Is Israel Holy?

We all need a Redeemer from sin and Israel is certainly no exception. Israel was originally called upon to be a holy nation, but there were a few contingencies and stipulations that needed to be met for them to be considered holy by the LORD God of Israel. These requirements are mentioned in Exodus 19:5-6 which states:

"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

From the words in this passage, the stipulations were quite clear: In order for Israel to be considered a holy nation they were required to do two things. First, they were required to obey the voice of the LORD their God and secondly, they were required to keep the covenant at Sinai (Deuteronomy 9:9-11). Then and only then would they be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Do the scriptures teach that the children of Israel hearkened to the voice of the LORD? Zechariah 7:11-13 provides the answer:

"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts."

Certainly, the scriptures teach that Israel did not obey the voice of the LORD God of Israel. Do the scriptures indicate that Israel kept the covenant? Here are a few passages of scripture which will answer this question:

Deuteronomy 31:16-19"And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel."

1Kings 19:9-10"And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away."

Jeremiah 22:8-9"And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them."

Jeremiah 31:31-32"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD."

From the above passages, it is clear that Israel had broken the covenant. Since keeping the covenant was one of the two stipulations listed in Exodus 19:5-6, how can Israel be considered holy? How can they be considered a kingdom of priests? In fact, Hosea 4:1,6 clearly indicates that Israel is no longer a kingdom of priests:

Hosea 4:1"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land."   Hosea 4:6"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."

In fact, Isaiah 1:4-5 is irrefutably clear that Israel is "NOT" a holy nation. With respect to Israel, this is what it says:   "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint."

Israel will someday be called holy. However, this will not occur until the following takes place:

Isaiah 4:2-4    "In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning."

When the Branch of David, the Messiah, comes with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13-14)HE will execute judgment and righteousness in Jacob. Jeremiah 33:15-16 states:

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days, shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness."

To further emphasize the fact that Israel is not yet holy, please refer to Ezekiel 36:16-32 which will leave no doubt that Israel requires a Redeemer for their sin:

Ezekiel 36:16-32   "Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:   Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it:   And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.  And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.  But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.  Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.   And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.   Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.  And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.  I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.  And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.  Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel."

Does Ezekiel 36:16-32 give any indication that Israel is holy? Someday there will be clean water sprinkled upon them and they shall be clean (Ezekiel 36:25). They will be given a new heart, a heart of flesh, and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). The LORD God of Israel will place His Spirit within them (Isaiah 59:21) and cause them to walk in His statutes and judgments (Ezekiel 36:27). This is the new covenant, which is briefly explained in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which the house of Israel and the house of Judah have not yet accepted. According to Jeremiah 31:34, they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know Him, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. The LORD will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

This new covenant is Jesus of Nazareth/Yeshua, who will purge the house of Israel and the house of Judah from their sin and God remembers their sin no more (Zechariah 13:1, 7-9). Until then, Israel is "NOT" a holy nation.

In summary, it is the Branch of David (the Messiah), God's righteous servant (Isaiah 4:2-4, Isaiah 11:4-5, Jeremiah 23:5-6) who will make Israel, God's unrighteous servant (Isaiah 48:1,8) righteous and holy before the LORD God of Israel. Jeremiah 33:15-16 supports this conclusion:

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness."

The scriptures are clear that Israel has always been God's chosen people (Isaiah 41:8, Isaiah 44:1). In fact, Israel is called God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). As far as Israel is concerned, God's love and mercy will endure forever. After Israel is purged from its sin (Isaiah 4:2-4, Zechariah 13:7-8, Jeremiah 31:34, Ezekiel 36:25-27), the LORD will say 'ye shall be my people, and I will be your God'(Jeremiah 31:33, Zechariah 13:9, Ezekiel 36:28). Israel will then be glorified by the nations of the earth, as it states in Zechariah 8:23:

"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

When the Messiah cleanses Israel of sin, then Israel shall never again be ashamed, Joel 2:27:

"And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed."

The children of Israel can always remain confident that Almighty God will never forsake them. This assurance is given in a number of verses in scripture, but particularly in Isaiah 49:14-15, which states:

"But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

These are the words of the LORD God of Israel. In closing, Micah 7:19-20 confirms that one day Israel will be holy. Although Israel has been unfaithful, God remains true to His word:

"He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."

Since the children of Israel can only be cleansed from their sin by blood (Leviticus chapter 16, Leviticus 17:11) and Israel currently has no temple and altar of sacrifice, it will be through the "New Covenant" by which God will remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This "New Covenant" is explained in great detail in Isaiah 53 regarding the suffering servant in which the LORD "laid on him the iniquity of us all"(Isaiah 53:6). "He was wounded (pierced) for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities......and with his stripes we are healed."(Isaiah 53:5)

Leviticus 16 - All Means All

Leviticus 16:21 "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:"

One of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity is that a vicarious death and blood atonement is needed to be cleansed of all sin. All the sacrifices for sin in the Hebrew scriptures were types pointing to what the Messiah was going to accomplish. The fulfillment of the vicarious death for sin can be seen in Isaiah 53, when the Messiah, God’s righteous servant, died for sin to justify many.

When reading the scriptures, it is clear that God had provided Israel with a way to atone for all sin. This was provided through the temple, priesthood and vicarious death and sprinkling of the blood of animals. In Leviticus 16, which is Yom Kippur, it is clear that God can only be approached in the temple with the shed blood. The Bible gives clear and detailed instructions for how the high priest was to deal with sin on this day. Modern Judaism rejects the need for a vicarious death and shed blood for sin.

