
“And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 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: 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: 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: and one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 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. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 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. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever. He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean. Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. This is the law, when a man dieth in a tent: all that come into the tent, and all that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. And every open vessel, which hath no covering bound upon it, is unclean. And whosoever toucheth one that is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even. But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary of the LORD: the water of separation hath not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them, that he that sprinkleth the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he that toucheth the water of separation shall be unclean until even. And whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean; and the soul that toucheth it shall be unclean until even…”
{Numbers 19:1-22 KJV}
American Airlines flight–146 touched down at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on time, arriving from New York’s JFK airport as one of the dozens of flights that arrive in Israel from the US daily. While a regularly scheduled flight, among the passengers were five whose arrival in Israel made it one of the most celebrated and certainly unique flights in Israeli–history…
These special passengers were traveling in the cargo section. It was the first time in nearly [2000] years that Israel has been Blessed with the presence of not just one red heifer, but five, all arriving together. People who read their Bibles know that red heifers are mentioned in {Numbers 19}, but their significance has been shrouded for nearly [2000] years since the destruction of the Second–Temple…
Jews read the verses longingly, praying for the opportunity to be able to rebuild the Temple and, with it, the ritual purification from the ashes of a red heifer needed to resume the Temple services. But for two–millennia, the whole idea was simply a fantasy, until last year when these five red heifers were born in Texas, and now, have arrived in Israel…
Through a series of miracles overlaying technology and even the [COVID] pandemic, these five were found, checked head–to–toe, and remain unblemished which qualifies them for service. They arrived not quite a year old. As long as they don’t grow any white or black hairs, and remain unblemished, in just over a year they will qualify for the ritual purification process needed to resume Temple service…
In modern cattle raising, its customary to tag all calves within days of their birth. Doing so would be considered a blemish that would disqualify the red calves. So, how these calves remained untagged is just one of the incredible miracles that made this all possible…
There are different perspectives about the significance of the red heifers’ arrival as it relates to rebuilding the Temple. Some say that now the Temple can be rebuilt. Jews have prayed for that daily for nearly [2000] years. Some say that their arrival is the heralding of the Temple being rebuilt, a nuanced difference. And not mutually exclusive, some see the red heifers’ arrival as laying the foundation for the arrival of the Messiah, and end times among Christians. Either way, what is clear is that even if the Temple were to be rebuilt tomorrow, or descend from the heavens as some believe [since ~GOD~ can do anything and the restoration of the Temple is among the prophesies related to the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem], without the red heifers the Temple service cannot be reinstated because they are necessary in the ritual purification that’s required for all Jews involved…
Regardless of the cause and effect, what is sure is that now there’s a possibility, the first time since the year [70AD], that Temple service can be restored. I tend to be of the school that whenever and however it does happen, it’s all in ~GOD’s~ hands. This is just a key ingredient needed to make it all happen. A big one. That alone is significant, and a rare glimpse of Biblical prophesy in our modern time…
A few dozen Israeli Jews and Christians participated in the heifers’ arrival ceremony. The excitement was palpable even among the workers on the loading dock who understood the significance of the moment. In addition to my reporting about it, there were a few others present, but strangely no national Israeli media. The story caught on nevertheless, and became a topic generating wide interest…
The red heifer is first mentioned in {Numbers 19}, but it’s been more than just a Biblical verse for many. One farmer who raised the cows, guided by {Numbers 19}, is a devout Christian who was so moved by the opportunity that he gave four of the cows as a gift, just to be part of it…
Today, all Jews are assumed to be ritually impure. While in everyday life in the modern day this status does not have much of a practical effect, this type of impurity prevents one from entering the Temple. That’s not yet a practical consideration, but it could be…
One might think that there’s no precedent for non–Jews to be connected, much less actively involved, with the restoration of the red heifers to Israel. However, it’s not only not unique, but past involvement of non–Jews providing a red heifer was documented in the Talmud…
The story goes that a non–Jew named Dama ben–Netina was visited by people from the Temple, seeking a gem believed that he had and which was necessary for the High Priest’s ephod [breastplate]. When they appealed to him, and despite the offer of a large sum to do so, he refused. His father was sleeping on the key to the box holding the gems when the guests from Jerusalem arrived, and he did not want to disturb his father’s rest. As a reward for honoring his father, a red heifer was born into ben–Netina’s herd the following year and he was able to sell it for the equivalent to money he would have earned if he had sold them the gems…
With the red heifers’ arrival, it’s worth taking time to review {Numbers 19} because the theoretical Biblical obligation that had not been practiced for two–millennia just got much closer to being practical…
The great [12th] century rabbi, Maimonides, held that there were only nine red heifers used through the Second–Temple era, and the arrival of the tenth red heifer [would only be found and sacrificed when King–Messiah was ready to appear]. Jews and Christians see different nuance in the red heifer, but the significance is great all the same. The arrival of a possible tenth perfect red heifer as just happened signifies hope for the Messiah’s imminent arrival, and the Temple’s rebuilding…
💻 Commentary By Jonathan Feldstein
📺 Quest For A Biblical Red Heifer
Maranatha!!!
📻 KJAB
Do you have any questions about a relationship with ~JESUS~ Christ???
If so, you can find the answers by using the links below:
You must be logged in to post a comment.