Tag: Israel
Who Exactly Was Cleopas?
First Things First:
Ephesians 6:2
Mothers are mothers 24/7, 365 days a year, every year. Mothers and single Dads, should be remembered every day! Thank you Adonai/Lord, for Mothers who know and love you and teach their children that Jesus/Yeshua IS THE WAY. (This includes all spiritual Mothers too!)
And also…
‘Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Or can a nation be brought forth in a moment?’ 
Isaiah 66:8 was fulfilled on 5 Iyyar 5708; 14 May 1948.
Mazel Tov YISRAEL!!
Congratulations Israel!
It’s your 70th Birthday!! 
Iyyar 29, 5778 is 14th May 2018 and 44th day of the Omer.
It is 70 years since the independent State of Israel was established.
70 Years is a Biblical generation and has a significant connection to the words of Messiah Yeshua in Matthew 24:32-34: concerning the generation that would see the budding of the fig tree, (the blossoming/establishing of Israel). “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (70 years from 1948 is 2018). This could indicate that anyone who clearly remembers the establishing of Israel in 1948 will have to be 70+ years of age in 2018 and could be the generation that will ‘not pass away’, until all these things in scripture are fulfilled.
He is near, even at the door! Maybe closer than we think!
“The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (Hebrew: הכרזה על הקמת מדינת ישראל).
It was proclaimed on 14 May 1948; (5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization and Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine.
It declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, which would come into effect on termination of the British Mandate at midnight that day. The event is celebrated annually in Israel with a national holiday Independence Day on 5 Iyar of every year according to the Hebrew calendar”
Also noteworthy, is the Embassy of USA is slated to be moved to Jerusalem and will officially open on May 14, just days after Israel celebrates the 51st anniversary of the Six Day War and the reunification of Israel’s capital.
……………….
Seeing Jesus/Yeshua
ALL along
THE WAY... The Emmaus WAY!
On the Hebrew calendar we are in the 50 days between Passover/Pesach and Pentecost/Shavuot. This is the time when the disciples were acutely feeling the loss and had questions and doubts. This is just one of the times that Jesus/Yeshua appeared to the disciples after His resurrection.
At that time, it must have felt to them like that door to life, to any kind of future, had closed forever. All of their hopes and dreams of a Kingdom of God had been drowned in death and terror. Jesus/Yeshua of Nazareth – who brought healing in body, mind and spirit to so many; then inexplicably, He had been crucified and buried.
Simon and Cleopas were facing the emptiness of a world without Jesus/Yeshua and the future they once envisioned had, it seemed, been buried with Him. The same injustice and oppression of the past and present looked as if it was all that the future now held. Anyone daring to say otherwise would most certainly end up like Jesus/Yeshua; betrayed by His fellow countrymen, tortured and then executed by the Romans.
To set a scene: It would have been very late in the afternoon on the first day of the week when Cleopas and his friend left Jerusalem to go home to Emmaus.
They’d heard the morning’s disquieting talk among Jesus’/Yeshua’s disciples: the Master’s body has disappeared from the tomb and it made no sense at all. Did the Romans desecrate the tomb and remove Jesus’/ Yeshua’s body because it was their idea to prevent the tomb from becoming a martyr’s shrine and the body from becoming a religious relic?
Jesus/Yeshua seemed to isolate and focus on those who are in the greatest need and He appeared to them first.
These men were in deep grief and confusion, as was Mary.
Sometimes in life, Jesus’/ Yeshua’s first effort is to help us focus on what His word says, so our faith will be established.
Sometimes He hides Himself while He points us to the Bible and its scriptures, because God’s Word is the only true foundation for faith.
Along the road, an hour or so into their walk, a stranger overtook Cleopas and his companion. Jesus/ Yeshua entered the men’s conversation by asking what they were discussing as they walked along. It was very odd that, coming from Jerusalem, this stranger seemed to know nothing of the bloody end of Jesus/ Yeshua of Nazareth; yet he talked like he’s a disciple of Jesus/Yeshua but they didn’t recall seeing him among Jesus’/ Yeshua’s disciples.
As the three walked toward Emmaus, Luke says, “They stood still, their faces downcast.”
Then Cleopas asked, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened here in these days?” How is it possible you don’t know what has happened?
“What things,” Jesus asked?
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied, “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and the rulers handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified Him; but we had hoped that He was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place” (vs. 18-21).
These disciples express the deep longing and belief all Jesus’ disciples’ had cherished, that He was the long looked-for Messiah. But, they said, all their hopes are dashed.
The two go on to report incredulously, that some of the women had described seeing angels and other disciples had seen the empty tomb, but they didn’t know what it all meant.
Here are some of the most powerful words in the New Testament: “He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scripture concerning Himself” (vs. 25-27).
The stranger shares an interpretation of scripture that the two disciples, in their grief, have been unable to understand. Luke doesn’t tell us which scripture passages the stranger refers to, however, it’s not hard to guess which ones they were.
Beginning with the writings of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), and continuing through the writings of the Hebrew prophets, Jesus/Yeshua points out the Scriptures that foretold His ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection.
Maybe He started in Genesis 3, with the messianic interpretation of what God said to the serpent: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’ (v. 15)
Next the stranger may have turned to the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 18: 17a, 18-19. ‘Then the Lord replied to me…I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.’
Almost certainly the stranger would have quoted from Psalm after Psalm, including Psalm 68 and 22, the opening line of the verse was prophesying that the Messiah would cry out from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” After that maybe He opened the treasure trove of prophecies about the Messiah and His suffering, for Cleopas and his companion, especially Isaiah 9:6-9, 53 and 61 and Zechariah 12 and 13?
He told them that, Messiah/Jesus’/Yeshua’s, death and resurrection, had been clearly foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. He had tried often to explain this to them, but the disciples’ minds were clouded with popular beliefs that contradicted the messianic prophecies; beliefs that turned the Messiah into a powerful earthly ruler, who would conquer kingdoms and lead Israel to national glory.
There must have been a deeper earnestness in Jesus’ voice as He opened the scriptures to them. Quoting Isaiah 53 which not only predicted the manner of Jesus’ death, but clearly described His resurrection too: “After the sufferings of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied” (v. 11). “Though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand” (v. 10).
Daniel said the Messiah, “the Anointed One,” (v. 26) would be “cut off ” (killed) in the middle of the final week (7 years) of the 70 Week Prophecy, but after His death, He would confirm the covenant with many” (9:27). In other words, He would die, then be resurrected to continue His covenant establishing work with His people.
Cleopas and his friend had been mournfully nursing their dashed hopes, but as this stranger helped them understand that what had just happened, was exactly what God predicted, and planned for since before the foundation of the earth; they begin to feel an amazing hope. By the time the stranger had connected the dots, the two disciples’ hearts were on fire. In (v. 32), the men said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They have a new understanding of what God has done in Jesus/Yeshua of Nazareth.
There is no record of how long He walked and talked with them so we don’t know, but as they neared Emmaus, it was late in the evening, and concerned for their friend’s safety, they urged Him to stay with them for the night. Luke says, “Jesus acted as if He were going farther. However they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them” (vs. 28-29).
They brought out food for dinner, and when Jesus/Yeshua took the bread BLESSED AND BROKE IT with them at dinner in Emmaus,
the two disciples understand not only what the stranger has said, but who the stranger is.
“Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and He disappeared from their sight” (v. 31).
Imagine their shock and amazement. They have just been walking and talking with the resurrected Messiah! The two men jump up from the table. They can’t contain their excitement and joy, They’re on fire; and in the gathering darkness, they must return to tell the other disciples what has happened and they rush back the seven miles to Jerusalem .
It would have taken them several hours to return the 7 miles –
not a safe and sensible trip to be making in the dark. Nor is their destination a safe and sensible one if you’ve been a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.
But nothing can restrain them any longer.
The transformation of their lives that has occurred this evening is one destined to be replayed in group after group of Jesus’ followers.
When Jesus/Yeshua opens our eyes we SEE clearly for the first time in our lives.
There is an amazing change that comes over Cleopas, his traveling companion, Peter and the other disciples, as they go from fleeing and hiding to boldly proclaiming that the one who was Crucified lives again. It’s not a safe thing to say and it will cost many of them their lives. But they cannot remain silent.
Somehow, Jesus of Nazareth – who is supposed to be dead, now has an existence outside of time and space and it lies beyond scientific observation or human understanding.
Yet it affects thought and action, time and space. A new future, one filled by the risen Messiah, springs out of the ruins of a future, that seemed empty of all life and hope. The future belongs to God and God is there, calling us forward into a new existence.
There are many lessons in this beautiful story for us today.
