What do the prophets tell us about the Messianic Age? It will be an age of unending peace:
…For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. (Isaiah 2: 3 – 4)
There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. (Isaiah 9: 7)
And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them…The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Hashem as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11: 6 – 9)
This prophetically painted picture of a peaceful kingdom calls into question the relevancy of laws that deal with sin. Consider these ten laws of Moses and how they make no sense in the world to come:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| 185 | Idolatry and its trappings must be destroyed. |
| 186 | A city which has become perverted must be treated according to the law. |
| 192 | The military camp must be kept in sanitary condition. |
| 193 | To this end, every soldier must be equipped with the necessary implements. |
| 194 | Stolen property must be restored to its owner. |
| 205 | You are required to reprove the sinner. |
| 218 | He who violates a virgin must marry her and may never divorce her. |
| 220 | The rapist must be punished according to the law. |
| 223 | A woman suspected of adultery has to submit to the required test. |
| 239 | Thieves must be punished. |
These laws, a sample of the 78 laws dealing with sin, address idolatry, corporate sin, militaries, thieving, and sexual immorality – things that will not exist in the age to come. Following the logic and argumentation already offered for laws dealing with death and disease, we can easily conclude that in like manner these laws dealing with sin will not be needed in the Messianic Age and are therefore finite in duration. When we take the 78 sin commands and add them to the 15 death commands and 13 disease commands, we get a total of 106 finite commands, equating to nearly 43% of the positive commands of Moses.
Here, in full, is the list of 78 laws of Moses that we have identified as relating to sin and being finite in duration:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| 17 | The king must write a special copy of the Torah for himself |
| 18 | Every Jew should have a Torah scroll |
| 22 | The temple must be guarded at all times |
| 38 | The high priest may marry only a virgin |
| 48 | Additional sacrifice must also be made on the Day of Atonement |
| 49 | The Avodah must also be performed |
| 64 | It is a commandment to perform the ritual of the sin offering |
| 65 | It is a commandment to perform the ritual of the guilt offering |
| 68 | Should the Sanhedrin err in a decision its members must bring a sin offering |
| 69 | A sin offering must also be brought by a person who has unwittingly transgressed a karet prohibition |
| 70 | When in doubt as to whether one has transgressed such a prohibition a suspensive guilt offering must be brought. |
| 71 | For stealing or swearing falsely and for other sins of a like nature, a guilt offering must be brought. |
| 72 | In special circumstances the sin offering can be according to one’s means. |
| 73 | One must confess one’s sins before God and repent for them. |
| 89 | The priests should eat the flesh of sin and guilt offerings |
| 94 | A person must honor his/her vows. |
| 95 | A judge can annul vows only in accordance with the law |
| 118 | If one unwittingly derives benefit from Temple property full restitution plus a fifth must be made |
| 120 | When you reap your fields you must leave the corners. |
| 121 | When you reap your fields you must leave the gleanings. |
| 122 | When you reap your fields you must leave the forgotten sheaves. |
| 123 | When you reap your fields you must leave the misformed bunches of grapes for the poor. |
| 124 | When you reap your fields you must leave the gleanings of the grapes for the poor. |
| 130 | In the third and sixth years of the seven cycle you should separate a tithe for the poor instead of the second tithe |
| 137 | You must set all slaves free and sound the Shofar on Yom Kippur in the year of Jubilee |
| 164 | You must fast on Yom Kippur |
| 165 | You must rest on Yom Kippur |
| 175 | In the case of division, yield to the majority |
| 178 | Whoever is aware of evidence must come to court to testify |
| 179 | Witnesses shall be examined thoroughly |
| 180 | False witnesses shall have done to them what they intended to do to the accused |
| 181 | When a person is found murdered and the murderer is unknown the ritual of decapitating the heifer must be performed. |
| 185 | Idolatry and its trappings must be destroyed |
| 186 | A city which has become perverted must be treated according to the law |
| 189 | Remember what Amalek did to Israel |
| 190 | The regulations for wars other than those commanded in the Torah are to be observed |
| 191 | A priest should be appointed for special duties in times of war |
| 192 | The military camp must be kept in a sanitary condition |
| 193 | To this end, every soldier must be equipped with the necessary implements |
| 194 | Stolen property must be restored to its owner |
| 195 | Give charity to the poor |
| 196 | When a slave goes free the owner must give him/her gifts |
| 197 | Lend to the poor without interest |
| 199 | Restore a pledge to its owner if he/she needs it |
| 200 | Pay the worker his/her wages on time |
| 201 | Permit the worker to eat of the produce with which he/she is working |
| 205 | You are required to reprove the sinner |
| 208 | Your weights and measures must be accurate |
| 218 | He who violates a virgin must marry her and may never divorce her |
| 219 | If a man unjustly accuses his wife of premarital promiscuity he shall be flogged, and may never divorce her |
| 220 | The rapist must be punished according to the law |
| 221 | The female captive must be treated in accordance with her special regulations |
| 222 | Divorce can be executed only by means of a written document |
| 223 | A woman suspected of adultery has to submit to the required test |
| 224 | When required by the law you must administer the punishment of flogging |
| 226 | Capital punishment shall be by the sword, as specified |
| 227 | Capital punishment shall be by strangulation, as specified |
| 228 | Capital punishment shall be by fire, as specified |
| 229 | Capital punishment shall be by stoning, as specified |
| 230 | In some cases the body of the executed shall be hanged |
| 231 | The body of the executed must be brought to burial the same day |
| 232 | Slaves must be treated according to the special laws for them |
| 233 | The master should marry his Hebrew maidservant (if he doesn’t redeem her) |
| 234 | The master should redeem his Hebrew maidservant (if he doesn’t marry her) |
| 235 | The alien slave must be treated according to the regulations applying to him/her |
| 236 | The applicable law must be administered in the case of injury caused by a person |
| 237 | The applicable law must be administered in the case of injury caused by an animal |
| 238 | The applicable law must be administered in the case of injury caused by a pit |
| 239 | Thieves must be punished |
| 240 | You must render judgment in cases of trespass by cattle |
| 241 | You must render judgment in cases of arson |
| 242 | You must render judgment in cases of embezzlement by an unpaid guardian |
| 243 | You must render judgment in cases of embezzlement by a paid guardian |
| 244 | You must render judgment in claims against a borrower |
| 245 | Judgment must also be rendered in disputes arising out of sales |
| 246 | Judgment must also be rendered in disputes arising out of inheritance |
| 247 | Judgment must also be rendered in disputes of other matters generally |
| 248 | You are required to rescue the persecuted even if it means killing his/her oppressor |
