Animal Sacrifices

Symbols of Christ

From the days of Adam until Christ’s death, animal sacrifices were performed in similitude of the death of Jesus Christ and the symbolic role we play in his death.

Man has misunderstood the meaning of the sacrifice and as a result not only did they not learn the symbolic lesson it was trying to teach, but they also expanded it into doing exactly what the lesson was trying to teach them not to do.

Animal sacrifices were made of the most loved, healthy, and perfect animals. This was a symbol of Jesus who was innocent, without sin or blemish.

“And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.

7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.” – Moses 5:6-7

In error, men would attempt to understand how killing an innocent animal would somehow satisfy the demands of Justice so that we could be forgiven of our sins. People began to reason that the guilt of sin could be placed on the head of the innocent and that the innocent could somehow suffer the punishment of the law on behalf of the guilty, so that the guilty could go free. This is exactly contrary to the concept of justice because no animal, man, or other creature including God can fulfill justice by suffering for a crime or sin they didn’t commit.

“Now there is not any man, [animal, creature, or even God], that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother [or any other man, animal, creature, or God]? I say unto you, Nay.

12 But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered;” – Alma 34:11-12

Animal sacrifices were in fact symbolic of the death of Jesus Christ. But Jesus didn’t take our sins on him as the guilty, he took our sins on him as the innocent victim. What then is the meaning of offering animal sacrifices?

The animals, like Jesus Christ, were innocent and perfect, having committed no wrong, and therefore did not deserve to die. In many instances, (for example, Adam, Abraham and others…), the person seeking forgiveness would kill the animal themselves. This is as it should be. To have someone else kill the animal for you weakens the symbolism.

The ordinance is symbolically teaching the person performing the ordinance several lessons. The lessons come as the people are prepared to receive them.

The first is that “whatsoever we do to the least of these, we do to Christ.” This has already been discussed in this book.

The second is that by attempting to save ourselves from the punishments of the law, we are participating in the murder of Christ. Here’s how:

You sin and are therefore guilty and deserve punishment.
You choose to make the innocent suffer rather than fix the problems you created, accept the consequences of your actions and the punishments that you deserve.

Remember that the animal is a symbol of Jesus Christ. When they killed the animal, they symbolically killed Jesus Christ. Christ didn’t die as the guilty, but as the innocent. If we are performing the symbolic sacrifice, then we are symbolically shedding innocent blood and assenting to the death of Christ.

The symbolic meaning of these ordinances is that we are killing Christ in hopes of gaining God’s favor and forgiveness, ultimately attempting to save our spiritual lives.

“The animal sacrifice was never meant to be a symbol of Azazel, (the unharmed goat that took the sin on his head). The animal that was unjustly killed was always me.

In error, man supposed that killing the pure and innocent would please God and gain His favor as if God desired it.

In their error, they reasoned that if God was pleased when they killed the best and most perfect animals, then God would be even more pleased if they killed things that were even more pure, innocent and perfect. They began to sacrifice virgins.

But the mind of man in error is expansive and reasoned that if God was pleased that they had ritually killed a virgin, then innocent children or even babies as they were delivered from the womb would be more pleasing to God. These were also sacrificed in attempts to please God and gain His favor. And all this that they might gain God’s blessing or save their souls.

Some Christians today believe that by killing a God, or the Son of God, (who was the most holy, pure and innocent of all), would cause God to be merciful to them or the world. That somehow killing God’s own son would please God and gain His favor and forgiving mercy.

How could they hope to gain the favor of a loving parent by killing their son? Or if you sinned against a parent and earned their displeasure, would killing their beloved son restore their good favor?

In this, they misunderstood my law of sacrifice. I said to offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit. That they sacrifice their pride and give of their love one to another. That is the sacrifice I have required of all. My commandment is to Love.

Killing the son of God was so upsetting that God, in His wrath, shook the earth causing even the very rocks to be broken. In his wrath, He caused terrible darkness, earthquakes, lighting and thunder.

