The Red Heifer Sacrifice...
Parashah 39 - Chukkat (Regulations)
Shabbat June 15, 2013 ~ Tammuz 7, 5773
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Torah - B’midbar /Numbers 19:1- 22:1
Haftarah - Shof’tim /Judges 11:1-33
B’rit Hadashah - Yochanan/John 3:9-21; 4:3-30; 12:27-50; Mattityahu 21:1-17
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Sh’ma
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The Red Heifer Sacrifice....
Torah - B’midbar/Numbers 19:1- 10 cjb p 171
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You know, it seems since we have been studying our Hebrew roots... we find ourselves studying the Torah - meaning the first 5 books of the Tanakh a lot more than the rest of the book.
In part - this is because we have so much to learn there and this is the core .... the key to understanding all of the rest of the Word....
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So we just read in B’midbar 19 - the story of the Red Heifer sacrifice...
So what has this got to do with anything??!!
I mean, when i was a kid, i was taught that these sacrifices were done away with and didn’t mean anything any more...
But what i am learning now is that if i understand the stories in the first 5 books, i understand the rest a lot better!
So let’s learn about the Red Heifer sacrifice....
The Red Heifer - is a red cow....
If found 2 single white hairs on that heifer - that cow was disqualified.
The hoofs even have to be red.
No defect - no wart or boil etc...
It has to be “perfect”.
If a yoke was ever put on it - it is disqualified.
.. if you put a blanket on it - it disqualifies it..
...can’t lean on it - or it is disqualified...
...no work - ever.
you could lead it and put a rope on it, only if it was to help it or save its life.
There have only been 7 or 9 red heifer sacrifices in the history of the world (depending on who you ask).
As you might suspect....
It is really difficult to find a red heifer that meets the qualifications.
Let’s think about a map of Isra’el now...
particularly...
the Mountains of Isra’el...
Mt Moriah
Mt of Olives
Mt Tzion
Mt Moriah = in middle of three
temple mount on this
The Kidron valley is on right of Mt Moriah
and on the right of that is Mt of Olives
Clear over on the left of Mt Moriah is Mt Tzion -
Mt Tzion is synonymous with all of Jerusalem .
All of Jerusalem can be called “Mt Tzion”.
The Mt Olives is not just one mountain but it is a mountain range that runs entire side of Mt Moriah.
Let’s talk about Topography map...of Jerusalem.... about how much the land changes in height....
In the time of ancient Isra’el... they would go to the top of the hill and cut the top off and use that to shore up the lower side of the hill.. they put the castle NOT on top but near the top...
The enemy’s of Isra’el sacrifice on the “high places”- these are on the very top of the mountain.
Never in Isra’el will you see a temple or synagogue that was / is placed on the top of the hill.
A synagogue is always 1/4 of the way down from the top.
Greek temples are always on the TOP = the “high places.”
Tuvia Sagiv - architect that lives in Isra’el...
He didn’t buy the idea that the temple was built where the dome of the rock is....
So he flew over temple mount in helicopter and shot infrared waves.... so he could see it.
What he saw is that the dome of the rock... is on TOP,
and the top is a hexagon shape...
and we know for a fact through history - the goddess Ashterah... is a sort of hexagon shape symbol.
Mr Tuvia Sagiv found the foundations of the real temple in infrared!
and it is not under dome of the rock...
it is between the synagogue that is near there, and the dome of the rock
... so neither need to be destroyed to build the 3rd temple!!!!!
Nechemyah’s Temple...
Nechemyah / Nehemiah 3 cjb p 1132 - Each family chose to rebuild.... part of the wall and the gates...
They started out with the sheep gate...
and goes all the way around counter clockwise and ends up in
Nechemyah 3:31 at the Miphqad Gate -
and says after him... a goldsmith made repairs... in front of the inspection gate...
Notice that the wall begins with sheep gate and ends with sheep gate...
Who was the lamb slain?... Y’shua....
Y’shua = the beginning and end, the alef and the tov.
So... what is the gate before the sheep gate?...
b/c that will be the last gate to open before Y’shua comes again. === The Inspection Gate = Miphqad Gate.
Why is this here?
Because....
