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Reasoning The Scriptures The Red Heifer 
1
The
Red Heifer
By M.S.Mariadas and Y.R.Dinakaran Bible Students, M.B.S.A
T
he heifer, unlike the
 par 
("bull") was not usually used in the Old Testament as asacrificial animal. The red heifer was the exception. This animal was slaughtered and burned outside the camp (Num. 19:1-9). The ashes were preserved for future use. Theashes were to be kept for a "water separation," or “purification for sin" (vs. 9, 17-22). Thatceremony was to remove defilement incurred through contact with the dead (vs. 11-16).The word in Numbers 19 for heifer is
 parah
(
 paw raw' 
). This is the feminine gender of theterm for "bullock." It means a cow, a kine, or a calf or a young cow. Before we could unfoldthis lesson, let us briefly look at some important Laws regarding the Red heifer.
LAWS REGARDING THE RED HEIFER
•
 
The red heifer was to be "without spot" and without blemish.” - Num 19:2
•
 
It was to be without a yoke. - Num 19: 2
•
 
It must be Red. - Num 19: 2
•
 
It was to be sacrificed outside the Camp; not on the altar of the tabernacle. –
Num 19:3
•
 
Its blood was to be sprinkled before the door of the Tabernacle – Num 19:4
•
 
Its body was to be burnt outside the camp; same as sin offering sacrifices. – Num19:5 (Compare Lev 4:12; Numbers 19:9.)
•
 
Hyssop, Cedar, Scarlet Thread must be added while burning. - Num 19: 6
•
 
Its ashes must be heaped up and kept for the usage of all tribes of Israel. -
Num 19: 9
•
 
The sacrifice of red heifer is also counted as sin offering. “Shall
gather up the ashesof the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall bekept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a
sin offering.” 
 
- Num 19:9 ( ESV)
•
 
The ashes should be added with the “waters of separation” and sprinkled on theunclean. - Num 19: 17
•
 
The unclean was to be pronounced clean on 3
rd
day and 7
th
day. - Num 19 :11, 19Truth is stranger than fiction; Truth is a Solid Rock – infallible. All our blind beliefs aresinking sand. Long ago a poet wrote,
“On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground issinking Sand.” 
How true it is, when our faith is not stayed on Christ, the solid rock willfall and sink by and by. Many Christian scholars, to suit their doctrines, have twisted theTruth and have built their faith on sinking sands and have fallen. Light dispels darkness;likewise Truth dispels error. But to some brethren error dies hard because they reasononly with their blind belief, rather than scripturally. We are not condemning our brethren,nor we are against them, we boldly condemn the ERROR and FALSEHOOD which havecrept into the truth once delivered by Apostles and our Lord. We condemn those whoglorify the error rather than the Truth.
 
Reasoning The Scriptures The Red Heifer 
2
Pastor Charles Taze Russell has misinterpreted the Offering of Red Heifer in his own way.He, in order to support his Sin Offering (i.e. The Church’s Share in the Sacrifice of Christ)doctrine, applied the sacrifice of the red heifer to the Ancient Worthies. Regarding theRed Heifer, in one of his publication, he has written:
What, then, did this sacrifice of the red heifer signify? -- What class or persons were representedby it as having suffered outside the "Camp," and in what sense of the word would their sufferingshave to do with the cleansing or purification of the people of God--including those who shall yetbecome his people during the Millennial age? We answer that a class of God's people, not of the"Royal Priesthood," did suffer for righteousness' sake outside the "Camp." A brief history of these,and of the fiery trials which they endured, is given us by the Apostle in
Heb. 11.
Of these he says,after recounting the faith exploits.Here we have a class fitting to the account of the Red Heifer -- a class which laid down their livesoutside the "Camp;" a class in every way honorable and yet not a priestly class. This class, beingno part of the Body of the High Priest, could have no part or share in the sin-offerings of theAtonement Day -- nor could it be admitted into the spiritual conditions typified by the Holy andMost Holy. It may seem to some remarkable that we should, with so much positive ness, declarethat these ancient worthies were not members of the "Royal Priesthood;" while with equalpositive ness we declare that the no more faithful servants of God of this Gospel age are membersof this "Royal Priesthood." Our positive ness on this subject is the positive ness of the Word of God, which in the very connection with the narrative of the faithfulness of these patriarchsdeclares in so many words, "These all having obtained a good report through faith, received notthe promise [received not the
chief 
blessing], God having provided
some better thing for us 
, thatthey without us should not be made perfect."
Heb. 11:39, 40 
But while these ancient worthies are not in any sense part of the sin-offering, they arenevertheless connected with the
cleansing from sin: 
(note :- Bro Russell has said that the sacrifice of the ancient worthies will cleanse sin) their ashes (the knowledge and remembrance of theirfaithfulness unto death), mingled with the water of truth, and applied with the purgative,cleansing hyssop, is valuable, purifying, sanctifying all who desire to
come
into full harmony withGod--and "sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purification of the flesh." Not, however, of themselves would these lessons of faithfulness in the past be valuable to us, but only by, throughand associated with the sin-offerings of the Day of Atonement, to which the Apostle refers in thesame connection--"the blood of bulls and goats." And not only are the remembrance and lessons of the faithfulness of the ancient worthies (typified by the
ashes 
of the red heifer) of sanctifying powerto us now, but in a much larger sense they will be applicable and a blessing to the world of mankind in general during the Millennial age – [Tabernacle Shadows of Better Sacrifice, chapter7, Pages 105-112]
It is true that Error always dies hard. It is with this blind belief in the world today thatsome bible students are being led. It is our duty to correct them and show the real truth.Our aim is to correct and rectify those errors of Bro. Russell, which for so many years have been taught and believed without any scriptural authority. So, dear brethren, with humblespirit and prayers we put forth some of our understanding which we believe is true andscriptural. If our understanding in any way contrary to the doctrines of the Apostles andprophets, we want to be corrected and so it can be rectified.
 
