Atonement for SIN in the Millennial Kingdom?
June 26, 2010 | 
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In this slidepack, (Ezek 38-48) we covered a brief overview of Ezekiel 38-48, merely to hit the hot buttons of the passages. One of the most profound issues in this section of the Text is the prophecy of the “prince” who will make sin offerings in the temple during the millennial reign of Christ. This has brought up so many issues that a myriad of thoughts (well, maybe not a myriad) and conclusions have arisen:
1. Maybe this is not the Millennial Kingdom
2. The offering could only be memorial
3. It’s not really a sin offering
4. Etc.
The main path that one walks to understand this passage is to remember that what appears to be the problem – that there can be no atonement after Christ has made atonement, once for all. (Hebrews 7:17; 9:12, 25-28) It is of the utmost of importance to remember that the sacrifice of animals never atoned for sin. (Heb 10:3-4) They did not before Christ – they do not after.
Only the blood of Christ atoned for all before Him and all after Him – even for those who would believe.
So, why the sacrifice?
The reality is that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 3:23) God warned Adam and Eve that the day they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thereby disobeying Him, they world die – in fact, they would kill everyone and everything. This is the result of sin.
The sacrifice; the blood; the river of rotting, coagulating sludge that would flow from the temple mount on the Day of Atonement from the 250,000 or so lambs that would be slain; the (I’m sure) black stained hands of the priest; the stench of decomposition – all of this is a perfect picture of death. If we do not see sin this way, then we would begin thinking that death is a natural part of life – oh wait, we already have.
Death is THE enemy – it is the final conquest, isn’t it?! (1 Cor. 15:50-58) We mourn for those who die, because we are still dying. It is part of OUR groaning fro the return of our Lord – His return to consummate these end times and bring about the end of death and the grave. (Rev. 20:14)
The Millennial sacrifices with not atone for any more than the blood of goats and bulls did before Christ. Rather, they will remind and point to the One who is among them. The One where life is. Lest the dangerous logic of grace where to put them to sleep in the light. For it is a logic of grace (our logic of our perverted view of grace) that would have sin all the more that grace might abound. Our grace is clean, sanitary – sterile. There is no blood on my hands, right? There is no stench of death in my nostrils, right. True grace forgotten is dangerous.
For, it is Christ’s blood hat is on my hands and His death that gives me breath. He died in my stead and then lives again and I in Him. I can breath because He died – I do breath because He lives.
May I never forget . . .
Posted in Lessons Repository | 
Tags: Atonement, Death, God, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, salvation, Sin
In 1Samuel 2:6, Hannah prays “The LORD KILLS AND makes alive”. Earlier than that, Job said “The LORD gave AND The LORD has taken away”. (Job 1:21) Some time later, King David psalmed “If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there”. (Ps. 139:8) King Jesus Himself said He is both the Alpha and the Omega. (Rev. 1:8) Jude reminded his readers that the LORD (some earlier writings read JESUS – let that sink into our limited mental capacities, that it was Him, back then!), after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently DESTROYED those who did not believe.” (Jude 5) As we can get a glimpse from scripture, we see that God is everywhere all the time, and there is nowhere He is not. He is both Savior and Judge, at the same time, for all eternity. Some will be saved forever; others will be judged forever, by Him. So, how about this blood, His own blood shed in our stead. And we see in scripture that it both condemns, or finds one guilty; and justifies, or declares one innocent of sins committed. In the OT, those that had blood on their doorposts were passed over, while those who did not were judged, by Him. (Ex. 12:12-13) In the NT, Pilate “took water and washed his hands saying ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood.” (Matt. 27:24) But he wasn’t. That is a prime example of man-made religion. It is external for others to see; it has “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion…but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Col. 2:23); it does nothing to “cleanse your conscience from dead works” (Heb. 9:14) Ironically, ALL the people answered Pilate and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25) Wow, what irony! The blood that they were demanding was the saving precious gift of God’s only Son. It was supposed to forgive them of all their sins, “for without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. (Heb. 9:22) Yet, they and all their offspring, and their offspring until this day are guilty of killing God. They have Blood on them, on their hands. The evidence is in. The weapons have been tested and its His Blood on them. They are guilty of sin against God. However, the redeemed, the reconciled, the atoned for (=made one with!!!) are wearing His Blood unto salvation. How can it be? The Blood both judges and saves? Yes! The Innocent Blood of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ, was poured out for all, but did not atone for all. If it did, then all would go to heaven to be with their Father and hell would not exist, hence making God’s Holy Word untrue. The difference is the awareness, the acknowledgment that I have sinned against a Holy God. This is only brought about by the inworking of God Himself, through His Spirit by grace through faith, giving us the gift of repentance from sin unto God, breaking our stubborn hearts, causing the inner man to come to His senses (like the prodigal son), and running to the Only One who can eternally save the soul, Him! We believe that This One died for me, and it totally changes me from the inside out forever. Oh, may we live life and die death remembering these truths, these Gift(s) from God. May they keep us near Him, worshiping Him, like Mary, and not busy-bodying it like Martha. The others look at the Blood and arrogantly proclaim that it’s their life, but it may in fact be their death and killing them. For example, the taking of communion in 1 Cor. 11:27 says “they shall be guilty of the body and The Blood of the LORD.” Or they may totally reject the Gift of the Blood sacrifice, the offering for their sin, and therefore the Blood itself will condemn them, forever. They simply would not and did not believe, “and so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief”. (Heb. 3:19) Do you believe? Oh, really? James says “the demons also believe”. (Jm. 2:19) Is it belief from your heart, from yourself. Is it generated by self and mental energy? Genesis 6:5 states “that EVERY intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil CONTINUALLY.” Jesus said “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, FALSE WITNESS, slanders.” (Matt. 15:16) THE HEART IS MORE DECEITFUL THAN ALL ELSE AND IS DESPERATELY SICK.” (Jer. 17:9) Or is your belief a Gift from above (=true faith), working, abundant, totally trusting and committed to the regenerating work of God in our new heart. The latter one gives Life and Life eternal, the former eternally torments without actually death.