Red Heifers Arrive in Israel - What Does This Mean?

Does the arrival of five red heifers in Israel signal the third temple, the end times? That's what many are saying after five rabbi-approved red heifers arrived from Texas last Thursday to a ceremonious welcome at the Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Many thoughts now focus on whether they are moving quickly toward a third-temple period or the “last days.”

The cows were inspected by rabbis and found to be red and unblemished, which means they are ritually pure for sacrifice as stipulated under the law of Moses. In order for someone following Mosaic law to become ritually pure, the ashes of a red heifer are required, according to Numbers 19:2 which says: “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke."

The farmers in Texas knew enough of the requirements and did not tag the ears of these cows, leaving them unblemished. No other nation has been able to produce the unblemished red heifer. The Christian organization, Boneh Israel, located the cattle and, along with the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, was responsible for getting them to Israel.

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. To me, this would be sad because the Jewish people would not feel the need to ever meet Yeshua (Jesus) because they believe only sacrifices are needed to atone for sin and this is the only redemption they need.

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. Please continue to pray for the Jewish people to see that they don't need the red heifer - they need Jesus!