Red Heifer Discovered! – Major Obstacle To The Rebuilding Of The Jewish Temple

Published on Tuesday, 24 June 2014 05:32

Written by Michael Snyder

http://www.rightsidenews.com/2014062434494/world/israel/red-heifer-discovered-major-obstacle-to-the-rebuilding-of-the-jewish-temple-removed.html

Up until now, one of the major barriers to the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem has been the lack of a red heifer.  A qualified red heifer has not been seen in the land of Israel for nearly two thousand years, and without one it would not be possible to resume Temple worship.  But now a candidate has been found that could change everything.  The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has released stunning video footage of a red heifer that they believe meets the Biblical requirements. 

This red heifer was born in the United States, and the owners of the red heifer contacted the Temple Institute in order to receive instructions about how to care for it.  It is hoped that this red heifer will eventually be transported to the land of Israel and be used for the purification of the priests and the vessels that will be used in a rebuilt Jewish Temple.

This is a very big deal, because without a red heifer the Temple would never be rebuilt.  So needless to say, the video footage that you are about to see is creating quite a stir in Jewish communities throughout the world.  The Temple Institute contacted a documentary filmmaker to film this red heifer, and this video was just released to the public earlier this month…

The Ultimate Mystery Who are the mysterious nations outside the New Jerusalem?

by Dr. David R. Reagan

Perhaps the greatest mystery of Bible prophecy is introduced in verse Revelation 21:24 where it states that "the nations shall walk by its light [the light emanating from the Shekinah glory in the city], and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it." Who are these nations and kings outside the New Jerusalem on the new earth? They must be in fleshly bodies, for we are told in chapter 22 that the leaves of the tree of life inside the city will be used "for the healing of the nations" (22:2).

We, the redeemed, are assured that we will reign with Jesus "forever" (Revelation 1:6, 11:15, and22:5) In order to reign, there must be someone to reign over. We know who that will be during the Millennium. But who are these people on the new earth in the eternal state? Are they people who accepted Jesus during the Millennium? I ask that because we are never told what will become of those who receive Jesus during His millennial reign.

I once browsed through over 60 commentaries on the book of Revelation looking for an answer to this intriguing question. About 90% simply ignored the issue. Some tried to argue that this was a flashback to the Millennium, but that idea is clearly invalid for the whole context of Revelation 21 is the eternal state. A couple of writers suggested that these might be people saved during the Millennium who are brought into the eternal state in their fleshly bodies and allowed to propagate new beings over whom the Redeemed will reign.

I have this question at the top of a list that I intend to ask the Lord when we stand face-to-face.

Revelation Study Resources

1. An Overview of Revelation multimedia training kit covers the book of Revelation verse by verse.
   
2. Dr. Reagan's book, Wrath and Glory, covers the book of Revelation chapter by chapter.
   
3. Dr. Reagan's video program, Revelation Revealed, presents a sweeping overview of the entire book of Revelation.
4. http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_revelation20.php

The Tribulation Judgments Are they sequential and are they natural or supernatural?

by Dr. David R. Reagan and Dennis Pollock

© Pat Marvenko Smith
(www.revelationillustrated.com)

Are the judgments during the Tribulation sequential in nature?

Scholars who reject the premillennial interpretation of end time prophecy have always played games with the book of Revelation in order to get around the clear teaching in chapter 20 that Jesus is going to return and reign for a thousand years.

Some have spiritualized this passage into nothingness. Others have argued that the judgments in Revelation are repetitive rather than sequential. Their argument is that the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments are all descriptions of the same thing — namely, the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred about forty years after the establishment of the Church. So, in Revelation 19, Jesus is seen as returning in 70 A.D. to pour out God's wrath on the Jews, and chapter 20 is viewed as His subsequent reign over the Church.

There are certainly flash-backs and flash-forwards in the book of Revelation, but most of the action is clearly sequential in nature, and that is the biblical approach that is incorporated into the "Left Behind" series.

