Red Heifer Third Temple Sacrifice News

The red heifer ceremony, a ritual steeped in biblical tradition, is stirring anticipation and controversy in the Middle East. This ancient practice, not performed in nearly 2,000 years, involves the sacrifice of a specific red heifer – a completely red, blemish-free young cow – as part of a purification process.

Many Orthodox Jews believe the ceremony is a crucial step towards rebuilding the Third Temple in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism. The ashes of the red heifer, according to the Torah, are used to create a ritual water that purifies priests to serve in the Third Temple.

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar”
– Revelation 11:1

Watch the 6th episode of Walk the Bible and discover the preparations for the red heifer ceremony. This episode continues on from the 5th episode which can be found here.

Walk the Bible, Episode 6

Red Heifer Third Temple Sacrifice Documentary

11. Quest for the Red Heifer: A Temple Miracle

Deep within hushed secrets of ancient texts, a prophecy whispers of the tenth red heifer fit for the Third Temple. This miraculous creature, flawless in its crimson coat, holds the key to a lost Jewish ritual. Its ashes, imbued with a sacred religious power, are said to purify water for a sacred purpose – the return of the priests to the Temple of Jerusalem.

Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish
– Numbers 19:2

Did you know there’s a worldwide hunt for the purest red heifer on planet earth today? The red heifer holds a unique place in Jewish tradition and according to the command of Scripture, its ashes are used to purify priests for Temple service. However, raising a red heifer that meets these exacting biblical standards is incredibly challenging. Even one single off-coloured hair disqualifies the animal for Temple service and each candidate undergoes meticulous forensic examination and so far, all have failed.

The Mishnah, Jewish oral tradition, states that only nine pure red heifers have ever been found in biblical history and they were all used in the First and Second Temple service, and when the tenth is found, it will signal the coming of the Messiah. This is why the global hunt is on for the tenth red heifer.

When the tenth kosher red heifer is found, only a small amount of its ashes will purify enormous amounts of water for Third Temple service and a huge altar has already been built in a secret location in preparation for its discovery. This news is so huge in the Middle East, that Israel’s enemies in the region have publicly condemned the move. Christians perceive this as preparation for the end times and future when the Antichrist entering the Third Temple, whom Jesus will defeat.

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the Man of Sin is revealed, the Son of Perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God
– 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

When the miracle of finding the tenth red heifer has taken place, the priests will take the Red Heifer to the Mount of Olives and its ashes will play an important role in Temple service, as they will be used to purify water from the Gihon Spring in the City of David, Jerusalem, Israel, for use in Israel’s Third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Today, the worldwide search for the long awaited tenth pure red heifer continues, with Christians in Texas supplying animals to Israel, hoping to help the Jews find all they need to fulfil biblical prophecy.

According to ancient tradition, the altar for the red heifer must be placed overlooking the Temple Mount and in preparation for the red heifer ashes ceremony, land which overlooks the Temple Mount has already been purchased in the exact location. This will take place to fulfil an ancient promise that finding the tenth and last red heifer will signal the coming of Messiah:

And the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be G-d’s will
– Maimonides

12. Reimplementing Jewish Temple Ceremonies

In the ancient heart of Jerusalem, a shadow priesthood stirs ready for the day of destiny. These are the biblical Levites – the priestly descendants of Aaron tasked with serving the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. For nearly two thousand years, their sacred rituals lay dormant, a whisper in forgotten texts. But in the hushed alleys of the City of David and around Israel, a revolution is brewing.

In 2014, a tremor of defiance echoed through the ages. Levitical priests, their blood a testament to a bygone era, revived a long-lost ceremony – the Water Libation. This wasn’t just a plea for rain harking back to biblical days; it was a declaration of faith in the future of the rising of the Third Temple.

The murmur of forgotten prayers whispered of renewal of Temple service. The very stones of Jerusalem seemed to hold their breath as the ancient blessing washed over them, a long-dormant religious ceremony crackling back to life. But this wasn’t a one-time event. It was a spark. The Levites, the guardians of biblical tradition, are weaving a grand tapestry. Each resurrected custom, each whispered prayer, is a brick laid in the foundation of a future yet unseen.

They are rehearsing for a stage that doesn’t exist yet, their every action a brushstroke on the blueprint of a holy destiny – the rise of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, Israel. And as their preparations unfold, one thing is true, they are doing more than preserving the past, they are shaping the future.

13. Temple Oils and Honey: Prepared with Patience

Deep beneath the holy city of Jerusalem, a secret has been meticulously guarded for decades in sacred preparation. But these aren’t treasures of gold and silver, but the very ingredients for a sacred anointing oil and biblical honey, destined for use in the Third Temple of Jerusalem.

Do not make any other oil using the same formula. The oil, it is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred
– Exodus 30:32

These biblical ingredients have been obtained through painstaking research based on ancient texts and each component holds immense prophetic power when combined. But here’s the twist, these elements cannot be fully combined until the Holy Temple itself rises from the ground.