Right before the very end - we will be inspected.
The Inspection Gate
Inspection =Mipqad in Hebrew Strong’s 4662 = to count an appointment or a census or a designated spot = The gate of the census!
The word mipqad is fromStrong’s 6485 = paqad = to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, judgment.
When Y’shua comes back... there will be a census and he will dived the sheep and the goats.
Where will this happen.... at the inspection gate.
Inspection gate - just north and just east of the Temple....
From the Inspection gate..... there was a three teared bridge
that went over to the Mt of Olives!
A huge bridge!!
A bridge built b/c the Mt of Olives and Kidron Valley is a cemetery
- So, because one couldn’t cross a grave - b/c you’d become ceremonially unclean....
- They had to build a bridge so didn’t walk on death.
Yechezk’el /Ezekiel 43:21 cjb p 699
“You are to take the bull which is the sin offering and have it burned up at the designated place of the house, outside the sanctuary.”
- Had to burn it in the appointed place.. outside the temple!!
Not many things had to be burned outside the wall of Jerusalem... in the “appointed place”
(leprosy was dealt with outside the walls)
Mipqad = the appointed place... the appointed gate - the Inspection Gate.....used for the High Priest.
The Cohen Hagadol -took the Red heifer and inspected it again and finally - at the Inspection Gate.
Then the person assigned and the Cohen HaGadol and the guy to clean up the ashes ... (Probably others!) would take it across the bridge to the Mt of Olives.
The sacrifice (Killing) did not have to be done by a priest.
Sh’mot /Exodus 38:25-26 cjb p 105 - “numbered” -numbering all the men of Isra’el... = a census.
Numbered = Paquad = to number
Sh’mot /Ex 38:26 - Literal Translation: “ a bekah for a head, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone passing over to those numbered, from a son of twenty years ad upward, ...”
“Those numbered”.... (each person counted)
in CJB = “for everyone”
The Hebrew word for “those numbered” (“everyone” in cjb ) is...
.... golgolet = skull, a poll/census, every man
At the end of time, every man will be numbered
By the first century this place was called.... “ golgotha”.
- Yes this is where - the exact place --- Y’shua was sacrificed!
So.... when they did the census - this is where they would count the men/people.
This was the main place or GATE people would come into Jerusalem through.
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Okay so back to the Red Heifer....
So they would watch for a Red Heifer to be born...
Inspect it... look for any flaws.
The Red Heifer had to be purchased with money from the Temple treasury.
It could not have more than 2 white hairs.
It had to have red hoofs.
It could never have a yoke on it - never do any work.
It could only be led if it was for its own good.
They would watch it grow... and always be sure that nothing disqualified it from being perfect for sacrifice.
Then when the time came for sacrifice...
The person making the sacrifice would take the Heifer to the city gate called
Mipqad the gate of Inspection...
and here they would inspect it again.
Then he would take the red heifer and cross out the gate and cross the bridge and go to the Mt of Olives.... with the Cohen Hagadol and others....
...where the altar was built for this sacrifice.
-There literally was an altar outside the gates of Jerusalem,
where they did one single sacrifice - the Red Heifer Sacrifice.
This altar was considered a “clean” place.
Here, the person making the sacrifice took the Red Heifer and faced it due west toward the temple ..
the head of the cow would be looking directly at/ “into” the temple..
then priests would open the doors of the Temple,
and would open the curtain to the Holy of Holies...
The Temple curtain around the Holy of Holies had to be open for the sacrifice to be valid.
(This altar outside the Temple was about 200 feet away...so could easily see inside the temple)
and the one making the sacrifice would kill/sacrifice the animal.
B’Midbar /Numbers 19:4 cjb p 171 “El’azar the cohen is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle this blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times.”
For the sprinkling ... The one killing the cow would right hand cut the neck of the cow, and the left hand caught some of the blood.
Then the Cohen HaGadol took the index finger of his right hand ... and 7 times sprinkled it towards the doors of sanctuary...and toward the Holy of Holies.
Remember - he is about 200 feet away...so could easily see inside the temple.....
Blood is sprinkled 7 times toward front of tabernacle... the Holy of Holies.
