Hezekiah took the throne at that age of twenty five, and reigned for the next twenty nine years. In the reign of both Jotham his father, and Ahaz his grandfather, each sought to destroy the temple of God and the Laws and Commandments of the Lord and follow in the ways of Baal, and idolatry. This was as the house of Israel had chosen to do since the death of Solomon several hundred years prior. Hezekiah saw the destruction that the ways of Baal and the heathen gods brought, as many of his subjects were still held captive in Israel and Syria after the Lord brought these nations down. Judah was punished for the sins that they had committed, and defiling the ways and the laws of the Lord.

II Chronicles 29:2 "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done."

We will see in this chapter that the instructions that God gave Moses guided the setting up the Worship of the Lord. The sacrifices and offerings were followed just as God instructed. Hezekiah would not drift from those ways, but instructed the Levites and sons of Aaron to sanctify themselves, clean up the temple, and make the house of the Lord ready for the people to worship. He directed them to make their offerings and sacrifices to YHVH the heavenly Father. Hezekiah had the priests follow the practices that David had set up for worship, and those instructions were followed without a flaw. Hezekiah was the fourteenth generation from David, and is in the seed line God established in the house of David. That house or lineage of David continues even to today, as Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain now sits on that throne.

II Kings 18:6 "For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept His [God's] commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses."

Hezekiah stuck to the commandments, all of them, and trusted in God to lead him and his people."

II Chronicles 29:3 "He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them."

Remember that the first month of the year started with the Spring Vernal Equinox, and each month was set at thirty days. This was the start of the preparation of the house of the Lord. to make the repairs in the Temple, and to restore those vessels and altars that were needed to be made serviceable for the offerings and sacrifice, and worship by the congregation. Note here also that though this will take the next three chapters in II Chronicles, it only occupies three verses in the book of the Kings.

The reason for this difference in handling this "time of purification" in the Temple is that the books of the Kings were given by God through the Prophets of God, and viewed from a Divine standpoint. They are viewed and understood by and with a spiritual mind. Whereas here in the Chronicles these are events were written hundreds of years later by the Kenites; as recorded in I Chronicles 2:55. This was long after the time of the Babylonian captivity of Judah, and the books of Chronicles are given from an historical and moral point of view. Ezra 8:15 alerts us to this fact; "And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days; and I viewed the People, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi."

At the time of the return to rebuild the Temple after the captivity, the Kenites had completely taken over the priesthood. Thus we can see why the priesthood took the turns that it did. We see why traditions became so important, for the Kenites were controlling the priesthood and those events that would go on in the Temple.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes when dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites, These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab."

The Kenites were the people from Hamath, from the lineage of Cain, and not of Abraham. They were not the ones that God appointed as His priests, but they are the ones that had a hand in the recording of these Chronicles. This is not to say that God did not give direction to these authors, because quite obviously it was written, and placed in the word of God. It is a historical record for us to read and relate to the books of Kings and Samuel, in our studies. So expect these Kenite scribes to be writing here in the Chronicles much the same way they approach the things of God today, from a pure historical record, focusing strictly on the moral aspect.

In the books of the Kings, things and events considered are written in a chronological order, and in the books of Chronicles this order is ignored. The reason is in the purpose of this writing, for things are brought out to show comparisons and consequences, and the contrast is then view with a moral contrast. Examples of this are in the numbering by David of the people; the listing of David's mighty men; and in the account of the plague that fell on the people after the numbering.

We see from this that the books of Chronicles are entirely independent of the books of Samuel and the four books of Kings. Most of the problems the critics have in dealing with this is in their assumption that "these books ought to be alike" when dealing with the same subjects. When they see the variations between the two, they call it "discrepancies", or "corruptions" in the text. God has allowed all of these books to be represented in His Word, and for it to be Divine Instruction for our learning.

Notice also that there will be only three verses dealing with this opening of the Temple in the books of the Kings, but in the Chronicles, three chapters are given to this subject. It will also be a review of the different offerings and sacrifices that are made at the altar of God.