Following the ironclad restrictions of the Torah, their true purpose waits in the wings. Vials of incomplete shimmering oils and jars of golden honey – each a testament to the prophetic promise of a Third Temple in Jerusalem, patiently bide their time. A silent promise hangs in the air – the moment the Temple is built, these sacred ingredients will finally fulfil their glorious destiny!

14. A Symbolic Step: Preparing Stones for the Third Temple

On the joyous celebration of Israel’s Independence Day in 2022, a tremor of anticipation rippled through the faithful. Amidst the excitement, a clandestine operation unfolded, shrouded in secrecy. Under the cover of a secret location, the first stones prepared for the Third Temple in Jerusalem were prepared.

Are you the one to build Me a house to dwell in?
– 2 Samuel 7:5

The news sent shockwaves through the Jewish community. Was this a rogue operation, a zealous act of defiance? Or was it something more, a harbinger of things to come? The timing itself was a riddle. Did the faithful follow biblical precepts when they prepared the stones or was it just a prophetic symbol.

Israel’s independence, a hard-won victory, mirrored King David’s own rise to power, and just like the biblical question echoed through the ages – “Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?” – the appearance of the stones seemed to pose the same challenge to the modern nation.

Were they ready to answer the call? Were these stones a misstep, or a spark that could ignite a revolution in thinking. In this move with rich symbolism, this act was widely reported by Israel’s media, served as a reminder to the Jewish community of the Torah’s commandment to build a house for God.

15. The Significance of the Temple for Orthodox Judaism

For Orthodox Jews, the Temple holds immense significance for religious practice and worship. A third of the sacred Torah, speaks of a sacred majesty – the Jewish Temple. For many Orthodox Jews, it’s a gaping wound in their faith, a silent testament to a broken covenant. Within its ancient hallowed sanctuary, rituals both magnificent and mysterious unfolded, and a direct connection to the Divine was ripped away by the storms of history.

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them
– Exodus 25:8

Throughout history, there have been at least five attempts to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, following its destruction in AD 70. These efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, with the little that was constructed being demolished. Each time, the faithful attempted to rebuild, their hearts yearning for a restored wholeness. But each effort crumbled, a tragic echo of their own shattered dreams. Now, a silent debate rages within the Orthodox community. Is the Temple’s return a divine act, reserved for the coming Messiah? Or is it a sacred duty of obedience.

Three times a day, the fervent prayer rises in the hearts of Orthodox Jews:

May the Temple service be restored to its place!
– Jewish Prayer

But whispers of dissent move through some of the branches of Judaism. Today, Orthodox Judaism holds diverse views on rebuilding the Temple. Some believe it can only be accomplished by the Messiah, acting under Divine guidance. Others, following the teaching of a Jewish hero, the 12th-century Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides, who said it is a Jewish duty to rebuild the Temple in preparation for the Messiah’s arrival.

The Amidah prayer, recited three times daily, includes a plea for the Temple’s restoration and the resumption of sacrifices. However, some disagree. Conservative Judaism does not advocate for reinstating the sacrificial system, and Reform Judaism rejects the idea of rebuilding the Temple altogether. Many observant Jews recite the Amidah during their three daily prayer services in a weekday and mainstream Ashkenazi Orthodox Judaism adds the following to the prayer:

May it be your will, O my God and God of my fathers, that the Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days, and give us our portion in your Torah, and there we will worship you with reverence as in ancient days and former years. And may the Mincha offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to God, as in ancient days and former years
– Amidah Jewish Prayer

In the first century, Jewish followers of Christ perceived the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, as a seismic event and a Divine confirmation of Christ as the last sacrifice. Followers of ‘The Way,’ as they were known, saw the Temple, with its animal sacrifices, as a symbol of the old covenant between God and the Jews. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews argued that the entire sacrificial system was soon to come to an end and explained how Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate and perfect offering, rendering all future animal sacrifices unnecessary. Most scholars think the writer was the Apostle Paul, through a scribe, who said this to Jewish believers in Jesus:

In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away
– Hebrews 8:13

This shows that the letter to the Hebrews was written before the fall of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The promise that the sacrificial system would come to end and vanish was fulfilled in AD 70, but there is also another promise in Scripture, that the Temple sacrifices will resume for a short while, in preparation for Antichrist.

He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him
– Daniel 9:27

When this is cross-referenced with Jesus’ teaching concerning the abomination of desolation, it becomes clear that for all Israel to be saved, as Scripture promises, Temple sacrifices will resume, to prepare Jewish hearts to accept that the final sacrifice has already been made in Christ, the Messiah.

And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains
– Matthew 24:14-16

We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…for by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy
– Hebrews 10:10-14

By Paul Backholer. Find out about Paul’s books here.

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Sources and Notes

Red Heifer

Third Temple

Evidence for the Ancient Jerusalem Temples

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