Then the one doing the sacrifice would light the dead Red Heifer on fire.
After the fire is burning, he would take hyssop and cedar wood and wrap it in scarlet wool and throw it in the fire...
As soon as the Red Heifer was all burned up ... they would beat the bones and ashes, into fine ashes...
and then take the ashes and put them in “a clean place”
and leave them in the clean place for three days.
“A clean place”....
= newly hewn rock... rock not porous - so newly hewn and no dead bodies in there... It was a clean place and painted white...
They would leave them in this this “clean place” for three days.
After 3 days - they would go get the ashes, and mix them with living water
...and then that water would be used to cleanse the things of the temple and
- The priests were inaugurated into their position of service - only when they had ashes and water of a red heifer was sacrifice.
It didn’t matter that they were born into the role - the family line...
they could only start their service after the cleansing of the red heifer sacrifice.
You could be called a priest from birth, but you could not start your ministry because you were defiled and only cleaned by the red heifer sacrifice.
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Now you may think like i used to think, and think that was a pretty gross story that doesn’t make much sense...
Well, the amazing thing is this....
The strongest and most amazing prophecies in the Word are the ones that are about Y’shua,
because, as we are finding out - Y’shua fulfills them to a “T”!!
So let’s make the connections....
There were Red Heifers born in 1997 and one in 2002 -both disqualified...
The birth of a Red Heifer always makes big news in Isra’el...
Because ... the Mishnah says “the next red heifer will bring 3 temple and Messiah.”
So red heifer born = celebration...
When Y’shua was born.... the Heavenly Host Sang!
Red heifer watched for three years
Y’shua watched for 3 years of ministry.
He had to have a 3 year ministry...
b/c red heifer has to be watched for three years.
the night before Y’shua ‘s death... they brought him to Cohen HaGadol - the High Priest for “inspection”
... and then to golgotha....
and to get there... He had to go through the Inspection Gate.
And what was going on at the Inspection Gate...
This is where he fell....The Gate of the Inspection - the “last counting...
and here the yoke had to be removed or it would have disqualified him once he crossed through the gate, he had to be without a yoke
- because it was at that point - he was the Red Heifer sacrifice.
(I do not know why it was okay for him to carry stake at all.)
Red Heifer must be acquired through money from the temple treasury. purchased by temple treasury...
The location of Y'shua was paid for from the Temple treasury to Judas (30 pieces of silver)
The Red Heifer must be without defect/ blemish
Y’shua was without blemish/ sin
--Why wouldn’t it be a white heifer??
Why RED??
In Bible sin is RED... black is death.
Why, if no blemish/sin - wouldn’t this be a white cow??
Rabbis can’t figure this out -
They don’t know why the very sacrifice that cleanses all Isra’el ... makes those who do the sacrifice - unclean...
Why a white cow?
Red represents sin and death
white represents truth and life
What the rabbis don’t connect is that the cow had to be red
- it is taking on all sins of Isra’el and so it can’t be white..
- you don’t burn something that is perfect...
It’s a perfect cow......but it’s red... and that means it represents the sins of Isra’el.
So technically what is going on in the Red Heifer sacrifice is ...
.....they were burning sin outside the camp.
The Red Heifer was handed over to high priest for examination
Y’shua handed over to Kayafus for examination.
why did Y’shua have to be examined??...b/c that was exactly what the Red Heifer sacrifice - the sin sacrifice required.
led the cow outside the inspection gate to the Mt of Olives to be sacrificed...
There are no priestly qualifications on who burns the red heifer
... it didn’t have to be a priest.
The Romans had no priestly qualifications to crucify the Messiah...
if the Torah would have required a priest for the Red Heifer sacrifice
- y’shua would have been disqualified as Red Heifer sacrifice... b/c it was the Romans who did the killing of Y’shua.
The blood had to be sprinkled 7 times toward the temple
one for each day of the week and each millennium of creation (7k years!)
When Adam sinned, what happened?...
It caused all other men to be born into sin and into an unclean state... every generation for the next 7 thousand years = unclean...
So the blood was offered toward the temple seven times to cover the sin of all man.
The curtain in the temple must be open during the sacrifice for the sacrifice to be valid!!