II Chronicles 29:4 "And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street,"

At the start of Hezekiah's reign on the first day of the year, Hezekiah took all the priests and Levites to this main street gathering place. He let them know face to face that under his reign the nation is turning back to the Lord. For this turn around in the land of Judah to be successful, it had to begin with the priest and Levites. They are the ones that God appointed to the duties in the Temple, and they are the only ones authorized to follow through with the offerings and sacrifices required in their worship.

During the reign of Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, the temple was closed, and the things of God were taken to be used at the altar of Baal. The Temple itself was damaged badly, and teachings of the Word by the priests and Levites were forbidden and taken from the people. It was because of this action by Ahaz, and the support given to Ahaz by the people that God lifted His hand of protection from Judah. God brought the Syrians, and Israel down on the people and nation of Judah. Hezekiah witnessed this falling apart of his nation and even Ahaz his father giving praise to the gods of Syria in the course of Judah's destruction. Hezekiah knew that Judah's problems came from God, and the only way it would change was by the repentance of the people, and their turning their hearts, minds and ways back to God.

II Chronicles 29:5 "And said unto them, "Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place."

This manner of sanctifying yourself and the house of God was set by the Lord, and given to Moses and the sons of Aaron back in the wilderness. This reformation in Judah took place over seven hundred years prior to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reformation must start with the ministry, the priests and the Levites getting back to the Lord and doing the things of the Lord as prescribed within His Laws and instructions. Under Hezekiah, it was clean up time, for Hezekiah cleaned out all those high places, the altars to strange gods and all forms of idolatry. What a relief from the wickedness of his fathers Jotham and Ahaz that went before him.

II Chronicles 29:6 "For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs."

Ahaz had tried to eliminate all the holy things of our Heavenly Father by removing them and destroying them. Hezekiah saw the damage that his father did to the Temple and in bringing his people into idolatry.

II Kings 18:4 "He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan."

That image of the brasen serpent that Moses had made of brass while the Israelites were in the wilderness, was a relic that they had hung on to, and bowed down before. Hezekiah broke it into pieces so that it could not be used in the future by the people. The children of Israel actually came to that brass serpent and burned incense to that old snake on the stick. Hezekiah called that old serpent, "Nehushtan" or "nothing but a piece of brass." Though this had become a form of idolatry just prior to Hezekiah's day, in Moses' day it was used for a different purpose, to build the faith of the children of Israel back to God; when the people had given up their faith, when these serpents were stinging them, they would be healed.

Hezekiah had faith in Father YHVH that if he followed God, he knew that God would take care of him and all the people. God would restore His protection back to Judah from all his enemies.

II Chronicles 29:7 "Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel."

II Chronicles 29:8 "Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes."

Hezekiah is letting these priests and Levites know exactly why all the trouble came to Judah. He is telling them to open your eyes and see all that has fallen on our people. Remember it is not God's fault that this has come to us, for God told us what would happen in Moses' warnings of Deuteronomy 28:15-65; if we do not follow his ways and rejected his laws and commandments. That warning was both to the people individually, and to the people as a nation, and this is exactly what has happened to Judah.

II Chronicles 29:9 "For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this."

God sent the Syrians and the House of Israel down on Judah, and we read in Second Chronicles 28:5 "Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter."

There wasn't a priest or Levite present before Hezekiah that wasn't aware of the cause of that great slaughter and the loss of their king and many of their brethren of Judah. And Hezekiah is calling attention to what has to be done to bring God's protection back to them and their nation.

II Chronicles 29:10 "Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us."

God made a Covenant with Abraham because of his faith and obedience to YHVH Father. That Covenant is an eternal Covenant, and is present even to today. God made another Covenant with David, and Queen Elizabeth II of England is a witness that God kept that promise. God also made His promise to us or any nation, that if they will follow His instructions, and abide by His laws and His Commandments that this same protection would be given to them. Again, this agreement was given through the mouth of Moses in Deuteronomy 28. This was the last set of instructions that would be given to the Children before they crossed the Jordan River and moved in to claim their promise land. That promise is an eternal promise; that when you do things God's way, He will bless that land and it's people and cause us to prosper. When we turn our backs to God, then expect those many curses to fall on us.