Luke wrote his gospel, so that we may know the certainty of the things that we have been taught. Luke 1:4
Below the charts indicate, who was there, and how their questions were answered by the certainty of the things they’d been taught.
Jesus/Yeshua cares for all His followers. There are no “insignificant” disciples to Him. We must never feel we are unimportant to God or Heaven Plan. He gives equal care to all His children, and special care to those who are in greatest need.
So Who Was Cleopas??
Not everyone agrees!… so here are some options:
One tradition has it (and it is possible) that Cleopas was the brother of Joseph, husband of Jesus’ mother, Mary.
Another claims Cleopas’ companion on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35 may have been his own wife? 
Cleopas wife may have been Mary, (John 19:25) ‘the wife of Cleopas who stood at the foot of the cros’.
And she was the same Mary that was the mother of James the Lesser and Jude.
Luke 24:34 identifies Peter as one of the two on the road. Luke 24:34 1611 KJV: Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
1 Corinthians 15:5. And that he was seen of Cephas — As mentioned Luke 24:34 , who saw him before any of the other apostles. He appeared, indeed, after his resurrection, first of all to Mary Magdalene: and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same.
1 Corinthians 15:5. And that he was seen of Cephas Or Simon Peter; for Cephas was a name given him by Christ, ( John 1:42 ) .
However rabbi Paul states that Yeshua was seen of Cephas before He was seen of all twelve, which agrees with the fact that Luke mentions that it was the “them” that were with the “apostles” (verse 33) that mentioned Simon’s sighting, not the Emmaus “they” of verse 35. (1 Corinthians 15:5). This was not another Cephas, one of the seventy disciples, as Clemens suggests {g}, but the Apostle Peter himself, to whom it is certain the Lord appeared.
Or was Cleopas a woman, the wife of the second person returning to Emmaus? The reference to appearing to Peter in Luke 13:35 was Simon Peter and was he the companion traveller? verse 18 names Cleopas as the other disciple.
While most people assume Cleopas is a man, the Greek spelling has a feminine genitive (possessive) ending so that some scholars speculate that this could have been Peter’s wife on the road to Emmaus with him. It appears that they were going back to where they lived as indicated in the verse ‘The man came in unto their home’.
The Greek spelling of Cleopas Luke 24:19 is Kleopas while the spelling of Clopas in John 19:25 is Klopa. The letter o in klopa is omega, while the letter O in KleOpas is an Omicrom. Both words are in the genitive case with Klopa = masculine and Kleopas = feminine.
Some say “Cleopas” name in high Greek (HaLane`Katara) means: “Glorious Father,” but Cleopas’ name is an abbreviated form of “Cleopatros,” a more common Hellenistic name at the time of Yeshua meaning: “son of a renowned father.”
?????
The fact remains there were 2 travelling back to Emmaus, which is 7 Miles from Jerusalem. Luke 1:26-38; 2Peter 2:4-11
The journey – walking and not recognizing!
Jesus/Yeshua wants to ground our faith in His word, the Scriptures, even more than giving us the emotions of joy, Jesus/Yeshua may reveal Himself to you in seemingly special ways, but never contrary to what His word teaches.
The fact they did not recognize Him may have been due to His new Resurrected body being perfect, not looking anything like He was the last time they saw Him. Or maybe He could adjust His outward appearance, now He was not constrained by space and time and had supernatural qualities?
Lastly, one can wonder what would have happened if the two disciples from Emmaus had not urged Jesus/Yeshua to stay with them.
Would they have missed the opportunity to know it was Messiah who had been talking to them?
Messiah agreed to stay only when they urged Him to do so.
Do we need to urge Jesus/Yeshua to be with us more than we do?
Not because He is unwilling, but because He never forces Himself on anyone?
How many blessings have we missed because we haven’t been more serious about seeking God, or because we haven’t urged Him to stay with us on our Emmaus journey of discovery and relationship?
What blinded them, is the same thing that sometimes blinds us, which is ?? 
The Appearance to the 10 Disciples ‘While they, [Emmaus travelers], were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace/Shalom be to you.”’
Revelation – eyes open…
Joy on return..
Can people SEE that we have been with Messiah?
Gospel readings have given us accounts of people who looked at Jesus, walked with Jesus, and talked with Jesus but did not recognize Him.
What is it that kept them from recognizing Him? 
What blinded their eyes? What stopped their ears?
Could it be that they, had an idea, of who Jesus/Yeshua was supposed to be. They had formed Him in their minds in their own image and likeness. Yet their image and ours puts limits on the man who is essentially, God.
So, when this man appeared to them in the garden and on the road they did not recognize Him.
He didn’t fit the image they had formed. He far exceeded it and it makes them, in a way, blind and deaf, if only for a time.
In some ways seeing is deceiving.
Matthew 9:27 ‘As Jesus went on from the two blind men followed him calling and saying, take pity on us son of David.’
These two blind men began following Jesus. How could they follow Him if they were blind? 
Blind from birth they no doubt knew their way around the local area and were able to follow along with the crowds. 
And really, why would they follow him? They have not seen any miracles or witnessed any great wonders. Yet in the Scripture above they seem to be the first to recognize that He WAS the son of David, THE Promised long awaited Messiah. They heard what was happening as people were being healed and they surely heard the words that He spoke.
These two blind men following Jesus could not rely on their eyesight for anything yet all their senses testified that they were in the midst of the one they have been waiting for, the great deliverer of Israel.
How often do we ignore what our senses are plainly telling us. 
Sometimes our faith can be so one-dimensional that we are unable to see the truth even when it’s standing right before us.
Seeing as how blind men can follow the Messiah, perhaps we too would do well to occasionally close our eyes.. And see what we can see.
The two disciples don’t recognize Him until the breaking of the bread. Many commentators say that they saw the wounds in His hands at that time and they knew it was the Lord. It may have been the wounds, however it was more likely what He said. 
Perhaps what He said were once again, those life changing, universe shaking words, unparalleled in the history of creation: “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Whether it was the words of Our Lord, the action of His Breaking Bread or His physical appearance, we do not know for sure. What we do have is a record of the reaction of the two men, “…they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem…” The seven mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus became a seven mile jog from Emmaus to Jerusalem – on that same day!
The reaction was to run and tell others. Mary ran too, at the Lord’s command, to tell others. Miriam of Magdala, we know her as Mary Magdelene, was by the empty tomb weeping over the death of her teacher/ rabbi. 
As She turned around and saw him standing there she did not realize it was Him and apparently thinking that He was the Gardener she said, tell me where you put Him and I’ll get Him. 
He replied by speaking her name, Miriam. She answered, Rabboni, meaning teacher/rabbi. All she could think about was that her beloved rabbi/ teacher was gone and yet He was standing right there beside her.
In our day to day walk, it is easy for us to get bogged down by problems, or by what we think is missing in our lives, what we don’t have, or what we long for. We can easily end up like Miriam, so filled with sorrow, focusing on what we don’t have in our lives, blind to seeing the treasure that is right in front of us each and every day.
So, do you and I walk around kicking stones like the men/women on the road to Emmaus, or are we like the men/women on the road back to Jerusalem? He has risen indeed!
Let us run to everyone crying out, “I have seen the Lord!”
Each of us at some time in our life will find ourselves on the road to Emmaus. We each have been told fanciful stories of grace and mercy that are often more than we can believe. We have been told of stories of power beyond comprehension.
Many have heard personal witnesses from others who have claimed to have seen the Savior or who have felt the presence of His love and power. The question will be that while we journey upon our own road of mortal life, how will we respond?
Will we believe those who have testified of the Savior and accept his redeeming blood, or will we lack the faith required to believe? 
When the Lord comes to us through the service of others will we invite them in to sup with us and to partake of those things of which we have been blessed?
Though these two disciples at first did not believe, it seems that because they were so willing to serve, that the Lord allowed their eyes to be opened and their hearts to be softened, so that the presence of the Lord would abide with them.
In that moment of faltering faith and fear, that must have filled their hearts that day as they walked to Emmaus; they had not forgotten the words of their Master, to serve others. In their attempt to follow the Lord, He blessed them beyond description.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.
And they realized that they had been with Jesus. — Acts 4:13
The Apostles Peter and John were men who were like Jesus. One day when they went to the temple to pray, they healed a man who had been lame since birth. Then they preached with such boldness that 5,000 people believed that same day (Acts 3–4).
It was unmistakable. Even their enemies could see that Jesus/Yeshua had profoundly impacted these men. Could a statement like that be said of us? 
Could it be said of us, that we have been with Messiah Jesus?
Seeing and being with Jesus/Yeshua on THE WAY.
