Animal Sacrifice - Slaughtering of Young Bull

The following video was designed to assist in understanding animal sacrifices.  Leviticus 1-7 centers around animal sacrifices, as do many other passages throughout the Scripture.   When Israel was being obedient to the LORD, tens of thousands of animals were sacrificed by the Levitical priests each Passover, in addition to the multitude of cattle, goats, sheep, turtledoves, and pigeons that were offered everyday.  The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus informs us that the Jews sacrificed 256,500 paschal lambs on a particular year between A.D. 65 and A.D. 70 (The Wars Of The Jews; Book VI, Chapter 9, Section 3). (The exact year is uncertain, but this was a little more than three decades after Jesus' death.)  Yet, most Christians today do not know what the sacrificial rite entailed. 

In this video, I narrate the slaughtering of a bullock that was about 8 months old.  Scripture is interwoven throughout the video commentary explaining the four primary blood offerings:  the burnt offering, the peace (or, fellowship) offering, the sin offering, and the trespass (or, guilt) offering. 

Particular body parts were of great interest to God.  Among which were "[t]he fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys" (Lev. 3:3-4, NKJV).  When the bull is gutted, we will slow down enough to point out these body parts so that you can actually see what God was demanding for virtually all of His sacrifices.

I begin with a 5-minute introduction in my home before moving to the ranch where another 6-minute introduction is done.  The two-part introduction of 11 minutes is followed by the most graphic part of the video—the killing and the letting of the blood—which last for almost 8 minutes.

Some of my brothers and sisters in Christ will deem this video as so graphic that, in their minds, it is unchristian-like.  Of course, I disagree sharply with such an opinion, knowing that our faith is centered upon "Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1Co. 2:2).  Our New Testament includes the word "blood" 101 times.  Most often, the word "blood" is used in describing the precious, eternal blood of Him who washed from our sins.

Viewer Discretion Advised:  This video contains very graphic images shortly after the first 11 minutes.

NOTE:  Today much of the living conditions and treatment of domestic animals in chicken coops, dairy farms, slaughterhouses, etc. demonstrate unkindness, which violates Scripture.  "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:  but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Pr. 12:10).  The animals in this video are free-range cattle which were not fattened at an accelerated rate by artificial hormones.  The cattleman who owns the herd is a committed Christian man. 

PLAY VIDEO

Share Your Opinion?  Too Graphic?  Edifying?

RESPONSES

"[My daughter] Amy and I watched.  (Well, I watched all of your video on slaughtering.  Amy watched as much as she could.)  It was incredible!!!  WOW!!!  Thank you for taking on such an assignment!  It made me cry.  It was an incredible lesson.  Such a valuable and vivid teaching on the most critical element of our basis for all that we believe.  It is truly foundational.  THANK YOU!!!!!!!"
—Cathy H.

"The video on animal sacrifice was very interesting and informative.  At first I was a bit grossed out but got used to it.  Thank you for sharing that with us."
—Karen G.

"I am a Christian and I found this site when recently discussing this topic w/ some friends (Christian and non-Christian). I had watched a graphic slaughter from a slaughter house here in Iowa. People's reaction is often, 'It's cruel,' or 'inhumane.' Yet, so many of the Christians I talk to neglect to remember what God required for so long. It's somewhat frustrating trying to get them to understand the difference between brutality and cruelty. Death is brutal, and it was never supposed to be fun. But in our culture, we are so secluded from death that we never even have to see our food die. So just like when we watch surgery on TV, we might feel very uneasy to see reality up close and personal.

"Fact is, death is brutal, and even cruel... but it is not evil. Death, sacrifice, and slaughter are all the result of sin. Every time we feel our blood curdle from watching something like this, rather than say, 'that is wrong,' we should be saying, 'This cruel reality the NECESSARY result of sin... this is what happens when we break the law. Our sin brings death.'  It isn't evil, nor is it wrong. When considering the GREAT number of sacrifices God, who is good, deemed worthy to be slaughtered at a time when we DID NOT HAVE GUNS OR 'INSTANT KILL' DEVICES, I do not judge someone for the slaughtering of animals. We have been given permission to do it.

"We would do best to face reality, and remember the great pain sin causes. And, of course remember the great pain that Jesus went through to be sacrificed for our sins. After all, remembering that He was the PERFECT SACRIFICE."
—Dan B.
    Des Moines, IA

"I just finished watching the animal sacrifice video.  You did a great job on the video.  It was very informative, and I learned very much.  Thank you for giving so many references from Scripture and for relating it to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which was necessary for the atonement of our sin.  The video led me to continue to thank Jesus for dying on the cross, and I pray that it leads others to do the same."
—Jimmy V.

"Wow. That's very powerful. Thank you! Anything that sheds greater light on God's Word is "fit" for viewing - even the hard stuff. But I think there are elements of Truth that separate the sheep from the goats if you know what I meant. And this is one of them. :-) God bless."
—Heidi H.

"Ok....there are now three things that make me sick!!!  1. Surgery on T.V.  2. People being lynched in movies, and now...  3. Animal Sacrifices.  But interesting video!!!  But don't put it on YouTube.  Peta will mess you up!"
—Frank G.

"I made myself watch the sacrifice video.  I suppose it does give us some understanding of the practice as well as keeping us in reality as you say.  It is still a lot cleaner than I am sure it occurred in Old Testament times.  I found it most difficult to watch the actual death.  It became easier as the film continued, for I was more able to detach myself and see it as a job and matter of fact.  I am not sure that I gained any biblical value from it, however, as it was such a difficult thing to watch and had I lived in that time I would have made sure to steer clear of the area where this was happening.  I cannot imagine any mother feeling differently.  As women in particular, we are possessed of so much compassion."
—Shauna T.

"The intro is most informative ... a bible study in itself!  I'll be forever grateful for the love of God!

"The video of the bull is quite shocking and sad to watch at first, especially when that 'innocent' bullock hits the ground.  That scene has etched itself into my mind.  It was also practical in the explanation of how God creates things for our good, always revealing His love.  We eat food frequently, not thinking where it comes from.  We can also sin easily, if we allow ourselves to become mindless of the consequence.

"As you see AND listen, you can easily picture how it must have been in biblical times.  As I watched, I couldn't help but imagine how Jesus suffered during those moments right before His actual death.  I hadn't thought much about those moments before. 

"I tend to want to bury my head in the sand and fail to remember the horrific price that was paid for me!  The sacrifice of God's only begotten Son was shocking and sad, and I never want to diminish that awareness.  In practical application, I pray that I'll keep this fresh in my mind, for when I show little mercy to my fellow man, His creation, and that I'll remember His mercy shown to me."
—Brenda T

"God Bless You my brother! What an awesome video.  I wept as I thought once again of the agony and pain of my heavenly Father.  Thank God for you and this wonderful ministry.  I wish and hope that millions will soon watch this.  The big blessing to me personally was when you broke down the different types of sacrifices and to think that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and as Paul wrote:  'Once and for all.'  May the good Lord bless you."
—Danny G
    Henderson, Tennessee

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