How Five Red Heifers Got the World Talking About the End Times

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The world sat up with anticipation when five red heifers arrived at Ben-Gurion airport Thursday, September 15. These rabbi-approved bovine have sparked end-times conversations, and renewed interest in the possibility of the Third Temple being built in Jerusalem.

For the Orthodox Jewish community, this is viewed as one step closer to practicing the Mosaic law as dictated in Numbers 19:2, “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Tell the children of Israel that they will bring you a healthy red heifer, which has no blemish, and on which a yoke has never gone.'”

These heifers meet the criteria, as the American ranchers who sent them to Israel from Texas did not even tag the ears of the cattle. This ensured their pristine condition was maintained for rabbinical inspection.

This discussion of prophetic events has occurred in the past as well. Even “The New Yorker” wrote an extensive article in 1998 about American, Pentecostal rancher Clyde Lott, who contacted Jewish rabbis about his interest in selling unblemished, red cows to them and ended up learning just how important these cows were to the Jewish faith:

“Richman took Lott on a tour of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Over the next several days, he gave the Pentecostal evangelist an education in the Jewish oral tradition and the voluminous commentaries on the enigmatic commandment of the red heifer. Jewish law, which is called Halakah, maintains that all Jews today are impure because of their direct or indirect contact with the dead. For that reason, observant Jews may not go to parts of the Temple Mount, lest they step on the Holy of Holies, the spot where the Ark of the Covenant holding the fragments of the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments resided until it was supposedly lost during the Babylonians’ destruction of the First Temple, in 586 B.C. According to the rabbis, the only way that Jews could become pure again was by being sprinkled with the ashes of a red heifer that has been mixed with water traditionally drawn from the pool of Siloam. According to the Mishnah, the written version of the oral tradition, the ceremony of the red heifer sacrifice has only been performed nine times in the history of the Jewish people. When the tenth heifer appears, the Messiah will finally come.”

This exchange of beliefs and understanding of the significance of the red heifers in end-times prophecy for both Jewish and Christian believers, set the stage for today’s excitement with the cattle arriving in Israel.

As All Israel News reported, these heifers also represent redemption among members of the Jewish community:

“The presence of these heifers in Israel means that if the temple were to be rebuilt—or if it comes down from the sky, as some believe—sacrifices could already begin and temple service could be restored.

“This signifies to many Jews that redemption is now possible. Jews believe that the ashes of a red heifer are needed for purification. Christians believe that Jesus became the once-and-for-all sacrifice needed for salvation.”

Not all who are hearing about the arrival of the heifers are excited by this news. Many Islamic news outlets have been reporting frequently over the last several years about the Jewish desire to demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque. While a majority of Jews have stated they are against this, there is a minority who wish to see the Islamic places of worship completely removed from the Temple Mount.

These fears among the Muslim community may increase with arrival of the heifers, and could potentially lead to an increase in armed conflicts between the IDF and terrorist-organization Hamas.

If this scenario were to play out, and provide a pathway for Israel to expel the Islamic adherents from the Temple Mount, and allowing for construction of the Third Temple to begin. This potential chain of events would assuredly get worldwide coverage and play an integral role in the fulfilling of prophecies for Jews and Christians.

History has shown that any action regarding the Temple Mount will be met with opposition. Recently the media and many in positions of power are not on the side of Israel anymore. This includes a growing number of American politicians who have made notoriously anti-Semitic remarks such as Reps. Illan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who would resist the Jewish construction of the Third temple based on their anti-Israeli rhetoric.

For Jews and Christians however, the question is not if these things will come to pass, but when will they come to pass. God has ordained these events to occur, now the faithful must continue on in prayer and supplication that the will of God be done. {eoa}

James Lasher is a Copy Editor for Charisma Media.