The Mystery of the Red Heifer

Today, we are going to study a rare Old Testament sacrifice, and realize how it foreshadowed the atoning work of Jesus Christ.  The relevant passage is found in Number 19:1-13 (ESV) - -

1Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“This is the statute of the law that the LORDhas commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come. 3And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.5And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening.9And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

11“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

I placed the passage here so that you can refer back to it as needed.
Now, read Hebrews 9:13-14 (ESV) - -

13For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify^f for the purification of the flesh, 14how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our^gconscience from dead works to serve the living God.

The uncleanness referred to in the Old Testament is typical of general uncleanness (absence of life) that pervaded the thoughts of all Israelites.  God had given the people strict rules and regulations about dealing with their sin (typified by uncleanness - - sin brings death).  Also, everything in the Old Testament points in some way to Jesus Christ, Messiah.
The remedy for sin in the Old Testament was some sort of shedding of blood of an animal.  Usually, it was a bull, a lamb, a goat, or a smaller animal.  In all cases, the sacrifice had to be "the best of the flock", the purest specimen available.

A red heifer was a rare specimen, one which the Israelites believed God provided supernaturally when He wanted a red heifer sacrifice made.  This rare sacrifice has only been made by the Jews a few times (Jewish tradition says 7 times) since it was first made, in the 3rd millennium after Creation.  Israelites were constantly on the look-out for the appearance of a pure, red heifer, so that provision could be made to restore a person to "cleanness" after having contact with a dead body.  It was the only way to cleanse the person from that type of defilement.  As we look at this special animal and sacrifice, we will also make connections to the life and ministry of Jesus.

1.  The red heifer had to be pure, without blemish or defect (Numbers 19:1).
Jesus was pure and sinless, without blemish or spot.  (Hebrews 9:13-14)

2.  The red heifer was purchased at a high price, according to Jewish tradition, due to its rarity.  It was paid for with money from the Temple treasury.
Jesus, God's only Son, given for our salvation, cost our Father's heart dearly.  (Romans 8:32) . The 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas came from the Temple treasury.

3.  The red heifer came from the flocks of Israel, not from non-Jewish people groups.
Messiah Jesus was Jewish, of the genealogy of King David. (Matthew 1)

Some relevant background:

The first Temple was built by King Solomon, but it was destroyed by the Babylonians who leveled Jerusalem's gates and the Temple, carting off the able-bodied Jews to Babylon for 70 years of exile.  At the end of that time, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 3 major waves, one of which began the rebuilding of the Temple.  (This is commonly called the Second Temple.) As Ezra oversaw the reconstruction, he made provision for the red heifer sacrifice.

The Temple itself was built on Mt. Moriah, near the northeast corner of the city of Jerusalem.  The closest gate was the Inspection Gate, called the Paqad (root word) or Mifquad which, in Hebrew means "to count".  It was the narrowest of all the gates.  It was the Inspection Gate referenced in Jesus' words in Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV) - -

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

The Inspection gate was next to the Sheep gate.  {It was through the sheep gate in Jesus' time that the sheep and the goats would pass through, those animals designated for animal sacrifices.  And, you may recall that it was through the Sheep Gate that Jesus rode on the donkey on Palm Sunday.}

When the repairs were done in Nehemiah's time, they began at the Sheep Gate and, working their way all around the city wall gate-by-gate, ended there.  The last gate to be repaired was the Inspection Gate.  Some Messianic Jewish scholars believe this has significance for Christ's second coming, that He will oversee the end-times judgments with this gate figuring prominently somehow.

A bridge was built from the Inspection Gate on the northeast corner across the Kidron Valley and Mt. Moriah (which was a less-tall mountain than Mt. Zion) to the sacrifice site for the red heifer sacrifice, on the Mount of Olives.  The reason for the bridge is that in the Kidron Valley below the bridge were thousands and thousands of graves, the touching of which would make those who walked across them to the sacrifice site unclean.

4.  The red heifer was inspected until its third year, to make sure that no blemish or spot was found on it.
Jesus' earthly ministry paralleled this, in that it lasted 3 years.

