I began 2022 by writing about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine wasn’t a fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the Gog-Magog War. Many looking back on this year would write that crisis was the biggest prophetic development this year, but I disagree. We don’t know what the greatest unfolding prophetic moment was this year, there’s likely something insignificant that will pave the way to an eventual fulfillment of prophecy — something like Caesar’s decree for Jews to return to their ancestral homes for a census. This seemingly random act of an emperor in the first century led to the direct fulfillment of the Messiah being born in Bethlehem.
Yet, on the surface, there’s an event that happened this year that has grabbed my attention. In September, news outlets shared that certifiable red heifers had been found in Texas and were flown to Israel for further inspection. That sounds strange. There’s nothing ground-breaking about a heifer being found in Texas, right? Yet, these red heifers may be the final piece needed for the building of a Jewish temple to begin.
There is some confusion when it comes to prophecies about the rebuilding of a temple in Jerusalem. For groups of Jews today, it is a fulfillment of their flawed Messianic prophecies. For them, the rebuilding of the temple is a great thing — an ushering in of the Messiah.
For Christianity, it’s not a positive aspect of prophecy, but it is a sign. There aren’t straightforward prophecies about the rebuilding of the temple as a sign, but for many of the clear prophetic events to occur there likely has to be a temple. In Daniel 9, we read of the Antichrist stopping the daily sacrifice. For this sacrifice to start, there must be a temple, tabernacle or altar at the temple site. In Daniel 9 and Matthew 24, we read of the abomination that leads to desolation, which is something the Antichrist does in relation to the holy place in Israel, likely the temple. Then in Revelation 13, we read that the Antichrist will have an image of himself in the temple.
The temple is necessary for prophetic events to occur.
For many Jews, the rebuilding of the temple is done in conjunction with the arrival of their accepted Messiah.
With the significance of the temple stated, let’s go back to the red heifers. In Numbers 19, we find the instruction for the sacrifice of a red heifer for the purification of the priests. Throughout time, Jewish rabbinical teaching in the Mishnah, the red heifer became essential for the purification of a new temple. Jewish tradition holds that nine spotless red heifers have been sacrificed in history and that a tenth and final one will be sacrificed to purify the third and final temple. For centuries, Jewish tradition has pointed to the necessity of a perfect red heifer in the rebuilding of the temple.
As far as Scripture is concerned, the red heifer isn’t prophetic. But again, the rebuilding of the temple is, therefore, any move toward that becomes a major prophetic development.
When a friend sent me a video of the red heifers arriving in Israel, it was a surreal moment, because the red heifer was the main missing ingredient in the restarting of the sacrifices and rebuilding of the temple. The only ingredient left is a political agreement to allow sacrifices to be done in the former site of the temple and for construction to start.
The reason the red heifers were the near-final piece is that, in 1987, a group called the Temple Institute was founded in Israel to work toward rebuilding the temple. All the elements for the new temple have been rebuilt according to biblical specifications. They’re ready to go, just needing a temple. Right now, during Hanukkah, the Menorah for the future temple is on display in Israel. In the institute’s work, finding the red heifer was the last step.
They have been searching for a perfect red heifer since 1987, and these found in 2022 are the closest that have been found. The heifers are all under one year old, and tradition calls for them to be three to four years old to be sacrificed. At this point, these red heifers found are considered perfect, but they will also have to remain that way. Therefore, we will know in a couple of years if one of these red heifers is the one. If so, things would move fast toward them being sacrificed.
As you can see, this was a significant event, but only time will tell how significant it was. Along with the heifers maturing, a political agreement to allow the rebuilding of a temple would have to occur. Israel does not have rights to the top of the Temple Mount.
A restart of the sacrifices, and even the rebuilding of the temple, doesn’t point to an immediate start of the end times. When it comes to prophetic events, we just know the Antichrist will stop the sacrifices and desecrate the temple. The two could be in place long before he arrives. Though most believe the agreement made between Israel and the Antichrist that will start the seven-year time clock for the final years of this age (Daniel 9) involves rebuilding the Temple. It could, but the Bible doesn’t specify.
Again, we come back to the need to be watchful, and our eyes need to be on centerstage of the end of the age — the Middle East, and especially Jerusalem.
Jake is the newest state missionary and would love to share about the work in Northwest Arkansas and encourage your church to stand firm. (standfirmministries.com)
