Last week some interesting news broke from Israel - five red heifers arrived by airplane at Ben Gurion International Airport. This was a day of celebration for The Temple Institute, a Jewish organization in Israel whose focus over the past 30 years has been to establish the Third Temple in Jerusalem.
Why are these animals so important? Because Jewish priests serving at the Temple must present themselves in a state of ritual purity before they can perform their duties. Numbers 19 records the incredibly intricate details for this purification process which requires the ashes of a red heifer.
“Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come…and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered…the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. And the heifer shall be burned in his sight” (Num. 19:2-5).
If you keep reading this passage it says that the only way the priests could be cleansed from impurity was to be washed with water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, but not any red heifer would do! She must be young, less than 3-years-old with no defect, on which no yoke was ever placed.
According to rabbis, only nine red heifers were ever found in the entire history of Israel, so it goes without saying that they are extremely rare and valuable. For the past decade, the Temple Institute had been searching and trying tirelessly to breed a perfect red heifer specimen. They were unsuccessful until last year when they came into contact with a Texas rancher who had figured out a way to breed five. A team of rabbis from the Temple Institute flew to Texas to inspect the calves last year and deemed them worthy of meeting the biblical requirements.
So why should Christians care? Because these events hint at prophetic significance. The Bible predicts that during the future Tribulation period, there will be a Jewish temple standing in Jerusalem. In Rev. 11:1 John is told, “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.” Daniel, Jesus and Paul all prophesy that at the midpoint of the Tribulation period, the Antichrist will enter this temple, desecrate it and declare himself to be God (Dan. 9:27, Mat. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:4).
The Temple Institute has been diligently working to make the third temple a reality. Many of the utensils, such as the golden menorah, the priestly garments and vessels used to store the blood of sacrifices, have already been created. A computer database of the eligible priests has also been put together, complete with their genealogical records. And now one more critical piece for resurrecting temple worship is within their grasp – the red heifer. Now all they need is a piece of land on the Temple Mount upon which to build.
How exactly the Jews will be allowed to rebuild in the most hotly contested piece of real estate on earth, we don’t know and the Bible doesn’t say. But prior to 1948 it looked like it would be impossible for the Jews to ever have their own nation, but look what God did on the world stage. We don’t know how God will fulfill His Word, but believe it friend - every jot and tittle will come to pass.
All this points to another prophetic sign that indicates events are moving exactly in the direction God said they would as the world nears the return of Jesus. Until He comes, we can rejoice in Heb. 9:13-14 which assures us that the sacrifice of Jesus is superior to that of the red heifer: “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” -DM
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