5.  The red heifer was taken out of the Census/Inspection Gate, across the bridge, to the site of the sacrifice.
Jesus carried the cross to the Inspection Gate, where Simon the Cyrene was pressed into service to carry it through the gate, outside the city, to Golgotha.
{Read the following scriptures from the four gospel accounts, for verification of this.
Luke 23:26; Mark 15:20-21; Matthew 27:31-32; John 19:16-18. }
Note from Numbers 19 that the red heifer could not be sacrificed within the city walls.
Many believe that the site of Golgotha was at the other end of the bridge, in or near the place on the Mount of Olives where the red heifer sacrifices had been made over the centuries since the days of Moses.

5.  There was a clear line of sight between the doors of the Temple and the place of sacrifice of the red heifer.  The heifer was positioned on the altar so that its head was facing the front of the Tent of Meeting and later the front doors of the Temple, across the bridge.  The priest cut the heifer's throat with his right hand and collected its blood in his left.  He then dipped his finger in the blood and flung it toward the Temple 7 times. (Numbers 19:4)
As Jesus hung on Golgotha, on the Mount of Olives, he faced the front of the Temple.  At the moment He gave up the ghost, crying "It is finished!" the doors of the Temple stood open, the Passover lamb was being sacrificed by the High Priest and the veil in the Temple's Holy of Holies was ripped in two, from the top to the bottom.  (Matthew 27:51)

6.  Other key elements of the red heifer sacrifice:  cedarwood, hyssop, scarlet yarn.
Tradition and some scholars say the vertical beam of Jesus' cross was made of cedar.  As he hung on the cross, and expressed his thirst, a sponge was soaked in vinegar, placed on the end of a hyssop stalk, and lifted to his lips (John 19:29).  As Jesus was scourged, leading up to his crucifixion, a scarlet robe was place on him (Matthew 27:28). Then, at the foot of the cross, soldiers gambled for his garments.

7.  The red heifer's body was burned and the ashes placed in a clean jar.  At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit unites with us, baptizing us with holy fire.  This is for our cleansing and purifying and for sealing us as members of the Bride of Christ.
The jar was then placed in an unused, newly-hewn grave for 3 days.  For each red heifer sacrificed, a newly-hewn resting place was made.  Jesus' body was laid in a newly-hewn grave, belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, and after 3 days, He rose again.

8.  After the third day, the ashes of the heifer were mixed with water, and then that "sacred water" was kept on hand for the purification.  It was also sent all throughout the kingdom of Israel, to be used for its designated purification purpose.  Water in the New Testament is associated with salvation. Baptism is a symbol of the salvation decision that has taken place. (See Ephesians 5:26 and Psalm 51:1-10.)

9.  Here is another mystery surrounding this rare sacrifice: those who participated in the offering of it became unclean through the offering of it.  King Solomon marveled that he, in all his wisdom, could not understand this (Ecclesiastes 7:23).  How does a sacrifice that provides cleansing make the ones offering the sacrifice unclean?  Red is often associated with sin, in the Bible (Isaiah 1:18), and the red heifer offering was a sin offering (Number 19:9). Also, there was no requirement given to Moses that those making the red heifer sacrifice be Levitical priests, (although they most often were).  Of course, the pagan Romans carried out the actual crucifixion of Jesus, while the Jewish religious leaders instigated, and were in agreement with, the act.

10.  Finally, orthodox Judaism today holds that a red heifer sacrifice must be made before the next Temple can be rebuilt and Temple service resumed.  Further, they believe the Temple must be rebuilt before their Messiah can come.  Therefore, the orthodox Jews continually are searching for the elusive red heifer.  As Christians, we believe that our Savior, Yeshua Mashiach, fulfilled this mystery, this red heifer sacrifice, through His death on the cross, His burial and resurrection.  We further believe He will return to the Mount of Olives again, when He returns in fulfillment of  Zechariah 14:4-17.

In closing,
Hebrews 9:23-28 (NIV) - -

23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Sources:

Beth HaShomer Ministries - - The Red Heifer Sacrifice: Prophetic Implications, April, 2018.

http://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heifer/introduction.htm

https://bamacru.com/2012/04/10/why-hyssop-at-the-cross/

http://www.golgotha.eu/RedHeifer.aspx

https://www.gotquestions.org/red-heifer.html

https://prophecyinthenews.com/articles/the-gates-of-jerusalem-have-a-story-to-tell/

"How Now, Red Cow" - - The Red Heifers of Israel

 

Several years ago I was a retired educator and Bible student, who took retirement as an opportunity to deepen my study of the Scriptures. In 2014 I began a Bible devotional blog in which I wrote and published almost daily. That project took a long hiatus in 2020, for reasons I’m sure you can guess. But, in 2016 a Jewish friend of mine whose Messiah is Yeshua invited me to her home to hear a teaching on the Red Heifer offering. I had not even known there was a red heifer teaching at all, since the book of Numbers is one of those Old Testament books that is rarely preached or taught from in Christian circles. At any rate, I went and came away amazed at my ignorance. That event was the catalyst to my deeper study of the origins of my faith. Now, 8 years later, I find myself teaching on this difficult topic. 

