The Red Heifer – Destroying the Dispensationalism Time Line– #6

One has but to read the headlines, watch YouTube videos, watch the television, to know how much “excitement” there is in the Dispensational and Jewish world about the recent (April, 2014) birth of another red heifer. Initial reports claim that this young bovine is actually qualified to serve as a sacrifice to dedicate the temple in Jerusalem, which, we are assured, is almost ready for dedication.

There are actually several things tragically missing from all of these discussions. To understand how misguided the current excitement is, one must understand the Dispensational time line of prophetic events.

Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, in the book Prophecy Watch (Eugene, Or. Harvest House, 1998, p. 59f). give us that time line.

They tell us that the very next event for the true church is to be removed from the earth in the rapture (p. 56). Of course, this is supposedly very near.

They tell us that following that dramatic event, “a new Mediterrannean leader upsets three nations of the confederacy and takes control of the ten-nation group’ (This ten nation group idea has now been falsified and dispelled, if one is observant about what has happened!).

This leader negotiates a “final” peace settlement in the Middle East.

The Jewish people celebrate what appears to be a lasting and final peace treaty (p. 60).

This peace treaty will allow Israel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ibid).

During three and a half years of peace, Judaism is revived, and traditional sacrifices and ceremonies are re-instituted n the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ibid).

Now, if you were reading closely you noticed that the only Jerusalem temple in this time line is the Tribulation Temple, that the Jews build only after the peace treaty with the man of sin has been signed! And, this is only done after the church has been removed from the earth!

Do you catch the power of that?

The Red Heifer Will Dedicate the Temple Authorized by the Man of Sin?!?

If what is being done in Israel today, in regards to a temple, is related to prophecy, then of necessity, it has to do with a temple to be “consecrated” by the man of sin!

In Dispensational thought, there is no restored temple before the rapture.

In Dispensational thought, the next temple should only be that which the man of sin allows, through the supposed peace treaty with Israel.

Interestingly, a few months back, a poster (with the handle of J KLY) on YouTube, accosted me over my views on Israel and eschatology. He assured me that I am a false teacher, heretic, and doomed to eternal hell. After all, he claimed the man of sin would sign the peace treaty with Israel no later than June 21, 2014, allowing Israel to rebuild the temple on the temple mount.

I responded that this simply would not happen, and further, I challenged the objector with the following. I said that if that peace treaty was signed, (no later than June 21, 2014) allowing Israel to remove the Dome of the Rock and rebuild the temple, I would send him $1000.00. If, however, that treaty was not signed, no later than June 21, 2014, he would send me the same amount. He refused that amount, but did agree to a $100.00 figure.

Well, I don’t have to tell anyone that such a treaty with Israel and the man of sin was not signed. But, did the objector pay up? Did he admit his error? No, in fact, he claimed that I lied about the wager, and that he never actually said the treaty would definitely be signed, he only agreed to bet that it would! (Such nonsensical double talk is shameful, to say the least). The objector then conveniently deleted all of his comments in regard to the wager, signing of by reiterating his claims that I am a false teacher.

The point is that in the midst of all of the claims that the Red Heifer has been born, ostensibly proving that a temple can be re-dedicated, nothing that is happening fits the Dispensational time line!

What the Jews have in Jerusalem today, with all of the claims about a rebuilt temple being almost ready, is not a rebuilt temple! Do you catch that? There is no temple on the temple mount! Of course, this completely falsifies all of the current claims that the rabbis are ready to hang the veil in the temple! This is false– false to the core. There is no temple in which to hang the veil!

Now, what that means, of course, is that even if the current red heifer candidate were to be pure, that its ashes would not be used to consecrate what is being done in Jerusalem today. Those ashes would have to be used on the temple that the man of sin would authorize!

Do you catch the irony of that?

Are we to believe that God would bring about the birth of a red heifer so that its ashes could be used to dedicate a temple authorized by the man of sin? Really? Where would such an idea come from? Would that not be putting God’s stamp on that temple? Would not a temple authorized by the man of sin be an abomination to God? If not, why not?

