This week while preparing to give the sermon for our congregation I discovered some very interesting things.
I was asked to present the vision God gave me about Jesus dying the Second Death while sweating blood in Gethsemane, fulfilling the Red Heifer sacrifice. I was meditating on the role of the shrub called Hyssop that was an integral part of the Red Heifer ceremony and the Still Small Voice quoted David praying in Psalm 51:7(ASV) "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
So should we go find a shrub of hyssop and use it to cleanse ourselves? Of course not, we look to the services of humility and cleansing from scripture to see how this cleansing takes place for us.
I was inspired to pursue this knowledge.
In my study I was shown that there were only three services in scripture that required 'hyssop'.
1: Passover; the lamb was slain in between the door posts and the blood was painted onto the door lentil by using a small bunch of hyssop.
2: Cleansing of a leper; if a leprous person was cleansed, they had to go to the priest who would take two birds, kill one of them and using a hyssop brush, completely paint the other bird with the blood of the one killed.
3: Red Heifer; hyssop was thrown into the fire at the Miphkad altar, then to cleans an unclean person they used hyssop to sprinkle the person and his family and their possessions with clean water mixed with ashes of the heifer and hyssop.
These are the only sacrifices that used hyssop in them.
When Jesus left the upper room with the 11 remaining disciples after the communion, He stopped at the door and said "Now is the hour of the power of darkness". This was when the Passover was killed throughout Israel. Jesus fulfilled the service at that moment between the door posts. He chose to exchange heaven for us.
In the ceremony for restoring a leper to the congregation, the blood of one bird completely covered the other bird, just as Jesus was covered in blood in Gethsemane.
And as I was shown by God, the Red Heifer sacrifice was ideally and ultimately fulfilled by Jesus in Gethsemane on the exact spot the Red Heifer was slain.
Listen what Mrs White says about the cleansing that is needed from the Red Heifer sacrifice to take away our sins so we are white as snow.
"After the tent had been sprinkled with hyssop, over the door of those cleansed was written: I am not my own; Lord, I am Thine. Thus should it be with those who profess to be cleansed by the blood of Christ. God is no less exacting now than He was in olden times. The psalmist, in his prayer, refers to this symbolic ceremony when he says: “
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit.” {4T 122.3}
The blood of Christ is efficacious, but it needs to be applied continually. God not only wants His servants to use the means He has entrusted to them for His glory, but He desires them to make a consecration of themselves to His cause. If you, my brethren, have become selfish and are withholding from the Lord that which you should cheerfully give to His service, then you need the blood of sprinkling thoroughly applied, consecrating you and all your possessions to God. {4T 122.4}
Notice how she says a "sign was put over the tent of those cleansed" saying "I am not my own Lord I am thine"? This is perfectly in tune with what God showed me. The fulfilled Red Heifer sacrifice is what is needed to be prepared to receive the SEALING!
Each one of these sacrifices point to Thursday evening when Jesus was "Cut off" from the Father and He sweat blood.
To read about the vision God gave me please read this blog.
http://redheifersbloodysweat.blogspot.com/2011/12/red-heifer.htmlPeace in the name of Jesus.