The red heifer offering and certain red heifers born in Texas in Fall, 2021, are very much talked about today. Accordingly, there is a great deal of misinformation flying about. I certainly do not want to be part of that. What I do want to do in our teaching this week is to take some elements from the recent parsha concerning the Parah Adumah (red cow) and blend in some teachings from last Shabbat’s parsha, Shemini, to share about this offering, particularly to those who may today be where I was eight years ago. First, a little bit of context: 

Another reason I wish to do this teaching NOW is that no one can deny we live in remarkable times. In the last two years, particularly, there has been more “action” seen in several areas of Judaism; the red heifer is one example. The re-creating of the “silver trumpet” is another. Reviving the practice of establishing/declaring the new moon (Rosh Chodesh) by looking for the new moon's appearance each month to set the calendar is another. We see this also in the arena of rebuilding the Temple, and all that has been going on to prepare for that. I’ve been told that most everything is in readiness. Many members of the IDF, serving in the current war, are wearing a patch on their uniforms. It is an outline of the 2nd Temple, the one that was destroyed in 70 CE. We are seeing among the Jews a renewed interest in the coming of the long-awaited Mashiach. And, to end this list, we sadly are seeing a renewed or newly revealed rise in virulent anti-Semitism.  

Some are saying these are the beginnings of the “birthpangs of the Messiah”. What does that expression even mean? If you ask a Jewish person who is looking for his Mashiach to come, it means that Messiah’s coming is near. If you ask a Messianic believer or a Christian, they will say that these “birthpangs” indicate that Yeshua’s return is near. There is a sense among both Jews and Christians that we are running out of time. 

Now, I am fully aware that older people in every generation have believed that their generation was the one right before the end of days. Older people have lived long enough to witness significant deviations in society, compared to how things were when they were young. However, my generation has witnessed some pretty major signs, spoken of in Scripture. One is the establishment of the nation of Israel, after nearly 2000 years, and the millions of Jews who have “made aliyah”, that is, have returned to the land of Israel, the Jewish homeland. And, they are still coming, like a tsunami. That is a very significant fulfillment of prophecy, given among other places, in Ezekiel 37, where the dry bones were spoken to by Father Yahweh, and told to live. A related prophecy that the modern-day nation of Israel fulfilled is in Isaiah 35, where the desert is prophesied to “blossom as a rose”. The chapter as a whole predicts the return of Mashiach and how His kingdom will transform the whole earth, but there is no doubt the land of Israel began to blossom like a rose after the modern-day nation of Israel was established in 1948. 

The red heifer hoopla, currently running through evangelical circles, is another such sign. That is why we are going to examine it today. If a red heifer offering can be completed, it would be a hugely transformative act, and one that I believe would catapult the Jewish people into the building of the Third Temple. But, that’s just my opinion, based on study and observation. The last time a red heifer was found to meet the very stringent halachic requirements, laid down in the Mishnah and other Jewish commentary writings, was just before the birth of Yeshua. And, don’t think that devout Jews have not been looking for the next one; they most certainly have! Such a specimen is exceedingly, extraordinarily rare. This is why Jews say that it is only through the will of Hashem (Father Yahweh) that a suitable red heifer will be found. 

Before we look at Numbers 19, the key chapter that begins to lay out the requirements for this offering, we need to take note of this phenomenon. You may have heard the expression, “two Jews, three opinions”. This means that, in the Jewish world, from the Haredi (the ultra-orthodox) to the most liberal Jew who is not even religious, there exists a wide range of differing opinions about the current red heifer situation, which I’ll explain more about in a moment. Jews, like the other major religions, are pluralistic about other faiths, but very intolerant of “theological differences”, shall we say, within their own. Still, in the matter of the red heifer and in other important end-time matters, within Jewry, halachic questions that have not been dealt with by rabbis in millennia, will have to be dealt with. In addition to that, the Christian world is perhaps even more excited as a whole than is the Jewish world, even though much of their information is inaccurate. The secular world is even more off-base in its understanding. There was a TV special done by CBS News just a few weeks ago, containing more inaccuracies than accurate information. The red heifer offering is a complicated piece of business, with many conflicting opinions about how it should be carried out. There is also secrecy about the whole process in our modern-day. One reason for this is that many Jews notice a pattern in the Torah, of God doing things in unexpected, often secretive ways, and not revealing all until all was done. 

