https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XryKZESwd9Q
The concept of a **Third Temple** and the role of a **red heifer** are fascinating topics. Let's delve into it.
In the Bible, red heifers play a significant role in **Temple law**. According to these laws, red heifers must meet specific criteria: they must be **pure red**, without even two hairs of another color, and without any other form of blemish. These heifers are an essential part of **sacrificial purity laws**. Their ashes are required, as stated in the Book of Numbers, to **purify the Temple’s priests and its altars**.
However, these laws have been largely irrelevant for centuries because there hasn't been a functioning Temple in well over a millennium where these cows could be sacrificed. Nevertheless, some religious traditions suggest that before the Third Temple is built (which heralds the messianic era long prayed for by both Jews and Christians), a pure red heifer will be sacrificed once again.
Here's what this means for different groups:
1. **Judaism**: The prophesied messianic era includes the return of biblical laws of purity, allowing for truly holy life. The restoration of Israel as a nation and Jerusalem becoming a Jewish city (which happened partially in 1967) are prerequisites. The birth of a red heifer to purify everything is also part of this vision.
2. **Evangelical Christians**: For them, the appearance of a red heifer would herald the **End Times**, Jesus' return to Earth, and the Rapture. This belief has driven Christian Zionism and lobbying on behalf of Israel.
3. **The Recent Birth**: According to an announcement in the UK tabloid *The Mirror*, a red heifer has been born in Israel — the first one born there in 2,000 years! The *Temple Institute*, based in Jerusalem and led by American-born Orthodox rabbi Chaim Richman, advocates for building the Third Temple. They will carefully examine this calf as it grows for any blemishes to determine if it's time to start construction.
4. **Breeding Efforts**: The Temple Institute has been working to breed sacrificial cows for years after importing red Angus cows from Nebraska. Several calves have been born with great excitement, and some have been shipped from the U.S., where Evangelical Christian farmers support these Jewish efforts.
While some Jews believe that the Third Temple can only be built during the prophesied messianic age, groups like the Temple Institute believe that Jews must take prophecy into their own hands. Whether you view this as relevant to the end times is a matter of debate.
It may be that Zionists see the book of Isaiah, specifically **Isaiah 2:2-4** (King James Version): as referring to the rebuilding of a third temple
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'"
This passage speaks of a future time when a **mountain**, symbolizing God's dwelling place, will be established as preeminent among all other mountains. People from **all nations** will seek wisdom and guidance there. The vision includes a promise of peace—swords transformed into plowshares and an end to war. However the verse does not specifically refer to a physical temple.
It appears the main purpose of this post is to promote a book favoring Israel. However, the likelihood of constructing a new temple in Jerusalem is slim.
Blessings
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