Will there be sacrifices at a temple in Messiah’s Kingdom? Hebrews 9:23-28 (Atonement in the Kingdom)

One of the primary objections to the idea of sacrifices at a temple in Messiah’s kingdom is that these sacrifices are said to make atonement.  How can there be sacrifices for atonement in light of the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ.  As Hebrews 10:18 says, Now where there is remission of these (sins and lawless deeds, 10:17), there is no longer an offering for sin.  So of course, there is never a need to supplement the work of the cross of Jesus Christ.  Never!  If the issue is the remission of sin then sacrifices in the Kingdom can serve no purpose.

But let us clarify the role of the sacrifices.

·        First, the law of Moses did not save.  The only way it could was if you kept it entirely (in Gal. 3:12 and Rom. 10:5 Paul quotes Lev. 18:5 to verify this point).  The point of Deut. 30:12-14 is just this.  Israelites could not do the impossible (keep the law) but the impossible was not required.  They would be saved as was Abraham (Gen. 15:6) and as was David (Psa. 32:1-2).

·        What this means then is that the sacrifices themselves did not save.  The faith of the one bringing the sacrifice would save him.  That is why God could tell the people from time to time He was tired of their sacrifices and didn’t want them to bring them (Mal. 1:6-14; Isaiah 1:10-17).  From the beginning God wanted their hearts; the Law provided the means by which they expressed their faith or else the Law revealed the sinfulness of their hearts.

·        Faith in Christ, either as hope looking forward or as the object of faith looking back, has always been the means of salvation.  It will be no different in the Messianic Kingdom.  People will still need a Savior and will be called to trust Christ alone.  But if the sacrifices are a memorial, an expression of what has happened already at the cross, it is possible to say that they can be an expression of faith in THE sacrifice of Christ.  It is the same today.  When Peter told the people to repent and … be baptized … for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) he was not calling on them to add something to the work of Christ.  Baptism was the means by which their faith was expressed.

·        Further, a careful reading of Ezekiel (e.g. 43:20,26; 45:15,17,20) will reveal that the atonement spoken of is not the atonement of personal salvation.  It refers to the sanctifying of the altar and of the temple itself.  A careful reading of the Torah will reveal this as well, that often atonement was a matter of the dedication or consecration of the items in the temple or of those who served.  

The seemingly clear statements in the Old Testament about worship in the Kingdom call on us to acknowledge that sacrifices are involved.  To deny this is to render words of Scripture meaningless and to open the door to the confusion of uncalled for allegory and indefensible interpretations.  Hopefully these studies will help think through this issue.  The Scriptures cannot be broken.