Furthermore, most orthodox Jews believe that Christians should keep their noses out of anything involving the red heifer offering, as they believe it really does not concern Christians. Some of those involved in bringing a red heifer offering to pass believe that the purification rites are only for Jews, that Gentiles will not need to be sprinkled. Gentiles could only go as far as the Soreg, the outer courtyard, in the former Temples. So, there is some animosity and distrust there, particularly when Christians spread misinformation. And, then, finally, there is great danger perceived on the part of those who are working with the red heifer candidates in Israel at present. The truest enemies of the Jews are the radical Islamists, who are very suspicious of any doings with red heifers, because they believe such an event as offering a red heifer would endanger their shrines on the so-called Temple Mount. They would not hesitate to do something dastardly to prevent a red heifer offering. Last month, for example, on March 27th there was a Jewish rabbinical conference in Shiloh, to talk about the red heifer situation. The Islamist world nearly lost its mind! In fact, at least one of the Islamic leaders testified that one of the reasons for the October 7th war (what Hamas calls The Al Aqsa Wave) was to prevent the red heifer plans from going forward. Was this one of the reasons? I don’t know, and neither do much greater authorities on the red heifer than me. The harsh truth is that Hamas does not need a reason or justification to murder Jews, as this is that terror group’s very reason for existence. There is also a strongly Leftist, atheist element of Jews in the Israeli government that does not want to see the red cow offering or the Temple rebuilt, because it would be a huge political inconvenience. In the same manner, a large number of American Jewry is reform Judaism, of which a large percentage are divorced from Zionism and feel more of a kinship to America than to Israel. Politically, some of these align with Hamas and Hezbollah, even. So, a successfully completed red heifer offering would be a huge paradigm shift for much of the Jewish “nation” today.  

So, what are these heifers of which I am speaking? What is a heifer anyway? Well, a heifer is defined as a female calf who has never given birth. But, once she is at least two years old, OR once she gives birth, she is a called a cow. The common name for this offering in English is the Red Heifer offering. However, in Hebrew, it is Parah Adumah - - red cow.  In 2021, a Texas rancher successfully bred five red heifer calves, in an effort to produce a red heifer that would meet the stringent halachic requirements for the red heifer purification offering. Rabbis from Israel traveled to Texas to do an initial inspection of these five animals in the summer of 2022. It was deemed that all five were viable candidates, and they were then flown to Israel a year and a half ago, so that their care could be continued under strict observation and care. The heifers are now a little over 2 years old, and one of them has been disqualified.  They “came of age” in September-October, 2023. There is no “expiration date”, per se, because in the past, once the Jews were granted one by Father Yahweh, they just went ahead and offered her, as soon as she came of age. However, the older the cow is, the greater the possibility something will happen to disqualify her. 

Allright, let’s read Numbers 19 together. I’m reading from the ISR, The Scriptures, 1998. 

1And יהוה spoke to Mosheh and to Aharon, saying, 

2“This is a law of the Torah which יהוה has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, that they bring you a red heifer, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come. 

3‘And you shall give it to El‛azar the priest, and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slaughter it before him. 

4‘And El‛azar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. 

5‘And the heifer shall be burned before his eyes – he burns its hide, and its flesh, and its blood, and its dung. 

6‘And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. 

7‘The priest shall then wash his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest is unclean until evening. 

8‘And he who is burning it washes his garments in water, and shall bathe his body in water, and is unclean until evening. 

9‘And a clean man shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl for the water for uncleanness, it is for cleansing from sin. 

10‘And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his garments, and is unclean until evening. And it shall be a law forever to the children of Yisra’ĕl and to the stranger who sojourns in their midst. 

11‘He who touches the dead of any human being is unclean for seven days. 

12‘He is to cleanse himself with the water on the third day, and on the seventh day he is clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day, then on the seventh day he is not clean. 