The judgments are definitely not circular or repetitive in nature. The seal judgments kill one-fourth of humanity (Revelation 6:8). The trumpet judgments result in the death of one-third of those remaining (Revelation 9:15). The bowl judgments do not result in massive deaths at all. Instead, they produce widespread intense suffering, and the fifth bowl (darkness) is focused upon the capital of the Antichrist (Revelation 16:1-16).

To argue that Revelation 20 portrays Jesus' reign over the world through the Church, one would have to spiritualize the thousand years, since the Church has existed almost 2,000 years. The chapter refers six times to the reign of Jesus lasting a thousand years. What would God have to say to convince us that He means a thousand years?

Also, it is painfully clear that the Church is not reigning over the world. Jesus may be reigning over His Church, but He obviously is not reigning over the world through His Church, for all the nations of the earth are in rebellion against God and His Anointed One (Psalm 2).

Are the Tribulation judgments natural or supernatural in nature?

Actually there are three possible sources of the death and devastation so pointedly predicted by Scripture during the Tribulation. First, it could be that the great and terrible destructions predicted will be brought about supernaturally by God Himself without any other possible explanation. Until the nuclear age this was the primary view, as it was hard to see how such a scenario could be brought about by natural human means. In the Old Testament we find God killing 185,000 of Israel's enemies by one angel, without any natural explanation. If one angel can wipe out that many people, it should not be too much trouble for all the hosts of God's angelic armies to destroy three quarters of the earth's population.

Secondly, some of the judgments predicted could possibly come from the cosmic disturbances created by a comet whose path leads it uncomfortably close to the earth. Global earthquakes and tidal waves, resulting in famines on an unprecedented scale would almost certainly be the result. Some, but probably not all, of these judgments could be brought about this way.

The third, and in my mind, the most likely explanation for the terrible judgments which will empty the earth, has to do with nuclear weapons. Since the end of World War II, nuclear weapons have been proliferating all over the globe. At first limited to the United States, then produced by the Soviet Union, they are now in the hands of all sorts of second and third rate powers. It seems almost every year that new nations are added to the list of those countries with nuclear capabilities. Our capacity to destroy all life on earth has multiplied many times over. The fact that we have not yet seen a nuclear war since 1945 can be attributed only to the restraining hand of Almighty God! Surely it is His hand that has prevented us from destroying one another up until this point. How long that hand will continue to restrain us, only God knows.

Quaint Terms for Modern Weapons

It was Hal Lindsey who first popularized the theory that the terrible plagues and judgments seen and described by John in the book of Revelation might be a First Century man's description of a thermonuclear war. In his book There's A New World Coming (1973), Lindsey refers to the fractional orbital bomb, and then goes on to cite nuclear passages in the book of Revelation: "It [the bomb] consists of a dozen or so nuclear-tipped missiles which can be fired simultaneously from an orbiting space platform. Because the missiles come straight down from the sky, they can strike several cities simultaneously and with virtually no warning. When these missiles streak through the air they'll look like meteors showering the atmosphere! (Possibly fulfilling Revelation 6:13: 'the stars of heaven fell to the earth.')"

The Apostle John's description of the sun becoming black as sackcloth and the moon becoming like blood perfectly describes the phenomena that would result from massive amounts of dust and debris blown into the sky by multiple nuclear bursts.

"And the atmosphere was pushed apart like a scroll when it is rolled together" (Revelation 6:14). Do you know what happens in a nuclear explosion? The atmosphere rolls back on itself! It's this tremendous rush of air back into the vacuum that causes much of the destruction of a nuclear explosion. John's words in this verse are a perfect picture of an all-out nuclear exchange... The whole world will be literally shaken apart!

As we read the book of Revelation, we find John did not use terms like "nuclear weapons, ICBM's, or fractional orbital bombs." Instead we find him describing things like "hail and fire," "a great mountain burning with fire," and "a great star... burning like a torch." This is what we would expect of a First Century man, describing things he had no knowledge of in the only terms he knew to use. Could it be that what John was really witnessing in the Spirit, was an end of the age nuclear holocaust? The effects he describes certainly seem to bear this out.

