When I read the story, my mouth dropped open. Apparently, five extremely unique Red Heifers have just arrived to Israel. These five young female calves are totally red, if they have as many as two black or white hairs on them, they will be rejected. Even the calves feet must be red. They were raised in Texas by Zionist Jews who believe strongly in the rebuilding of the third Jewish Temple and the coming of the Messiah. According to the Temple Institute which is a group of Jews who are organizing the entire project, the procuring of these five animals is a great event. Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about the Red Heifers. We begin with Numbers Chapter 19 which bears the title, "Laws of Purification." Allow me to summarize what we find there. The Chapter begins with the Lord telling Moses that Israel should select a Red Heifer, one that had no blemish, no defect and which had never had a yoke on it. Eleazar, the High Priest at the time, was to take the animal outside of the camp, slaughter it, and then take some of the blood with his finger and sprinkle it in the direction of the sanctuary or tabernacle (remember neither of the two Jewish Temples had been built). Then, he was to take the carcass, the hide, the flesh, the blood and burn it completely. Into the fire, the priest was to mix a bit of cedar wood and once everything was burned, the ashes were to be collected and mixed with spring water. The mixing of the ashes and the spring water is clearly a symbolic ritual that pointed to Jesus Christ who would come much later and make a complete atonement for sin. According to Numbers 19:9, last part, the ritual of the Red Heifer WAS TO DEAL WITH SIN. It functioned somewhat like all the other sacrifices that were used before the coming of Christ. Those sacrifices involved sin, death, blood, and fire, actually messy things that are pretty gross. But remember, the Bible says "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6: 23) Sin does nothing but cause us problems, so God is trying to warn all of us, of the evils of sin. Sin leads to our death, and I believe that is the reason that God employs such graphic measures urging us to STAY AWAY FROM IT. When Jesus came later and died on the cross, ALL OF THESE PRACTICES WERE ABOLISHED. Matthew 27: 51-52 and Mark 13: 38 both remind us that when Jesus died on the cross, "The veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. JESUS DEATH ON THE CROSS ENDED THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM. Hebrews 9: 13 and 14 gives us an even clearer picture of what happened. "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, satisfies 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 PURGE YOUR CONSCIENCE FROM DEAD WORKS TO SERVE THE LIVING GOD." Let's look at a few more texts that show us the importance of blood in the act of redemption. We begin with Leviticus 17: 11 where it tells us THAT THE LIFE OF AN INDIVIDUAL IS IN THE BLOOD AND THAT IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKES AN ATONEMENT FOR SIN. Ephesians 1: 7 states. "IN HIM (that is Jesus) WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE. Rev. 1: 5 reminds us THAT WE HAVE BEEN WASHED FROM OUR SINS BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS. And Rev. 12: 11 says we overcome the devil, BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS AND BY THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY. Hebrews 10: 8-10 brings up a great point. In the sacrificial system of old, with all of the animals that were sacrificed including the blood and ashes of the Red Heifer, Jesus was MOST interested in the sinner seeing the real help that was coming in the person of Christ. The text tells us that God was not INTERESTED SO MUCH IN SACRIFICE, BURNT OFFERINGS, AND OFFERINGS FOR SIN, NOR HAD PLEASURE IN THEM, but that the sinner should focus on THE OFFERING OF THE BODY OF JESUS ONCE AND FOR ALL. So according to these verses, THE BLOOD OF THE RED HEIFER HAS LOST ITS IMPORTANCE. It was simply a ritual that pointed directly to Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross for you and I. Once Jesus experienced the cross, the animal sacrifices were not necessary. What the Temple Institute wants to do runs counter to what the Bible teaches. Oh yes, I firmly believe that the Jews may attempt to use the Red Heifer as a sign to rebuild their temple. If the Jews even begin to rebuild their temple, the Middle East will erupt into a hotbed of conflicts that we don't even want to think about. The Temple Institute and the Jewish people are searching for anything that will help them to rebuild their temple. King Solomon somewhere around 950 BC built the first Temple. That was a glorious edifice and was the pride of the nation. In fact, King Josiah who reigned from 640 BC until 609 BC decreed that ALL SACRIFICES WOULD BE DONE AT THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM. That temple was destroyed around 600 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians. Most of the Jews were taken into captivity at that time (this is the time of Daniel) the holy vessels from the temple were taken as well. Following seventy years of captivity, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland and at that time under the supervision of Zerubbabel, the Jews built a Second Temple which was inferior to the earlier one. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 when they conquered Jerusalem. And since that time, THERE HAS BEEN NO JEWISH TEMPLE. For much of that time, the area of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has been occupied by Palestinians. And that presents to the Temple Institute a real problem. THERE IS NO WHERE TO KILL THE RED HEIFER AND NO WHERE TO SPRINKLE THE BLOOD. And remember too that only NINE RED HEIFERS have been killed over the years and there has been NONE since the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. And that is the main reason many Jews are saying, "Get those Red Heifers from Texas, examine them carefully and if they pass the inspection, sacrifice ONE OF THEM and START BUILDING THE THIRD TEMPLE. The Temple Institute sees THIS AS THEIR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. The big question is, "Will it happen?" Let's see. The Temple Institute may accept one or all of the Red Heifers from Texas and may decide to begin building. BUT ALL HADES WILL BRING OUT IF THAT HAPPENS. The Bible suggests that that Temple WILL NEVER BE BUILT." And why is that? A couple of answers come to mind. For one thing, The Messiah has already come in the person of JESUS CHRIST. And the second reason is that God is working now through the Christian Church and not the Jews. Please allow me to be very clear. The Bible teaches that the Jewish Nation as a light to the world was terminated because they failed in their duties. JESUS IS NOW WORKING THROUGH THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. And He has promised a finished work through them. See Matt. 24: 14 In the earth made new (see Rev. 21 and 22) there is an interesting thought brought out in Rev. 21: 22, where John says plainly, "I SAW NO TEMPLE THERE FOR THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY AND THE LAMB ARE ITS TEMPLE." And why is that? Because sin has been conquered. The temples and the Red Heifers and all the other animal sacrifices are no longer needed. The dark night of sin is over. And sin will never lift its head again. See Isaiah 65: 17-25. What a great promise! Wayne Easley/written on Sept. 23, 2022/Harvey, North Dakota
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No one knows for sure exactly where the phrase, "OUT OF CHAOS COMES ORDER" originated. It may have come from the work of the German Philosopher and Thinker Friedrich Nietzsche who wrote in the 19th Century. But what we do know is that the phrase has been closely associated with the writings of Saul D. Alinsky who was deeply influenced by one of his professors at the University of Chicago, Robert Park. Park believed that the changes in urban society were models or reflectors of the evils of society that should be changed. Alinsky wrote in 1971 that progress is best achieved as an entity, an urban group on a small scale or a world power that sees the opportunity to increase its influence globally seizeing a time of chaos to achieve order. In other words, CHAOS IS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE ORDER AND TO CREATE THE COMMON GOOD. The idea shouts out loud and clear, "NEVER LET A GOOD CRISIS GO TO WASTE!" That would mean that something that destroys businesses, wrecks the economy, leaves many without jobs and stripped of their constitutional rights is fine because the chaos that exists will eventually lead to order. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to see that our world of today is in a real mess; one could accurately call it, TOTAL CHAOS. The economy of the world is chaotic. The price of fuel, grocery products, and most everything else is out of control. We may be looking at Digital Currency in the near future. Here in the United States we have a southern border that is wide-open: it is estimated as many as 6,000 to 8,000 illegals are walking into the US every single day. We appear to be more divided than ever before: we are knee-deep in discussions about abortion, homosexual marriage, transgenderism and when it comes to politics we have forgotten how to disagree. Not a few are predicting that if the situation gets any worse, we could be looking at CIVIL WAR in the near-future. And to add insult to injury, we have experienced, along with the rest of the world, the chaos of the Covid 19 Pandemic, certainly a dark and trying time for most of us.
