I’ve heard there are some Christians who are excited and looking forward to the rebuilding of the earthly temple by the unbelieving Jews who also want to reinstitute animal sacrifices. But what they don’t realize is that doing this is to completely reject the sacrifice of Yeshua, Jesus Christ. As Christians we should not rejoice, but mourn and pray that the truth will be made known, not just among the unbelieving Jews, but also among Christians who don’t realize the FULL significance of what Jesus did and why.
Hebrews 10:9
“Then said He, Lo,
I come to do Thy will, O God.
He taketh away the first,
that He may establish the second.”
What was “the first” thing that was taken away?
This is Paul explaining to the Jews about the differences between the animal sacrificial system under the earthly sanctuary and the blood of Jesus Christ- “the very image” of the heavenly offering of the original heavenly sanctuary, the perfect blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:1-4
“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 thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But IN THOSE SACRIFICES there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:6
“In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.”
Hebrews 10:8
“Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law”
Hebrews 10:9-12
“Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. HE TAKETH AWAY THE FIRST, that He may establish the second. 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”
As far as re-establishing what God has ended, this is the same reason that the apostle Paul told some people that they had fallen from grace. It was because they wanted to go back to the bondage of those sacrifices and offerings under the first covenant that had been stopped by Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:11-25
“If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, THERE IS MADE OF NECESSITY A CHANGE ALSO OF THE LAW. For He of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For He testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
For there is verily A DISANNULLING of the commandment GOING BEFORE for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
For the law made nothing perfect,
but the bringing in of a better hope DID;
BY THE WHICH we draw nigh unto God.
And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made priest: For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by Him that said unto Him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:
By so much was Jesus made A SURETY
of A BETTER TESTAMENT.
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God BY HIM, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
The temporary bond (surety) of the first Testament was given in animals blood. The animal ‘s blood was only a symbolic place holder until it would be ratified with the blood of Jesus. Only the blood of Jesus can save.
Hebrews 9:19-20
“For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.”
Hebrews 9:23-24
“It was therefore necessary that THE PATTERNS of things in the heavens should be purified with these;
BUT THE HEAVENLY THINGS themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”
Hebrews 9:11-12
“But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, BY A GREATER AND MORE PERFECT TABERNACLE, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 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.”
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“The law” Paul is specifically talking about here are the laws that governed the earthly sanctuary under the first covenant. Those are the laws he calls “bondage”.
Galatians 4:21-25
“Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are AN ALEGORY:
FOR THESE ARE THE TWO COVENANTS;
the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.”
Outward circumcision was required by God under the first covenant (the bondage of Hagar) as were also the animal sacrifices. If these Galatians performed the outward circumcision for their justification, then they would have also had to perform “the whole law” which would also include the animal sacrifices.
But to offer animal’s blood instead of having complete faith in the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins would be the same as rejecting Jesus. That’s why some of the Galatians fell from grace because they did “despite unto the spirit of grace”; and there would never be any other sacrifice made again for their sins after going back to animal’s blood because Jesus will not be sacrificed again. They had to completely give up and let go of that first system and do only what’s required under the New Covenant alone.
There was still hope for them even after they fell from grace and lost their Jesus and salvation. That’s because under the New Testament when we sin, God commanded us to confess and repent by returning to do what is right and lawful again (by faith) and He is just to forgive us of those sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”)
Paul told the Galatians they had fallen from grace, but he also tells us that he labored to bring them back into doing what was right, the truth, so that the Holy Spirit would be formed in them AGAIN.
Galatians 4:19
“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”
Below, Paul is explaining to the Hebrews if they know the truth about Jesus’ sacrifice but they continue in the old animal sacrifices, there will be no other sacrifice made for them other than what Jesus made. If they reject His sacrifice, then they have no hope, but damnation.
Hebrews 10:26-29
“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses’ law DIED WITHOUT MERCY under two or three witnesses:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, WHO HATH TRODDEN UNDER FOOT the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
We are still repeating the confusion of the first century by endorsing the rebuilding of the earthly sanctuary (the temple) for the purpose of re-establishing the animal sacrificial system that’s now outlawed by God. We are never to embrace the sacrifices of that first covenant ever again. So many people misunderstand what Paul was saying and misapplied “bondage” to mean that all of God’s laws were bondage and nailed to the cross. This isn’t true and the New Testament is full of scripture that prove that’s not true.
The moral commandments of God still exist and are still binding for us today, otherwise their wouldn’t be any sins listed at all in the New Testament. But because those sins exist, then so do the laws which they identify and correspond to. The death penalty for breaking those laws also still exist too as Jesus warns over and over again, even to His New Testament churches in Revelation chapter 2 & 3 who have received His Holy Spirit. The wages of sin is still death to any unrepentant sinner, whether or not they identify themselves as Christians.
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”
Please study this more and please share the truth with others so they won’t fall into this trap. Thank you and may God bless you.