When confronted with Leviticus 16, and especially verse 21, modern Judaism claims that the use of the word for all in this verse does not mean all. According to the modern Judaism, this verse is referring only to all "unintentional sin." For intentional sin, they believe that repentance and good works is the way to be forgiven. They view blood sacrifice as a way of dealing with only "minor" sin, unintentional sin.

The main support for modern Judaism’s belief that Leviticus 16 is about unintentional sin is found in Leviticus chapters 1-4. These chapters do cover unintentional sin and give the person a way to have a clear conscience before God. An example of the offering for unintentional sin follows:

Leviticus 4:1 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: (3) If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering."

The sin offering in the above verse is called in Hebrew a Chattath offering, Strongs number 2403. This same offering is found in Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement. Modern Jews then connect the sin offering for unintentional sins in Leviticus 4 with the sin offering in Leviticus 16. Thus the conclusion is drawn that all the sacrifices in Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement, are strictly for unintentional sins.

A close look at Leviticus 16:21 shows that the interpretation that this verse is only for unintentional sins is totally wrong. The key to showing this error is the word "iniquities." The high priest in this verse is confessing all the sins, iniquities and transgressions of Israel over the live goat. The goat was then sent out into the desert to die with all the iniquities, sins, and transgressions on it. This goat was to die vicariously for sin in place of the people. Let us look at verse 21 again:

Leviticus 16:21 "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:"

By understanding what iniquity is in the Bible, it becomes very clear that iniquity cannot be committed unintentionally. The Hebrew word for iniquity is avon. This word is Strongs number 5771. The first time the word is translated iniquity is found in Genesis 15:16. In this verse God told Abraham that his descendants would have to go to Egypt for 400 years because the "iniquity of the Amorites was not full." This verse follows:

Genesis 15:16 "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

God was going to deal with the Amorites until their iniquity was full, and then He was going to bring the children of Israel back into their land. The specific word iniquity was used to describe what the Amorites were doing which was upsetting God. The iniquity was not listed in this section of scriptures.

When the children of Israel returned after 400 years, God used them to bring judgment on the Amorites living on the land. In very clear and detailed scriptures, the Bible lists the iniquity of the Amorites that God had been dealing with for 400 years. The iniquity is listed as adultery, child sacrifice to pagan gods, homosexuality and bestiality. This is all found in Leviticus 18:20-23 and these scriptures follow:

Adultery (20) "Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.

Child sacrifice (21) And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

Homosexuality (22) Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Bestiality (23) Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion."

The Bible then goes on to say for these sins the land was defiled and the Amorites were going to be driven from the land because of the iniquity of adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality and bestiality. Israel was then warned if they committed the same iniquities, they also would be driven from the land. Iniquity is a serious willful sin before the LORD. This is shown in Leviticus 18:

Leviticus 18:24 "Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: (25) And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. (26) Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: (27) (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) (28) That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you."

The Bible tells us that unfortunately the children of Israel went on to commit the same iniquity that the Amorites had committed. And like the Amorites they were judged and driven off the land because of their iniquity. The iniquity of Israel reached its climax under king Manasseh. The captivity for the Jews in Babylon was decreed by God because of the iniquity of Manasseh. The incredible destruction of Judah by the Babylonians was by a direct result of the iniquity of the people.

2 Kings 21:9"But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. (10) And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, (11) Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: (12) Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. (13) And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. (14) And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; (15) Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. (16) Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD."

Iniquity is not an unintentional sin. It is clear rebellion against God’s moral law and includes the murder of young children as human sacrifices. Iniquity was what destroyed ancient Israel and caused God to drive them into the captivity. God provided a way to deal with the iniquity of His people, but they rebelled against Him and would not turn from their iniquity.

God’s way to deal with iniquity included repentance. For the vicarious death of the goat to be effective, the people had to repent of all their sin, iniquity and transgressions. Without the repentance from willful iniquity, the vicarious death had no effect on the sin of the people.

Leviticus 16:29 "And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:"

The only way for Israel to be clean before the holy God of Israel, was when all the vicarious deaths and shed blood were completed on Yom Kippur, plus the affliction of the souls of the people. Without the blood, Israel remained unclean before the LORD. This principle is still in effect to this day. Because Israel has rejected the need for shed blood for ALL sin, iniquity and transgressions, the people are unclean before the holy God of Israel:

Leviticus 16:30 "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."

David understood this principle of repentance of iniquity and the need for a vicarious death for his sin. He tied them both together in Psalm 51. David knew that his heart had to be right with God before the burnt offerings for his sin would be accepted by God. David shows the way to have one’s sin blotted out before God:

Psalm 51:1 "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (2) Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (6) Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. (7) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (14) Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. (16) For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (18) Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. (19) Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."

Leviticus 16 is clear that the Day of Atonement is for ALL sins, iniquities and transgressions. For this to be for only unintentional iniquity, one would have to believe a child could accidentally fall out of his mother’s arms and be sacrificed to the pagan god molech. It is impossible to accidentally sacrifice a child to a pagan god. This is a clear act of the will with foreknowledge. Can someone unintentionally commit an act of homosexuality, or commit adultery by accident? These are done by the acts of the will. The Bible is clear that iniquity cannot be committed by accident. Therefore, the claim of modern Judaism that Yom Kippur is for only unintentional sin must be rejected.