When Y’shua died.... the curtain of the Holy of Holies
-The same curtain that would have been open for the Red Heifer sacrifice....
But remember, there is no Levitical High Priest b/c Kayafus had disqualified himself when he tore his clothes at Y’shua’s trial...
So Y’shua is the only high priest - and he is from the from the line of Melchizedek - so there he is “overseeing” his own sacrifice.... and he can see right into the Holy of Holies.
thus validating his own sacrifice!!!!
The curtain around the Holy of Hoies was ripped by an earthquake...
How did that happen?....
Well, the stone on top holding the curtain that was around the Holy of Holies was 30 tons....
So the earthquake happens.... the earth is shaking...
and
30 tons of rock fell to the ground...
that must have been a huge noise coming from the temple....
so of course everyone would have looked!!
The Torah requires that the high priest has to LOOK into the Holy of Holies... for the Red Heifer sacrifice to be valid....
when the rock falls... it catches Y’shua’s attention, and anyone else who is out there!
.... a major earth quake - doors open , 30 ton rock falls... curtain rips in half... and everyone is looking b/c it is such a huge earthshaking change...
and another criteria is met by Y’shua’s sacrifice!!
So... when the curtain rips...
Y’shua is on the stake... looking directly into the Holy of Holies....
into the face, the panim of YHWH
“before the Lord” = looking directly into his face
and his father turns his head....
YHWH chooses to allow the Benah - the one who is the plan to bring the restoration - to remain on the stake and die.
Remember that YHWH is ecahd... so this is not two persons....
this is that Y’shua was looking at the strength of YHWH - his own strength an couldn’t do anything but carry on with the sacrifice.
Yah must turn his head b/c of the crimson red - Y’shua has become sin...because He took on all our sins.
His own strength and power and holiness must look away
Y’shua full of blood - ripped to shreds - nothing but blood... Y’shua is RED.
The first sin sacrifice -the cow - is red.
It is not until the ashes of the red heifer sacrifice are combined with living water that brings forth new life
Immersion is the combination of the death of Messiah and Living water
The took ashes of red heifer - and sit in clean place for three days and then put in living water - on the third day... and then on the 7th day the people are then declared clean.
baptism.. immersed into death of Y'shua .. connecting death of Y’shua with living water...
So - until you are mikvahed... baptism with water and fire.... what fire??
what is the writer of Hebrews talking about? the red heifer sacrifice - burning - fire and water....
The death of Messiah mixed with living water of Word and be baptized with his spirit ...
(Remember this is not in any certain order, based on Acts.)
Then the one doing the sacrifice -- took a piece of cedar wood, hyssop and a crimson wool and cast them into the fire of the sacrifice.
Y’shua was crucified on a cedar beam, was given sour wine (hyssop) and was forced to wear a crimson robe
how do they make crimson wool??
Where does wool come from? -sheep!
So a red piece of wool would represent...
... the....“Blood of the lamb”
so the crimson robe is put on Y’shua - is the lamb of God wearing lamb wool dyed red - representing the “blood of the lamb”
Look how clear YHWH makes things for us over and over!!!
He is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world...
....crucified on the Mt of Olives - where the Red Heifer sacrifice was sacrificed..
looking into the holy of holies...
-- satisfying every single step/ prophecy of the Red Heifer sacrifice and every scripture
Ashes of Red Heifer sacrifice were then gathered and taken to a clean place in newly hewn stone.
Y’shua was placed in a newly hewn stone of Joseph of Arimathea
the cow ashes were put in a mini tomb...
The ashes would be taken to a clean place until the 3rd day... then they were mixed with living water and used for cleansing.
Y’shua/YHWH... rose on the 3rd day and came back as Ruach HaKodesh (Remember YHWH is echad!)
So.... the death, burial and resurrection represent:
the Yom Kippur sacrifice- sin
the Pesach sacrifice - freedom for slavery and no firstborn death
the Red Heifer sacrifice... a washing of sin that sets priests into their “office”/ role and priests.
you must be sprinkled by that gospel...
when you are sprinkled on the “3rd day” - (His resurrection) - accepting Yah’s plan walking in his ways..
on the 7th day - 7000 years.... you will be mikvahed again but this time it will be directly by Him...
