The Red Heifer from Jewish literature:
The Rambam (Maimonides) in the Mishnah Torah states that there have already been nine red heifers and then he goes on to say…
“The 10th red heifer will be performed by the King Moshiach.”
But what does it mean when they say the 10th Heifer will be performed by Moshiach?
“Nine red heifers were performed (through burning etc.) from the time the Jews were given this mitzvah, until the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. The first heifer was performed by Moses. The second one was performed by Ezra (who was a kohain). And there were another seven red heifers performed from Ezra until the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. The 10th red heifer will be performed by the King Moshiach —may he speedily be revealed, Amen, so may be the will of Hashem.”
The Highlights of Moshiach — Rabbi Abraham Stone.
The precedent for The Red Heifer burning is given to us in Numbers and expounded in the Mishnah Torah in Parah (Cow).
In the book of Numbers Ch.19, this animal is needed to purify people. The animal had to be without spot and without blemish and had never been yoked.
The Red Heifer from the Bible:
Numbers Ch.19:1-6 and verse 17: KJV.
“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.”
“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.”
Did Christian Zionists make this Red Heifer happen?
According to Timothy Weber author of On The Road to Armageddon, Zionist Christians did play a part in producing a genetically modified Red Heifer for The Temple Institute.
“Since so much was riding on the sacrifice of a perfect red heifer, it was not surprising that some American dispensationalist cattle breeders stepped forward to help produce the needed livestock. Clyde Lott was a Pentecostal cattleman from Canton, Mississippi, who was well schooled in the science of producing champions. In the late 1980s, Lott learned from prophecy teachers that before the temple could be rebuilt in Jerusalem, a perfect red heifer was needed for sacrifice. Given his expertise in cattle production, Lott decided he could help. Through a long process he finally made contact with Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute, who was very interested in what Lott had to say. In 1990, Lott traveled to Jerusalem to meet with Richman and the institute’s founder, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel. Lott spelled out some of the financial realities of raising red heifers, and the three began searching for the right location in Israel to start a cattle business.
The original plan was to transport two hundred pregnant cows to Israel via ocean liners at two thousand dollars per head. By using the methods of genetic science, they were confident that the new herd would eventually produce the perfect red heifer. While the search for land continued in Israel, Lott started his selective breeding program back home in Mississippi. In 1994, Rabbi Richman visited Lott’s operation in Canton, and Lott showed him four recently born calves. To his utter amazement, Richman found among the four a red heifer that seemed to meet all the qualifications of Numbers 19, except that it had been born in the wrong place-in Mississippi, not in Israel. But Richman was convinced that Lott was capable of producing a proper sacrificial calf.”
On The Road to Armageddon, How Evangelicals became Israel’s Best Friend — Timothy. P. Weber.
Why would Christian Zionists create a GMO animal for sacrifice?
The crux of the Christian message is that Jesus the Messiah brought an end to the Sacrificial system. That the blood of Bulls and Goats could no longer take away sins; that once and for all God proclaimed that He took no pleasure in burnt offering and sacrifices. Hebrews 10:4-6.
Therefore establishing the New Covenant by His own blood and His own body.
“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.” Hebrews 10:16.
No other Chapter in the New Testament demonstrates the failure of the Sacrificial system under the Old Covenant like Hebrews chapter ten does. It concludes with this warning, which applies to all those who experienced the freedom from the Laws of sin and death and were perfected and sanctified by His death on the cross.
Hebrews says…”He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.” However, a much sorer punishment waits those who have made a mockery of the Son of God and brought upon Him open shame and proclaimed His death on the cross an ‘unholy’ thing by returning to the blood of bulls and goats. Hebrews 10: 28-29.
References:
Haaretz.com. (2018). The Temple Mount red heifer saga: Engineering the apocalypse?. [online] Available at: https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-the-red-heifer-wrong-all-along-1.5376396 [Accessed 5 Dec. 2018].
KJV- amplified Holy Bible. (1954). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.
Neusner, J. (1988). Mishnah. London: Yale University Press, pp.1013-1035.
News, B. (2018). Rare All-Red Heifer Born: Next Step Toward Building the Third Temple?. [online] Charisma News. Available at: https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/standing-with-israel/73007-rare-all-red-heifer-born-next-step-toward-building-the-third-temple [Accessed 5 Dec. 2018].
Red Heifer Candidate Born in Israel. https://youtu.be/mOMH2qY6RCY. (2018). You Tube: The Temple Institute.
Stone, R. (1992). The Highlights of Moshiach. 2nd ed. New York: S.I.E, p.Location 614.
Weber, T. (2005). On the road to Armageddon, How Evangelicals became Israel’s Best Friend. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, pp.Location 3676-3735.
Cheryl Mason (2018)
Added 18 August 2020
The Red Heifer is being inspected:
Recent Comments