The prophet Isaiah shows how sin, iniquity and transgression will finally be dealt with by God, so He can be reconciled with sinful mankind. God’s righteous servant the Messiah would become the sin bearer of mankind. The Messiah would literally become the Day of Atonement. The ceremony of Leviticus 16 was a type, pointing to what the Messiah would do. The Messiah would shed His blood and die vicariously for the sins, iniquities and transgressions of mankind. This is shown in Isaiah 53 which follows:

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The message of the law was that a vicarious death with blood atonement was needed to be clean before the holy God of Israel. This is the same type of message of the New Covenant. The New Covenant is in perfect harmony with the law. The New Testament shows how Jesus of Nazareth became the sin bearer of mankind and fulfilled Leviticus 16 and Isaiah 53. To be clean before the holy God of Israel and have eternal life, you must repent of your sin and come under the shed blood of the Messiah.

Matthew 26:28"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

1 Peter 1:18 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

John McTernan 

     "However, Jews who read their bible know that there are SEVERAL ways to atone for sins -- not just "blood sacrifices," as is mindlessly repeated ad nauseum by deceptive Christian missionary cults." (Letter from a Jewish anti-missionary)

     The Scriptures listed in this presentation come from a Jewish anti missionary who challenged the need for a vicarious death and shed blood to atone for sin.  He claimed there were many ways to atone for sin.  Anti-missionaries are specially trained to try and thwart the gospel of the Lord Jesus and win Messianic Jews back to Judaism.  When reading this section, please keep in mind that the prophets did not alter the message of Moses and the Torah.  Their message was in complete accord with Moses.  The Torah is the foundation and the prophets built on this foundation.  The foundation that was laid in the Torah: that blood atonement is needed for iniquity, transgression, and sin to reconcile sinful man with the holy God of Israel.

     No prophet altered this message, and the New Covenant was also based on the need for blood for sin.  The New Covenant is in complete harmony with the Torah.  It is the anti-missionaries who are out of line with Moses.  In an attempt to do away with the need for the blood, the anti-missionaries pit the prophets against Moses.  The prophets are to be harmonized and not pitted against Moses.

     Moses was very clear how to be clean from sin before the holy God of Israel.  Being clean is the result of repentance and coming under atoning death and shed blood on the Day of Atonement.  The only way to be clean before the holy God of Israel is found in Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement.  This is God's way to have forgiveness of sin and fellowship with Him.  This is a fundamental truth of the law of Moses.  The prophets never changed or altered this truth.  Their ministry was to turn Israel from sin to repentance and to come back under God's law which included the blood.  Here are the verses which show the only way to be clean before the holy God of Israel:

Leviticus 16: 30 "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. (31) It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

(33) And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

(34) And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year..."

     My response to the anti-missionary follows the posting of the verses. First posted is the Scripture used in an attempt to refute the need for the shed blood and then follows my response.  Remember when reading this section, no prophet altered the message of the Torah and Leviticus is the only way in the Old Testament to be clean before the holy God of Israel.

Leviticus 17:11

Leviticus 17:10 "And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

(11) For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

(12) Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood."

     This verse needs special attention because it is a powerful verses to show the need for blood to atone for sin.  This verse therefore comes under direct attack by those who deny the need for the blood.  The argument of the anti missionaries against this verse goes like this: the context of the chapter is about not eating blood and has nothing to do with atoning for sin.  They also claim that Leviticus 17:11 does not state blood is the only way to atone for sin, but it is one of many ways.  The anti missionaries will go as far to say that the blood is the least of the way to atone for sin.

      Response:  The life of the flesh is in the blood, and it is blood that makes an atonement for the soul.  Just go back one chapter to chapter 16 and the Day of Atonement and see how of major importance the blood is to atonement for sin.  It was the death of the animals and the sprinkled blood which atoned for ALL iniquities, transgressions, and sins.

      In chapter 17, God is telling why blood is not to be eaten.  God in the strongest terms commanded that blood was not to be eaten.  People were to focus on the importance of the blood for atonement for sin and not eating it.  The life force is in the blood and this is what atones for sin.  This is the clear message of Leviticus 17:11.  This verse is extremely powerful to show the need for blood to atone for sin.  The verses from the Day of Atonement which are the foundation for chapter 16 follow:

Leviticus 16:9 "And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.

(15) Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

(16) And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

(30) For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."

     The Bible says in Leviticus 16 that ALL the iniquities, transgression and sins of Israel were dealt with by the death and shed blood.  I repeat ALL which includes ALL intentional as well as ALL unintentional.  Notice one goat died on the altar for the sin, and its blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat.  The second goat became the vicarious carrier of ALL the sin of Israel, again ALL.  A person cannot be righteousness with God apart from Leviticus 16 being fulfilled.  Leviticus 17:11 ties directly back to what happened on the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 16:21 "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

(22) And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness."

Leviticus 17:11, when tied directly back to chapter 16, is overwhelming evidence from the Torah that the blood is the only way to atone for ALL sin.  It is the only way to be clean before God.  The holy God of Israel has showed the method to be clean before Him.  This is God's way and the only way.  Without coming under the shed blood of Leviticus 16, it is impossible to be clean from sin before God.

Exodus 30:12

Exodus 30:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (12) When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.