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- Ever wondered why he comes back on the Mt of Olives in Revelation??
... b/c that is the place of golgotha.. the counting of the census.. the inspection gate - the entrance of the city...
Y’shua said “I am the way”.... to my Father... No one goes to him except through me...
where is Father in 1st century Hebrew??
He is in the holy of holies...
the bridge/gate -over the death across the valley.. and the counting of the censes starts...
and nobody goes across that valley unless you pass by HIM. He will be doing the census.
The fist red heifer was in the 3rd Millennium and Y’shua is coming back at the beginning of the 7th Millennium.
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We know that depending who one asks... there have been either 7 or 9 Red Heifers....
If we assume that 7 is correct....
7 cows sacrificed - 8 = new beginnings.... So Y’shua would have been the NEW BEGINNING!
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so the great mystery = how can the the very ceremony that is designed to make people clean... make those who perform it unclean???
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them....
if you break the Torah you are under a curse
and if you rely on Torah for salvation - you are under a curse
The Torah is directions on how to live and if we keep them we live and are blessed... but the cleansing comes from the sacrifice - Y’shua!
He came to get rid of the curse.. he became the curse...
the red heifer starts out perfect and it ends up totally unclean - that is why all at the sacrifice who touch that red heifer become unclean.....
this is the great paradox
In orthodox Judaism - this is the greatest mystery in all of scripture...
Rabbis even say Solomon knew all things but he did not know.... what /how is it that something so perfect could make all clean but the ones officiating the sacrifice become unclean.
Y’shua became unclean...
he had to go three days..b/c three days was the number that it took for the red cow to go from unclean to clean...
and guess what.... he shows up on the 3rd day wearing... a white robe
b/c he had been mikvahed
he was washed in the water of the Word...
as he fulfilled all prophecies of Messiah!
Those Words washed over him - he did them all!!
This will turn the lights on for us for Romans 11 cjb p 1415
and Ephesians 2 cjb p 1460.
Ivrim/Hebrews 9:13-14 cjb p 1502
“For if sprinkling ceremonially unclean persons with the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer restores their outward purity 14 then how much more the blood of the Messiah who, through the eternal Spirit, offered himself to YHWH as a sacrifice without blemish, will purify our conscience from works that lead to death, so that we can serve the living Eloah (God).”
Are you getting this??!!!!!!!!!
You can’t know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - and put together the connections we are making and not get excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Z’kharyah / Zechariah 14:4 cjb p 784
“On that day his feet will stand on the Mt of Olives, which lies to the east of Yerushalayim and the Mt of Olives will be split in half from the east to west, to make a huge valley.”
Z’kharyah 14:16 cjb p 785
“Finally, everyone remaining from all the nations that came to attack Yerushalayim will go up every year to worship the king, Adonai-Tzva’ot, and to keep the festival of Sukkot.
we have 7 feasts that we are supposed to honor...
we have to learn and try and do our best...
someday at some point - it will be as it was in the days of Noach...
Jim Staley thinks Noach’s family was protected - that they were out Sukkoting - must have been near the ark he built.... sukkoting... Following the instructions of YHWH......they were already out of the city when the lights got turned off....
His point is....
something will happen in the world and YHWH protects those who are already honoring him.
Keeping YHWH’s instructions goes from the abstract idea that “If we keep his instructions, we are blessed, to look - we might be doing what HE says and when we are doing that - we are away from the danger!!
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Why is the Red heifer so important for us today????
- 3rd temple is coming
- Y'shua doesn’t return till 3rd temple is desecrated by the anti- messiah during the daily sacrifice.
- according to Torah - you can’t have temple service without a red heifer sacrifice b/c the red heifer is what makes the priests ceremonially clean - they can’t do what they do - unless they have been cleaned by the ashes and water from the red heifer....
- it is also what purifies the items used in Temple service.
so we should not be looking for them to be sacrificing lambs.. we should watch for the birth of the red Heifer...
Rabbi Chaim Richman...
the Mishnah says only 9 red heifers... and the ashes were enough to do the cleansing for all the people of Isra’el and there is an idea that the 10th red heifer is associated with the rebuilding of the temple.
there is a kosher red heifer born 2010... not disclosing the location... probably more than one.
