No More Blood Sacrifices Required

Berean Baptist on August 26, 2019

Many sacrifices of the Mosaic Law were not fully understood by the Old Testament saints who practiced them. We have the advantage of the New Testament which helps decipher aspects of them that were unknown to ancient believers. We have knowledge of the resurrected living Christ who is the antitype of the symbols.

It is not knowledge of symbols so obscure and deeply hidden that only a few can discover them through uncommon intellect. These truths are discovered to any Bible student who will do the work of digging through the texts, praying for guidance, and carefully thinking them through. The key is that we can put Old and New Testaments together to uncover the fascinating picture of Christ that emerges from them. The picture is multifaceted and is only seen as the depths of scripture are mined. I am confident if you study and apply, you will see patterns emerge, and you will find yourself with many “aha” moments in which you say, “Why didn’t I think of that before?”

One of the most mind-boggling aspects of the sacrifices is the sheer volume of animals required to make them all. Sacrifices were made every morning and evening of every day—a lamb in the morning and a lamb in the evening. On the first day of each month, the number increased to two bulls, one ram, one goat, and seven lambs. On high feast days, such as the Day of Atonement, more animals were needed. But perhaps nothing is as stunning as the dedication of the temple by Solomon. Over a fourteen-day period, 142,000 animals were offered. There were so many the altar constructed for the purpose could not handle them. Solomon had to sanctify the middle court to give more space for more altars. This caused a lasting impression to be indelibly stamped on the people. The shedding of blood is required to satisfy God as atonement for sin. Hebrews says if no blood is shed there is no forgiveness of sin.

I would like to emphasize this because modern theologians desperately rewrite biblical history to get rid of the blood connection to the salvation of souls. They do not want the blood of the cross because they believe it is barbaric. At least they do not want God to have anything to do with it. They say if God sacrificed His Son, He is a cosmic child abuser. Rather, it was man’s idea there should be a cross and Christ was crucified on man’s initiative not God’s. This denies the plain statements of the Bible such as found in Acts 2 and divorces Old Testament worship in sacrifices from anything to do with the plan of redemption.

This rewrite of biblical theology is devastating to the salvation of the fallen race. Embracing this error is fatal in its consequences, for man can never be reconciled to God without the blood. We cannot entertain any doctrine that devalues the blood atonement. Therefore, rather than lessen the impact by running away from the sacrifices in order to sooth spiritually squeamish weaklings, we accentuate them as much as possible by learning the sacrificial system in all its glorious difficult implications.

We are thankful blood sacrifices need not be made today, but this is only because the value of Christ’s blood is infinite. His death did what 142,000 animal sacrifices and millions more could not do. Thank God for the cross. The Son of God is the last sacrifice forever.

                                                          Pastor V. Mark Smith

Zion

Berean Baptist on May 14, 2018

Psalm 132

Psalm 132 is most interesting as it relates to the temple built by Solomon and the placing of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. For the previous five hundred years, Israel worshiped at the Tabernacle which at this time was located at Gibeon. When David was anointed king, he vowed to build a house for the Lord God but was prevented because scripture says he was a man of war. Instead, the building of the new magnificent sanctuary that would hold the most holy ark of the covenant was left to David’s son, Solomon.

Solomon’s reign was one of peace as no major wars occurred during his lifetime. At the same time, Israel increased in power and influence throughout the world. Solomon’s days were the most prosperous for Israel leading his reign to be known by successive generations as the Golden Age. In the New Testament, it was Solomon Jesus appealed to for His example of prosperity and notoriety telling the people He was greater than Solomon (Mt. 12:42) and comparing Solomon’s beauty to the loveliest of God’s creation (Mt. 6:29).

In the 13th verse of the psalm, the psalmist speaks of Zion as God’s choice for His holy habitation. Zion is Jerusalem and is synonymous with the city of God. The area was originally the hill on which David built his fortress, but later was expanded to include the temple mount. In the Old Testament when people spoke of going to Zion, they were referring specifically to making the trip to the temple.