(13) This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

      Response:  God ordered the census to be taken of the people.  If God requested it, then this could not be sinful.  This verse is not about the atonement for sin.  The ransom was for a specific reason, the census.  For some reason, God does not seem to like the taking of a census.  After the census was completed, the money had to be given for an atonement.  This was a one time occurrence and not for a foundation of a doctrine.  God cannot cause people to sin:

James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (14) But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."

     The money went into building the tabernacle which of course had the altar of sacrifice and the mercy seat on which the atonement was made to cleanse Israel before the Lord.  This was not a universal doctrine showing money could be given to atone for sin.  If this was universal, why did not David and Israel give shekels to stop the plague when David took a census?  When David unauthorized by God took the census, a plague broke out among the people.  David took the census in disobedience to God who forbid it.  David did not offer money but burnt offerings to stop the plague. Look at the following verses:

2 Samuel 24:1 "And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

(10) And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

(15) So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

(25) And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel."

     There is no doctrine to be made of offering money for atonement.  Exodus 30 was a one time event, and the money was used to build the tabernacle where true atonement for sin was offered.

Exodus 30:16

Exodus 30:16 "And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

     Response:  This was just answered under Exodus 30:12, and no doctrine can be based on this.

Leviticus 5:16

Leviticus 5:16 "And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him."

     Response:  The argument is that if a person repents and restores what he stole that will make an atonement for sin.  The verse is in two parts.  Just read the last part of this verse which clearly shows a vicarious death is needed.  The priest was to offer a ram as a trespass offering as part of this repentance for sin.  Without repentance and the death of the ram, there would be no forgiveness of this sin.  The blood was needed to be forgiven.

Numbers 16:47

Numbers 16:46 "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

(47) And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. (48) And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

      Response:  The children of Israel rebelled against the LORD and a plague broke out.  Moses told Aaron, who was the high priest, to get hot coals off the altar of sacrifice.  Aaron then put the coals in a censer with incense and went among the people and the plague stopped.  Notice the coals came from the altar of sacrifice.  The coals were soaked with the shed blood of all those animals that were killed for sin.  It was the coals from the altar of sacrifice which burned the incense that stopped the judgment.  The burning of incense was also an integral part of the Day of Atonement:

Leviticus 16:12 "And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the veil: (13) And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:"

Numbers 31:50

Numbers 31:49 "And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.

(50) We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD.

(54) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD."

     Response:  This event had nothing to do with sin.  Please note that this was the army making an offering to the Lord for the men that were not killed in battle.  It had nothing to do with sin.  Also, this money went into the building of the tabernacle and was for a memorial not for sin.  This never happened again the Bible.

Job 22:23-27

Job 22:23 "If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. (25) Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. (26) For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. (27) Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows."

     Response:  Verse 23 states to return to the Almighty.  Job knew all about sacrifice for sin as he was doing it for his children in case they sinned against the LORD.  Job knew about the principal of sacrificing for sin way before Moses and the law.

Job 1:5 "And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually."

     God states later in Job how to return to Him.  He gave clear instruction to Job's false counselors how to be reinstated with God for their false teaching about Him they gave to Job.  They were to offer burnt offering for their sin!

Job 42:7 "And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

(8) Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. (9) So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job."

     Job was waiting for his redeemer which was the coming of the Lord Jesus.  He knew that one day his Redeemer would come and pay the final price for sin for which the burnt offerings had atoned.  Job was looking for the penalty of his sin to be paid for and the resurrection from the dead.

Job 19: 25 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: (26) And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

(27) Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me."

1 Samuel 15:22

1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

     The argument here is that God is not concerned with sacrifice.  He is concerned with obedience and listening to Him.

     Response:  The context of this verse was King Saul fighting Amelek.  He was clearly told to destroy everything of the Amalekites, EVERYTHING see verse three.

1 Samuel 15:3 "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."

     God's instructions are crystal clear.  However, Saul did not obey God's command, but what did he do? Verse nine tells us.

1 Samuel 15:9 "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs,"

     Notice Saul disobeyed the direct command of the Lord.  HE DISOBEYED!!!  He did not utterly destroy all of Amalek, and he kept the best of the sheep.  Next, Saul was going to use the sheep which came from his disobedience to sacrifice.  Samuel rebuked him for this disobedience.

1 Samuel 15:15 "And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."

     Here is Samuel rebuking Saul:

1 Samuel 15:19 "Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?"

     Keeping the sheep for sacrifice was evil, not the sacrificing of the sheep!  Then Samuel says that Saul's sacrifice was of no value because of his rebellion.  This has NOTHING to do with sacrifice for sin, it has to do with Saul not obeying the word of God.

1 Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

     Without obeying God, any sacrifice is worthless.  The message of this verse is obedience is needed for the sacrifice to be accepted.

1 Kings 8:33

1 Kings 8:33 "When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:

(34) Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers."

     Response:  The Torah gives the exact remedy needed for the children of Israel to be restored to the land.  The Bible is clear what the people had to do and that was repent and confess their sin to the LORD.  To be forgiven and restored the people had to confess their sin and the sin of their fathers.  If they repented, God would remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob over the land.  He would restore them to land based on the covenant. 

Leviticus 26:40 "If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; (41) And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:

(42) Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. (44) And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.

(45) But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD."