13‘Anyone who touches the dead of a human being, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the Dwelling Place of יהוה. And that being shall be cut off from Yisra’ĕl. He is unclean, for the water for uncleanness was not sprinkled on him, his uncleanness is still upon him. 

14‘This is the Torah when a man dies in a tent: All who come into the tent and all who are in the tent are unclean for seven days, 

15and every open vessel which has no cover fastened on it, is unclean. 

16‘Anyone in the open field who touches someone slain by a sword or who has died, or a bone of a man, or a grave, is unclean for seven days. 

17‘And for the unclean being they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for cleansing from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. 

18‘And a clean man shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and shall sprinkle it on the tent, and on all the vessels, and on the beings who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or the slain, or the dead, or a grave. 

19‘And the clean one shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. And on the seventh day he shall cleanse himself, and shall wash his garments and bathe in water, and shall be clean in the evening. 

20‘But the man who is unclean and does not cleanse himself, that being shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the set-apart place of יהוה – water for uncleanness has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 

21‘And it shall be a law for them forever. And the one who sprinkles the water for uncleanness washes his garments. And the one who touches the water for uncleanness is unclean until evening. 

22‘And whatever the unclean being touches is unclean. And the being who touches it is unclean until evening.’ ” 

 

1.  Scriptures Governing the Red Heifer Offering - - Numbers 19 

(These commands were given right after the people entered the Promised Land.) 

1. The red heifer offering is: 

1. One of the 613 commandments given by Moses 

Let’s talk about the 613 mitzvot for a moment. They contain 248 “do’s” and 365 “don’ts”. Not all of these 613 can be practiced today. For example, 244 are deemed “inactive”, in most cases because they apply to the Temple. There is no Temple, however. So, those mitzvot can’t be kept. Then, there are many that can only be done inside the nation of Israel, that is, when you are living in the land of Israel. All together, there are 369 active commandments today. Still, there is not 100% agreement in Jewry as to how these should be “walked out”. Some commandments, though deemed “active” are not widely practiced. Next point: 

2. There are over 100 different offerings described in the five books of Moses. They fall into about five broad categories. But really, the red heifer offering id in a class by itself. The Parah Adumah is both a purification and a sin offering, an offering done for two reasons: to cleanse people from ritual impurity and to create sacred spaces. Let’s further examine these. What IS ritual impurity? According to the biblical definition, ritual impurity, called in Hebrew TAMEI, occurs due to accidental contact with a dead human body, or inadvertently walking in an area where there are human graves. Ritual impurity is also caused by unintentional seminal emissions, by menstruation, by birth or by having contact with a leper. You can probably think of various Bible stories in which a person became ritually impure and had to go to the Temple and be cleansed: when Yeshua healed the leper, he told him to go and make the required purification offering to the priests. That ritual involved sprinkling the tamei person with water containing the ashes of a red heifer.  After the required number of days following Yeshua’s birth, Mary and Joseph took her to the Temple, to offer her purification offering (Luke 2:22). The opposite Hebrew word for Tamei is TAHOR, which means “ritually pure”. 

  The other use for the ashes of the red heifer was to create sacred spaces. In the days of the Temple, every person who entered the Temple complex had to receive a drop of water that contained the ashes of a red heifer. There were “doormen”, so to speak, who made certain this happened. The Scriptures state that the Temple had a higher level of holiness than any other building. Therefore, restrictions from God determined how one should enter, and who could enter which areas of the Temple complex. 

3. The red heifer offering is also a chatat, that is, a sin offering, according to the system of classification of offerings used in Moshe’s day and beyond, although becoming accidentally unclean is not a sin. However, it is a state of ritual impurity. Intent makes a big difference. However, verse 9 of chapter 19 clearly states that this offering is a “sin offering”. I mean, I looked at the Hebrew, and it clearly says “chatat”, plain as day. So, I’ll be honest. I had to consult a respected rabbi on this point. The RHO IS a sin offering, but it is not a common sin offering. The usual sin offerings were offered in the Temple, on the altar, according to Moshe’s instructions. But, the red heifer offering, while yes being a sin offering, is in a class by itself. It is not at all common. And, this is why the rabbis hesitate to call it a “sin offering”. 

4. And, this is a very important point: unlike the offerings that were prescribed to be done in the Temple on the altar, it was specifically designated to be done “outside the camp”. 

