Sacrifices in the Kingdom
The Millennial Temple’s main objective will be to provide a place of worship for Israel and the Gentile nations that will be similar to, yet distinct from, that under the old Levitical system.
Jews and Gentiles alike who have mortal bodies will be required to bring animal sacrifices (Isa. 56:7; 66:20–23; Jer. 33:18; Ezek. 45:13–17; Mal. 3:3–4). The prince (see “A New Temple for a New Era”) will receive the gifts and oversee the sacrifices used “to make atonement” for the house of Israel (Ezek. 45:15, 17, 20). There will be burnt, sin, trespass (40:39), grain (45:24), and peace offerings (46:2). The prince will offer the sacrifices at “the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel” (45:17). Only morning sacrifices will be offered daily (46:13).
The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread will be kept to memorialize Israel’s deliverance from Egypt (45:21–24). All nations will be required to appear in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles; those that do not will be denied rain or, as in Egypt’s case, receive a plague (Zech. 14:16–18). The “year of liberty” (Jubilee, cf. Lev. 25) will be commemorated at its proper time (Ezek. 46:17). The feasts of Pentecost and Trumpets and the Day of Atonement will not be kept in the Millennium.
When reading Ezekiel 43—46, people often ask, “If Jesus’ sacrifice is the only efficacious, once-for-all sacrifice to expiate sin (Heb. 9:12), why should animal sacrifices, which could never take away sin (10:4), be offered during the Millennium?” We know these sacrifices cannot remove sin any more than the Levitical sacrifices could.
Some scholars believe the Millennial offerings will be memorials, similar to keeping the Lord’s Supper today in remembrance of Christ’s death. They reason that sacrifices are needed because Millennial saints will live in an ideal setting where Christ’s righteousness will fill the earth and people will need a reminder of the awfulness of sin.
Therefore, the shedding of blood will visibly remind them that only Christ’s blood can take away sin. This interpretation has two problems: (1) Nothing in the text indicates the sacrifices are memorials, and (2) the prophet says the sacrifices are to make atonement.
Consequently, these offerings must be much more than memorials. The word for “atonement” (Ezek. 45:15, 17, 20) is the Hebrew word kippur, meaning to “cover” or “propitiate.” Under the Levitical system, sacrifices were required to atone for sin and to cleanse the buildings, the altar (43:20–27), the Levites (44:25–27), and the sanctuary (45:18). The blood sacrifice covered the worshiper’s sins (Lev. 17:11) and functioned as propitiation to God.
Animal sacrifices offered in the Millennial Temple will be needed to cover the worshipers’ ceremonial uncleanness. Why? Because God will be dwelling on Earth in the midst of sinners living in their natural, unresurrected bodies. Without blood sacrifices, these impure worshipers would defile God’s holy Temple when they come to worship Him.
Bible Professor Jerry Hullinger came to the same conclusion:
Hebrews states that animal sacrifices were efficacious in the sphere of ceremonial cleansing. They were not efficacious, however, in the realm of conscience and therefore in the matter of spiritual salvation. Because of this, Christ’s offering is superior in that it accomplished something the Levitical offerings never could, namely, soteriological benefits.
Only Christ’s sacrifice was of the kind that could form the basis for eternal and spiritual salvation. But this in no way refutes the…efficacy in the Old Testament sacrifices….Eternal or spiritual salvation was not the issue. Therefore, the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament and the sacrifice of Christ in the New Testament were effective at their own respective and totally different levels.
Ezekiel 40—48 indicates that during the millennium God’s glory will return to the temple where sacrificial ritual will take place and in which offerings will make atonement. For Ezekiel the concept of atonement is the same as it was in the Book of Leviticus, namely, an act that wipes away and purges uncleanness.
This purgation will be required because the divine presence will once again be dwelling in the land. As argued earlier, impurity is contagious to both persons and sancta. Further, impurity is inimical to Yahweh, who refuses to dwell among a people if uncleanness remains untreated. Because of God’s promise to dwell on earth during the millennium (as stated in the New Covenant), it is necessary that He protect His presence through sacrifice.