     After Israel returned from the Babylonian captivity, the people immediately rebuilt the altar and began sacrifices.  In the captivity they could not sacrifice because the temple was destroyed.  When Israel was sent into captivity, it was because of judgment.  God would no longer accept their sacrifices for sin as fellowship with God was broken.  When they repented of the sin, God would forgive the sin and restore the fellowship.  Then immediately, Israel offered the sacrifices to keep in fellowship with God.  The verses to show this follow:

Ezra 3:1 "And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.

(2) Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

(3) And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. (4) They kept also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required;

(5) And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the LORD.

(6) From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid."

1 Kings 8:46-50

1 Kings 8:46 "If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;

(47) Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

(48) And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

(49) Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause, (50) And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:"

     Response:  This was answered in 1 Kings 8:33.

2 Chronicles 30:18,19

2 Chronicles 30:18 "For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one

(19) That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary."

     Response:  These people wanted to be clean and offer sacrifice but couldn't because of the crowd.  God honored this because they wanted to eat the Passover but couldn't because there were not enough priests.  See the preceding verses:

2 Chronicles 30:15 "Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the LORD.

(16) And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites.

(17) For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified: therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the LORD."

     The people from the northern tribes were ready and willing to come under the blood sacrifice. They were present ready for the blood, but there were not enough priests.  God honored their heart that they wanted to come under the blood.  How does this say the blood was not needed?  It reinforces the need.  God being merciful because of the shortage heard Hezekiah's prayer and honored their hearts wanting to be in obedience to His word.  This is a far cry from someone who says there is no need for the shed blood and sacrifices.

Psalm 37:27

Psalm 37:27 "Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore."

     Response:  To do good, means to live according to God's word and obey all His commandments, statutes and laws.  The need for shed blood to atone for sin is more of His statutes forevermore.  If one wants to dwell forevermore with God, that person has to come under the blood for atonement for sin to be clean before the holy God of Israel.

Psalm 40:6

Psalm 40:6 "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (7) Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me"

     Response:  This is the Messiah speaking.  The section of the Psalm was written about Him and not David.  No sacrifice is needed for the Messiah because He is righteous before God.  All others need a sacrifice for sin, just as Leviticus 16 shows.  The book mentioned in verse seven is none other than the word of God.

Psalms 51:18

Psalm 51:16 "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delights not in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

     Response:  Verses 16 and 17 are favorite verses of those who deny the need for blood atonement.  However, just continue reading to verse 19 and you will see the previous verses were talking about the right heart and not saying sacrifice was not needed.  Verse 19 clearly shows that sacrifice is most certainly needed and it pleases God.

Psalm 51:19 "Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."

Psalm 69:30-33

Psalm 69:30 "I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.(31) "This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. (32) The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. (33) For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners."

     Response:  This has nothing to do with atonement for sin.  God loves the praises of His people.  He responds to praise and thanksgiving.  The Bible states that God inhabits the praises of His people.  It is the shed blood for sin which reconciles the people with the holy God of Israel so they could praise Him free of condemnation.

Psalm 22:3 "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."

Psalm 78:22-39

Psalm 78:22 "Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

(31) The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. (32) For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

(34) When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.(35) And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.(36) Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.(37) For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

(38) But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. (39) For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

     Response:  God established the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the altar of sacrifice, and does this verse now mean the sacrificial system is no longer needed?  Was God wasting His time with the Tabernacle in the Wilderness?  Leviticus 16 shows you how God forgave their sin!

     God was merciful and did not give Israel the full judgment the people deserved for rebellion against Him.  It is burnt offerings and other sacrifices which cause God to passover judgment.  It was the death of the lamb and the sprinkled blood which caused the death angel to passover the children of Israel.

     When Noah offered sacrifices on the altar after the flood it was these burnt offerings which touched the heart of God and caused Him to say He would never again judge the earth like He just did with the flood.  The death and shed blood allowed God to have mercy.  This death and shed blood all pointed to what the Lord Jesus would do to reconcile sinful man with the holy God of Israel. Noah's sacrifices follow:

Genesis 8:20 "And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

(21) And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done."

Psalm 86:5,6

Psalm 86:5 "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. (6) Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. (7) In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me."

     Response:  God is ready and willing to forgive when man does it God's way and not our own way.  God is ready to forgive when a person repents of sin and comes under the shed blood God has provided to atone for the sin.  That was the message in Moses' day, the Psalmist's day and today.  Nothing has changed with God and the blood is needed today as much as it was when Psalm 86 was written.  These verses have nothing to do with the elimination of the need for blood atonement for sin.

Proverbs 10:2 and 11:4

Proverbs 10:2 "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death."

Proverbs 11:4 "Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death."

     Response:  Our righteousness come from God's word.  It is God who makes us righteous as we come under His blood covenants.  It is the shed blood of the covenants and obeying His word that makes a person righteous.  We have no righteousness of our own apart from God.

Deuteronomy 6:25 "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. (Is Leviticus part of the commandments that make a person righteous, yes!)

     The law was a blood covenant and the New Covenant is also a blood covenant.  It is the blood of the covenants that makes us righteous.  These verses follow:

Exodus 24:6 "And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. (7) And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8) And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words."

Hebrews 13:20 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,"

Proverbs 14:22

Proverbs 14:22 "Do they not err that devise evil? but mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good."

     Response:  This verse has nothing to do with the need for blood for atonement and the forgiveness of sin.

Proverbs 16:6

Proverbs 16:6 "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."

     Response:  Does this verse now do away with the Day Atonement?  Of course it does not.  This verse is merely stating half of the equation while the other half is understood.  Sacrifice for sin is useless without the heart being repentive and right with God.  When a person is merciful and walks in truth then the sacrifices for sin have effect.

