“This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him.” (Numbers 19:2-3 NKJV)

For some time, the Temple Institute in Jerusalem has worked to restore the vessels and vestments of worship for a coming Third Temple. There, gold thread and dyed wool have been woven into priestly garments, the menorah is ready to be lit, and an engraved High Priest crown awaits. However, the most significant deterrent to building a future Temple may surprise you. Rather than quarried stones, woodworkers, or even political will, it is the missing red heifer. How rare is this animal? According to the Mishnah composed in the second century, only nine were sacrificed from when Moses received the command until the Temple was destroyed! (Mishnah Parah, 3.5).[1] Maimonides, the great Jewish theologian, said, “And the tenth will be brought by the king Messiah; may he speedily be revealed. Amen, so may it be G‑d’s will.” (Mishnah Torah, Red Heifer 3.4).[2][3]

All that changed this week when five certified red heifers were brought to Israel via evangelical ranch herders from Texas.[4] Here are five reasons why this is significant, perhaps more than many realize.

1. The ashes of a red heifer are necessary to cleanse from Biblical impurity.

According to the books of Numbers and Hebrews, the ashes of a red heifer mixed with water are necessary to cleanse the physical body from ritual impurity, tumah, especially when caused by exposure to a corpse or even the personal belongings of someone who dies. (Numbers 19:11-15) Since the days of the Second Temple, this sprinkling has not been done, and therefore no person or priest today is qualified to serve. Even if political fights were resolved over building the Sanctuary, a future Temple would only be a museum without those ashes.

2. There has not been a certified red heifer in the last two-thousand years!

For decades, breeding programs have worked to produce this kosher red cow. Unfortunately, each time one was mature enough to be declared acceptable, some defect or aberrant hair color disqualified it. Now there are five!! Has a prophetic timetable opened the door for rebuilding the Temple?

3. The timing at the end of a Shemitah or Sabbatical year in a seven-year cycle may be significant.

At sundown on September 25^th, a Jewish New Year, 5783, will begin the cycle anew. I won’t delve too deeply into this, but I believe this may be the most significant seven years since the first century. The appearance of true red heifers, if indeed they are certified, should give us all pause to ask where we are on the prophetic timetable.

4. The red heifer is essential to rebuilding the Temple.

In the States, I am often asked, “How close are we to its construction?” If the seemingly impossible political problems were resolved, a functioning sanctuary could be erected quickly–perhaps in days or weeks! Israel functioned with only a Tabernacle for forty years in the wilderness and almost four hundred years at Shiloh (Judges 18:1). The vestments, silver trumpets, shovels, and even the altar are ready.   The menorah itself is fashioned from 100 pounds of gold! But what about the Ark? The Ark disappeared with the closing days of the First Temple. It was not used in either Zerubbabel’s or Herod’s Temple. Even if its location became known, it is not necessary in order for the ritual service to begin. But now we come to the most crucial point you need to know about the red heifer.

5. The need for a Red Heifer is still valid, but an even greater sacrifice is needed.

I told you what the red heifer could do to cleanse ritual impurity, but there is something that these five, or even fifty red heifers, cannot do. They cannot cleanse a conscience stained by sin. Only the blood of the Messiah can do that!

“For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13-14 NKJV).

Examining the Sacrifice

Twice, the writer of Hebrews compared the sacrifice of Yeshua (Jesus) on the Cross to the sacrificial red heifer. If the sprinkled ashes of the spotless heifer can cleanse the body, how much more the blood of the sinless Messiah offered to God cleanse a conscience from dead works.   Over the following days and weeks, leading Rabbinic authorities will examine the five heifers for any defect or discolored hair. I pray they will examine Yeshua, the spotless lamb of God, who takes away the world’s sins even more closely!   Examine His claims, sinless life, prophetic fulfilments, death, and especially His resurrection.

Going Unto Him, Bearing His Shame

“Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin.” (Numbers 19:9 NKJV)

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that just as it was necessary to go to the heifer sacrificed outside the camp for cleansing, we must go to the Messiah. He implores us to go unto Yeshua, who suffered just beyond Jerusalem gates, was killed, and rose again. He is our ultimate source of cleansing and hope.

“For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. “(Hebrews 13:11-13 NKJV)

These five heifers, the first in two-thousand years, may well be pointing us to the unblemished Son of Man, who was killed outside Jerusalem two thousand years ago and raised to life again. May He come again speedily, and in our days.

[1] “Mishnah Parah 3:5,” Sefaria, accessed September 21, 2022, https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Parah.3.5?lang=en.

[2] “Mishneh Torah, Red Heifer 3:4,” Sefaria, accessed September 21, 2022, https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah%2C_Red_Heifer.3.4?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en.

[3] Randall Price, The Coming Last Days’ Temple (Eugene, Or.: Harvest House, 1999), 361-378.

[4] “From Texas to Israel: Red Heifers Needed for Temple Arrive,” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, accessed September 21, 2022, https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-717650.

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