Jerusalem is the only place God allowed a temple to be built. In the ancient world, temples for pagan gods were built in various locations such as Paul saw in Athens and Ephesus. However, the one true living God had only one place of worship and one place of sacrifice. In Paul’s time, the ark was long since gone but there was a stone in its place in the Holy of Holies on which the priest put a censor on the Day of Atonement. There were no images allowed and no representation of the ark. Any Israelite that wanted to observe the solemn feast days had only one place to go—he must go to Jerusalem.

Zion’s was further expanded to mean the holy city of the New Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). This is the brilliant city of light in Revelation 21. It is the home of the bride of Christ, the Lord’s church. The New Jerusalem is a city that comes out of heaven and descends to rest above the new earth, possibly touching it at some point. Although all of heaven belongs to God and His presence fills it all, His special manifestation is in the New Jerusalem whose entirety is His temple. Essentially, God’s people dwell within His temple. We are in Christ so that scripture says Christ Himself is the temple.

The beauty of worship in Solomon’s time was unparalleled by any other period of Israel’s history. It most closely models the worship of heaven. When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon, she was stunned with the magnificence of what she saw. And yet, Jesus, the one who was a lowly carpenter, said He was greater than Solomon. The real beauty of Jesus is not seen on the outside. It is to be inside Christ to be able to understand how glorious He is. You can see His beauty by faith. Trusting Jesus is to have a glimpse of Zion, the holy city of God.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The Kingdom Is Real!

Berean Baptist on January 2, 2017

 

Psalm 72

It is remarkable to read the psalms and see how the hope of the Kingdom of Christ continues to be a major topic. We can scarcely believe the Kingdom is a myth or that it is purely mystical or that the references to it are simply metaphors for spiritual blessings. It is readily apparent that both the authors of the psalms and the prophets fully expected God would do precisely as He said and establish a kingdom on earth in which the coming Christ would be its glorious monarch. A most enlightening proof of the literal reality of this kingdom is found in verses 5 and 17 of the 72nd psalm: “They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations…His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” The first phrase of verse 17 says, “His name shall endure forever,” while the second says, “His name shall be continued as long as the sun.” These two phrases cannot speak of the same manifestation of God’s kingdom since one is eternal and the other temporal.

The first phase of God’s kingdom is earthly. It is a time sensitive rule which lasts only as long as the current universe exists. We know the cursed creation has a short shelf life as God intends to destroy it and begin anew. Second Peter tells us, “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). This will, of course, end the existence of the sun and all other heavenly bodies.

We can see how this corresponds to the end of the Millennial Kingdom. It will last until this great cataclysmic event occurs, and at this point Christ’s kingdom on earth will end. However, this is not the end of the kingdom altogether. It is only the end of the temporal form as the kingdom will be transitioned into its eternal form. Thus, the first and second phrases of verse 17 are both wondrously true.

In addition to this noteworthy proof, there are references in the psalm to the dominion of Christ, the servitude of all nations, the righteous character of the government, the economic prosperity, and the abundant provision of food. Each of these are repeated promises in multiple passages of scripture. In none of these is any indication they are purely symbolic.

The last verse of the psalm says, “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” This psalm must have been written near the end of David’s life, as the beginning of the psalm says it was written for Solomon. David was relying on the promise God gave him years before that his throne would be established as an everlasting throne. David knew Solomon’s rule would not be everlasting, so we see how the psalm quickly moves from Solomon to another King who has the power of endless life. The final King is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The kingdom of Christ on earth is a real unmistakable event. Its focus is Israel as the fulfillment of the promise made to them. However, it is also a promise for Christians today. We will rule with Christ in this kingdom. The church is not a replacement for Israel—we do not take over their promises. Instead, we will stand side by side with her and praise the glorious King forever and ever!

Pastor V. Mark Smith