The greatest blessings we could ever know or have in our life, we already have.
Jesus/Yeshua is the answer, He IS
the way
the truth
and life 
and He’s standing right beside us –
we just have to open the eyes of our hearts, to see the blessings and treasures that already fill the Emmaus WAY of our lives. 
The WAY begins at the Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 1 and continues through to Revelation 22:21; for the WAY, is the whole of scripture and the WAY we should go.
Complete restoration and new direction –
Forward and upward.
It is THE Truth and THE Road that leads to LIFE EVERLASTING PS.139:24.
It’s the Emmaus WAY – His Way of Being, Living and Doing, not ours and
letting Him walk with us when He chooses to come alongside and joins Himself to our journey. Then He opens the scriptures to us and in so doing, He opens the eyes of our understanding. Eph 1:17-19 that we might SEE and KNOW Him.
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE – THE BREAD THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN.
Shalom Haverim/Chaverim –
Friends, חברים
Phonetic Spelling: Kha-ve-ri
and Family – Mishpachah מִשְׁפָּחָה
Phonetic Spelling: mish-paw-khaw’
Shalom Friends and Family!
Shalom Haverim/Chaverim, Mishpachah
ומשפחה חברים שלום
SHäˈlōm Kha-ve-ri, mish-paw-khaw’
Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Mystery of Solomons Chok – Part 2 – Conclusion
What does ‘outside the camp’ mean?
In Numbers 15:35-36, it is clear that the death penalty under the Torah was to be administered ‘outside the camp.’
Yet what were the limits or how far away from the camp of the Israelites was this to be?
As the children of Israel were moving throughout the wilderness, they kept a certain distance between the Wilderness Tabernacle and the encampment or their places of habitation according to their clans each with their standards and ensigns. (Numbers 2).
When they were to follow the Ark of the Covenant around the city of Jericho, this ‘distance’ that they were to keep away from the Ark of the Covenant was specified. 
Joshua 3:3 – “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord you God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it (ark)…”
So they needed 2000 cubits = to 3000 feet / 1000 yards /914 meters, in order to maintain the sanctity of the ark and for the preservation of their own lives. 
According to the Hebrew law, the place of residence for an individual, whether a tent or a house, would extend out from its abode for 1000 yards. If the place of dwelling was in a corporate site such as a walled village, a Levitical town or walled city, then the city limits was 1000 yards/914 meters from the outer walls of the village, town or city.
Moses and Joshua ministering to the Lord.
The House of the Lord, wherein rested the Holy of Holies(The Holiest), and the Ark of the Covenant, was the symbolic dwelling place of the Lord of hosts. To be ‘outside the camp’ or ‘outside the gate’, it would have to be over 1000 yards/914 meters, (2000 cubits) from the Temple Proper, or the residence of God/the abiding place of His Presence.
During the days of Messiah/Jesus Christ, the Sanhedrin,
who governed from the Chamber of Hewn Stones,
(which was on the left side of the Holy of Holiest facing east, or the north side of the Temple proper), used the same calculations to determine the corporate city limits of the city of Jerusalem.
Since the court of the Sanhedrin stood as the center, a radius of 1000 yards/914 meters determined the limits of their encampment.
Outside this perimeter was ‘outside the camp’ 
As such the traditional sites of Jeremiah’s Grotto, the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and a small hill north-east of the Damascus Gate would be excluded from this definition of ‘outside the camp’ and thereby excluded as potential sites for the crucifixion of Jesus. 
View from Mt.Olives towards Temple.
Two thousand cubits was also the distance allowed for traveling on the Sabbath:
Marking 2000 cubits, 1000 yards/914 meters from Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate brings us to the summit of the Mount of Olives, to the place where the Red Heifer was sacrificed.
From this location, the High Priest could look directly into the entrance of the Temple as the Red Heifer was sacrificed and its blood sprinkled toward the Temple as an offering to God.
When God gave His specific instructions for marking the 2000-cubit limits of cities, the Israelites were just entering the land promised to them, hundreds of years before David captured Jerusalem and Solomon built the First Temple.
Only God could have specifically designed the Temple and the topographical features of Jerusalem, so that the place of the Red Heifer sacrifice – the place of Yeshua’s sacrifice – would be precisely located on the summit of the Mount of Olives. (Where He will also return to and which will split under His feet at His second coming.)
Every prophetic detail of time and place from Adam, Abraham and Jacob on; included every symbolic meaning of God’s Master Plan of Redemption; which was established at the moment God created the world! (Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8). 
Random processes and random events cannot account for the supernatural precision of the Creator’s design that is clearly evident. God controls and is orchestrating every detail of His plan of salvation, to point to the one true Messiah: Jesus/Yeshua!
Hebrews 13:12-13 – “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”
Carefully looking at this text it’s clear that in order to sanctify us with His death, Jesus, guided by His Father, meticulously fulfilled every detail of the ritual of the red heifer, in which His crucifixion occurred outside the gate, (walls of the city) and outside the camp.
So that that His death would not defile the Temple itself, the location was beyond the limits of 1000 yards, (2000 cubits), set outside the city walls and the closest location beyond the limits of 1000 yards, was near the summit on the southern hill of Mount of Olives.
Is there a literal interpretation? Is the Hebrew author suggesting that the reader retrace the footsteps of Jesus/Yeshua?
In order for Messiah/Christ, to use His own blood for the saving grace and sanctification that it offers to all believers, He would have to suffer and be crucified outside the gates and walls of the city, as preordained since the days of Moses.
Not only that, the author urges the readers to mentally go and watch the crucifixion outside the camp on the Mount of Olives, and watch Him bear ‘His reproach’, or the cross beam of the crucifixion.
Jesus/Yeshua with patibulum – crossbeam.
According to His own plan, our Creator (Colossians 1:15-17) entered His own Creation; (both entering within the earth and entering within a physical human body); to offer Himself for our sins ‘outside the camp’, ‘outside the gate’, on the summit of the Mount of Olives, so that we could have eternal life with Him.
From the summit of the Mount of Olives, Yeshua faced the Temple, just as the Red Heifer faced the Temple while being sacrificed.
At the precise place and the precise time God appointed, foreordaining it all at the very beginning of Creation –
And all that dwell on the earth shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8
The Jewish Wedding and the Parallels that exist between God and the children of Israel and between Yeshua and the Body of believers, include coming events in the End Times.
(YHVH) God in Yeshua saw all Jerusalem and all Jerusalem saw God’s Passover Lamb and Red Heifer.
Literally becoming in person, the (Covenant Passover/Pesach Lamb), fulfilling the Annual Appointed Times/Feasts of the Lord that the Israelites had faithfully rehearsed since God gave them to Moses at Sinai.
Considering the entire scene of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus/Messiah Yeshua. 
Jesus/Yeshua, was condemned and died just before a High Shabbat (Sabbath of the festival Passover). 
He was judged and condemned in the Chamber of Hewn Stones in His Father’s House (the Temple) and in the presence of God, His Father. (God cannot look upon sin.)
As Adam was cast out of the Garden to the East, so also Jesus/Yeshua, accursed and condemned, He was led out through the Eastern Gate away from the presence of His Father.
The Red Heifer had been examined and inspected and was found perfect and without blemish, so Yeshua was examined and interrogated by the High Priest,
the whole Sanhedrin and then Pilate, who could find “no fault in Him”. (Luke 23:4)
In the wilderness The Tabernacle /The Mishkan; the sacrifice was performed in front of the Ohel Mo’ed, (Tent of Meeting). 
The burning of the heifer and the sprinkling of the waters,
are performed in the desert by a priest/kohen outside of the Israelite encampment.
(Later as we see, this was performed on the Mount of Olives outside of walled Jerusalem, east of the Holy Temple.) Both were done in a location from which the Priest/kohen could clearly see into the open entrance to the Holy of Holies.
He would slaughter the heifer and sprinkle its blood 7x in the direction of the Temple. 
He then burned the cow in what was referred to as a ‘wine-press’ and gathered up the ashes of the heifer. 
The Mishnah and the Tosefta to Tractate Parah (chapter 3) describe the location of the burning of the heifer on the Mount of Olives, in a place known as the ‘wine-press,’ due to its shape bring similar to that of a wine-press in which grapes were tread upon. 
This ‘wine-press’ was hewn into the mountain bedrock, beneath which cavities were excavated, in order to create a separation through which impurity could not pass, lest there be a burial site hewn into the bedrock below. 
The Priest/Kohen who sprinkles the blood stands on the Mount of Olives and looks westward to the site of the Holy Temple and from there towards the Holy Temple itself, and in the language of the Mishnah (Meudot 2): “The Priest/Kohen directs his gaze toward the Temple Sanctuary while he is sprinkling the blood of the red heifer.”