A group of un-elected Global Bureaucrats based in Davos, Switzerland are proclaiming to the world that they have the answers. Klaus Schwab, a German lobbyist who heads up the World Economic Forum sees the chaos of the Pandemic as a wonderful opportunity to start over again. Schwab said not too long ago, "THE PANDEMIC REPRESENTS A RARE AND NARROW WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT AND RESET OUR WORLD, TO CREATE A HEALTHIER WORLD, MORE EQUITABLE AND MORE PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE. Prince Charles of the British Monarchy seconded Schwab's ideas with this thought, "WE have a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to seize something good from this crisis. THE SHOCK WAVES FROM THE PANDEMIC CHAOS MAY WELL MAKE PEOPLE MORE RECEPTIVE TO BIG VISIONS OF CHANGE." The Prince added this thought, "The seeds of this strategy may only flower while the world is distracted amidst enormous chaos. Privacy and freedoms may have to be forfeited for the common good." So these men see CHAOS AS A GOOD THING, and the PERFECT EXCUSE TO CREATE A NEW WORLD. The whole thing seems to dove-tail with what President Biden calls, BUILD BACK BETTER. The president seems to be saying also, "Let's not let this opportunity go to waste. Let's start over and build a better world." But the whole idea raises a lot of questions. Will we still enjoy the freedoms that have made American great: the freedom of free speech, the freedom to worship as we please, the freedoms to pursue life, liberty and happiness? Some of us have serious doubts that that is where these people want us to go? Will it be a world where massive electronic surveillance controls the day? Will it be a technocratic world of 5 G technology? Will our health system be changed? What about jobs and the economy? Will we be able to trust the schools and the teachers of the day? Or will this massive reset that is supposedly coming in 2030 create a two-tied society: those who run the show and all the rest who are subservient to the higher-ups? We better give it some serious thoughts before we buy into their "pie in the sky ideas"! My Bible does not say one word about man creating a new world. Man is not God and he simply can't do that. The Bible does NOT tell us that MAN can turn things around in this world. My Bible does say however, that THINGS ARE GOING TO GET WORSE BEFORE THEY GET BETTER. See 2 Tim. 3: 1-5, Daniel 12: 1-4, Romans 1: 18-32, and John 14: 1-3. But He, the Great God of Heaven, not some Economic Forum will intervene and will give us a New Heaven and a New Earth. Some of the most powerful words in all of the Bible are found in Rev. 21: 1-6. There the God of the Universe promises to re-build everything. "And God will wipe away ALL TEARS FROM THEIR EYES, THERE WILL BE NO MORE DEATH, NOR SORROW, NOR CRYING, AND THERE SHALL BE NO MORE PAIN, FOR THE FORMER THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY." This wonderful promise of Scripture closes with the thought, "BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW." (Rev. 21: 5) Sorry but for me, The Great Reset or what Biden would call Build Back Better is simply not going to happen. My faith, my trust is in the Creator God who promises to do FOR US WHAT MAN CAN NOT DO. Wayne Easley/written on Sept. 7, 2022/Harvey, North Dakota Are you acquainted with a brand new word we are hearing nowadays? That word is Flash Mob. It started several years ago, quite innocently at first, suggesting through the use of the Internet that people assemble at a given location for the purpose of doing a random act very quickly and just as quickly dispersing. Actually from those harmless beginnings, the whole idea has gone terribly wrong. In fact it is frightening to even think about. Let me explain.