2. Where was “outside the camp”? In the days of Moses, this referred to the area beyond the borders of the community. 

3. Where would “outside the camp” be located today? Generally, this is accepted to be outside the boundaries of the Old City of Jerusalem. The site that was used for the most recent red heifer offerings (recent being a relative term...) is the Mount of Olives, facing the Temple (or today, where the Temple was believed to have been, i.e. the Temple Mount.  

4. Why “hyssop”?  Why scarlet yarn?  Psalm 51:7. “Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean.  Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” Exodus 12:22 tells us that hyssop was used to apply to the doorposts of the homes in Egypt the blood of the Pesach lamb. In John 19:29, hyssop was used to lift a sponge of vinegar to the lips of our LORD, as He hung in agony on the execution stake. Why scarlet thread? It was a biblical symbol of both blood and of royalty. We see it mention in the births of Peretz and his twin brother, sons of Judah (Genesis 38:28). We see it in the coverings of the Mishkan, in the robe of the Levitical high priest (Exodus 28:33) and in the story of Rahab’s faith (Joshua 2). And, finally, we see it in the robe of the Mashiach as He was led to His crucifixion (Matthew 27:28). There don’t appear to be many references to cedar wood in the Tanakh, although Christian tradition holds that the crucifixion stake was made of cedar wood. As we read, all three of these items were thrown onto the burning altar that held the red cow. 

5. Leprosy was a skin disease that caused the skin to turn unnaturally pink or, more usually, unnaturally white. This was a clear indicator a person had become infected with it. Leprosy was believed to be indicative of an inner sickness, a spiritual sickness. So, diagnosis was done by a priest, not by a physician. When Isaiah speaks of being “whiter than snow”, he is saying that God’s ordained cleansing will cleanse even the most hopeless, i.e. in this case the leper, as well as the person hopelessly stained by sin. In the purification of the leper the same objects mentioned in Number 19:6 were employed. The cedar wood and hyssop, bound together by scarlet wool or thread, formed an instrument for sprinkling blood upon the recovered leper and his house. So, again, the theme here is purification. (Leviticus 14:4; Leviticus 14:6; Leviticus 14:49; Leviticus 14:51). As Yeshua fulfilled the Passover offering and the Yom Kippur offering, likewise his sacrifice is prefigured by the Red Heifer offering. We can read about this in Hebrews 9.  However, even He would have been sprinkled with the waters containing the ashes of the red heifer, every time He entered the Temple.  Why? Because He had sinned?  No. He was completely sinless.  But, because His feet could have walked over a grave, or He could have been in the presence of a dead body. I honestly don’t even think he needed to be sprinkled then. But, I think He submitted to things as an example for His followers, then and today. He didn’t need to be baptized in the Jordan either, as far as for the forgiveness of sins. But, He did it anyway as our example. Ok, back on course here... 

6. Why are the priests who perform this ritual “unclean”?  (vs. 7). This is a mystery that even Solomon, in all his wisdom, was unable to discern. In Hebrew, this mitzvah is called a “chok”, which means it is a mystic commandment that is not straightforward or easily understood, if at all. Seriously, Solomon spoke of this red heifer offering and marveled at it. One rabbi I spoke with said that the reason the clean priests who perform the offering become unclean in the offering of it is that the rites are so holy that even being in contact with them makes the participants unclean. 

7. There are many times when we must simply take Father Yahweh at His word. We humans, even those who worship the Divine Majestic Mystery, tend to not want to do that. Somehow, that is not enough for some people. I was reminded of this in studying parsha Shemini last week, particularly the sin of Nadav and Avihu, the incinerated sons of Aaron. It is pretty obvious that they did not fully understand all of God’s commands about the priesthood. I mean, I believe they understood them on a basic level, just not the “why” behind them. And, instead of letting faith in God, trusting His word, carry them through their lack of understanding, they sought a path that led them away from God and to their deaths. Maybe this is why observant Jews say, “We will do and we will hear it.” In other words, “Obey first, understand later.”  Eve is another example. God’s restrictions about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil were too binding for her. Ultimately, she chose a path that led her and the entire human race to be separated from God and doomed to death. So, friends, we do not have to fully understand God and His ways in order to obey Him. To fully understand is not required; oftentimes, increased understanding does not “help” us anyway. At its foundation, sin causes us to want to do what WE want to do. One of the ways Father has been dealing with my heart lately is in the area of food. More about that in a future broadcast. 

