What is the deal with this Red Heifer?
Who uses the Red Heifer?
What is the significance of the Red Heifer?
Must a Red Heifer be here prior to the rapture?
What do we do with knowledge of the Red Heifer?
Recently I attended a men’s retreat that was hosted by Free Grace International, in the Appalachian Mountains in north Georgia. It was a fantastic time where about 14 of us, coming from different locations and different walks of life, were unified as if we grew up together. There was hiking, eating, shooting pool, and of course, theological discussions. One of the discussions that came up was about the red heifers that were being bred, and shipped from Texas, over to Israel. It was a good conversation as we discussed a little about the implications of this event.
Then this morning, being a part of an online Bible study, the topic of the red heifer came up again. With completely different people than that of the discussion I had in Georgia. So that led me into a study and look into the implications of this current event.
If you aren't familiar with the Temple Institute, they are an organization that, for many years now, has been seeking to restore all the necessary instruments for Temple service, in Jerusalem, along with the necessary Levitical training in how to perform sacrificial services in the Temple.
“The Temple Institute is dedicated to all aspects of the Divine commandment for Israel to build a house for G-d's presence, the Holy Temple, on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The range of the Institute's involvement with this concept includes education, research, activism, and actual preparation. Our goal is firstly, to restore Temple consciousness and reactivate these "forgotten" commandments. We hope that by doing our part, we can participate in the process that will lead to the Holy Temple becoming a reality once more.” [1]
What does this have to do with the red heifer? Well, the red heifer is a necessary component that the Temple Institute needs to acquire, as we see in the book of Numbers. In Numbers chapter 19, God prescribes the ordinance, or statute, of this animal.
Numbers 19:2
This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke:
What we learn from this verse is that there are specific requirements of this heifer has to meet. First, it had to be red. Second, it could have no spot or blemish upon it. Third, it was not to have ever had a yoke upon it. Other requirements are found outside the book of Numbers such as the heifer never have been worked (Deuteronomy 21:3) and it being three years old (Genesis 15:9; Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:34).
The explicit purpose of this heifer is also found in the passage in Numbers.
Numbers 19:3-9
3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and [one] shall slay her before his face: 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: 5 And [one] shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: 6 And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast [it] into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. 8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9 And a man [that is] clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay [them] up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it [is] a purification for sin.
As seen in this passage, the purpose of the red heifer was to purify the location and people. The red heifer was to be sacrificed outside the camp, and its blood sprinkled by the Tabernacle to purify the area. The priests and those that burnt the heifer also required this purification, as well as anyone who had touched a dead body, or had even been in the same room as someone who had died. Once the heifer was burned, its ashes were mixed with water, and it was this water which was part of the purification ritual.
This is an Old Testament practice, and the Temple is no longer in operation, so what’s the fuss about, right? Let’s get back to the Temple Institute.
"According to The Temple Institute, the organization dedicated to preparing for the construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, these cleansing waters are necessary to ritually purify the Temple Mount area, the sacred vessels, and the entire Levitical priesthood that are all being prepared for service today...the ashes of the red heifer is the only remedy for the defilement that results from contact with a corpse."[2]
As the leading organization preparing for Temple services again, they realize that prior to officially beginning the sacrifice, this red heifer is necessary to purify the priests and the Temple area, as we just read in Numbers 19. So, you can see why the Temple Institute is very interested in having a red heifer that meets the Biblical qualifications above. They can have all the instruments, and have all the knowledge, but if they have not performed the ritual purification process, then they will never begin the sacrifices since the purification ritual was commanded in the Old Testament. Also, the Jewish Christians in the first century had to have been aware of this practice with the red heifer since the author of Hebrews uses it as an analogy as to how much better the sacrifice of Jesus is as compared to the bulls, goats, and ashes of the heifer.
Hebrews 9:13
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Any student of Biblical eschatology will recall that there must be a third Temple erected, and in operation, as the Antichrist will abominate the Temple as well as stop the sacrifices that are being conducted at that time (Daniel 9:27, 12:11). Therefore, the red heifer must have already been available and purified the area before the priests begin their holy work in the Third temple. However, I don’t believe that is the last red heifer that we will see.
We are told in the book of Ezekiel that God, Himself, will purify the Israelite people once they are in their own promised land, and at that point, He will sprinkle the waters of purification upon them. And it seems to be at that point, the complete fulfillment of the New Covenant will occur; that the Jewish people will walk in perfect obedience to the laws and statutes of God.
Ezekiel 36:24-27
24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
This event in Ezekiel cannot occur until the Second Coming of Christ, seeing as two-thirds of the Jewish people (all Jewish unbelievers) will be killed during the Tribulation Period, according to the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 13:8-9).
This view that Jesus Christ will perform this ritual cleansing also aligns with Rabbinic interpretations as we see by one of the most influential Torah scholars, Mamonides. He writes: “The 10th red heifer will be performed by the King Moshiach — may he speedily be revealed, amen, so may be the will of Hashem?”[3]
Seeing then what the Bible says about Temple sacrifices, the qualifications of the red heifer, and its purpose, let’s get back to the original questions of this article.
What is the deal with this Red Heifer?
The red heifer is a big deal because it is being seen as partial fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Since the Temple Institute will not begin Temple sacrifices until the people and area are ritually purified, the red heifer must be bred according to Biblical standards, to perform the ritual purification.
Who uses the Red Heifer?
I believe that the Jewish people will use a red heifer to purify the Temple before making sacrifices again. But then, since the Antichrist will defile the Temple, and a fourth Temple will be built for the Messianic Kingdom (Ezekiel 40-48), God will also use the ritual waters of the red heifer to ritually cleanse that fourth Temple as well as the Jewish people.
What is the significance of the Red Heifer?
The fact that this animal is being bred and close to being a specimen that meets Biblical qualifications, it is very significant. It reveals that the prophecy of the Old Testament is slowly being fulfilled before our very eyes.
Must a Red Heifer be here prior to the rapture?
Nowhere in Scripture does it state a red heifer is necessary before the rapture takes place. The red heifer is only necessary for the priests to begin sacrifices in the Temple. There is no indication as to how long after the rapture the Antichrist will make a peace treaty with Israel, beginning the 70th seven of Daniel, it could be a day, or it could be 10 years.
What do we do with knowledge of the Red Heifer?
Since we see this, and other things, aligning with Biblical eschatology, we should continue to have faith and trust in our God and Savior that He is sovereign, and all things are working together as He planned and promised thousands of years ago. This should make the church excited, as well as evangelistic, for if we see these things happening, then those people we know who haven’t trusted in Jesus Christ, have a much shorter time to accept the free gift of salvation.
Let us then take this information, not merely as intellectual knowledge, but as motivational knowledge so that we may encourage, strengthen, equip, and evangelize the world. The red heifer is indeed an exciting moment in the world's stage, and as Jimmy DeYoung would say it is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
[1] https://templeinstitute.org/statement-of-principles-2/
[2] https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/the-red-heifer-and-the-third-temple-in-end-time-prophecy/
[3] https://www.sie.org/templates/sie/article_cdo/aid/2313100/jewish/Moshiach-And-The-Red-Heifer.htm