King Hezekiah of Judah is calling this to the attention of these priests and Levites, and it is time to get back to seeking the blessings and protection from the Lord, and it all starts here at the temple. It starts at the church house door with the men of God getting their hearts right and sanctified, set apart from the worldly mind.

II Chronicles 29:11 "My sons, be not now negligent; for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should minister unto Him, and burn incense."

Sure this message was given over 2700 years ago, but it still applies to each and every man or woman of God that stands before God's children to teach the Word of God. "Be not now negligent, for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should be minister unto Him..." If things are not going well, stop and consider what needs to be changed to get right with the Lord.

II Chronicles 29:12 "Then the Levites arose , Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites: and the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah:"

This is the start of a major change in the land of Judah, when "the Levites arose". God gave each of these families of Levi a specific task to do in the Tabernacle, that started while in the wilderness. Now here at the Temple, those duties must continue, and the Levite families rose to get it done. The priesthood was divided into four parts, and each of the families within the Levites were given a specific task. Numbers 4 gives us the numbering of the families of Levi and their tasks.

The first group of the Levite numbering were the sons of Aaron, for Aaron and his sons were appointed to make the sin and blood offerings, and to stand before the Heavenly Father in the Holy of Holies. They were the direct go-between with the Father and His People.

The second family of Levi were the Kohathites, the sons of Kohath, and God assigned them to the duties. They were to carry and maintain the furniture, and the Ark of the Covenant before Israel, as they moved through the wilderness. The things of burden within the Temple are the duty of the Kohathites. These men were anointed to be the heavy movers; set aside for movement of the Tabernacle tent, the heavy panels, and the doors, gates, and other items. They were given extra oxen and wages for their task.

The third family of the Levi were the sons of Gershon, the Gershonites. The Gershonites were the people that were to do the work within the Temple [tabernacle]. These priests were on probation for the first five years, and were stationed within the tabernacle to protect the holy things and assist the priest. These men were not to move the heavy things for that was the duty of the Kohathites, but anointed to prepare the badger skins that would cover the Ark of the Covenant, and all the other items within the Tabernacle.

The fourth family within Levi were the sons of Merari, the Merarites. Merari was the youngest son of Levi, and these men were the security guards of the Tabernacle, or Temple in the time of Hezekiah. These men of Merari were not part of the military, but call it an agency within the house of the Lord to secure the things of God.

So the men of the lineage of each of these four families stepped forward, and called on their family members to sanctify themselves and prepare for the duties that God placed on their families over seven hundred years before. Each of these families are present, and they know the task set before them.

II Chronicles 29:13 "And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:"

II Chronicles 29:14 "And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel."

II Chronicles 29:15 "And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord."

Remember that this is not something that you do by trial and error, but it is done exactly by the letter of the law, as written down by Moses as God instructed him to write. God choose, sanctified and anointed Moses to lead the people; then choose Aaron and his sons to be the High Priest, and priests. Then following the numbering or census taking of the Levites, each family was given their task. That would be their family occupation for the rest of their lives. How would they make their living? That's what your tithe and offerings are for. It's no different today.

II Chronicles 29:16 "And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the Lord, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the Lord into the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron."

The Brook of Kedron is where the scrap pile is located. It is where all the trash of the community is taken to the burn pile. That is also where all the unclean things and idols, images, and other things of Baal were taken and destroyed. The Temple was made ready for the anointing and sanctifying of the Temple and the priests. Stop and think for a moment of all the excitement that must be going on with these priests and Levites, for the house of the Lord that was dead, is now to be cleansed and sanctified to the Lord. The king has assigned them to the task, and they are willing and able to complete the task.

II Chronicles 29:17 "Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighty day of the month came they to the porch of the Lord: so they sanctified the house of the Lord in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end."

To focus in on the days and times of these events, remember that the year started with the Spring Vernal Equinox, and for the first eight days, these priests and Levites set out to sanctify themselves in the sight of the Lord. They made themselves ready for the most important date that would soon start, for on the fifteenth day of this month would start the Passover. The Passover is that time when the death angel passed over the children of Israel when they were in captivity in Egypt, and God set that special day aside to be remembered from then on, until the end of this earth age. So we see that the sanctification was completed on the second day of the Passover.