This function of sacrifices, according to the Book of Hebrews, is efficacious. However, this was never the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice, for it dealt with the internal cleansing of the conscience. Therefore the two are harmonious. It should be further added that this sacrificial system will be a temporary one in that the millennium (with its partial population of unglorified humanity) will last only one thousand years. During the eternal state all inhabitants of the New Jerusalem will be glorified and will therefore not be a source of contagious impurities to defile the holiness of Yahweh.1
Sacrifices in the Millennium will not be a substitute for God’s plan of salvation or change the way a person is redeemed. Salvation has always been, and will always be, through faith in Christ and His shed blood on the cross. Nor will these sacrifices diminish Christ’s work on the cross (Heb. 10:10). It was Christ’s death, not the Levitical system, that made it possible for sins to be permanently removed.
ENDNOTE
- Jerry Hullinger, “The Problem of Animal Sacrifices in Ezekiel 40—48,” Bibliotheca Sacra 152, no. 607 (1995): 288–289.
When the 1000 years are finished; Satan is released and allowed to deceive the nations on the earth, Gog and Magog. It says their number is like the sand of the sea. They surround the camp of God and the saints to make war, but God destroys them. So there will be people in fleshly bodies during this time. Ezekiel is not mistaken. This is found in Revelation 20: 7-10
Collin you confuse the earthly kingdom and millinal reign with each other. Before the new heaven and new earth/new Jerusalem comes there is a reign of Christ and Jeremiah and Ezekiel both mention there will be sacrifices. In Rev. It says that in New Jerusalem there will be no temple. Two different events spaced out with two different way of doing things.
Not only does this go against the book of Hebrews but it goes against the words of Christ himself Jesus told Peter in the upper room that the words that he had spoken to them made them clean and we know that not only did his blood atone for our sin but the Bible says blessed are they who wash their robes white in the blood of the Lamb meaning they are Sanctified holy and clean so therefore this vision of Ezekiel has to be a false vision. Another point to make is that in Matthew Jesus says that he will separate the sheep from the goats when he comes back he says that the Sheep will enter eternal life and the goats will go into the Eternal Lake of Fire so that tells us right there that when he comes back to establish his Millennial Kingdom there will be no unrighteousness that dwells there. The wicked will be wiped out so there will be absolutely no reason for sin atonement. I believe its 1st Corinthians 6:19 Paul says that in the Kingdom there will be no adulterer no drunken no murderers no idolatrous no thiefs no sorcerer etc…….that will inherit the kingdom. So we know during the thousand year reign of Christ there is absolutely no sin on the Earth! how could there be? There cant be because Jesus casts the Beast and the false prophet into the Lake of Fire and the angel of the Lord binds Satan and puts him in Chains in the abyss for a thousand years. So there will be no sin because there will be no deceptionn there will absolutely not be anyone on Earth during the thousand year reign of Christ that will be contrary to the kingdom of Rightousness. Also during this Millennial Reign on the Earth it will be a time that takes place on this literal earth right here right now. The new heavens and the new earth doesn’t come until the end of the Thousand year reign in Revelation. and we know that when he establishes the new Heaven and the new Earth there will absolutely be no trace of sin or anything Unholy that dwells there. It’s really obvious to see that the prophet Ezekiel when he wrote These passages really took no thought of the Messiah reigning in Jerusalem from the temple on the Throne of David but instead had in his heart and in his mind great thoughts towards Israel and wanted to comfort the people by prophesying the establishment of a new Temple where things would go back to the way they were in the book of Leviticus. The facts are as much as I love the Lord Jesus there’s no way to reconcile these blatant obvious contradictions but it’s nice to know that the prophet Ezekiel had big thoughts and great intentions for the children of Israel but the truth is if Messiah is who he says he is He is the savior of the world and he came to take the sins away from the world so during his Millennial Reign there will absolutely be no trace of the old system involved he will sit in the Temple and reign as High Priest and King. Jesus accomplished what the old system could not do and I am forever grateful for that! I just pray that God would just keep opening up our eyes up to the truth and keep leading Us by his holy spirit each day.
Tell this to DTBM on U Tube.
PS Also remind him that a divorced non Christian, who remarries, is not committing the unforgivable sin.
God said to Peter, “what I have made Holy, do not make it Unholy”
Peter HisbyGrace.
Eph.2vs8.
I read the original Hullinger article just before finding yours here. As I’m involved with Israel, this is not a tangential subject. I’m forced to solidify my position on sacrifices in the Millennial Temple now because the building of the Third Temple is upon us in these end-times! Will this rebuilding be allowed only with a covenant with the antichrist spoken of in Daniel, or will sacrifices begin before, when we will see them?
I’m afraid there will be a furious reaction to renewed sacrifices not just from unbelievers but from unthinking Christians, as the time looms. I’ll be sharing your article!