What Happened to the Old Testament Practice of Animal Sacrifice?

When did the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice come to an end—and why? Today, Ben Shaw explains why these ancient sacrifices ceased once and for all.

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: This week, I’m joined by the Old Testament professor at Reformation Bible College, Dr. Ben Shaw. Dr. Shaw, what happened to the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifices?

DR. BEN SHAW: Well, it stopped. And there’s really two reasons: the practical reason, and then the theological reason. The practical reason is they stopped in 586 BC when the Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, although they were restarted after the exile and continued then until the temple was destroyed again by the Romans in AD 70. So that’s the practical reason. The theological reason is they stopped because Christ fulfilled them. And we have that lined up for us in the book of Hebrews.