As a Memorial
The first of two likely purposes for sacrifices in the Millennium is
that they are performed as a memorial of Jesus’ death on the cross. John
Whitcomb explained:
Even in the age of grace, God deems it necessary for Christians to be
reminded of the awful price that Jesus paid, through the symbolism of the bread
and the cup. Drinking of this “cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16) does not
involve a reoffering of the blood of Christ in contradiction to the Book of Hebrews,
but serves as a powerful “remembrance” of Christ and a powerful proclaiming of
“the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Cor. 11:25–26).
Likewise, in the context of distinctive Israelite worship, the five different
offerings, four of them with blood-shedding, will serve as a constant reminder
to millennial Jews (who will not yet be glorified) of the awful and complete sacrifice
which their Messiah, now present in their midst, had suffered centuries before
to make their salvation possible. In view of the fact that there may be no
other bloodshed in the entire world, because of a return of semi-Edenic
conditions (cf. Isa. 11:6–9), such sacrifices upon the
Temple altar would be doubly impressive
In the observance of the Lord’s Supper we demonstrate the death of
Jesus as a way to remind us of what he has done. Likewise, the millennial
sacrifices will look back to the death of the Messiah, just as the Mosaic
sacrifices looked forward. After faith, so much of what God wants from us is to
simply remember him and his deeds. Future temple offerings will take the
principle behind observing communion and put it on full display before the
world. No one will be able to ignore the regular spilling of blood in a world
otherwise free of such violence.
The biblical evidence for shadows that looked forward to the works of
the Messiah later becoming reflections that look back at them is not limited to
Communion observance. Passover was a picture of the blood of Jesus becoming a
mercy seat for those who received him by faith (e.g., Rom 3:23–25). Passover
will be observed in the Millennium and it will require sacrifices (Ezek
45:21–24). Passover pointing to the shed blood of the Messiah will not change
and the animal blood will play a part in that remembrance. This signals that
the animal sacrifices in general are for the same overall purpose. Paul taught
that both the feasts and the Sabbaths are shadows of the things to come; their
substance belongs to Christ (Col 2:16– 17). The apostle also wrote that it was
still acceptable to observe them (Rom 14:5). Some feasts and Sabbaths were not
rendered useless simply because Jesus had fulfilled what they were looking
forward to. The feasts and Sabbaths will be observed in the Millennium (e.g.,
Ezek 44:24; Zech 14:16), serving as reflections of the Messiah’s great works.
It is most reasonable to conclude that the millennial sacrifices will also
continue to point to the Messiah. (Matthew Bryce Ervin, One Thousand Years
with Jesus: The Coming Messianic Kingdom [Eugene, Oreg.: Resource
Publications, 2017], 113-14)
As a Hedge against Defilement
The second likely purpose for sacrifices in the Millennium is that
they will appease God’s wrath for a time and keep his home pure in the midst of
a still sinful world. The most operative passage on this topic is Ezekiel
45:18–20:
“Thus says the LORD God: In the first month, on the first day of the
month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the
sanctuary. The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put
it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar,
and the posts of the gate of the inner court. You shall do the same on the
seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance;
so you shall make atonement for the temple.
On the first day of the year, the blood of a perfect bull must be used
to cleanse the temple (vv. 18–19). This suggests that over the previous year,
the sin from outside will begin to dirty the temple. The same ritual is
repeated six days later to atone for those sins committed out of ignorance or
by accident (v. 20). This not only reminds us that the Messiah must keep his
home separate, but also that the annual making of atonements or house cleanings
are only temporarily effective.
When the Messiah returns he will do so as the Lion (Rev 5:5), ruling
with a rod of Iron (e.g., Rev 19:15). He will not allow sin to go unchecked in
the same realm where his holiness will reside. Put simply, the King will not
tolerate sin in the kingdom. And yet, there will be sinners living throughout
the Millennium. This includes children born to parents that do not have
glorified bodies (Isa 65:20; Ezek 47:22), thus retaining their sin nature (cf.
Rom 5:12). In explaining how the blood of the Messiah purifies the conscience
from dead works, animal sacrifices were said to ritually purify the flesh (Heb
9:9–10, 13–14). Just as the offering of animals will continue to point to the
Messiah, so too will they continue to provide atonement in the form of ritual
cleansing. The sacrifices in this regard are essentially a hedge against
defilement that allows for sinful people to live in the Messiah’s world until
the sin-free Eternal State commences. (Matthew Bryce Ervin, One Thousand Years
with Jesus: The Coming Messianic Kingdom [Eugene, Oreg.: Resource
Publications, 2017], 114-15)