The Passover for us living in these end times of this earth age of flesh man is Jesus Christ. When our Lord went to the cross to pay the price for the sins of those that would believe on His name; and by faith place their sins in repentance under the blood of Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 5:7, 8 "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened, For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:" [7] "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." [8]

Jesus Christ became our perfect sacrifice for one and all time, when He shed His Blood on the Cross. The old leaven were those many sacrifices that had to be offered each year, just as these priests and Levites are setting up to do here at the Temple again. However Jesus Christ taught us the New Passover or Covenant, and it is that time when the followers of our Lord gather around the Communion Table to drink of the Communion cup of wine to remember that shed blood of Christ that was given for each of us for the forgiveness of our sins. The bread of the Communion table to remind us of the body of Christ given for each of us. Paul reminds us of this time in I Corinthians 11:23 - 34. This is the instructions for our taking of the Lord's Supper.

I Corinthians 11:27 "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."

Paul is telling you that when you go to the table of the Lord, know why you are doing what you do. You are not to judged yourself and focus on those sins that you have committed, but you are to focus on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, and that time of His death on the cross. If you are thinking of yourself and your problems; you have taken your eyes off the Lord, and the body and blood of the Lord.

I Cointhians 11:28, 29 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." [28] "For he that eatheth and drinketh unworthily, eatheth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. [29]

As the bread of the Communion table is broken, that is the time to think only of the body of Christ being given for your sins: and when the cup is taken, take it in remembrance of His Blood shed for your sins personally. Then you are eating and drinking "worthily". This is a very important time in our lives, for it is the time that we refresh our souls, and bring our minds completely to focus on the work of our Lord on the cross. To be doing or thinking of anything else at that moment in time is "to eat and drink unworthily".

I Corinthians 11:30 "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

To "eat and drink worthily" is seeking the blessing of God in our lives, and our souls and bodies to be refreshed. When it is not taken worthily it is drinking and eating to the damage of our souls and physical bodies.

As we continue in this chapter, we will see that these Priests and Levites will follow exactly the instructions that YHVH our heavenly Father had instructed Moses. God instructed Moses in detail how the sons of Aaron were to make those blood and sin offering to Him. Remember that the practices of animal sacrifices had been done away with by Hezekiah's father and grandfather, that sat on the throne of Judah, and God had punished that nation of Judah greatly for their turning their backs to his laws and commandments.

So the house of the Lord had been sanctified and brought back to where all the heathen idols, and practices were removed and destroyed. These priests had made the house of the Lord ready to approach the Father in the manner and order that was laid out by God in the book of Leviticus.

II Chronicles 29:18 "Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, "We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof."

All of the heathen images and idols had been removed; and the house of the Lord had been cleansed.

II Chronicles 29:19 "Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord."

They hunted down and brought back all of the items that Ahaz had taking out of the Temple and after cleaning and restoring them, put them back in their proper places within the Temple. So now that the priesthood and the Levites have restored the Temple back to the way that God required that it should be, as well as prepared themselves for doing their jobs within the Temple, it is time to bring in the leaders of the people of Judah, and let them know the new direction that king Hezekiah has set for his nation.

II Chronicles 29:20 "Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the Lord."

The gathering place for the this important meeting is now at the house of the Lord, and not at the east street of the city.

II Chronicles 29:21 "And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for the sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the son of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the Lord."

The number of animals stated here was the requirement by God and recorded in Leviticus 4:30-34. "And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar." [30] "And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the Lord; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him." [31]

Each of the offerings that will be offered will be given exactly as God instructed the priests to do through Moses, and here some 700 years later, there will be no change to those instruction.

Leviticus 4:32, 33 "And if he bring a lamb for a sins offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish." [32] "And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering." [33]

When this sin offering and burnt sacrifice is given to the Lord, those sins repented of were covered over and forgiven. That person placing his hand on the head of the sacrificed animal is stating to God that he recognizes that he is truly guilty of the sin which this burnt offering is sacrificed for. This offering is to be made on the north side of the altar.