Further, take note that#5 — Dispensationalism and the Passing of Torah” href=”http://donkpreston.com/the-red-heifer-5-dispensationalism-and-the-passing-of-torah/” target=”_blank”> in my last article, I made the claim that all claims being made about the necessity for the ashes of the red heifer, in order to dedicate the rebuilt temple, would demand that the Law of Moses is still in effect. And this is confirmed by Ice and Demy in the book cited above. Notice what they say about this tribulation temple: “Judaism is revived, and traditional sacrifices and ceremonies are re-instituted n the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.”

The Red Heifer and the Restoration of the Law of Moses– Another Look

If “Judaism is revived” and the “traditional sacrifices and ceremonies are re-instituted” this can only mean that the Law of Moses will be in effect– i.e. it is still in effect now, or, it will be restored in that temple! Judaism was based squarely on the Law of Moses. The “traditional sacrifices and ceremonies” were taken directly from Torah– and no where else! Thus, the re-institution of those “traditional sacrifices and ceremonies” is nothing but a re-institution of the Law of Moses!

And yet, the Dispensationalists claim, as we cited Ice in the previous article, that the law of Moses has been forever fulfilled and removed. This is a huge, insurmountable self-contradiction from which there is no escape.

Watch the argument:

The Law of Moses has been fulfilled and forever removed– (Thomas Ice / Timothy Demy / Dispensationalism).

In the Tribulation Temple, “Judaism is revived, and traditional sacrifices and ceremonies are re-instituted in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.”

But, Judaism and the traditional sacrifices and ceremonies, sprang from and were mandated by the Law of Moses. (The Law of Moses identified “Judaism!”).

Therefore, the Law of Moses will be re-instituted in the Tribulation Temple.

 

Let me turn that around a bit so that you can see another aspect of the problem:

The Tribulation Temple is (supposed to be) the restoration of Judaism and the traditional sacrifices and ceremonies (Thomas Ice / Timothy Demy / Dispensationalism).

Judaism and the traditional sacrifices and ceremonies sprang from, and were mandated by the Law of Moses.

But, the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and forever removed (Thomas Ice / Timothy Demy / Dispensationalism).

Therefore, the Tribulation Temple cannot be the restoration of Judaism and the traditional sacrifices and ceremonies as claimed by the Dispensationalists.

Now, are the Dispensationalists right when they say the Law of Moses has been forever removed? If so, they are wrong when they say that “Judaism and the traditional sacrifices and ceremonies” mandated by the Law of Moses will be restored and re-instituted. There was no “Judaism” and no Temple cultus in Jerusalem apart from Torah– the Law of Moses.

However, if the Premillennialists are correct to say that Judaism is restored, and that those “traditional sacrifices and ceremonies” are re-instituted, then they are wrong when they tell us that the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and forever removed.

These are the two horns of the dilemma for the Dispensational world. Either one is self destructive.

The bottom line is that virtually everything being claimed about the red heifer, about the Levitical priesthood being “re-trained”, about the imminent re-hanging of a veil, about the temple, is null and void!

The time line is wrong.

The theology is wrong.

It does not matter if the current red heifer candidate is the purest of pure red. Christ fulfilled all the typological significance of the Old Covenant sacrifices. He offered himself as a sacrifice “without spot and without blemish.” His body is the true temple (Hebrews 8:1-2). All efforts to restore that old typological system are nothing but another attempt at Judaizing. It is a doomed effort, and rejects the perfect work of Christ.

It is my prayer that those so eagerly looking to the red heifer, that they take their eyes off of a cow, and put them on the Lord Jesus– the Christ.

 

Be sure to get a copy of my Like Father Like Son, On Clouds of Glory, for an in-depth study of the typological nature of Israel, her temple and her sacrifices. This book is a powerful response to all claims that we must witness a restored literal temple in Jerusalem.