It was 12:40 in the morning when a large group of motorists descended on an intersection near a Seven Eleven Convenience Store located at Figuero and El Segundo Streets in Los Angeles. Blocking traffic with their cars, they created an organizational pit in the center of the intersection and after laying out their plans, they headed for the convenience store. That is when a mob made up of looters entered the business and began stealing everything they could get their hands on: drinks, cigarettes, lottery tickets, candy, you name it. Yelling and screaming, they ransacked the place tossing some items to people at the entrance of the store while other robbers were filling bags they had brought along for the occasion. In the meantime, the store employees, paralyzed with fright, refused to get involved. Not surprisingly, the whole crowd had dispersed before the police arrived. And according to reports that I have, there have been no arrests to this date which may indicate there will be no arrests at all. Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about these kinds of things. The Apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 3: verse 1 tells us this, "BUT KNOW THIS, THAT IN THE LAST DAYS, PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME." That word 'PERILOUS' means we will be facing dangerous times. When that begins to happen, it will be best for us to be as far from the big cities as possible. The prophet Daniel speaking of the 'TIME OF THE END' (see Dan. 12: 4) warns us there is 'COMING A TIME OF TROUBLE SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN'. See Dan. 12: 1 Three of the Gospel Writers remind us that the final days of this world's history will be less than rosy: Matt. 24: 26, Mark 13: 19 and Luke 21: 25 and 26 shout out to us that difficult days are ahead. It is interesting that in Luke 21: 26, Doctor Luke predicts that 'MEN'S HEARTS WILL FAIL THEMSELVES FOR FEAR AND THE EXPECTATIONS OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE COMING ON THE EARTH'! It won't be a cakewalk! As we contemplate these difficult days that seem to be happening even now, there are three things we can do to help prepare us for the future. These three things will help prepare us for what is coming. The three activities are PRAYER, STUDY OF THE WORD, AND TELLING OTHERS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US. 1-PRAYER has been defined by one writer as "The opening of the heart to God as to a Friend." There is a great verse in Philippians 4: 6-7, "Be anxious for nothing , BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." David explains to us in Psalms 55: 1,"Evening, morning and at noon I WILL PRAY AND CRY ALOUD, and he shall hear my voice." Jesus set a great example of prayer. We read in Luke 6: 12, "Now it came to pass in those days, that he (Jesus) went out into the mountain TO PRAY, AND CONTINUED ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER." And finally Peter admonishes us in 1 Peter 3: 12, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS." Prayer will help get us through the difficult times that are ahead of us. We can count on it. Matt. 21: 22 affirms that thought, "And whatsoever things YOU ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, YOU WILL RECEIVE." 2-STUDY of the Word will help to prepare us also for what lies ahead. 2 Tim. 2: 15 urges us, "Study to present yourselves APPROVED BEFORE GOD, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD OF TRUTH." The Apostle Paul admonishes us as well that THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING, AND POWERFUL, AND SHARPER THAN A TWO-EDGED SWORD... AND IT IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART. (Heb. 4: 12) Peter in 2 Peter 1: 20-21 affirms that "HOLY MEN OF GOD WROTE (Scriptures) AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT." One writer suggests that there are over 3,000 promises in the Bible and each one is like a blank check to each of us made out in our name. Read these promises he has made to you and to me, underline them in your Bible and memorize them for the difficult days ahead of us. If we do that we claim the promise with confidence in Philippians 4" 13 that reads, "I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME." That is made possible because we know what the Bible says he is going to do for us. 3-And lastly, TELL OTHERS WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR YOU. I love that great story that is found in Mark 5: 1-15. According to the story, Jesus and his disciples were on the far side or the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Not only was it a desolate area, the first thing they encountered there was a graveyard that was haunted by a devil-possessed man. The Bible says that the man had an unclean spirit and he spend a lot of time cutting on his body. When Jesus asked him his name, he replied that his name was legion for he was filled with many evil spirits. At that point the demons began to realize they were in big trouble with Jesus in the area. Seeing a large herd of swine in the distance, they begged Jesus to cast them into the pigs. Jesus did just that and the herd ran violently down a steep embankment and drowned in the sea. With that the swine herders fled and told the townspeople in a nearby village what had happened. As you can imagine the owners of the pigs, as well as the villagers themselves were not very happy. They quickly went out to where Jesus was and asked him to leave the area. Since Jesus does not stay where he is not wanted, he and the disciples prepared to leave. And guess what the man who had been demon-possessed wanted to do? OF COURSE, HE WANTED TO GO WITH JESUS IN THE BOAT. But Jesus told him to go to his home and TELL EVERYONE WHAT JESUS HAD DONE FOR HIM. And that is what the man did. And that is TELLING OTHERS WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US. It is called witnessing and it is something that every born-again Christian should do. Don't forget that in a world that is beginning to get its kicks from Flash Mobbing, the Lord wants us to Pray, Study and Tell others what Jesus has done for us. Blessings, Wayne Easley/written on August 28, 2022/Harvey, North Dakota |
AuthorDanna has traveled as a teacher/speaker for Closure for Jesus ministry and frequently holds Zoom meetings and online health counseling. Archives
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