The line of view of the Priest/Kohen, who stands on the Mount of Olives and looks toward the entrance to the Temple.
Thus, the priest’s gaze passes through four gates, (above) that stood in one (red) line – through
the gate of the women’s section (Ezrat Nashim), the Nikanor Gate,
the massive entrance to the Ulam (entrance hall of the Holy Temple), and the entrance to the Sanctuary.
These gates increased in height as they approached the Temple.
Thus the lintel of the gate of the Ezrat Nashim was only slightly higher than the level of the floor of the entrance to the Sanctuary. If so, then the location of the burning of the cow on the Mount of Olives should be exactly between the height of the entrance floor and the gate of the Ezrat Nashim.
The Mishnah (rabbinic compilation of Jewish oral law) states that water for the Red Heifer ritual came from the Pool of Siloam in the time of the Temple in Jerusalem.
White As Snow: Signs of the Messiah
“‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’” (Isaiah 1:18)
Another color change happened naturally when the Red Heifer’s body was completely burned; its ashes turned white and were mixed with pure water called Living Water.
Only then was it sprinkled on the people to purify them from the contamination of contact with death and sin.
When we accept the cleansing of our sins through the blood of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua—who is the source of pure Living Water — we, too, become white as snow/cleansed.
“These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.” (Revelation 7:14)
And just as the Red Heifer was sacrificed outside the camp, so was Yeshua.
“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Yeshua also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through His own blood.” (Hebrews 13:11–12)
Leviticus 17:11 confirms, “it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life“.
When the scripture says that Jesus was “led away to be crucified” (Matthew 27:31), again we see that
the most prominent passage and path for the temple priests to go outside the city was out the Eastern Gate of the temple, across the Kidron Valley over the Bridge of the Red Heifer to the summit of the Mount of Olives.
There, where the red heifer was slaughtered and burnt (Holocaust), Yeshua was executed on a tree. (1Peter 2:24)
Outside the city wall = same as ‘outside the camp’!
The Red Heifer was then led out the eastern gate of the temple, so also Messiah/Yeshua was led away from the temple out the eastern gate, also away from the presence of His Father. 
As an accused man of sin, Messiah/Yeshua followed the route of Adam and Eve as they were driven from the Garden of Eden and away from the presence of God because of their sin of disobedience.
The Red Heifer was led across the Kidron Valley, walking over the Bridge of the Red Heifer to the summit of the Mount of Olives, and up to the summit of the mount where she was slaughtered, so also Jesus was led by the same route to the place where He is crucified.
The Temple mount looked very different before the Temple was destroyed. The whole section of what is called Solomon’s Stables, left of Triple Gate, did not exist at the time of the Temple. It may have been added to the Mount by Hadrian around 135 AD. 
So even though it looks like the bridge runs up along side the temple mount in the picture in fact it went up the hill and connected to Triple gate, which was once Solomon’s Portico. 
Solomon’s porch in Herod’s Temple.
2000 cubits is approximate length of the bridge, which is the distance required from the Holy of Holies to the Red Heifer Altar.
View showing the length of the Bridge.
This is important because the angle from the end of the bridge, on the lower part of the Mt of Olives, to the Holy of Holies must allow for a person to see through the East Gate, the inner east gate, and through the Temple door, seeing the veil that hung before the Holy of Holies.
Also the Priest performing the Red Heifer sacrifice at the top of the Mount of Olives needed to be able to see the Temple sanctuary to know when to begin the sacrifice. So in this case he would need to be able to see over the top of the East gate and also over the inner east gate.
The bridge is approximately 1,000 feet long and at around a 3 percent grade from the end of the bridge up to Triple gate. (Solomon’s Portico, which had the entrance to the East Gate within it). However it is written that the altar was on the summit (top of the Mount as being directly east of the Temple). 
The way the bridge was constructed it allowed for air to be between the priest and the graves below.
Purity was demanded.
Living water had to be carried up the Mount to the Place of the Red Heifer Sacrifice. For this reason hollows (tunnels/caverns) were cut into the bedrock.
A bowl from the 1st temple period 7th/6th centuries B.C. Jerusalem.
Chosen women gave birth there, and the boys born in the hollow grew up there, never allowed to venture out, for fear of them walking over a grave.
To get the water to the top of the Mt of Olives these boys were carried on large doors up the Mountain while holding rock hewn bowls full of living water.
Near the end of the Red Heifer Bridge was the place of the counting of heads (skull);
where papers were checked before the people could cross the bridge and enter the Temple from the East Gate into the women’s court. 
At the time of Yahshua’s execution we are told that “there [were] many women FROM AFAR beholding”. (Matt 27:55)
The women who had followed him from Galilee and ministered to Him, were allowed only to witness the execution from the Women’s Court Gallery on the Temple Mount.The distance from the Herodian Temple Mount to the execution site on the Mount of Olives was almost half a mile.
This would have been considered quite a distance for spectators who were beholding the execution from across the Kidron Valley.
The only reason they were able to view the execution at all is because of the low eastern wall. It provided them a view which, if his execution had taken place either to the north, south, or west, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE HIM AT ALL!
All the walls which were there were high, EXCEPT THE WALL IN THE EAST, so that the priest who burned the heifer, STANDING ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, and directing himself to look, saw THROUGH THE GATEWAY OF THE SANCTUARY, at the time when he sprinkled the blood [Mishnah, Perek 2].
The Mishnah connects the sacrifice of the Red Heifer, which we know occurred on the Mount of Olives, with the low Eastern Wall. Since this was the only site where the High Priest might have a view of the front of the Sanctuary at all, and we know the Women’s Court was two-storied on the east, this statement also connects the execution site with the Mount of Olives. But to confirm that this is so, we also have evidence that it was not Mount Scopus, a part of the Olivet chain, to which the rabbis referred, but the Rosh of the Mount of Olives, because this spot is connected with the Eastern Gate.
There were five gates to the Temple inclosure (i.e. the temple precincts)…THE EASTERN GATE, upon which was a representation of the city of Shushan, and BY IT THE HIGH-PRIEST WHO BURNED THE RED HEIFER, AND ALL WHO ASSISTED, WENT OUT UPON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES [Mishnah, Perek 1].
It was, in fact, only here where the rending of the veil and the breaking of the stone lintel above the veil might have been viewed. Since we are told that even the Roman centurion saw “all these things” happen, it again confirms that the execution site was somewhere on the Mount of Olives.
A tearing of this curtain IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING at the time of the afternoon sacrifices would have been public and very dramatic in effect. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES [Erich H. Kiehl, The Passion, p. 141].
Looking from the Temple Mount area towards the East to the Mount of Olives.
The fact is the individuals witnessing these events (those near the execution site) could not have seen them FROM ANY OTHER VANTAGE POINT IN JERUSALEM!
From noon until 3:00 P.M. it is stated in the gospels that “darkness” engulfed the land [Mark 15:33].
Now it was noonday, and darkness prevailed over all Judea, and they were afraid and distressed FOR FEAR THE SUN HAD SET WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE. For it is written for them that the sun should not set upon one put to death. and one of them said, “Give him gall with vinegar to drink.” And they mixed them and gave it to him. And they fulfilled all things and brought their sins to an end upon their own heads. AND MANY WENT ABOUT WITH LAMPS, SUPPOSING IT WAS NIGHT, AND FELL. and the [Master] cried out, “My power, my power, thou hast forsaken me.” And, saying this, he was taken up. And in the same hour the curtain of the temple of Jerusalem was torn in two [Gospel of Peter, ed. Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr., Gospel Parallels, p. 183].
By 3:00 P.M. an earthquake had occurred, damaging the Temple. Jerome, who had access to the Gospel of the Nazareans, clearly states that the thirty-ton stone lintel which held the veils in place was destroyed at the time of the earthquake.
In the Gospel that is written in Hebrew letters we read, not that the curtain of the temple was torn, but that THE ASTONISHINGLY LARGE LINTEL OF THE TEMPLE COLLAPSED [To Matt. 27:51 cf. Gospel of the Nazareans (in Jerome, Letter 120 to Hedibia and Commentary on Matthew 27:51); ed. Burton H. Throckmorton, Jr. Gospel Parallels, p. 184].
The collapse of the stone lintel that supported the massive Nicanor Gate would have rended the veils that hung from it. The suggestion that the veils still hung “unrended” over the Temple entrance some years later does not, in any way, refute the tearing of those veils hanging there at the time of Yahshua’s death. The fact is there were two new curtains made each year.