Leviticus 4:34 "And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar:"

The blood is poured at the base of the altar, but even in the sin offering the blood was not taken into the sanctuary, for the reason for this is discussed in the latar chapter of Leviticus. In this sacrifice, the priest is required to eat part of the meat of this animal, to bare the iniquity of the sins of the people. The reason that I brought this up, was to show that every thing that is done, no matter how small it seemed was important to do. Why? because it was ordered by God.

Each of the families of the people of Judah brought their animal sacrifices to make sacrifice for their sins. All the animals that had to be sacrificed would require a large number of priests to complete the task. You will see that there were simply not enough sons of Aaron to do this task, and they took from the other Levite families to consecrate them, and anoint them for the task.

II Chronicles 29:22 "So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar."

II Chronicles 29:23 "And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands up them:"

II Chronicles 29:24 "And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel."

The house of Israel had fallen deep into sin from the moment that Jeroboam took the throne following King Solomon's death. King Hezekiah and Judah are making atonement also for the brethren in Israel at this sacrificial time. Did Israel seek the Lord's forgiveness for the many sins that they committed against? No.

II Chronicles 29:25 "And he set the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets."

II Chronicles 29:26 "And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets."

II Chronicles 29:27 "And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the son of the Lord began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel."

This was truly a wonderful time for the people for as a nation they brought their offerings and sacrificed for their sins, and got right with YHVH our heavenly Father. It was a time to bring out the instruments of praise, and sing joyfully unto the Lord.

II Chronicles 29:28 "And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished."

When the last of the animals was sacrificed, and its blood was offered up to the Lord as a "Olah" or burnt offering, the singing and praise part of the meeting was over, and the entire congregation bowed their head to the Lord.

II Chronicles 29:29 "And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped."

II Chronicles 29:30 "Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped."

Think of this massive congregation of Judah standing before the altar of God, being led by their king in praise, worship and with bowed heads thanking God for His loving kindness. The entire nation made their sacrifices and sin offerings to make themselves right with the Lord. Remember that this was at the start, that first month of that first year of Hezekiah's reign that this repentance took place. Many things will happen from here on, that will tare apart their brethren living north in the House or Nation of Israel. But God will protect these men and their families of Judah and Israel that sought to get things right in their land, that made their sin or "Olah" offerings with the Lord.

II Chronicles 29:31 "Then Hezekiah answered and said, "Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the Lord."

"The Shelem" or peace offering conveys the idea of peace on the grounds of perfection of compensation or recompense. Hence the "Shelem" is connected with the thought of rendering payment of vows or praises because of peace that will now be enjoyed. This offering is sometimes joined with the Zeback offering, so it becomes Eucharistic rather than propitiatory. These men of Judah made their sin offerings, and they have the faith in YHVH that their sins have been covered and made right, and that peace and protection has been established between them and God.

II Chronicles 29:32 "And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was three score and ten bullocks, and hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord."

Think of the job completed here by the priests, for 70 bullocks, and 100 rams, and 200 lambs were all prepared this day for the altar of God, as the people of Judah stood in Jerusalem before the Temple of God. These animals had to be killed and prepared exactly as God instructed Moses that these offerings were to be made; and King Hezekiah saw to it that these priests had prepared themselves for this task ahead of time. He met with them, laid out how his kingdom would be run, then set the task before them.

Today we don't burn animals on the altar of sacrifice to please our Heavenly Father, no there is no animal sacrifice anymore. For there is only one acceptable blood sacrifice that is acceptable and that sacrifice was given and provided by our Heavenly Father Himself. That blood sacrifice was given through the blood of His Son, Jesus the Christ at the cross some two thousand years ago. When you individually accept that gift of perfection for your sins, then you have the peace and blessings of our heavenly Father. There is only one way to God and that way is through the cross of Christ.