     The following verses from Isaiah show that God will not accept sacrifices if the person's heart is not right.  The ritual means nothing unless the heart is full of mercy and truth.

Isaiah 1:11 "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.(13) Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. (14) Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

(15) And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. (16) Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; (17) Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Proverbs 21:3

Proverbs 21:3 "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

     Response:  See the responses to 1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6.

Isaiah 27:9

Isaiah 27:9 "By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up."

     Response:  Of course, this act of repentance is needed to eliminate sin.  Does this verse do away with the shed blood on Yom Kippur?  Is Isaiah is now negating the Torah and Moses?  A part of forgiveness for sin has always been repentance which is this act of destroying the pagan altars and idols.  Without this the sacrifice in the temple meant nothing.

     Does the following verse sound like Isaiah is calling for the end of sacrifices or that sacrifices aren't needed?

Isaiah 56:7 "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

Jeremiah 26:13

Jeremiah 26:13 "Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you."

     Response:  Jeremiah did not negate the Torah.  This verse shows that by amending your ways (repentance) and obeying the voice of the LORD, God will turn from judgment.  This is the steady message throughout the Bible, repent of sin and obey God's word.  Keeping Leviticus 16 is part of God's word.  Not one of the prophets did away with or altered the Torah!  Does this sound like Jeremiah is doing away with sacrifices?

Jeremiah 33:18 "Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually."

Jeremiah 36:3

Jeremiah 36:3 "It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."

     Response:  The Bible tells us how sin is forgiven.  Sin is forgiven by repentance and the shed blood as shown in Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement.  Did Jeremiah come with a new message, NO!!  Did Jeremiah do away with the Torah, NO!  Turning from evil is repentance and being cleansed from sin by the rituals in Leviticus.

Ezekiel 18:21-22

Ezekiel 18:21 "But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. (22) All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live."

     Response:  Ezekiel is in complete line with Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.  Ezekiel mentions if a wicked person will turn (repent) of sin and keep ALL of God's statutes, he will live and not die in his sin.  Leviticus 16 and the shedding of innocent blood to atone for sin is part of keeping God's statutes.

Leviticus 16:29 "And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

(30) For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

(31) It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.

(33) And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.

(34) And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses."

Daniel 4:24

Daniel 4:27 (JPS) "Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity."

     Response:  Daniel had just told King Nebuchadnezzar of the coming judgment on him for pride.  He now was telling the king how to avoid the judgment.  This could be accomplished by him doing righteousness and showing mercy to the poor.  If the king fulfilled these requirements, the judgment would be averted.  This had to do with averting judgment on the king.

Daniel 4:24 "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

(25) That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. (26) And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule."

Hosea 6:6

Hosea 6:6 "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."

     Response:  This is the same principle shown in 1 Samuel 15:22 with King Saul.  The ritual of sacrifice and burnt offerings meant nothing unless the person was merciful and had knowledge of God.  Did the prophet Hosea do away with the Leviticus 16?  I don't think so.

Hosea 14:1

Hosea 14:1 "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. (2) Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."

     The argument with this verse is that turning to the LORD is enough to take all iniquity and the words spoken are like calves for sacrifice.

     Response:  The way to return to the Lord was to come back to the Torah.  Leviticus and the need for blood to atone for sin is part of the Torah.  Did Hosea say you can now ignore Leviticus when you return to the Lord?  Of course he did not.  To return to the Lord, two things are needed which are repentance of sin and coming back to the Torah.  Coming under the shed blood of Leviticus 16 for the forgiveness of sin, is the message of Moses and ALL the prophets.

    Notice in Hosea 14:1,2 the reason for the rendering of the lips was the iniquity was taken away by God.  The calves of the lips don't take sin away, it is the result of having the sin being taken away.

     Here is the way God wants us to use the "calves" of our lips.

Psalm 66:13 "I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, (14) Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

(15) I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

(16) Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. (notice this was said after the sacrifice)

(17) I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. (18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (The words mean nothing without true repentance)

(19) But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. (20) Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

Jonah 3:10

Jonah 3:10 "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

     Response:  Under the law of Moses, there was no requirement for the Gentiles to offer sacrifice for sin.  Israel was called as a kingdom of priests.  The temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations and not just Israel.  Israel was to be a witness to the Gentiles which meant showing them the way to be reconciled to the holy God of Israel.  This would be to repent of sin and to have Israel act as a kingdom of priests for the Gentiles.  When the Gentiles repented at Nineveh, the sacrifices at the temple covered them.

Israel a kingdom of priests:

Exodus 19:5 "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

     The temple was to be a house of prayer of all nations:

Isaiah 56:6 "Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; (7) Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

     Israel was to be God's witness to the Gentiles:

Isaiah 43:10 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

Micah 6:6-8

Micah 6: 6-8 "Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

(7) Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

(8) He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

     Response:  This is the same message in Hosea 6:6.  The prophet is focusing on the spiritual heart attitude before God.  God wants your heart right with Him, then the sacrifice has meaning.  This verse does not eliminate Leviticus.

DID YOU KNOW Response?

     This section has a direct quote from a Jewish antimissionary and then my response to it.  The concepts in this section are common to almost all the antimissionaries, and they use them frequently.