Simeon ben Gamaliel said in the name of R. Simeon, deputy [high priest]: The curtain was a handbreadth thick and was woven on seventy-two strands, each strand consisting of twenty-four threads. Its length was forty cubits and its breadth twenty cubits, made up in its entirety of eighty myriads [of threads]. THEY USED TO MAKE TWO CURTAINS EVERY YEAR, AND THREE HUNDRED PRIESTS WERE REQUIRED TO IMMERSE THEM [ed. Bialik and Ravnitsky, The Book of Legends, Sefer Ha-Aggadah, 160-61:6].
Jesus/Yeshua would have been crucified with a view to the Holy of Holies.
That is why the Roman soldier could see the veil as it was rent in two, and also see the tombs open and the dead coming back to life and go into the city. 
Matt 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
27:51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
27:52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 27
:53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The curtain tore at the exact moment Jesus/Yeshua died and the priests were sacrificing the Passover Lamb.
Note here again the reference to the women looking on from afar off. However, they had the line of sight to the Mount of Olives from the Women’s Court.
Legally, family and friends were not allowed to be present during the Roman executions until near the time of death, when they were called for last-minute words.
It was only when Yeshua had spoken these final words that He said “I thirst”, and after having been offered a merciful drink of water mixed with wine, declared “It is finished”.
Jesus was offered a second drink, which He accepted. It is ‘pocsa’, a sour wine popular at that time. Jesus accepted this drink because of two important images. The drink was given on the “stalk of a hyssop plant”.
(Same type of Hyssop branch as used by the High Priest in the Red Heifer sacrifice. Jesus/Yeshua is our High Priest.)
Remember that these events occurred at the Feast of the Passover. During this feast, hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the wooden DOOR posts (the last Hebrew letter Tav!) of the Israelites. (Everything is connected, see previous posts.)
Again, it is interesting the end of this hyssop stalk
pointed to the blood of the Perfect Lamb which was applied to the wooden cross for the salvation of all mankind.
Hence the scripture:
John 19:25-27 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son! Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” John 13:23
‘Saw His mother.’
Why say it that way if she had been there all along?
Interestingly, most of the visuals tell us that they were present at the crucifixion the whole time.
‘And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home’.
19:28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Mar 15:37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. 15:38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
15:39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 
The centurion, standing in front of Jesus, need only turn his head to see the veil torn in two and the dead being raised and walking toward the city. 
This is only possible if Jesus was crucified on the Mt of Olives straight across from the Temple.
The Red Heifer bridge would have ended between Zechariah’s tomb and the road to Jericho, straight across from the blocked up gate in the east wall of the Temple Mount. The place of stoning for the Jews would have been near by the end of the bridge, so that when a person died they would be before God (represented by the Holy of Holies) and they would be responsible for their own sins.
It is said that the Centurion that stood guard across from Jesus at his crucifixion saw the torn veil of the Holy of Holies at the time, which means this is the same area the Roman’s crucified Jewish prisoners. Jesus was one of three being hung on a cross that day, which further indicates this as a place regularly used by them.
The Roman’s always crucified people on the main roads going into cities that they ruled over as a warning to travelers, and this was sort of a crossroads with one road leading to the city and another leading to the Red Heifer bridge which lead to the Temple. They may have chosen a place above the road where He could be mocked by the travelers.
The two criminals might well have gone through much the same process as Yahshua himself did. What is certain is that each was excommunicated from the community of Israel.
As the shofar sounded the blasts announcing excommunication from the congregation of Israel on the Pinnacle of the Temple a flagman (lactee), stood near the southeastern cloisters of the Women’s Court near the Miphkad Gate with a red flag. 
Each man would have been led separately over the Red Heifer bridge to the execution site on the “ridge” (or “cranium”, “spine”) of the Mount of Olives (Gulgoleth). A second lactee riding a white horse and carrying a wooden plaque on which the charge was written, led the execution party to that public square, the gathering place for the festal pilgrims situated near the Bazaars of Annas. Pilate had written on that plaque that Yahshua was the KING OF ISRAEL! No other charge was represented on the plaque.
THE MYSTERY OF THE RED HEIFER REVEALED IN MESSIAH YESHUA
The spiritual significance of the Red Heifer is considered by ancient and modern Jewish sages and scholars to be one of the greatest mysteries.
However, the mystery of Solomon’s chok is fully revealed in the sacrifice of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
The uniqueness of the sacrifice.
Symbol of the Color of Blood and the Impartation of New Life
An unusual aspect of the Red Heifer is it being female rather than male. The symbolism of this has also been a great mystery:
It has been conjectured that the use of a female, though sacrificial animals were usually males, symbolized the imparting of new life to those who had been defiled by contact with death.
The color red, being the color of blood, may have been the token of life.
By the shedding of His blood, Messiah Yeshua cleanses us from spiritual death resulting from sin and imparts eternal life, the free gift of salvation through His sacrifice for sin atonement.
The physical body of Messiah Yeshua was conceived by the power of the Spirit of God from the “seed of a woman” (Genesis 3:15; Luke 1:35). Perhaps another significance of the Red Heifer being female relates to the seed of a woman being used by God to bring forth the Messiah, by the power of His Holy Spirit.
Some believe that the significance of the heifer being “red” is symbolic of the red blood of the Messiah Jesus without which there can be no cleansing.
The paradox of the red heifer sacrifice suggests profound truth about the sacrificial death of Yeshua our Savior. The kohen (priest) who sprinkled the ashes of the red heifer became tamei (unclean) himself, even though the defiled person became tahor (pure).
The picture of the priest here is one of sacrificial love – the giving up of one’s own spiritual purity so that another person can regain his purity… “Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean” (Psalm 51:7). Just so, Yeshua willingly became unclean on our behalf – through our contact with sin and death – so that we could become clean (Isa. 53:4, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:3, Eph. 5:2, Titus 2:14).
Because of Yeshua, the impure become pure, even though He became impure through His offering. Because of Him, we have been cleansed from our sins “by a better sprinkling” than that which the Tabernacle of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).
The sages of the Talmud had it partly right…. Yeshua’s sacrifice as our “Red Heifer” indeed preceded the “rebuilding” of the Temple (John 2:19) – though this Temple is one made “without human hands” by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 26:26-28, 1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 4:4,11-12, Col. 1:24, etc.).
The followers of the Messiah are now part of the Temple of His Body (1 Cor. 3:16, 12:27) and are called “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5).
The sacrifice of the tenth Red Heifer — Yeshua — instituted a new priesthood after the order of Malki-Tzedek (Heb. 5:10 with 1 Pet. 2:5) that replaces the older Levitical priesthood of Aaron (Heb. 13:10).
Beloved, we have been cleansed from our sins by a better sprinkling than that which the tent of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).
This typology was inclusive of the both the bullocks and the goats which were used as sin offerings and the red heifer which was used for purification and holiness (from sin or defilement) of the Levites and the temple premises.
Hebrews 9:13-14: “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God.”
That the early church believers recognized the relationship between the Jesus and the Red Heifer is depicted in the Letter of Barnabas (8:2) written about 90 CE which stated, “The calf is Jesus: the sinful men offering it are those who led him to the slaughter.”
The parah adumah sacrifice was entirely unique for the following reasons: it was the only sacrifice that specifically required an animal of a particular color. This animal was extremely rare and entirely unique, in fact it is recorded by Maimonides in his commentary to the mishna that, 9 perfectly red heifers parah adumah were prepared from the time the Commandments were given to Moses until the destruction of the second Temple.
Mishnah 5, Tractate Parah –
“The 1st heifer that was burned was under the supervision of Moses on that 2nd day of Nissan in the second year from the Exodus.
The 2nd heifer was burned under the supervision of Ezra;
2 were burned by Shimon Ha Tzaddik;
2 were burned by Yochanan, the High Priest,
the 7th by Eliehoenai, the son of He-Kof,
the 8th by Hanamel, the Egyptian,
the 9th by Ishmael, son of Piabi and
the 10th will be burned in the time of the (for us Messiah Jesus) Moschiach.”
“… and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be God’s will.”
For us as believers we can say WAS prepared.
We need to be reminded that in all the 100’s of years, this occurred only nine times between Sinai and the destruction of the temple in 70 CE!
So the puzzle still continues….
According to rabbinic opinion, future temple construction cannot begin unless the ashes of the red heifers that have been mixed since the days of Moses also have been found. This fact is overlooked by many who await the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem as a sign of the End of Times, and the return of the King.
However For three decades, a former Baptist minister, now amateur archeologist, Vendyl Jones, has been searching for the K’lal, (Qalal) which according to the Copper Scroll; 
is the urn or vessel that contains the ashes of the red heifer that was used in the Mishkhan or Wilderness Sanctuary and in Solomon’s Temple.These ashes were from the first heifer that was slaughtered by Eliezar in the days of Moses.
