June 13, 2011 – Numbers 19

I find this chapter about the red heifer very interesting, because I have heard about people that believe the ashes of this red heifer are something that is necessary for the construction of the new temple. I've heard different things about whether these ashes have been or are close to being discovered, and that the closeness or their belief to be discovered marks the return or the coming of the Messiah. In looking at this a little closer I found the web site below which appears to be a group that is making attempts to build a new temple. There is a lot information about the red heifer and what is believed about it and some of the discoveries that lead people to believe their close to finding the ashes. I have some quoted portions added below, but I think it is necessary to explore the Web site to get an understanding of what they're really talking about. There is mention of the fact that there were or have been a 9 red heifers and that the discovery of the 10th red heifer will be the mark of the coming of the Messiah. In looking at other information on the red heifer there are Christians who believe that the discovery of a new red heifer will be the second coming of Christ or that the red heifer was a foreshadowing of Christ first coming. I think it can be understood that the belief that the tenth red heifer signifies the coming of the Messiah and seeing Christ and his Sacrifice and his being the 10th Red Heifer could be something that is linked or could be shown or believed. I obviously don't know enough about all the red heifer history to say anything positively, but with the number of foreshadowings of Christ in the Old Testament, I think seeing the red heifer as another one among those is not a stretch.

One of things that I found most interesting is a group that feels the finding of the new red heifer marks the second coming of Christ and therefore is trying to breed Red heifers and establish them in the Holy Land so as to bring about, prematurely or on their own, the Second coming of Christ. It goes along with this whole misunderstanding that we have some control over God and his plan. Much like this understanding that we can predict the end of the world, we just simply have no real control and are out of our league when we think about or deal with God and eternity.

One thing the website about the Temple has is a video about the new blueprints and computer animations of portions of the new temple. The section I watched was a computer animation of what the Sanhedrin is to look like in the new temple that will be built. It is a beautiful chamber that looks very modern, but what I found myself picturing is Christ sitting or standing in front of this new group in this new modern building surrounded by this new and modern Sanhedrin being accused of what he was accused of. We have our visions and our understandings of what that looked like when it happened to Christ back then, but it was interesting to picture that happening in a new Sanhedrin that they are trying to develop. This want to build a new temple is not something that is outrageous to this group. On the contrary it is something that it appears is at the very heart of what they're trying to accomplish and so you wonder what all that means or will come to.

http://www.templeinstitute.org/

An oft - asked question with regard to preparations for a new red heifer in our own time is: Even if a new red heifer could somehow be obtained, slaughtered and burned, how can ritual purity be reinstated without the kelal, the container of original ashes dating back from the time of Moses?

Indeed, many people seem to be under the impression that without those original ashes, it would be impossible to rebuild the Temple - since they would have to mixed in with the new ones, as was done in the past, whenever a red heifer was prepared… In recounting this historical record in his commentary to the Mishna, the great Maimonides ends with the enigmatic statement: "... 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."

With this amazing statement, Maimonides recounts an ancient tradition - that the tenth red heifer is associated with the Messianic era. Does this perhaps mean that the appearance of a red heifer in these waning end times is an indication, a forerunner of the appearance of the Messiah himself, who will officiate at its preparation?