Psalm 51:17

     Did you know that Psalms, chapter 51, verses 18 and 19 (verse 17 in the Christians Bible) condemns blood sacrifices when it states: "The sacrifices of G-d are a broken spirit, and a contrite and crushed heart?"

     Response:  Why is verse 19 left out of the argument?   Verse 19 sums up the entire Psalm.  When you heart is right with God and you have repented, than God is pleased with the sacrifices and burnt offerings.  Verse 19 cannot be left out because you then have only half the equation.

Psalm 51:16 "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Psalm 51:19 "Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar."

    Does All Mean All?

     Did you know that even during the years that the temple was standing, and sacrifices were offered on a daily basis, sacrificial offerings NEVER atoned for sins committed against human beings? For example, wounding another person's body or hurting someone's feelings could not be atoned for using sacrifices?

     Response:  The Scriptures are very clear in Leviticus 16 that on the Day of Atonement ALL iniquities, trespasses and sins were atoned.  All means all and not just unintentional sins.   All sin would include wounding a person or hurting someone's feelings.  Let's look at the verses in Leviticus 16 which show all sin and not just a select type.

Leviticus 16:15 "Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:

(16) And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness."

(21) And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: (22) And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness."

     On the Day of Atonement all the iniquity of Israel was atoned by the death of the goats and bullock.  Let's take a look at the Bible and see how God defines iniquity and can this sin be committed against a person.  One of the best sections in the Bible to identify iniquity is Leviticus 18.  Let's look at these verses to see if they include iniquity against a person.

Leviticus 18:20 "Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.

(21) And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

(22) Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

(24) Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: (25) And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. (26) Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

     When examining these verses, it is very clear iniquity can be against a person.  The sin of adultery is against a person.  Sacrificing a child to a pagan idol is killing a human being.  Committing a homosexual act is sin against a person.  In verse 25, God calls these acts iniquity.  It is very clear that iniquity can be deliberate acts against or with a person.  God links iniquity with the word abomination.

     No Atonement For Deliberate Sin 

     With Sacrifices Offered on Daily Basis

     Did you know that even during the years that the temple was standing, and sacrifices were offered on a daily basis, sacrificial offerings did NOT atone for deliberately committed sins?

     Response:  Leviticus 6 gives very clear examples of deliberately committed sins that were atoned for by the daily sacrifices.  The sins that were specifically committed were: lying, stealing, violence, swearing falsely and deceit.  The remedy for these sins was repentance, restitution and sacrificing a ram.  It is very clear that deliberate sins were atoned for on a regular basis.  These verses follow:

Leviticus 6:2 "If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and lie unto his neighbour in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbour; (3) Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein:

(4) Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, (5) Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering.

(6) And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto the priest: (7) And the priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD: and it shall be forgiven him for any thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein.

     Being Put to Death for Sin

Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."

     Did you know that Deuteronomy 24:16 warns that a father cannot be put to death for a son, and a son cannot be put to death for a father?

     Response:  This has no connection to atonement for sin.  

      Dying for the Sin of the Father

2 Chronicles 25:4 "But he slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin."

     Did you know that Second Chronicles 25:4 states that "every man shall die for his own sin" thus eliminating Jesus from atoning for the sins of anyone but himself?

     Response:  This verse is about King Amaziah coming to power and slaying those who were involved in the death of his father.  He did not slay their children as they were not responsible for the murder of his father.  This verse is about capital punishment for murder and not forgiveness of sin before God.  This has nothing to do with the atoning death of the Lord Jesus.  Even if a person repented for the sin of murder, he is subject to the death penalty for the murder.

     The New Testament

1 Peter 1:18 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; (19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot"

Revelation 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood"

Genesis 4:6 "And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (7) If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."

     Genesis chapter four is a story that almost everyone is familiar with.  The story revolves around two brothers named Cain and Abel.  One brother, Abel, approached God with the best of his flock of sheep and was accepted while Cain brought the harvest of his crops and was rejected.  Cain eventually grew to hate his brother and murdered him.  This chapter is more than just a story.  Chapter four is showcasing a very important Biblical concept.  This chapter sets the foundation for how to approach God, and how He deals with man's sin.  Other sections of the Bible build upon this chapter.  The clear way to obey God is taught in the story of Cain and Abel.

     To understand this chapter, you first have to realize what happened in the relationship between God and man in the previous three chapters.  Chapter one records the creation of all things, including man.  While God was creating, the Bible records six times He stated, "It was good."  The last act of creation was man.  After creating man, God then states, "It was very good" Genesis 1:31.  There is no mention of death or sin at this time, and no form of worship was mentioned.

Genesis 1:31 "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

    In chapter two, God first mentions death.  Man was warned not to rebel against God's word or he would die.  Here is the first mention of death in the Bible, and it is directly tied to sin.  There is a severe penalty for sin which is death.  There is a cause and effect relationship between sin and death.  The physical act of sin brought both physical and spiritual death to man.  Spiritual death means eternal separation from God.

     The correlation between sin and death is an extremely important concept when understanding why God instituted the sacrificial system that we first see in chapter four.  Genesis chapter two then becomes foundational to show the effect of rebellion against God's word.  Both the Old and New Testament make a direct correlation between sin and death.  The Scriptures to show this follow:

Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death..."

     In chapter three, another very important foundational concept of Scripture was made evident.  This concept was that Adam's sin alienated all of mankind from God.  Man rebelled against God and sinned.  The rebellion brought immediate judgment from God and fellowship between man and God was broken.  Man came under the penalty of sin which is death.  The immediate death was spiritual as Adam and Eve were driven from the presence of the LORD and no longer had direct access to God in the Garden of Eden.  Adam's spiritual death was immediate while the physical death came later.