According to Jones, in order for the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) to be restored, this vessel of ashes from the first Temple ashes of the red heifer must be found.
Translation from the Hebrew linguists of the Vendyl Jones Research Institute,
state that “under the spices, is the purification.” 
According to the meaning of this translation, ‘they are buried beneath the site where the Temple Incense called the Pitum haQetoret was discovered; near the ‘hidden north entrance’ at the Cave of the Column, is the site where the ashes of the Red Heifer are buried.’
Sign of Jerusalem’s Impending Destruction – Red Heifer Gave Birth To a Lamb
According to first-century Jewish historian Josephus, one of the signs of Jerusalem’s impending destruction, occurred when a red heifer being led by the High Priest for sacrifice gave birth to a lamb! This strange occurrence took place just before Passover and was accompanied by other supernatural signs that destruction as prophesied by Messiah Yeshua was imminent.
Another commented ‘What if the new 10th Red Heifer was prepared for slaughter to obtain the ashes to purify the site for a Sanctuary or New Temple and this time she foaled a ‘cub lion’.
Would the Orthodox Jewish rabbabim accept that the Messiah ben David, the Lion of Judah, was also the Messiah ben Joseph, who gave Himself as the Pesach Lamb in the 1st century CE? This drama still has a few pages left to unfold……
The divine promise of purity has been fulfilled in Jesus/Yeshua, our Red Heifer and by His sacrifice we are made pure and acceptable in the sight of The Father.
Please don’t leave this page before making certain Jesus is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
Its all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen
The Mystery of Solomon’s Chok!
As with all posts this subject cannot be taken as a separate focus, as everything is connected.
Other facts and information have to be included in order to make sense of it all as we fit all the seemingly unrelated pieces of this puzzle together. Having said that, before we look at the reason behind Solomon’s Chok, included is a brief pictorial recap. on the fact that Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, is typified as the Alef.
See the last post for reference to the Hebrew Alef Bet (Alphabet). Click links below.
https://www.minimannamoments.com/alef-bet-alphabet/
Each area we look at is like the Word itself, it cannot be contained within finite parameters and it is a huge challenge to condense all the relevant material for one area of focus, into a single meal! If anything is left out it’s due to lack of space and not to the lack of its importance.
This is part 1 of 2, to allow us to take time to absorb the pictures and text, which will enhance our understanding of both the seriousness and the joy, with which our Messiah fulfilled His destiny; and gave us the perfect WAY back to Himself.
Jesus/Yeshua is the Aleph-Bet (Alphabet).
The beginning
and the end
The Alef/Aleph and the Tav 
Alpha and Omega
the First and the Last.
He IS the first from Genesis to the last in Revelation.
The alef or first letter is an OX head in the pictograph
and as mentioned that Jesus/Yeshua is not only symbolized in scripture by a Lamb and a Nail and a Lion and Fire but also as the Red Heifer.
There is also the reference in Ezekiel to the Red Heifer/Ox/Bull with the Four Faced Man.
Ezekiel 10:14 Describing the cherubim each had 4 faces.
“… And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.” (Ezekiel1:5). “Four” is the number of creation and signifies the world.
Also each of the 12 tribes of Israel positions in the wilderness. (Again, everything is connected).
The Four Faces of A Spiritual Man exemplified in Jesus/Yeshua
Ezekiel: He is the “Wonderful Four-Faced Man” (Ezekiel 1:5-6)
In Daniel: He is the “Fourth Man in the Burning, Fiery Furnace” (Daniel 3:25)
Ezekiel 1:10″As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle”. 
Both the bull and the ox are ‘cattle’, (heifer and cow).
Having established Yeshua is typified as Alef/Ox/Red Heifer.. (it was also referenced in the last post;)
..here is the unusual ritual law of the parah adumah (red heifer) and it is identified as the subject of Solomon’s Chok.
In fact, the Talmud states that of all the taryag mitzvot (613 commandments), this is the only one that wise King Solomon could not figure out.
This ritual is considered “chok” within the Jewish tradition, meaning that it defies rational sense. It is a Hebrew word meaning beyond the range of human reason, though some of the sages speculate that although the priest obediently offered the sacrifice as demanded by God, Solomon apparently did not understand why Numbers 19 declared that the priest would be “unclean until evening.”
Chok from Chukkim (חֻקִּים) are statutes divine decrees given without a reason.
These laws can seem irrational to human reason!
Mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים) are laws given for a clearly specified reason (i.e., logical laws, for the prohibitions against theft and murder.)
Note: eidot (עֵדוֹת) are testimonials (from the root ‘ed, “witness”) that commemorate or represent something, they commemorate or symbolically represent something, (e.g. to wear tzitzit, eat matzah on Passover) the eidot occupy a sort of “middle ground” between the rationally understandable mishpatim and the supra-rational chukkim.
The Scriptures are filled with various imperatives of one kind or another. The Hebrew word mitzvah (מִצְוָה) generally means “divine commandment” (mitzvot is the plural form). The various mitzvot found in the Torah may be further divided into the subcategories of chukkim u’mishpatim (Deut. 4:5):
Why was this sacrifice so puzzling to King Solomon and the Jewish sages? Well, the sacrifice of the red cow just doesn’t fit the pattern of any of the other sacrifices given in the Torah.
It’s a paradox, a puzzle, a question…
Here is the hidden mystery in the symbolism of the red heifer for its meaning is a clear foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the Jesus the Messiah /Mashiach Yeshua to deliver us from death and here are 8 reasons why:
1 It was the most unique sacrifice in the Torah. Unlike other animals that could be offered to the Lord, a completely red cow was extremely rare and one of a kind.
2 The red heifer (Parah Adumah) had to be a perfect specimen that was completely red, without blemish in which there is no defect. (Possibly alluding to uncorrupted DNA; Yeshua the Last Adam = to First Adam, whose DNA was also perfect and uncorrupted.) The rabbis interpreted ‘without blemish’, as referring to the color, that is not having so much is a single white or black hair.
This is the only sacrifice in the Torah where the color of the animal is explicitly required. Furthermore the parah adumah was never to have had a yoke upon it, meaning that it must never have been used for any profane purposes. Yoke also alludes being in captivity and in bondage to a master who placed the yoke upon the subject as slavery.
3 It was the only sacrifice where all the rituals were carried out outside of the camp (and later, outside the Temple precincts).
Unlike all of the sacrifices that were offered at the brazen altar, the parah adumah was taken outside the camp to be slaughtered before the priest, took some of its blood and sprinkled it seven times before the Mishkan, that by designating it as a purification offering.
That is, the “blood applications” of this sacrifice occurred in a location apart from the Levitical altar.
Then the red heifer would be burned in its entirety unlike other Levitical sacrifices including the fact that all the blood of the sacrifice was to be burnt in the fire as well.
4 It is the only sacrifice of blood in the Torah of Moses. In other words, the blood of the red cow was not drained out but rather was burned in the fire.
(All the items that God required them to use were significant and heavy with meaning that would only be fulfilled and make sense when Messiah, Jesus fulfilled them in every detail.)
5 It was the only sacrifice in Torah that ritually contaminated the priest who offered it, but made the one who was sprinkled by it clean and that explicitly cleansed from the contact with sin and death. Anyone or anything that came into contact with a corpse, (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified using the water of separation.
The purification procedure took seven days, using stalks of hyssop dipped into the water and shaken over the ritually defiled person on the 3rd day and then again on the 7th day. After the second sprinkling the person undergoing the purification process would be immersed in a mikveh (water) and then be unclean until the following evening.
Purification on Third and Seventh Days Required 
In order to be fully purified from contact with a dead body, a person had to be sprinkled with the ashes of the Red Heifer (mixed with water) on the third and seventh days: Numbers 19:11-13
Based upon the understanding that the Biblical Holy Days, (the Appointed Times of the Lord, Leviticus 23), provide the prophetic pattern and timetable of God’s Master Plan of Redemption pointing to the true Messiah; we can see that Yeshua’s death and resurrection follow this detailed prophetic timetable. 
There may also be a prophetic connection between the 3rd and 7th days for purification with the ashes of the Red Heifer and the 3rd and 7th days of the 7-day Feast of Unleavened Bread prophetic cycle.
In the Spring:
Passover – (Death of the Lamb) (Deliverance of Israel)
Feast of Unleavened Bread – (Yeshua, the Bread of Heaven was without sin.)
Firstfruits – (The Risen Christ was presented in Heaven before His Father.)
