The purpose of animal sacrifice was the temporary atonement for sin under the old covenant. It was a foreshadow to the Perfect Sacrifice and perfected atonement for sin through Yeshua who is YHWH/God come in the flesh. When Messiah was crucified and presented His Body as a Living Sacrifice, the Perfect Passover Lamb, it nullified physical sacrifices.
Yeshua came and died, shed His blood, so that we may enter into a NEW Covenant with Him, A NEW AND LIVING WAY, not by the blood shed of animals, but by HIS One Offering of HIMSELF. For many to say that the ONLY reason we do not have physical sacrifices right now because we do not have a temple, is in absolute error. WE DO HAVE A TEMPLE.
The Temple/Tabernacle was a shadow of Messiah’s Body. When YHWH came in the flesh of a human man, the true tabernacle of Yah was among men:
John1:14And the Word became flesh, and did tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of an only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth.
And when the physical veil was torn of the tabernacle, so was His flesh/His Body. The Physical Temple has become void, and was destroyed, just as Yeshua prophesied it would be in 70 AD; as it is only Him that rebuilds the Temple…not with human hands, or dead stones, but with living stones, and Him the Chief Cornerstone.
Yeshua/Jesus Himself stated:
♦John 2:19Jesus answered and said unto them, DESTROY THIS TEMPLE, AND IN THREE DAYS I WILL RAISE IT UP. 20Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21BUT HE SPAKE OF THE TEMPLE OF HIS BODY. 22When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.(KJV)
♦Mark 14:58“We heard Him saying, ‘I shall destroy this Dwelling Place that is made with hands, and within three days I SHALL BUILD ANOTHER MADE WITHOUT HANDS.’ ”(ISR 98)
Yeshua CAME TO REBUILD the HOUSE OF DAVID: Acts 15:14-18 (quoting from AMOS 9:11-12, JEREMIAH 12:15). Not with dead stones, but LIVING STONES:
♦Acts 15:14Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16AFTER THIS I WILL RETURN, AND WILL BUILD AGAIN THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
17That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
18Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.(KJV)
♦1 Peter 2:4Drawing near to Him, A LIVING STONE – rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Elohim and precious –5YOU ALSO, AS LIVING STONES, are being built up, a spiritual house, a set-apart priesthood, to offer up spiritual slaughter offerings acceptable to Elohim through יהושע Messiah.(ISR 98)
♦Matthew 3:7And seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersion, he said to them, “Brood of adders! Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8“Bear, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance, 9and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Aḇraham as father.’ FOR I SAY TO YOU THAT ELOHIM IS ABLE TO RAISE UP CHILDREN TO ABRAHAM FROM THESE STONES. (ISR 98)
The Dead Stones to be thrown down was not only relevant to the prophesy that Yeshua would later declare, concerning the physical temple, but also those who belonged to the Old Covenant of the Flesh(Ishmael); the coming wrath to come, happened in 70AD. The Bond-servant and her son were cast out. (Gal 4:30) So as to fulfill what was waxing old and soon to disappear(Hebrews 8:13).
Matthew 24:1And going out, יהושע went away from the Set-apart Place, and His taught ones came near to point out to Him the buildings of the Set-apart Place.
2And יהושע said to them, “Do you not see all these? TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, NOT ONE STONE SHALL BE LEFT HERE UPON ANOTHER, AT ALL, WHICH SHALL NOT BE THROWN DOWN.”(ISR 98)
This is why those who claim that the “Wailing Wall” is remnant of the temple are mistaken, as well as those who say that He will be rebuilding a physical temple. The physical temple was always to point us to Yeshua. This is also true for the physical sacrifices. This is why they became nullified when He fulfilled them. To promote any type of physical sacrifice is saying that the Prefect Sacrifice that was made was not good enough.
This is essentially trampling the blood of the New Covenant, because it profanes the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua, that atones for flesh and spirit. This is why it is very important to understand the truth, as those who promote a physical temple and physical sacrifices are part of a strong delusion and a spirit of anti-messiah. We must contend for the truth.
Hebrews 10:1For the Torah, HAVING A SHADOW OF THE GOOD MATTERS TO COME, and not the image itself of the matters, was never able to make perfect those who draw near with the same slaughter offerings which they offer continually year by year.
2Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? Because those who served, once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those offerings is a reminder of sins year by year. 4For it is impossible for blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Therefore, coming into the world, He says, “Slaughtering and meal offering You did not desire, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME. 6“In burnt offerings and offerings for sin You did not delight. 7“Then I said, ‘See, I come – in the roll of the book it has been written concerning Me – to do Your desire, O Elohim.’ ”
8Saying above, “Slaughter and meal offering, and burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor delighted in,” which are offered according to the Torah,
9then He said, “See, I come to do Your desire, O Elohim.” HE TAKES AWAY THE FIRST (COVENANT) TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND (COVENANT)
10BY THAT DESIRE WE HAVE BEEN SET APART THROUGH THE OFFERING OF THE BODY OF (YESHUA) יהושע MESSIAH ONCE AND FOR ALL.
11AND INDEED EVERY PRIEST STANDS DAY BY DAY DOING SERVICE, AND REPEATEDLY OFFERING THE SAME SLAUGHTER OFFERINGS WHICH ARE NEVER ABLE TO TAKE AWAY SINS.
12BUT HE, HAVING OFFERED *ONE* SLAUGHTER OFFERING FOR SINS FOR ALL TIME, sat down at the right hand of Elohim, 13waiting from that time onward until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.
14FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HAS PERFECTED FOR ALL TIME THOSE WHO ARE BEING SET APART. 15AND THE SET-APART SPIRIT ALSO WITNESSES TO US, for after having said before,
16“This is the covenant that I shall make with them after those days, says יהוה, giving My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I shall write them,”
17and, “Their sins and their lawlessnesses I shall remember no more.”
For by TAKING AWAY the FIRST COVENANT, HE CAME TO ESTABLISH THE SECOND; THE NEW COVENANT(Jer 31:31-34) NOT LIKE THE ONE HE MADE BEFORE! TO BUILD A DWELLING OF LIVING STONES, AND HIS SPIRIT DWELL WITHIN.
18Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer a slaughter offering for sin.
19So, brothers, HAVING BOLDNESS TO ENTER INTO THE SET-APART PLACE BY THE BLOOD OF(YESHUA/JESUS) יהושע,
YOU CAN ONLY ENTER THE HOLY PLACE BY THE BLOOD OF YESHUA, NOT WITH THE BLOOD OF ANIMALS.
20BY A NEW AND LIVING WAY WHICH HE INSTITUTED FOR US, THROUGH THE VEIL, THAT IS, HIS FLESH, 21and having a High Priest over the House of Elohim, 22let us draw near with a true heart in completeness of belief, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience and our bodies washed with clean water.