My Thoughts on Animal Sacrifices in the Millennial Kingdom
Granted, today is Palm Sunday and it commemorates the entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The Passover lamb is also entered into Jerusalem to be presented without blemish. Jesus entered into Jerusalem where He would soon be crucified on that Good Friday and die for the sins of mankind at 3 P.M. - the exact time when the Passover lamb was slain so He can become the final sacrifice. Yet, one of the many ideas that still baffle me is the return of animal sacrifices during Jesus' thousand-year temporal rule before the Eternal Kingdom begins. The Bible scatters ideas of the Millennial Kingdom all throughout. Revelation provides very little information about the Millennial Kingdom in contrast to the Old Testament prophets. I believe it was done purposely so Christians will continue to search the Scriptures. Verses regarding the return of animal sacrifices are found in Isaiah 56:6-8, Jeremiah 33:15-18, and Zechariah 14:16. Ezekiel 40-43 discusses the upcoming Millennial Kingdom.
The Millennial Kingdom is one period where the Tribulation saints and start to repopulate the Earth for a thousand years. This era will be of prosperity and peace. I can imagine that the Earth will be so rich and fertile that it will create a comfortable world without the need for today's modern technology. Maybe, flying dinosaurs (who will be in perfect harmony with man) will carry off the naturals to Israel in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Maybe, we might see giant sea creatures will be used as boats during the Millennial Kingdom. Maybe, we might see all forms of animals are used to help in farm work. Maybe, there will be no need for communication devices because God will provide something better. However, Millennial Kingdom is not yet the final kingdom. Why God would set a thousand-year rule after the Tribulation is still unknown. Yet, there may be some clues in the Scriptures. Just remember Death and Hell haven't been fully defeated yet. Satan is simply under a temporal prison before he is forever cast into the Lake of Fire. Also, Isaiah 65:20 mentions that those who die a hundred are considered accursed. So, it seems that as the Tribulation saints will repopulate the Earth, any unsaved descendant they will have will die before or at age 100 if they aren't saved. This is one of the many things that I often overlooked.
What would be the purpose behind the return of the animal sacrifices if Christ had abolished them? The animal sacrifices were replaced with the Lord's supper. The animal sacrifices pointed to Christ. The Lord's Supper is a memorial of what Christ did on the cross for our sins. Now, Christ will reinstate the animal sacrifices which He once abolished when He will reign in His Millennial Kingdom. I guess it has to do with the fact that glorified believers will reign with Christ as priests in Revelation 20:6. This would be the Tribulation saints who were martyred together with the pre-Tribulation saints who are in Heaven for whatever reason there was. It looks like the Lord's supper is now set aside in place of the return of animal sacrifices.
I was thinking about what the Antichrist would do to the Jewish Temple during the Tribulation might provide answers. The final abomination is known as the Abomination of Desolation in Daniel 9:27. I assume that the Antichrist will sacrifice a pig on the Jewish Temple after he breaks the covenant. In history, Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Jewish Temple with the sacrifice of a pig. Pigs are considered unclean and unholy therefore not fit for consumption. Both Judaism and Islam look at pork with much disdain. Leviticus 11 puts pigs among the list of animals not to be eaten. However, Acts 10 has God finally allowing the believers to eat pork. The Jewish people are still stuck believing that there's no New Testament. The Antichrist will pretend to be that messiah and desecrate the temple. The Jewish Temple will be unfit for worship. I believe this Jewish Temple must be destroyed and a new, temporal Jewish Temple must be set for a thousand years before the temporal kingdom ends. It's probably to undo the damage that the Antichrist had did. It's probably to also show how Christ is infinitely better than Antichrist when the animal sacrifices are restored.
The fact that death is still not defeated may be another good reason to restore the animal sacrifices. The animal sacrifices are a reminder that the penalty of sin is death. It would probably be a bloody reminder to any children born during the Millennial Kingdom that they need to get saved or they can't live through the Millennial Kingdom. I think those who are saved as natural men will get the full benefits of living through the Millennial Kingdom with the glorified believers. I think the intent was to fully demonstrate to the children born during the Millenium what happened in the Old Testament and where these sacrifices pointed to. It's because children born to the naturals in the Millennial Kingdom still carry the sin nature. They will still have the problem of sin even if Satan and his demons are temporarily locked away. It would be a reminder that death is not yet defeated and that death is the penalty for even the slightest sin. Eventually, the final generation of Millennials will end up joining Satan's final (but short-lived rebellion) which will land them (along with all the unsaved) into the Lake of Fire.
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