It was God’s love and mercy alone that spared their utter destruction. For what being who is wronged will become more forgiving by killing their beloved child?”- Jesus Christ

“It was now so obvious that it seemed strange that we didn’t realize before that killing God’s son was more likely to incur God’s wrath than it was to gain God’s favor and mercy. Clearly sacrificing virgins and babies was wrong, but we never realized that killing Christ was wrong. We also didn’t realize that offering animal sacrifices was a symbol of how we kill Christ in an attempt to save ourselves and cover up our sins.
Although animal sacrifices in similitude of the only begotten was commanded and performed out of obedience, the people misunderstood why the lord gave the command. It was a commandment intended to teach us, as are ALL commandments! But for thousands of years, we rejected the unmistakable and undeniable fact that the person performing the ritual sacrifice was the one holding the knife and causing the death of the animal who was the direct symbol of Christ.
We began to realize that everything we had been taught about the atonement from church was wrong.
In church we were taught that God was in favor of and supported Jesus’ murder. Conversely, we are also taught to not only accept it, but rejoice in the shedding of his innocent blood.
It is so hard for Christians to accept that Christ’s murder was not God’s will because their entire belief system is built on this unfounded requirement.
God’s foreknowledge of the event should not be construed as God’s support. This is faulty reasoning which we can easily see when we realize that God knew Satan would rebel and that we would sin. He planned on it and prepared for it but we should not misconstrue His foreknowledge of these things as evidence that He wants or supports rebellion and sin.
When we read the scriptures and consider who supported Christ’s death, we see that it was not the righteous followers of Christ who recognized him as their Savior, but the evil leaders of the church who were inspired, not of God but by Satan. Yet, today, it is the professed Christians who rejoice in his death along side the wicked Church leaders who caused it. Where are they who mourn his death, weeping for the injustice, like the true followers of Christ who watched horrified by the terrible event?
We asked, ‘Why was God so angry about your death when it had been prophesied and foretold for hundreds of years?” – Elliaison Contributor

“How often a loved one becomes sick unto death and yet the foreknowledge and all the preparation does not prevent the pain and sorrow of their passing.

God who sees the beginning from the end is not denied the joys nor spared the pains of the present.”- Jesus Christ

“It hit us hard that the animal being killed was a symbol of Christ and that Adam, Abraham and others held the knife and caused the death of the symbol of Christ. It was an even deeper reminder to us that we had caused the pain, suffering and death of Christ when we had caused others to suffer because of our actions or to save ourselves from suffering in some way.

The image of Abraham holding his knife above his beloved son Isaac on the altar preparing to kill his own son came to mind. How much he wanted to avoid this. The awful regret and sadness he felt at that climactic moment when his own son was the very symbol of Christ he was about to kill.

Imagine if Abraham had killed Isaac. Would we celebrate it and rejoice in it?

Every animal sacrifice was supposed to feel like that moment because all of them were symbols of us killing our beloved Jesus Christ. We didn’t want to, but we felt we had to, ‘else we could never be saved and return to live with God!” – Elliaison Contributor

“The sacrifice of the animal is a symbol of me to remind the sinner that when they sin, they are hurting the innocent and thereby hurting me. They are hurting and killing the innocent by their sins and causing my death.

Killing their most loved animal was intended to break their heart and make clear the line between their sins and hurting the innocent so that they would always remember me, the animal, my body and my blood that was shed by their actions against others when they are tempted to sin.

In the same way, the sacrament was given that they might always remember me, my body and my blood that was shed by them as a result of their sins.

Just as animal sacrifices were offered and eaten, so too do you eat of the symbols of my body and blood, (referring to the sacrament), –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

If you will always remember that in sinning, you are hurting others and therefore hurting me, then you will always remember to treat others as you would me. Those who love me will love others.

The cure for sin is love. When you love your neighbor, you stop sinning against them. This is why I gave the two great commandments saying, ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

When you love others, you refuse to sin against them. When you always remember me and understand that what you do to others you are doing to me, then, without effort, your love for me will extend to others until you stop sinning by loving others, even those whom you esteem to be your enemies.” – Jesus Christ

The symbol of animal sacrifices was given as a way to portray how we through sin cause harm to the innocent. It was a means of softening the hearts of the people as they watched the innocent animal, killed as a result of their actions. When understood correctly, it is a POWERFUL and accurate lesson on the atonement.