What happened to all of Israel's Old Testament ceremonial ritual when Christ died?
At Christ's death, Israel's Old Testament ceremonial ritual was blotted out and nailed to His cross. The handwriting of ordinances—animal sacrifices, priestly robes, washings, and all Law-related ritual—was taken out of the way because Christ finished redemption, so it was no longer needed.
Les explains that the phrase “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances” points to the services and ritual of Israel's Law. He asks his listeners to picture all that Israel practiced in keeping the Law—the animal sacrifices, the robes of the priesthood, the washings, and everything connected with the ceremonial ritual—and says it has been nailed to His cross. When Christ died and finished the work of redemption, there was no longer any need for all of that Old Testament ritual. Les also notes that people find it hard to lay aside things that appeal to the flesh, and he recalls a lady who valued high church ritual because it made her feel good in worship, even though she knew it had nothing to do with her salvation. His conclusion is that the book does not teach that.
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
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What happened to Israel's Old Testament ceremonial rituals at the cross?
All of Israel's ceremonial ritual — the keeping of the Law, the animal sacrifices, the priestly robes, the washings — has been nailed to Christ's cross.