 

2. Why is the red heifer offering important to us today? 

1. According to the Scriptures, another Temple is going to be built, on the site of the previous Temple(s).  Christians believe this Jerusalem Temple will figure prominently in the events of the Tribulation period. Jews believe that this Temple will figure prominently in the coming of Messiah/Mashiach.  

2. It is impossible to have a functioning Temple, without the ashes of a red heifer.  According to Scripture, the Temple is a sacred space, upon which no ritual impurity can enter.  If there is no God-ordained mechanism for entering the Temple area, i.e. water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, to make what was called “living water”, that is to get the people ready/purified, then there will be no functioning Temple.  The ashes of the red heifer, mixed with water, were and will be sprinkled over virtually all the implements, objects and people who enter into that future Temple. In Ezekiel 36:24-25, the prophet described the return of God’s people to His land and the return of this purification ritual. Let’s read those two verses and the ones following. When I read them in preparation for this teaching, I literally “got chills.”  

24“And I shall take you from among the gentiles, and I shall gather you out of all lands, and I shall bring you into your own land. 

25“And I shall sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean – from all your filthiness and from all your idols I cleanse you. 

26“And I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, 

27and put My Spirit within youa. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My right-rulings and shall do them. 

28“And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your Elohim. 

 

3.  Current Problems and What’s Next? 

A.  The Mount of Olives is largely a graveyard, which means it is full of “corpse impurity.”  (Zech 14:4) Also, the Kidron Valley, which lies between the Mount of Olives and the old city is “wall-to-wall" graves. 

B.  Corpses have likewise been buried on the Temple Mount, defiling it with corpse impurity.  Many trees have likewise been planted there, by the non-Jews, over the centuries, as they were unaware or uncaring that God specified no trees could be planted on the Temple Mount. 

C.  The Temple Mount is occupied by Muslim shrines and churches, although there IS room on the Temple Mount for a temple of Solomon’s dimensions. 

D.  The unlikelihood of getting a “perfect” red heifer.   

a.  There have only been 9 red heifer offerings made since the days of Miriam and Joshua and until the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 70 CE.  The next one will be the tenth. 
  

E.  There are young men in every generation who are raised with the expectation that one of them may be chosen to perform these rites.  They have been ritually clean from corpse impurity, all their lives. Ever since 1988, a program has been in place among certain priestly families, to bear and raise sons in a very controlled environment and manner, in order to have suitable candidates who meet the halachic requirements when the time comes that a red heifer is identified and ready to be offered. There are a lot of rules and regulations concerning the young men assigned to the performing of this mitzvah. All are over the age of 15 and are physically strong in body and mind. All had a home birth. None has ever entered a cemetery or a hospital or any other building that has housed a dead human body. 

F.  The organization that is “keeping the cows”, in Shiloh, has purchased the verified site where the last red heifers were sacrificed, on the Mount of Olives.   

G.  One immolated 600 lb. heifer will produce about 9 pounds of ash.  A very minute amount of ash will purify gallons and gallons and gallons of water.  The ashes of red heifer #9, in the 1st century CE, lasted 300 years. They have no expiration date. Only one drop per person or per object is required for purification. The ashes from one heifer would suffice to purify billions of people. 

H.  The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has all the other components waiting in the wings, for the next Temple to be built. The kohanim families have been identified. The kohanim are known. They have the ancient holy anointing oil, and a huge cache of Temple incense, the priestly vestments, the implements as described in Scripture made according to scriptural specifications, etc. Literally, if given the go-ahead to re-start the Temple service, this could be ready to go in less than one day. The Temple services/mitzvot can be performed without an actual Temple building. When the exiles began to return from Babylon, the temple service began immediately, even without a Temple building.   

The Temple services can be resumed with only a consecrated altar, as far as physical structures are concerned. But, nothing can move forward without the red heifer ashes, as Jew consider the red heifer requirements to be part of the 613 laws (mitzvot) of Moses. To consecrate the items and people involved in these Temple services, you need purified “living water”, i.e. made with the ashes of the red cow. 