    Adam's sin had a devastating effect on all of mankind.  The effect of Adam's sin had consequences right down today.  When Adam was banished from the presence of God, all of mankind was banished.  Adam could be looked at as the federal head of mankind and what he did affected all of man.  This banishment of mankind from God's presence can be seen in Adam being driven from the Garden.  When Adam was driven away, a block was put at the Garden so no one could enter.  Adam was blocked so he could not obtain eternal life in the Garden, and thus he would have eternal life in a sinful state.  This would mean eternal separation from God.

     It was not only Adam who was banished but all of mankind.  Following Adam in the Bible were Abel and Noah.  They did not sin like Adam; however, they were also blocked from entering the Garden because of what Adam did.  Adam's sin had dire consequences for all of mankind.  The New Testament is in perfect agreement with this issue.  The sin of Adam touched all of mankind.  The Scriptures to show the Garden was blocked to all of mankind follow:

Genesis 3:22 "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (23) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. (24) So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression..."

     The principle that all of mankind inherited the sin nature from Adam was established from the beginning of the creation.  In the first chapter of Genesis, 10 times in five verses, God said that everything was to reproduce after its own kind.  This is a basic law.  Dogs reproduce dogs, etc.  When Adam fell into sin, his nature was passed on to his offspring.  He reproduced offspring after his own kind which meant they had the sin nature just like he did.  All of mankind came under the sin nature of Adam.

Genesis 1:25 "And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..."

     God had commanded man to be fruitful and fill the earth.  This meant to reproduce after his kind.  Adam, in this fallen state of sin, reproduced people with his sin nature.  He was reproducing after his kind.  Everyone who has a human father has to be born with the sin nature that is traced directly back to Adam.

     When Adam sinned, He hid before the presence of God.  God reached out to him.  God sought Adam and promised that fellowship would be restored.  God told Adam that a confrontation would come in which the seed of the woman would triumph over the evil which had seduced him.  At this point, God did not give details of how this victory would occur nor how long it would take.  He simply stated that man, through the seed of the woman, would be victorious over evil.  God did say the victory would entail violence, and there would be a physical confrontation between the seed of the woman and the seed of evil.  The seed of the woman would crush the evil.  This verse follows:

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

     Immediately after man sinned, the Bible records the first physical death.  Man was now physically naked and needed to be clothed.  The Bible records that God made coats of animal skins and clothed them.  To make clothes of animal skins, it required the death of the animals.  The first deaths in the Bible were to cover man because of sin.

Genesis 3:21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

     In examining Genesis chapters one, two and three some very important principles are established.  These principles carry through the entire Bible and set the stage for the study of chapter four.  When examining the Bible and especially the need for sacrifices, these principles must always be kept in mind.  The principles follow:

There is a penalty for sin which is death.

There is a direct relationship between sin and death.

Adam died spiritually the moment he sinned.

Sin brought immediate judgment from God which meant spiritual separation from Him.

Everything reproduces after its own kind; therefore sinful man reproduced offspring with the sin nature.

All of mankind came under the sin of Adam and were prevented from entering the Garden of Eden for eternal life.

Man's sin caused the first physical death.  Animals were slain for skins to cover man.

God promised that man would be delivered from the sin.

God's Remedy For Overcoming Sin

     God's remedy for overcoming sin was in His worship system as seen Genesis 4:1-8.  The word sin is used for the very first time in this section of Scripture.  There was no recorded worship system established in the Bible prior to this chapter, but Abel knew to bring the best of the sheep before the Lord.

     It is obvious that God had established a system prior to this because Abel knew to bring the best of the sheep before God.  Perhaps when God told Adam about the coming redemption from sin, He also established the system.  Or, maybe when He slew the animals for garments, Adam was told about God's method for dealing with man's sin.  The Bible does not say when the system was established, but it was in force at the time of Cain and Abel.  The verses to show this follow:

Genesis 4:3 "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. (4) And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering"

     There is no mention at this time of sacrifice.  The Bible simply states that Cain brought fruit of the ground as an offering while Abel brought the best of his sheep.  At this point, there is no mention of clean or unclean animals or sacrifice for sin.  The Bible does not even mention why the offerings were brought before God.  Cain and Abel just did it.

     Later in Genesis, Noah adds more to this.  Noah knew about the clean and unclean animals.  He was told to bring two of all kinds of animals into the Ark, but of the clean animals he was told by God to bring in seven pairs.  There is no indication in the Bible how Noah knew the clean from the unclean.  The Bible does not tell us what were the clean animals, but Noah knew the clean from the unclean.  This was long before Moses and the law.  From the very beginning, the time of Adam and Eve, man knew about God's worship system of sacrifices and why God required them.  The Scripture to show the clean and unclean animals follows:

Genesis 7:2 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female."

     After the flood, the very first thing Noah did was build an altar to the LORD and offered sacrifices.  These sacrifices were called burnt offerings.  This is seen in Genesis 8.  The Bible does not indicate that Noah was commanded to do this.  It does not indicate when he was instructed about building an altar and offering sacrifices.  He simply knew to do it.  He knew to offer only the clean animals as sacrifices to the LORD.  The Bible goes on to say that the offerings of the clean an