Christian Churches of God
No. 216z
Summary:
Messiah and the Red Heifer
(Edition 1.0 19970705-19970705)
Modern Judaism has commenced to speak of the Red Heifer and have artificially inseminated
a beast with an embryo that produced a red heifer. This act was then taken to be a miracle,
which, of itself, is held to justify the rebuilding of the Temple. What is the significance of the
Red Heifer and how does it relate to Messiah and his sacrifice? The answers are surprising.
Christian Churches of God
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AUSTRALIA
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(Copyright  1997 Wade Cox)
(Summary by Tom Hoffahrt, Ed. Wade Cox)
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Page 2
Summary: Messiah and the Red Heifer
Messiah and the Red Heifer
An article appeared in the Wichita Eagle,
Sunday, June 1, 1997 with a photo of Rabbi
Shmaria Shore stroking the nose of Melody, a
10-month-old heifer which happens to be red.
The appearance of a red heifer is believed by
some Israeli religious groups to be a sign from
God that it’s time to rebuild the Jewish
Temple of Jerusalem, destroyed by the
Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. See paper
(No. 216) for full details of the article.
What is the significance of the red heifer and
more importantly how does it relate to the
Messiah and the Temple? Let us examine the
Bible texts on the matter (Jer. 48:10).
The purpose of the Red Heifer was to cleanse
the tent of meeting. It was to bear sin and the
impurity of Israel. The ashes were to be
gathered up and stored in a clean place outside
the camp. They were kept for the people of
Israel for the water for impurity.
Christ is widely understood to have been the
Passover Sacrifice and, by his death on 14
Nisan, he saved and sanctified Israel. They
took the body down before dark so that they
did not profane the first Holy Day. This Holy
Day commenced on the Wednesday evening at
nightfall. The Red Heifer was the instrument
that sanctified the people in this circumstance.
It was for this reason that Messiah had to be
placed in a clean tomb that had borne no other
corpse. This was symbolic of the remains of
the heifer. Messiah had to remain
uncontaminated until his ascension. His death
satisfied multiple and, indeed, the entire
sacrificial requirements of the Temple once
and for all.
The red heifer was sacrificed outside of the
camp and is required for the purification of
those who were unclean because of dead
bodies and other matters.
The tenth heifer
Much has been made about the heifer now in
Israel being the tenth heifer. This number
sequence is thought by Judaism to have a
specific application to Messiah and to the
establishment of the Temple.
The explanation of this thinking is found in the
Mishnah (Parah 3.5). The numbering of the
significant heifers prepared under the law is
taken from this text as being prepared by the
following people in the restoration of the
tabernacle or temple system:
 The first was prepared by Moses.
 The second was prepared by Ezra.
 Simeon the Righteous and Yohanan the
High Priest did two each.
 Elyehoenia b. Haqqof, and Hanamel the
Egyptian, and Ishmael b. Phiabi did one
each. The Ishmael b. Phiabi here is the first
who was high priest circa 15-16 CE.
The tenth red heifer is to be done to herald the
reconstruction of the Temple and the last and
greatest High Priest, namely Messiah. Messiah
was the last red heifer, the Passover and High
Priest designate all in one. The Jews are
essentially correct in their understanding of the
significance but refuse to accept that it has
already happened.
The tenth heifer was sacrificed in 30 CE by
and under the high priesthood of Joseph
Caiaphas and Annas. This tenth heifer
symbolised the sacrifice of Messiah and the
dedication of the new Temple in 30/31 CE
built not of human hands but with the Holy
Spirit and which was composed of blocks of
living stones. The tenth heifer was thus already
long gone before the destruction of the
Temple.
Judaism is without excuse in its rejection of
Messiah. The tenth sacrifice as symbolising
the red heifer sanctified a new priesthood of
the order of Melchisedek, which replaced the
old order of Aaron.
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