Pentecost – (The Spirit was poured out.
Messiah began to write His Law on the hearts of Israel.)
In the Fall:
Feast of Trumpets – (Warnings of Judgment Day approaching)
Day of Atonement – (Judgment Day)
Feast of Tabernacles – (We will tabernacle with Him.)
In preparation for Passover, purification from sin was necessary.
For those who had been in contact with the dead, purification by the sprinkling of the ashes of the Red Heifer was the only way purity could be restored.
According to this prophetic picture, Yeshua, as God’s Red Heifer, provides the purification necessary to partake of Messiah Yeshua as God’s Passover Lamb.
According to this prophetic timeline, Yeshua was crucified on the day that the Passover Lambs were sacrificed (14th of Nisan) and He resurrected on the third day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (17th of Nisan). The Feast of Unleavened Bread covered a period of seven days from the 15th through the 21st of Nisan, the first and seventh days being days of holy convocation, annual Sabbath days when no work was to be done.
6 The items used to cleanse tzaraat (“leprosy”) were burned along with the sacrifice. In other words, the sacrifice would incorporate the means of cleansing from defilement and uncleanness.
It was the only sacrifice that paradoxically contaminated the priest who offered it, that made the one who was sprinkled by it clean.
7 It was the only sacrifice with the ashes were preserved and used (all of the sacrifices required at the ashes be disposed of outside the camp).
8 It was the only sacrifice in Torah that explicitly cleansed from the contact with sin and death. Anyone (or anything) that came into contact with a corpse (the embodiment of sin and death) was required to be purified using the mei niddah/‘water of separation’.
Hyssop (ezov, in Hebrew,) (symbol of humility); a Scarlet thread, (symbol of blood that ties everything together); (the scarlet thread dye color came from the crimson worm!)
a cedar stick,(that pierced Messiah side would then be thrown upon the burning parah adumah (these were the same items used to cleanse tzara’at). 
In other words the blood was assimilated into the ashes of the sacrifice, which were then gathered and mixed with water to create the, ‘water of separation’ mei niddah, for the Israelite community.
The life is in the blood to deliver from death and why Jesus/Yeshua had to die and shed His Blood to give us life.
The word separation harkens to Zechariah 13:1 ‘on that day there shall be a fountain open for the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and from niddah.’ It means moved, (i.e. separated), and generally refers to separation due to ritual impurity. Medieval Biblical commentator Abraham ibn Ezra writes that, the word niddah, is related to the term menadechem (מנדיכם), meaning those that cast you out.
According to Jewish tradition this sacrifice was to atone for the sin of the Golden calf, though the Torah it self does not make this Association.
The Lord Jesus/ Messiah Yeshua is the perfect fulfillment of the parah adumah, since He was completely without sin or defect. 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 8:46.
He was sacrificed outside the camp. Hebrews 13:13.
He made Himself sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21;
The sprinkling of His blood makes us clean, (1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 12:24; Revelation 1:5;) and the water of separation that His sacrifice created, is the means by which we are made clean from the impurity of sin. Ephesians 5: 25– 26; Hebrews 10:22
In learning that the sacrifice of the red heifer was meant to create the “waters of separation” (i.e., mei niddah: מֵי נִדָּה) for the community.
The sages state in this regard: “God created the cure before the plague,” meaning that His love is the foundation of all things: עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה / Olam chesed yibaneh: “steadfast love built the world” (Psalm 89:2).
Just as God created mankind only after He created the pathway of repentance (i.e., the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”: Eph. 1:4, Heb. 4:4, Rev 13:8), so the purification from death was likewise foreseen and provided.
The “waters of separation” ultimately refer to our purification (i.e., identification) with the death of Yeshua (Rom. 6:3, 1 Cor. 10:13; Gal. 3:27).
There were four types of sin offerings. Three of these were killed or slaughtered at the slaughtering arenas within the temple proper, “before the presence of the Lord. (Lev 4:4) All three had their blood sprinkled seven times before the Inner Curtain which veiled the Holy of Holiest. All three sin offerings had their bodies carried out of the camp to be burned to ashes on the altar outside the camp.
By understanding the crucifixion of Jesus with all the shadow-pictures of the Hebrews, we seeJesus as the fulfillment of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer.
The Holiest of all the sin offerings was the sin offering of the Red Heifer.
The red heifer, offered as a sin offering for purification of the collective congregation of Israel was slaughtered according to the dictates of the Lord of Hosts to Moses outside the camp of Israel. (Numbers 19:3)
The blood of the red heifer was sprinkled outside the camp, the body burned to ashes, and then the ashes through some mystical process, (chok) that transcended even the wisdom of Solomon, when it was mixed with pure spring water, it bestowed holiness and purification as it was sprinkled over not only people, but over the land. They purified the temple with it. They could purify the entire city of Jerusalem if needed or the entire Land of Israel.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, our way to holiness would come only through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus/Yeshua, the Son of God. It was Jesus/Yeshua, who was sacrificed as a ‘sin offering’ not only to bring holiness for His brethren the Jews and the “Lost Sheep of the House of Israel” but to all people. It was they, who by belief in the sacrifice of the blood of Yeshua are “adopted” and “grafted” into the literal and spiritual House of Israel. 
SYMBOLISM:
Yeshua (Jesus) IS the red heifer. His blood (the scarlet) is cleansing when applied by Yeshua Himself (the “clean man”) using the water (Holy Spirit) and Hyssop (a symbol of cleansing).
During the 3rd millennium, from the first sin, the LORD made a promise covenant with with Abraham concerning his “seed”. All of the faithful ARE children of Abraham (Gal. 3:29).
It is interesting that the LORD commanded Abram to bring a heifer, as one of the animals to be sacrificed for the covenant ceremony (Gen. 15:9). The ashes of the red heifer, would one day be used for cleansing. 
Four hundred thirty years later (to the day) the Children of Israel left Egypt, at midnight on the 15th of Nissan – after a meal of unleavened bread (Exo. 12:41). This means the LORD entered into covenant with Abraham on the night which would later see the Passover Meal – The Feast of Unleavened Bread.
During the 7th millennium, Yeshua will “sprinkle” us (cleanse us) while we spend a thousand years with Him. At the end of this 7th day – we (redeemed Israel) will be “clean” of the harmful effects of our life on this earth, where we have all “touched death.”
NOTE: Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus were not able to keep the Passover after touching the body of Jesus. They would have kept the “Passover” 30 days later, as prescribed by the Law (Num. 9:10-12). Today is the 30th day of the Omer and Pesach Sheni—a Second Passover! Pesach Sheni 2018 is observed on April 29 (14 Iyar).
The holiest of all the sin offerings, was the fourth sin offering, the Red Heifer.
Unlike the other sin offerings, the Red Heifer was walked over to the Altar on the Mount of Olives (outside the camp of Israel/Jerusalem) and there burnt in its entirety.
The difference of the red heifer and the other sin offerings was that the other three were absolving sin, giving the recipient freedom from sin or in a sense, salvation. On the other hand, the ash of the red heifer was to bring purification and holiness.
Just as the Red Heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp” in contrast to all other sacrifices that took place in the Tabernacle or Temple, Jesus was sacrificed outside the city of Jerusalem. In contrast to the normal male animals sacrificed, the Red Heifer was the only female animal the Law commanded to be sacrificed. Significantly, our Lord was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a female slave.”
Alfred Edersheim gives this explanation of the deep meaning of the Red Heifer.
“As the first manifestation of sin which separates man from God, defilement by the dead required a Sin-offering, and the ashes of the red heifer are expressly so designated in the words: “It is a sin-offering.” (Num. 9:17) But it differs from all other sin-offerings. The sacrifice was to be a pure red color; one “upon which never came yoke; and a female, all other sin-offerings for the congregation being males….
But what distinguished it even more from all the others was, that it was a sacrifice once for all, (at least so long as its ashes lasted); that its blood was sprinkled, not on the altar, but outside the camp towards (westward) the sanctuary; and that it was wholly burnt, along with cedar wood, as the symbol of imperishable existence, hyssop, as the of purification from corruptions, and “scarlet” which from its colour as the emblem of life.
Thus the sacrifice of Highest Life, brought as a sin-offering, and, so as far as possible, once for all, was in its turn accompanied by the symbols of Imperishable existence, freedom from corruption, and fullness of life, so as yet more to intensity its significance. But even this is not all. The gathered ashes with running water were sprinkled on the third and seventh days on that which was to be purified. Assuredly, if death meant “the wages of sin,” this purification pointed in all its details, to “to the gift of God,” which is “eternal life” through the sacrifice of Him in whom is the fullness of life.” (The Temple, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Michigan. 1987, pages 348-349)
View towards Temple Mt from Mt of Olives.
