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In Isaiah 65 we see a most beautiful picture of how God sees the perfect earth that still has humans in it. It will be that way, one day, but not until Jesus comes again and the Day of Wrath happens.

Isaiah 65:20 There shall not still be an infant of days, or an old man that has not filled his days. For the youth shall die the son of a hundred years, but the sinner the son of a hundred years shall be accursed. 21And they shall build houses and live in them; and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22They shall not build, and another live in them; they shall not plant, and another eat. For like the days of the tree are the days of My people; and My elect shall grow old to the work of their hands. 23They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for terror. For they are the seed of the beloved ones of Jehovah, and their offspring with them. 24And it will be, before they call, I will answer. While they are speaking, then I will hear.

How fabulous this will be. At no time before today has the nation Israel had such an environment, nor all His children. Today, we must fight all the trials and tribulations that any True Believer in Christ must face for sanctification.

Daniel tells us in the last chapter, 12:11 And from the time the regular sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that desolates set up, a thousand, two hundred and ninety days shall occur.

But watch, in his next breath he says, “Happy is the one who waits and comes to the thousand, three hundred and thirty five days.

So what happens during those 45 days? For that matter, what happens to those who are still alive, but don’t make it all the way to the 1,335th day?

Arnold Futchenbaum states in his book “Footsteps of the Messiah”, that those who are still alive at the end of the Great Tribulation will be both sheep and goats. He proposes that when Jesus talks of separating the sheep on His left and the goats on His right that this is when the Believers (sheep) and the Unbelievers (goats) are sent to their respective rewards. I agree with him, because that interpretation is the only one that is in complete agreement with all the rest of Scripture.

After the Unbelievers are sent to the Great White Throne of Judgment, there will be a dusting and cleaning of the Universe. The Tribulation will have cause tremendous upheaval and destruction upon the earth and the immediate heavens. God will take this time to make the new heaven and new earth the paradise described in Isaiah 65 and in Ezekiel 36:8-15. But, it isn’t brand new. It is renewed. We know this because there is still oceans and seas (Ezekiel 47:8) during the Millennium, but after the 1,000 years, the New Earth has no sea (Revelation 21:1). That is just one, there are more differences such as during the Millennium, there is a Temple with Temple sacrifices reinstated.

Speaking of which, the question has come up about sacrifices during the 1,000 years of peace. We Christians do not sacrifice because Jesus was our sacrifice... providing once and for all the cleansing blood of Justification and Sanctification. Why then the sacrifices during the Millennium?

I have run across a few things in Isaiah to chew on...

We know that the outer courtyard of the Temple was the only place Gentiles could go. The inner courtyard all the way into the Holy of Holies was reserved for the Jews. This is one reason it was so horrific to the Jews at what Antiochus Epiphanies did and later in 70 AD what Titus of Rome did...

So, in Isaiah 56:6-7 "6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant-- 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Isaiah is speaking about a time in the future when the Gentiles are welcomed into the Temple to worship Jehovah and to offer burnt offerings and sacrifices upon His altar.

Then in Isaiah 66:18-24 we get another clue. Jehovah will gather all nations and tongues (Not just Israel) these are Gentiles that haven't "seen" the Glory of Jehovah... AND it looks like God is going to use the Gentiles as "carriers" to bring the Jews to Jerusalem. vs 20 this is done as an "offering" to the Lord, just "as the children of Israel bring an offering in a CLEAN vessel into the house of the LORD."

Compare the offerings of the Old Testament and how they compare with Christ’s sacrifice:

Burnt Offering represents Christ's sinless nature.

Grain Offering -- Christ was wholly dedicated and devoted to God's purpose.

Peace Offering -- Christ was at peace with God.

Sin Offering -- Christ's substitutionary death.

Trespass Offering -- Christ paid for it all for redemption.

The Millennium sacrifices have the same meaning, but are carried out a bit differently: Ezekiel 44:19... Holy garments stay in the Holy places to not sanctify the people and Ezekiel 46:20 The offerings do not go into the outer court to sanctify the people.

This is because the people do not need to be sanctified in the same way the Old Testament saints did.

There are lots of references to sacrifices in the Messianic Kingdom. But, another comparison to the Feasts shed some light on the subject. Now, Ezekiel not only gives us the measurements of the Temple, but also identifies the feasts to be celebrated and the sacrifices along with them.
Compare the Levitical Feasts with the Millennial Feasts

L. New Year N/A M. New Year – Ezekiel 45:18-20
L. Passover Lv. 23:5 M. Passover -- Ezekiel 45:21-24
L. Unleavened Bread Lv. 23:6-8 M. Unleavened Bread Ezekiel 45:21-24

L. Pentecost Lv 23:9-2 M. N/A
L. Trumpets Lv. 23:23-25 M. N/A
L. Atonement Lv 23:26-32 M. N/A
L. Tabernacles Lv 23:33-44 M. Tabernacles Ezekiel 45:25 Zechariah 14:16-21

Look at the Feasts that are left out of the celebrations. Isn’t it interesting that since Christ, we no longer need celebrate atonement with a feast, but we will be celebrating Passover? No more waiting for Christ’s ascension, for He has already been seated by His and our Father’s right hand.

No Feast of Trumpets? This was to celebrate the New Year. On this feast day, the trumpet was blown from sunrise to sunset. I do not know if you have ever heard the Shofar, but it is a mighty thing and brings the blood to the surface of the skin and makes you want to rise up, to jump up, never to sit again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1FQhNZE8o&feature=related On Rosh Hashanah, the blowing of the Shofar is to recognize the Messiah as the King of the Universe. I am not sure why there is no Feast of Trumpets except that there will never again be another Day of Atonement, which the Feast of Trumpets hearalded, since Jesus fulfilled that when He rose from the dead. We are atoned as soon as we believe Him and accept Him as our Savior.

The trumpet was sounded on all special occasions in order to gather the people together as well as to call them to arms. During the Millennium, there will be no more war, there won’t be a need to call a gathering, because all of Israel will be inhabiting their rightful, inherited Beulah Land.

This has been a very interesting study for me. I have more to share, but it'll have to be next week.

"Today's Little Lift" from Jim Bullington

Mercy and not Sacrifice (Sept. 30, 2010)