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Shalom Zerubbabel,

We are struggling with another question right now.  In the Davidic Kingdom, when the third temple is built, according to Ezekiel 40-46, all kinds of sacrifices will again be offered.  We know that to be true, but we are having a hard time understanding that that includes sin offerings.  Of course that means that there will still be sin (!?!)  Do we have the wrong picture of what will take place in the milennium? I guess we have the notion that there will no longer be disobedience under Messiah's rule.  Are we missing something, or misinterpreting when this passage is to take place?  We would be thankful for your interpretation.

B_____

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Shalom B_____,

What a wonderful question you have posed today.

First, my take on the millennium is not typical, but then I suspect that you kind of thought that already.  I am still working on details of this future period, however, there are a few things that seem rather certain to me.  I am presently at the place in my understanding that Yeshua does not come at the beginning, but about a quarter of the way through it.  This conclusion is partly due to Matt. 25:6.  Please see the study, Where Are We, and Where Are We Going for a more detailed explanation.

When we look at Scripture one of the things that we should learn from it is that YHWH works through the agency of mankind, thus, it is a long and continual process.  These ideas of sudden and cataclysmic change in His kingdom just does not fit in with the overall revealed pattern of history.  Sure, there are events, like the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, but that destruction was long in coming (and for good reason).  It did not happen immediately following the death of Mashiach Yeshua.  Likewise, even after Mashiach returns, there will still be a need to rule the nations with a “rod of iron”, which indicates to us that not everything is how it will be at the end of the millennium.

The idea of a third temple has always been somewhat baffling to me.  Why?  Well, if a temple is built by/for the anti-mashiah and then Mashiach Himself builds one, would that not suggest that the millennial temple is the fourth and not the third?  It does to me.

Sin offerings are often misunderstood, at least in the since that most understanding of sin offerings is incomplete.  How so?  Most people would understand that if a person commits a sin, then he needs to give a sin offering.  And this is correct.  However, that is not the only occasion for giving a sin offering.  Please consider the following.

Shemot (Exodus) 29:36 
And every day shall you offer the bullock of sin-offering for atonement: and you shalt cleanse the altar, when you make atonement for it; and you shall anoint it, to sanctify it.

When the mishkan was sanctified, one of the things that was commanded was to offer a sin offering every day for seven days.  I suspect that such shall be the case for the millennial temple as well.

Also, please notice this next passage.

Vayyiqra (Levitcus) 12:6 
And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb a year old for a burnt-offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtle-dove, for a sin-offering, unto the door of the tent of meeting, unto the priest:

When a woman has a child, when the days of her purification are done, she is to offer a sin offering.  Not because of sin, per se, but because it is commanded.  This is perhaps one of the greatest hang-ups of people today concerning sacrifices, the reason that it was done.  There are different types of sacrifices, burnt offerings, heave offerings, libation offerings, sin offerings, and others.  Each according to its own set of commandments.  Most people wrongly assume that the type of offering referred to as a “sin offering” is only for sin.  But this is simply not true as we have quickly demonstrated with only two passages (witnesses) above.  And there are many more that could be shown as well, we will leave it to you to dig those out.  But I think you can see that a sin offering is not just for sin.

Will there be sin during the millennium?  Most likely, at least in the beginning, and then waning as we progress through it.  At least that is my present understanding (which is always subject to refinement).  Personally, it seems to me that the millennium has already started.  We are witnessing the early days of the first resurrection (rebirth of Ephrayim).  This seems to happen in the beginning of the millennium.

Well, chew on that, I suspect that what I have written will generate additional questions, questions that you had previously not considered.

You are a great blessing to me, writing and sending these thought provoking questions!!!

Love and blessings
Your brother in Mashiach
Zer

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