Revelation Study Resources

1. An Overview of Revelation multimedia training kit covers the book of Revelation verse by verse.
   
2. Dr. Reagan's book, Wrath and Glory, covers the book of Revelation chapter by chapter.
   
3. Dr. Reagan's video program, Revelation Revealed, presents a sweeping overview of the entire book of Revelation.

1. http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_revelation7.php

The Date of the Book Was Revelation written before or after the fall of Jerusalem?

by Dr. David R. Reagan

The internal evidence of the book regarding the Roman Empire and the external testimony of the Church Fathers both point to a date of authorship around 95 A.D., 25 years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The type of widespread Roman persecution of the Church that is pictured in Revelation did not occur until the reign of Domitian (81-96 A.D.). The persecutions of Nero were limited to the area of Rome. One of the Church Fathers, Iranaeus (c.130-c.202), wrote that the book of Revelation was authored by the apostle John "toward the end of Domitian's reign." Irenaeus was discipled by Polycarp (c.70-c.155 A.D.) who, in turn, had been discipled directly by John himself.

One of the arguments for an earlier date is based on a reference to the Temple in Revelation 11:1-2. John is told to measure the Temple, which in this case seems to be a command to assess the Temple's spiritual condition. This reference to the Temple, it is argued, must mean that the book was written before the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.

But this argument ignores the fact that the Scriptures teach there are going to be two future Temples, one during the Tribulation which the Antichrist will desecrate (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), and another during the Millennium which Jesus Christ will consecrate (Ezekiel 40-46).

The Temple mentioned in Revelation 11 must be the Tribulation Temple since the passage says it will be trampled down by the Gentiles for 42 months (the last half of the Tribulation). It also says this will be immediately preceded by the testimony of the two witnesses for 1,260 days (the first half of the Tribulation).

Revelation Study Resources

1. An Overview of Revelation multimedia training kit covers the book of Revelation verse by verse.
   
2. Dr. Reagan's book, Wrath and Glory, covers the book of Revelation chapter by chapter.
   
3. Dr. Reagan's video program, Revelation Revealed, presents a sweeping overview of the entire book of Revelation.
4. http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_revelation3.php

The Mysterious 144,000 Who are the 144,000 in Revelation and what is their purpose?

by Dr. David R. Reagan

© Pat Marvenko Smith
(www.revelationillustrated.com)

There is probably no part of Revelation that has been more abused than the first half of chapter 7 which tells about 144,000 Jews being "sealed" as "bond-servants" of God. The Jehovah's Witnesses claim that a group of their founders and pioneers constitute this group. Other cults claim they are the 144,000. Most mainline Christian commentators argue that this group is symbolic of the Church.

How 144,000 Jews could be symbolic of the Church is beyond my comprehension. This interpretation is a good example of the fanciful ideas that people seem to delight in pulling out of Revelation. What would God have to do to convince us that He is speaking about 144,000 Jews? He says they are Jews. Specifically, He calls them, "the sons of Israel" (Revelation 7:4). He even enumerates them by their tribes, stating that 12,000 will come from each tribe. Does He need to put a flashing neon sign in the sky that says, "I'm talking about Jews!"?

Why are some Jewish tribes excluded from the 144,000?

This is an intriguing question. The list of tribes is certainly unusual. The original twelve tribes included both Levi and Joseph. But normally, when the twelve tribes are listed in the Bible, Levi — the priestly tribe — is not mentioned because its inheritance was the Lord Himself (Deuteronomy 10:9). And Joseph's name is usually dropped and then replaced by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh who were adopted by Jacob (Genesis 48:8-22). So, Levi and Joseph are usually replaced by Ephraim and Manasseh, keeping the list at twelve.

In the listing in Revelation 7, the tribes of Dan and Ephraim are dropped and replaced by Levi and Joseph to keep the list at twelve. Why? Well, no one knows for sure. My guess is that Dan and Ephraim were dropped because they were the ones that led the children of Israel into idolatry (Deuteronomy 29:18-21 and 1 Kings 12:25ff). It thus appears that the two tribes responsible for luring others into idolatry will not be entrusted with sharing the Gospel with others during the Tribulation.

