. Dwight Pentecost, in Things to Come, points out that there will be no Ark of the Covenant, Table of the Law, Cherubim, Mercy Seat, Veil, Golden Candlestick, or Table of Showbread. Instead of a high priest, there will be a prince who has some royal and priestly powers, but will actually be neither king nor high priest. The Levites will have fewer temple privileges except for the sons of Zadok who will serve as priests. The Feast of Pentecost is omitted as well as the great Day of Atonement, and there is no evening sacrifice. Also, the dimensions of the temple and courts will also be changed.

Secondly, even though Christians do not offer animal sacrifices during this, the Church Age, we do something very similar. The Lord's Supper is a memorial looking back at the sacrifice our Lord made for us on the Cross. Christians are told to continue the practice "till He come" (1 Cor. 11:26). In other words, the Church Age memorial of Christ's sacrifice was to begin at Pentecost, and to end when He comes for us at the Rapture.

During the Millennium, the offering of animal sacrifices will be the Jewish memorial looking back and honoring what took place at the Cross. The Word says that the Mosaic Law, with its blood sacrifices, was a picture or shadow of things to come. Again, the writer of Hebrews wrote:

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers there unto perfect" (Heb. 9:28-10:1).