SUPERIORITY OF JESUS' SACRIFICE
1 NOW THE LORD CALLED TO MOSES, AND SPOKE TO HIM FROM THE TABERNACLE OF MEETING, SAYING,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.
3 ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord.
4 THEN HE SHALL PUT HIS HAND ON THE HEAD OF THE BURNT OFFERING, AND IT WILL BE ACCEPTED ON HIS BEHALF TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HIM."
Leviticus 1:1-4 (NKJV)
In above passage of the Bible, according to the instruction or command given to Moses; the animals to be brought for sacrifices are specified, and It should be a male animal; either bull v.5, sheep or goat v.10, turtledove or young pigeon v.14.
READ: Leviticus 4:1-31
The instruction is, the person: " . . . SHALL PUT HIS HAND ON THE HEAD OF THE BURNT OFFERING, AND IT WILL BE ACCEPTED ON HIS BEHALF TO MAKE ATONEMENT FOR HIM" (Leviticus 1:4 NKJV).
The process being described or mentioned here was symbolic. When the person lays his hand on the animal, his sin is being transferred, or considered to be transferred, to the animal that takes his place or be his substitution for the penalty of the sin committed. Though the blood of the animal cannot deliver the person from the power of sin (Hebrews 10:1), but It appeases or pacifies God's wrath that ought to come on the person for the sin committed (Hebrews 9:13). It is also called atonement.
This is a shadow of what Jesus was coming to do (Colossians 2:17). God gave that to the Israelites, the Jews, to be doing in order to avoid His wrath being unleashed on them whenever they committed a sin; pending or while waiting for the coming of the Messiah, Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:23-25; Hebrews 9:9,10). It was symbolic, not the real thing (Hebrews 9:9,10). The death of Christ was the real thing that would atone or purge or appease for the mankind sin (Hebrews 9:11,12; 1 John 2:1,2) but the observances were given to keep the people in check.
Though the Jews kept at doing It ignorantly, because that supposed to have been ceased by now, but they wanted to establish their own righteousness; because Jesus had already come, there was no need for that again:
31 BUT ISRAEL, PURSUING THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAS NOT ATTAINED TO THE LAW OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. 32 WHY? BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEEK IT BY FAITH, BUT AS IT WERE, BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW. FOR THEY STUMBLED AT THAT STUMBLING STONE (Romans 9:31-32 NKJV).
READ: Romans 10:1-4
Recently, I was watching on YouTube, they said the Israelites have found red heifers to be used for sacrifices and they wanted to build the third temple:
2 FOR I [Paul] BEAR THEM [Israel] WITNESS THAT THEY HAVE A ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. 3 FOR THEY BEING IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND SEEKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, HAVE NOT SUBMITTED TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. 4 FOR CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES" (Romans 10:2-4 NKJV).
In other words, no one can be made righteous through the law, old testament pattern of worship, sacrificing of animals and different observances. Justification comes through faith in Christ Jesus' substitutionary death and resurrection only (Galatians 2:16).
Now, Jesus is a type of bull or sheep or goat that was supposed to be brought for atonement or appeasement of sin, whoever committed a sin that was coming for burnt offering (Leviticus 1:1-3). Thus, whoever is still sacrificing animals today to atone or appease for sin is literally doing that to demons and not to the God of heaven: "HARDLY! WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT THESE SACRIFICES WHICH PEOPLE MAKE ARE MADE TO DEMONS AND NOT TO GOD. I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE PARTNERS WITH DEMONS" (1 Corinthians 10:20 GOD’S WORD Translation).
No sacrifice of animals is being accepted by God any longer, that has been abolished since Jesus came:
18 FOR ON THE ONE HAND THERE IS AN ANNULLING OF THE FORMER COMMANDMENT BECAUSE OF ITS WEAKNESS AND UNPROFITABLENESS, 19 FOR THE LAW MADE NOTHING PERFECT; ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE IS THE BRINGING IN OF A BETTER HOPE, THROUGH WHICH WE DRAW NEAR TO GOD. 22 BY SO MUCH MORE JESUS HAS BECOME A SURETY OF A BETTER COVENANT. 27 WHO DOES NOT NEED DAILY, AS THOSE HIGH PRIESTS, TO OFFER UP SACRIFICES, FIRST FOR HIS OWN SINS AND THEN FOR THE PEOPLE'S, FOR THIS HE DID ONCE FOR ALL WHEN HE OFFERED UP HIMSELF" (Hebrews 7:18-19,22,27 NKJV).
Thus, Jesus Christ is the perfect and acceptable sacrifice needed by God, no other sacrifice is needed again. Those who are sacrificing in order to appease God, they are not doing It to the God of heaven, but unwittingly or ignorantly or perhaps adamantly doing It to the devil, demons (1 Corinthians 10:20).
In this contemporary time there are some so-called spiritual churches asking people to bring animals for sacrifices, such is not found in the new testament, it is not of God. Any sacrifice that has to do with the shedding of animal's blood today is not of God, such a sacrifice is to the devil, demons, not to the God of heaven. Thus, If anyone asked you to bring an animal for any sacrifice, let the person know that Jesus' blood is enough for the atonement or appeasement of whatever sin you might have committed:
1 MY LITTLE CHILDREN, THESE THINGS I WRITE TO YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY NOT SIN. AND IF ANYONE SINS, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS. 2 AND HE HIMSELF IS THE PROPITIATION [sacrifice, appeasement, atonement] FOR OUR SINS, AND NOT FOR OURS ONLY BUT ALSO FOR THE WHOLE WORLD" (1 John 2:1,2 NKJV).
Peace!