But God's grace in this matter is reflected at the end of Revelation when the description of the new Jerusalem is given. Revelation 21:12 says the city will have twelve gates and that each gate will be named after one of "the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel." In Ezekiel 48:30-34 we are told which tribes will be included in this significant recognition. They are the original twelve, including Levi and Joseph. That means one of the gates will be named for the errant tribe of Dan, and both Manessah and Ephraim will be included under Joseph's name.

Are the 144,000 of Revelation 7 the same as the 144,000 portrayed in Revelation 14?

I believe they are. Why would the book introduce us to a totally different group of 144,000 people without telling us so?

In his book, Revelation Illustrated and Made Plain, Tim LaHaye argues that the 144,000 in Revelation 14 are a group of Gentile Christians who have been converted during the Tribulation and who have served the Lord with distinction before experiencing martyrdom. He admits that this is interpretation puts him "in the minority among commentators."

The scene in Revelation 14 portrays 144,000 men standing on Mt. Zion with Jesus. LaHaye contends that since this scene takes place in the middle of the Tribulation, and since Jesus would not be standing on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem at that time, the reference to Mt. Zion must be a symbolic reference to Heaven. So, he concludes that these are Gentiles who have died for their faith and who are now in Heaven with Jesus.

I don't think so. The first point I would make is that this scene is not in the middle of the Tribulation. All of chapter 14 is a flash forward to the end of the Tribulation, giving the reader a preview of what lies ahead, assuring him that Jesus will ultimately triumph. The second point I would make is that the group is not in Heaven. They are on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem where Jesus has returned to reign as King of kings. He has preserved them through the Tribulation, and He is celebrating His victory with them. They are singing a song heard from Heaven, a song which only they can sing (Revelation 14:2-3). Again, if this were a different 144,000 from the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Revelation 7, I think the text would tell us so.

What is the Purpose of the 144,000?

What is the role of these 144,000 Jews during the Tribulation? What is their purpose? All the text says is that they will be "bond-servants of God" (Revelation 7:3).

But the context indicates that they will serve the Lord as evangelists. I say this because their description is followed immediately by the description of "a great multitude which no one can count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues" (Revelation 7:9). John sees this great host of people in Heaven standing before the throne of God, and he asks "Who are they, and from where have they come?" (Revelation 7:13). He is told that they are people who have come out of the Great Tribulation who "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb"(Revelation 7:14).

In other words, this multitude of Gentiles are those who accept Jesus after the Rapture and who are martyred for their faith during the Tribulation.

Because they are placed adjacent to the 144,000 believing Jews, the implication is that they are converted by the Jews during the Tribulation.

I once called Zola Levitt and asked his opinion on this matter. Zola is a Messianic Jew who has a Bible prophecy ministry. When I asked if he believed that the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7 would serve as evangelists trying to convert the world to Jesus, he said, "Of course! Why do you think the Lord has given us the kind of personality that we have?"

I wasn't about to touch that question with a ten foot pole, so I played dumb. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Haven't you ever noticed," asked Zola, "that Jews are very pushy people?"

"Well yes," I responded, "now that you mention it, I must say that I have."

"Well," said Zola, "God has given us that kind of personality so that we can be the world's greatest salesmen. And one day, during the Tribulation, 144,000 believing Jews are going to use those skills to convert a great host of Gentiles to Jesus. We are going to push people up against the wall and hold them by the throat until they say, 'Jesus!' Before the Tribulation is over, we are going to convert more people to Jesus than you Gentiles have done in the past 2,000 years."

All I could say was, "I hope you are right."

Revelation Study Resources

1. An Overview of Revelation multimedia training kit covers the book of Revelation verse by verse.
   
2. Dr. Reagan's book, Wrath and Glory, covers the book of Revelation chapter by chapter.
   
3. Dr. Reagan's video program, Revelation Revealed, presents a sweeping overview of the entire book of Revelation.
4. http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_revelation9.php