Reasoning The Scriptures The Red Heifer 
3
THE TRUE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RED HEIFER
The red heifer was to be "without spot and without blemish,” same as the Paschal Lamb -Num 19:2 Exo 12:5. Note:- all the sacrifices offered in the Old Testament were to be without spot and without blemish (Lev 22:19)
 
It is generally agreed by students of theScriptures that the term
"without defect” and 
 
"without blemish" 
figuratively 
representssomeone who is undefiled and without sin.
There has been
only
 
one person who has walked on this earth of ours who can qualify to fit that description. That person is JesusChrist and
him alone
. This is verified for us by the writer of the Epistle of first Peter. (1
st
 Peter 1:19:) “
 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 
This key is that
Christ "as of a Lamb offered himself unblemished toGod". No one but Jesus could offer himself unblemished to God.
 
Now, Christ Jesus,though born of a woman, yet he was without spot and without blemish. Everybody else is born blemished with the defects of sin by way of inheritance due to Father Adam's fallfrom perfection. This is clearly verified by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans.
 
“For
all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
 
(NIV) the Psalmist alsomakes reference to this.
 
Psalm 51:5 “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (NIV)
 
The scriptures leave no doubt that only Jesus was withoutsin and thus could be pictured in the types and shadows of the Old Testament sacrifices asone without blemish and without defect. Now Let us reason whether the ancient worthies were without blemish and without spot of sin? No, never. They were all descendents of  Adam, and in Adam, all die; but through Christ, all live.The red heifer was never to have been yoked. A yoke is a symbol of controlled or forcedsubmission (1 Kings 12:4, 9, 10, 11, 14). Adam. Before he sinned, had but one law to obey –not to eat of the tree of good and evil. But after he sinned, was driven and expelled fromthe presence of God, he came under the Yoke of sin and death. Prophet Isaiah Whilereferring to the Israelites forced submission to Midianites called the yoke a Burden.
“For thou hast broken the
yoke
of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of hisoppressor, as in the day of 
 
Midian
”
Isa 9:4
 
compare with 10:27. Sin is also a burden which made all mankind to bend and serve Satan. Prophet Jeremiah while referring theiniquities committed by the Children of Israel said the Yoke as Transgression “
The
yoke
 of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, [and] come up upon myneck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into [their] hands, [from whom] I am not able to rise up”.
 
Lam 1:14 compare with Isa 58:6, 7. Thus we cancome to a conclusion that a yoke may well represent the forced submission and control of Sin and Death. A yoke has the significance of subjection and servitude thus
showing that no works are to be attached to salvation
. We can view this from two standpoints. One was mentioned earlier in that
 Jesus was never subject to the yoke or bondage of sin.
 From a second standpoint it should be noted that animals that are yoked are compelled todo what is required of them.
Jesus was never "yoked", he was not compelled nor coerced,or required to be a sacrifice
 
for the sins of the world, for he voluntarily laid down his life because he wished to please his heavenly Father.
•
 
Hebrews 10:9-10 “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second.
10
 by the will we are sanctified throughthe offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (KJV)
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