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We know that the temple furniture and the priestly garments are made and ready...
We know that nothing has to be torn down on the “Temple Mount” to build a new Temple in the exact spot.
We know that they are talking about building “Solomon’s Palace”... a place where the three major religions can worship together - on the Temple Mount.... and who knows what they will sacrifice there....
We also know that what could be built to do sacrifices in is Moshe’s Tabernacle.... and they say that is ready to go up as well and that would take 3 days to be up.
So we are not necessarily talking years and years....
Are we ready?
Are we watching??
Do we know the times and the Seasons (the Feasts of YHWH that prophecy HIS return (Yom Teruah - his return, Yom Kippur - the judgment, and Sukkot - the tabernacling/ Millennial reign)
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So we’ve talked about... the fact that
Y’Shua is not just Red heifer sacrifice but
He is also the Pesach lamb... the redemption of the firstborn -the sin of Adam...
.... the Yom Kippur sacrifice - sin of all of israel
There is one sacrifice left - the Red Heifer sacrifice...
not just sin and first born,
but the Red Heifer makes us clean from sin
and gives us a white robe so can stand before Yah...
Being clean from death is everything...
We don’t get why Y’shua died....
Christianity doesn’t understand why “Jesus” died....
He didn’t just die to forgive my sins and the sins of Isra’el
He didn’t just die to redeem the first born...the sin of Adam
He died to wash me - to clean me so that i can wear a white robe...
so that i can stand before him....
you can’t put robe on just b/c there is a yom kippur sacrifice!
I can’t put on the robe unless mikvahed...
(We also know that the bridegroom died so that he can remarry the bride.)
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-The Melchizedek ( we will talk about this more soon),
Y’shua - was sacrificed in the exact same place as the Red Heifer....
...cleaning all Isra’elites from birth ...to be priests...
You know, the “Kingdom of Priests”
.... The priests of the Temple... couldn’t enter into their calling until the sacrifice was made.
-Once the sacrifice of Y’shua is made - on the same place - the altar outside the temple
- the clean place on Mt Olives
- - it institutes a new temple service - where everyone called to be Kings and Priests
- ...but you can not operate in your role as a king and priests... until you are washed/ cleansed... made “clean” by the blood...
-When you accept the blood ---
---then you are in the calling of YHWH that He has called you to walk in....
Like the priests of the temple - they couldn’t be in the job/ role of priest until they were cleansed by the Red Heifer ashes and living water!
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What’s more.....
- You have to be a Cohen before you can offer a sacrifice.
your sacrifice is how you live and how you die.... following his instructions/ Torah.
I am pretty sure... that the Cohen HaGadol - did not do the sacrifice of the Red Heifer... but he had to preside over it for it to be valid...
and how did a cohen normally operate?
When the sacrifices in the Temple were being done - the Cohen HaGadol had to preside over them all.... and STAND the whole time...
When all the ashes were burned up of even the last sacrifice - the Cohen HaGadol would say “IT IS FINISHED” and sit down.
Then they were done for the day.
When Y’shua was on trial before Kayafus the levitical high priest... Kayafus tore his robes - which nullified his priestly position. it took away his right to be a priest - forever - and he was going to die.
The point is - there was no High Priest - but ONE to preside over the sacrifice of Mashiach on the stake... Y’shua himself...
and as the earthquake happened - he would have seen into the Holy of Holies as the curtain ripped...
and then he declared... just as the Cohen HaGadol would have done over the Red Heifer...
“IT IS FINISHED”
and then the Kingdom of Priests could then walk in their calling... if they receive the blood of the sacrifice that washes them....
We are called to be a kingdom of priests!!....
Look what all HE did ... not just to forgive us... but to release us into priesthood!
this is not just something i ‘have’
but something
i do
i live!
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Amazing how He shows us and tells us and then HE does it...
I am so thankful that HE has so much grace for me.... that even though it is right there in front of me... until we dig around and learn things from a Hebrew perspective - we don’t understand!
I am so thankful we are learning!!
let’s start living like a kingdom of priests!
amein!
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