Jerusalem showing location of Red Heifer Bridge.
THE MOUNT OF OLIVES ALTAR FROM THE TIME OF ADAM
Most Jewish scholars believe that from Adam to Abraham (Genesis 22:2) this particular altar was located on Mount Moriah (Temple Mount). According to The Torah Anthology, Adam constructed the first sacrificial altar vs.16 and it was successively rebuilt by Abel, Noah (or his son Shem), and Abraham. But it is essential to understand that there were TWO altar sites in Jerusalem of central importance to God’s Master Plan of Redemption: the altar on Mount Moriah which is profoundly significant in God’s plan of redemption.
The Lord told Abraham to take his “only son, whom you love” and offer him as a burnt offering: Since Isaac was no longer a child, as is generally depicted, but rather a young man in his thirties, it is clear that he voluntarily allowed his father to bind him for the sacrifice. v21
This picture foreshadows the willing sacrifice of Yeshua in accordance with His Father’s will. And like Abraham laid the wood for the sacrifice on his son Isaac, the crossbar for His crucifixion was laid on Jesus/Yeshua’s shoulders to carry to the place of sacrifice:
They took Jesus [Yeshua] therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross[bar], to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha (John 19:17).
“YOU HAVE NOT WITHHELD YOUR SON, YOUR ONLY SON, FROM ME” (Genesis 22:11-12), The translation that can be made from the original Hebrew of Genesis 22:8, regarding Abraham’s reply to Isaac concerning the lamb for the sacrifice.
The conventional translation is: And Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8a).
The alternative translation is: “God will provide Himself AS the Lamb for the burnt offering…” vs.23. Wow!
What a profound prophecy regarding the promised Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua, who offered Himself in our place as the atonement sacrifice for our sins!
The lamb is described as a burnt offering, meaning that the entire lamb was to be burned as an offering to God.
A burnt offering also represents complete submission to God’s will.
In prophetic fulfillment, Yeshua totally submitted Himself to the will of Father God, offering Himself entirely as the sacrifice required to pay the price for all humanity’s sins.
As YHVH-Yeshua (pre-incarnate) provided a ram in place of Isaac, YHVH-Yeshua (incarnate) provided Himself, the Lamb of God, as the sin atonement sacrifice for each and every human being. Note that a ram was provided in place of Isaac, not a lamb (Genesis 22:13). This seems to confirm the true meaning of Abraham’s words as a prophecy about the Lamb of God, Messiah Yeshua.
As the ram’s horns were caught in a thicket (interwoven branches of a bush), vs.24. Yeshua’s head was caught in a crown woven out of thorn branches:
24 The Hebrew word sobek (Strong’s #5441) refers to “branches interwoven, a thicket” (William Wilson, New Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies, p. 443; Spiros Zodhiates, The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, p. 81).
Here, the Temple was built, where the Shekinah (Divine Presence) manifested inside the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant. And here, the Messiah will seat Himself on His throne in His Temple during the Millennial Kingdom; AND equally important is the altar on the Mount of Olives.
The site for the sacrifice and burning of the Red Heifer, and the burning of the Day of Atonement bull and goat sin offerings. It is believed that it was here that the first altar for, sin sacrifice, was established at the place where Adam and Eve first sinned; and it was here, Messiah Yeshua offered Himself as the ultimate sin sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of all humanity.
David went to the summit of the Mount of Olives, the place “where God was worshipped”. Not until David’s son, Solomon, was the Temple and its altar built on Mount Moriah. This clearly shows the summit of the Mount of Olives as a place of worship prior to the Temple and such a place of worship would have included an altar for sacrifice. 2 Samuel 15:30, 32
As previously explained, it is highly probable that the altar on the Mount of Olives goes back to the time of Adam, when the first animal sacrifice for sin was made.
David was shown a vision of the crucifixion (which he recorded in Psalm 22) at the very place where his descendant, Messiah Yeshua, would be crucified, on the summit of the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Yeshua spent much time with His disciples on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1).
It was on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple Mount, that Yeshua wept over the city of Jerusalem and prophesied concerning the destruction of the Temple, the end of the Age, and His Second Coming (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3-4).
It was over the Mount of Olives that Yeshua rode on the donkey foal during His entry into Jerusalem, crossing over the Kidron Valley to the Temple Mount (Matthew 21:1; Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29, 37).
Yeshua spent His last night on the Mount of Olives prior to His arrest (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Luke 22:39).
And Yeshua was crucified, buried, and resurrected on the Mount of Olives (Hebrews 13:11-13).
The Word of God shows that the Gate of Heaven is located above the Mount of Olives. This is place of Jacob’s Beth-el; where the angels ascended and descended from the Heavens.
Here the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of the Shekinah (Glory Cloud) leaving the Temple and moving to a position above the Mount of Olives before it disappeared into Heaven (Ezekiel 10; 11:23).
Messiah Yeshua ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives (Luke 24:50-52 Acts 1:9-12).
Therefore, logically as there is no co-incidence with God; it would follow, that the altar on the Mount of Olives was located directly under the Gate of Heaven.
Somewhere on the top of the Mount of Olives was once located the Red Heifer altar. No ruins of the altar remain, unless buried deep under cement or buildings.
This is probably the best EXAMPLE of what the Red Heifer Altar might have looked like on the Mount of Olives.
In 1980 by Adam Zertal uncovered an altar at Ebal Israel believed to be the altar of Joshua, with a later altar built over it.
This altar had been purposely covered with stones to either hide it, or preserve it. It is 10 feet high and around 25 x 30 feet in width and length. The walls are 5 ft thick with a fill to make it flat on top. There is a 23 x 3 foot wide ramp leading up to it with the same ledge and smaller ramp along side the larger one. Beneath this altar is another smaller, 6.5 ft round, altar built on the bedrock. The smaller altar is thought by many to be the altar of Joshua that we read about in the scripture. It was built around 1250 BC. The larger, rectangle, altar above it is dated to around 1400 BC.
The front portion of this altar had two large stalls where the animals were kept. Also different compartments were found within the stalls was used to contain the items needed for the sacrificing of the animals.
When the Temple was built in Jerusalem the altar on Mt Ebal was abandoned.
The Red Heifer sacrifice was performed on the summit of the Mount of Olives in a direct line of sight to the entrance of the Temple on its eastern side. The animal was placed on its left side, head toward the south, and face turned westward toward the entrance to the Temple.
According to the Mishnah, the High Priest who sacrificed and burned the Red Heifer was able to look directly into the entrance of the Temple when the blood was sprinkled (Middot 2.4):
All the walls that were there [on the Temple Mount] were high, with the exception of the eastern wall, so that the [High] Priest who burned the [red] heifer stood on top of the Mount of Olives and was able to see directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary [Temple] when the blood was tossed. vs.3 God gave the commandment regarding the Red Heifer sacrifice:
Based upon God’s instructions, the Red Heifer (Hebrew parah adumah):… refers to a red-brown, unblemished, and unworked cow that was sacrificed and burned (Num. 19:1-8); its ashes were then kept “for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin” (v. 9). The cleansing in view had to do with corpse contamination (vv.11-22). This ritual included several unusual features, such as the requirement that the slaughtering take place OUTSIDE THE CAMP (instead of on the altar [of the Temple])… (emphasis added).
The Red Heifer had to be entirely red (reddish-brown); at least three years old, although an older animal was acceptable; perfectly free of any physical blemish or defect; and never previously yoked or used for physical labor (Numbers 19:2).
The Red Heifer Bridge
Several references are quoted confirming the same details.
(Significantly, during the second Temple. The high priest performed the ceremony facing the temple while on top of the Mount of olives). (the Talmud recounts that the high priest performed the blood applications of the red heifer while gazing out the temple and at the holy of holies from a mountain opposite the temple mount.)
Yeshua was led like the holiest sacrifice, the Red Heifer, from the Temple Mount through the Eastern Gate along the ritually clean, arch-over-arch causeway/ramp that connected the Temple Mount to the summit of the Mount of Olives.
Certain instructions were given to Moses concerning the sacrificial altar of the Red Heifer. It was to be built “outside” the city. Outside the city was given as 2000 cubits (2,916 ft @ 17.5 cu) to the east from the tent tabernacle. It was to be made of un-hewn natural stone from the immediate area and have four walls, filled in with layers of stone until it had a flat surface on top. It must have a ramp, not steps, and a ledge around the altar on three sides and along the ramp down one side. From the altar the priest was to sprinkle the blood seven times towards the tabernacle.
You must be logged in to post a comment.