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It appears that every few years, a red heifer (red cow) is born in Israel, leading some individuals to believe that the return of Jesus is imminent. Why is this? What connection does a red heifer have with the end times? Before addressing that question directly, it is crucial to grasp the significance of a red heifer in the Bible.
To fulfill the requirements of the Old Testament law, a red heifer was necessary to facilitate the purification of the Israelites from uncleanness—specifically, the ashes of a red heifer were required (see Numbers 19). As red heifer ashes were essential for the purification rituals conducted at the temple, many have interpreted the presence of a red heifer today as signaling the construction of the third temple and the return of Christ.
According to rabbinical tradition, there have been nine red heifers sacrificed since the time of Moses. Following the destruction of the second temple, no red heifers have been sacrificed. Rabbi Maimonides (1135—1204) taught that the tenth red heifer would be sacrificed by the Messiah Himself (Parah Adumah, ch. 3, § 4). The Temple Institute, a group advocating the construction of a third temple, announced that five flawless red heifers from Texas arrived in Israel on September 15, 2022 (https://templeinstitute.org, accessed 9/22/22). Many individuals perceive this occurrence as a fulfillment of prophecy, as obtaining a red heifer is a significant advancement in the plans for a new temple.
The Mosaic Law stipulated that the red heifer was to be “without defect or blemish” and had never borne a yoke «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.
If a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: », (Numbers 19:2). The sacrifice of the red heifer was unique in the law in that it used a female animal, it was sacrificed away from the entrance to the tabernacle, and it was the only sacrifice in which the color of the animal was specified.
The slaughtering of a red heifer is described in Numbers 19:1–10. Eleazar the priest was to oversee the ritual outside the camp of the Israelites. After the animal was killed, Eleazar was to sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tabernacle seven times (verse 4). Then he left camp again and oversaw the burning of the carcass of the red heifer (verse 5). As the red heifer burned, the priest was to add “some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool” to the fire (verse 6).
The ashes of the red heifer were then collected and stored “in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp.” The ashes were used “in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin” «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. », (Numbers 19:9). The law goes on to detail when and how the ashes of the red heifer were used in purifying those who came in contact with a dead body: “Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean” (verses 11–12). The purification process involved the ashes of the red heifer in this way: “Put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle.Anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave, or anyone who has been killed, or anyone who has died a natural death” (verses 17–18).
The commands regarding the red heifer were yet another foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice for believers’ sins. The Lord Jesus was “without blemish,” just as the red heifer was to be. Just as the heifer was sacrificed “outside the camp” «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: », (Numbers 19:3), Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:11-12). Moreover, just as the ashes of the red heifer cleansed people from the defilement of death, the sacrifice of Christ saves us from the penalty and corruption of death.
The red heifer ritual, as established in the Mosaic Law, was quite simple; since then, Judaism has introduced numerous regulations and additional criteria. Talmudic tradition mentions the type of rope the red heifer was to be bound with, the direction it was to face when being slaughtered, the words spoken by the priest, the wearing of sandals during the ritual, and more. The rabbinical regulations listed many disqualifying factors for a red heifer to be sacrificed: if she had been ridden or leaned on, if a garment had been placed over her, if a bird had rested on her, and if she had two black or white hairs, among many other conditions not found in the biblical text.
According to the futurist timeline of eschatology, there will indeed be a third temple of God in Jerusalem. Jesus prophesied a desecration of the temple to occur during the tribulation (Matthew 24:15;cf: 2 Thessalonians 2:4); for that to happen, there obviously will need to be a temple. Assuming those who ded
For the end-times temple to adhere to Jewish law, the ashes of a red heifer, mixed with water, are required for the ceremonial cleansing. If a blemish-free red heifer has indeed been discovered and is currently in Israel, this could signify another step towards the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
Is it necessary for a red heifer to be located before the rapture takes place? No, Jesus could come back to gather His followers at any given moment. The timing of the rapture is not dependent on the presence of a specific cow. Is it imperative to find a red heifer before the reconstruction of the temple? Not necessarily, although proponents of the temple certainly desire one for ceremonial reasons. Are animal sacrifices of any kind obligatory today? No, Jesus met all the requirements of the law, and His sacrifice offers genuine forgiveness and eternal life.
The Scriptures directly compare the red heifer ritual with the superior sacrifice of Christ: “The ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:13-14).
