Animal sacrifice does not purify the individual; it purifies the sanctuary. This is a problem for Christianity. They disagree on the details, but Christians believe that we are redeemed or purified by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The death of Christ doesn’t purify us; it purifies the sanctuary.
The crucifixion of Jesus purifies the ultimate sanctuary which is Heaven itself. Heaven needs to be purified because evil spirits like the devil are still in Heaven.
This is in opposition to what Christians have believed for a long time, but it has remarkable Biblical support.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus didn’t say that the devil was exposed as a liar, but only that the devil was a liar. Satan didn’t lie to Eve. Satan doesn’t transcend time, so when he said, “you will not surely die”, he was not bearing false witness.
Genesis 3:4-5 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Notice how God responded to the other part of this statement.
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:
It can be debated what it means to know good and evil, but it seems clear that God confirmed what the devil said to Eve.
Ambiguous Passages
Luke 10:17-18 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
When some disciples were amazed at their ability to cast out devils, Jesus mentioned the ultimate exorcism, when the devil is cast out of Heaven. Jesus didn’t say when it occurred or if it was a vision of a future event.
The following is from the ASV translation.
Ezekiel 28:16 By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
This passage is believed to be referring to Satan, and it clearly indicates the devil being cast out in the past. In other translations the devil will be cast out in the future. This is because this passage can be interpreted past or future. In other words, it is not clear when Satan is cast out.
If one Biblical passage indicates that “A” may be true or “B” may be true, we should be open to both possibilities. If another passage says that “B” is true, we should interpret the first passage to mean that “B” is true.
In Ezekiel it is not clear if the devil is cast out in the past or future. When Jesus said He saw the devil cast out, it is not clear if this was past or future. But in Revelation the devil is clearly cast out at the end times.
Clear Passages
Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Notice that the devil is an accuser. Humans sin, and Satan accuses them before the throne of God. If the devil were himself openly committing sins, he would be condemning himself as well.
The devil hates God, but he must keep that to himself. Satan is powerless before God, so he presents himself as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Satan is still in Heaven because in all his words and all his actions, he is a perfectly righteous angel of light. The devil must hide his hatred of God, but at some point, that hatred is exposed.
Ezekiel 28:14-15 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Satan is perfect in his ways until the day when iniquity was found within him. This occurred when Jesus was on the cross since Jesus destroys the devil through death. On the cross Jesus witnessed the devil’s hatred of God.
Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Animal Sacrifice Purifies
In animal sacrifice the sanctuary is purified. On the cross, Jesus purified Heaven by destroying the devil.