I. The big question on the minds of interested Christian and Jews (and infidels) is “WHEN will the offering of the red cow occur?” Well, it won’t be done on a feast day or a Shabbat, OR during Ramadan, which is over this week. But, last week, the Temple Institute announced that they have found a suitable young man to perform the offering, actually 9 candidates.  When this was announced it sent shock waves through the believing world that understood the significance, because this requirement was another big hurdle that is necessary to be cleared before the offering can be carried out. Another huge challenge is getting the cow candidate or candidates to the area on the Mt. Of Olives that is designated for the performance of the offering. As the human kohen may not have had any contact with the dead, cemeteries, etc., neither can the cow. When the last red cow offering was made, over 2000 years ago, there was a high stone wall which extended from the city wall, over to the place of the offering. No such structure exists today. Therefore, one would have to be constructed. It would not need to be as elaborate as the one that existed in those days; it would need to only be tall enough and wide enough to prevent the cow and the designated kohanim from having contact with any of the many graves in the Kidron Valley. This valley, as many of you know, lies between the Eastern wall of the Old City and the Mount of Olives. 

Will the event be livestreamed? That is possible. Will it be done in secret? That, too, is possible, especially if those in charge believe that this is the only way to get it done without interference. It will not happen unless with almost absolute certainty it can be performed as close to perfect as possible. It will be like the “shot heard round the world” in the Jewish world, particularly.  

Orthodox Jews in Israel have been studying this for close to 20 years and been looking for a red heifer for that long. It is almost certain that, if the heifers remain kosher, it will happen soon, i.e. this year. There is so much more I could share about the preparations. But, can’t, for the sake of time. 

4.  Parallels to Yeshua 

One of the more interesting things about this offering is that Jewish tradition, found in Tractate 3.5 of Parah, of the Mishnah, says that the 10th and final red cow sacrifice will be performed by Messiah Himself at the time of the rebuilding of the Temple. As followers of Yeshua, we believe that Mashiach has already come once and in His coming fulfilled the red cow offering. His coming did indeed precede the building of a new Temple, although this Temple is one not made with human hands, instead by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit. Yeshua’s followers are now part of the Temple of His body which is why we are referred to in 1 Peter 2:5 as “living stones”.   Will He return to do the 10th Red Heifer Offering? I don’t know. However, there are some strong parallels between Yeshua’s first advent and life, and the red cow offering. 

A.  Without defect (2 Cor. 5:21; John 8:26).  

B. Sacrificed outside the camp (Heb. 13:13), facing the Holy of Holies 

C.  His sprinkling, “waters of separation” make us clean and cleanse us for priestly service. (1 Peter 1:2, Heb. 12:24, Rev. 1:5, Eph. 5:25-26; Heb. 10:22) 

D.  Red, the color of the yarn, is the color representing sin.  Jesus bore our sins in his body on the cross, and one drop of His blood, spiritually speaking, applied to a soul, removes that person’s sins as far as the east is from the west. The red cow required for the offering is the only animal prescribed in Scripture with a specific color requirement. This is because red respresents sin, in biblical terms. 

E. It was the only offering in the Torah in which the animal was not ritually slaughtered and “bled”, drained of blood, before the animal was offered. 

F.  The last person to examine the red heifer was historically the High Priest.  Yeshua was handed over to the High Priest, Caiaphas, who sentenced him to death. 

G. In the walking from the city to the place of the offering, the cow had to go willingly. It could not be led by a halter or by any other physical means. Nor could it be coerced or tricked into going. Yeshua went to the place of crucifixion under great physical strain and in horrific pain. Still, He went willingly. 

H. Like the priests who offered the red cows, Yeshua became ritually impure, “contaminated” with our sins, as He bore them in His body on the tree. 

{We ran out of time, and did not get to the section below.} 

Notes on the 3 future Temples: 

Next one will be on the Temple Mount, because this is where the Jews and most scholars believe is the biblical site.  This is the one will be built according to the pattern of Solomon’s Temple, and this one is where, according to the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation, the Jews will re-start the sacrifices and make a deal with the False Messiah, who will desecrate that Temple 3.5 years into his agreement/deal with the Jews of Israel. 

When Yeshua our Mashiach returns, he will construct the Millennial Temple (Ezekiel’s Temple) - - 36x larger than Solomon’s Temple - - 9 million square cubits, 3000x3000 cubits (18 Eng. Inches) - - In Zechariah and in Joel - - will be built in a re-sized (much larger) Jerusalem, 24,000 cubits square, according to Ezekiel 40.  Jesus will rule here (Ezekiel 43:4) 

Eternal Temple, City of God, after the millennium and last battle - - - 1500 miles square and high (cube) - - the New Heaven and the New Earth. Some have suggested it will be even larger than that.