John 3:16, 17 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." [16] "He that believeth on His is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." [17]

The world today would have you believe that there are many ways to the Father, the Creator, and all of their ways are by some man's invention. God told us that there is only one way; you take that way or leave it. When you take that way, your soul is not condemned to death, when you don't accept His way, then you are condemned already.

When Jesus went to the cross, it was not by accident, not by the planning of the Kenites or the hatred of a people, but by the plan of God. Jesus entered into this world for one sake and that was to live the perfect life, and be the perfect blood Sacrifice for the sins of any person that would accept that Sacrifice for their sins. First you must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, lived the perfect life, and then offered His life for this sacrifice. Each part of the crucifixion and resurrection was prophesied many centuries by the prophets of God, and the events that took place were not accident. My friend, this is why our prayers of repentance must be "in Jesus Name" or they are void.

Just as these men of Judah sang and rejoiced in their faith in giving their blood sacrifices that they were right before God, so your faith in Jesus Christ must be sound. If you have a cain to walk, you have faith that that Cain will hold you up. If you take a plane to Seattle, when you buy the ticket, you believe and have the faith before you set foot in the plane that the plane is air worthy. That is the faith and belief that you must have when you come to the Father in repentance in Jesus name, seeking forgiveness for your sins. It is free and there is nothing you can do of yourself to deserve that forgiveness but accept it. That gift is eternal life for your soul, and that promise is backed up by the creator of this universe, and your soul. That is why Jesus Christ is worthy of your honor and praise.

Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

God created you a thinking soul and gave you the right to choose for yourself the direction your life would take. Today we have the Word of God available to us, but the time is coming shortly when the truths of His Word will be removed from this earth. Amos warned us of that in Amos 8:11 "Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:" [11] "And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." [12]

End time prophecies are passing by us each and every day, and this famine of the loss of hearing of the words of is coming upon us.

II Chronicles 29:33 "And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep."

It was time for Judah to wake up, for God gave them a king with a heart towards the love of God, and Judah has accepted their king, and his ways of doing things. In this consecration ceremony, it took 600 oxen, and 3,000 sheep for this final part of the sacrifices, and there simply was not enough priests to do the job. Remember that it was not just the slaughter of the animal in the sacrifice, but the slaying of the animal had to be a certain way, and by the person designated to do the job.

II Chronicles 29:34 "But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests."

These sons of Aaron used their other Levite brethren to help where it was necessary, but these men also have to approach their work with an upright heart, and sanctify and set themselves apart for the work.

II Chronicles 29:35 "And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order."

With all these many animal sacrifice to God from the people, God was pleased. All these burnt offerings were necessary then, but today they are not acceptable. They were offered because they were given under Law of God which demanded it.

Hebrews 10:8. 9 "Above when He said, "Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offerings for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein:" which are offered by the law;" [8] "Then said He, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second." [9]

The moment that the Spirit of God left the body of Christ on the cross, and he gave up that Spirit, the requirement under the Law was over and completed. The first, the Law was over; and we of the human race came under the second, established in the perfect blood Sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:10 "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

That became the exact and only will whereby we can become sanctified, is through the offering of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was given as a sacrifice for every generation, and that goes back to Adams time, all the way to the final soul that enders this earth age through the birthing process. That soul enters the embryo at conception, and thus applies even to the unborn; "once and for all", even that small flesh of humanity that is being slaughtered by the millions today, unborn in the womb. God knows each sparrow that falls, and he knows each little soul that has fallen in the womb of its unborn mother.

II Chronicles 29:36 "And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the People, that God had prepared the People: for the thing was done suddenly."

This reformation that took place in the land of Judah was not planned over a long period of time, but when the king took office, he called the meeting and told the priest what was to be done. The nation must come back to God, and it will be done God's way. Those that choose to follow will be part of the plan, and those choosing not to, are left out. The priest listened, and God prepared their hearts and minds to not only back it, but sanctify themselves, and get the job done.

Once they were made ready themselves, then they got the nation ready for the reform that must take place. Without this reform, the nation would not exist, but we know that within God's plan, each and every one of these events was within the plan of God. The people rejoiced when they could see the working of God within themselves and their nation, and it was done suddenly, without delay. This is the approach that we must take in these final days.