Jews Hail Birth of Red Cow as Sign to Start Third Temple

'The birth of a red heifer in Israel is being hailed by religious Jews as a sign from God that work can soon begin on building the Third Temple in Jerusalem

'A team of rabbinical experts last week confirmed that the animal, born six months ago on a religious kibbutz near the north Israeli port of Haifa, meets the correct Biblical criteria for a genuine holy cow.

'According to the Book of Numbers (XIX:2-7), the animal is needed for an ancient Jewish purification ritual.

'"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," says the fourth book of the Old Testament, also part of Jewish holy scripture, the Torah.

'The heifer will be slaughtered and burned, and its ashes made into a liquid paste and used in a ceremony which religious Jews believe they must undergo before they can enter the old Temple site in Jerusalem to start building a new structure.

'Since Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus in A.D.70, no flawless red heifer has been born within the biblical land of Israel, according to rabbinical teaching.

'The birth of the animal, to a black-and-white mother and a dun-colored bull, is being hailed as a "miracle" by activists who want to rebuild the Third Temple and prepare the way for the Jewish messiah's entry to Jerusalem.

'The faithful will need to wait until the heifer is at least three before it can be used as a ritual sacrifice. That would enable religious Jews to start the new millennium (a Christian event, but still regarded as portentous) in a state of purity.

'News of the red heifer's appearance, however, will not be well received by Muslims. The site of the old Jewish temples in the Holy City is now occupied by one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Dome of the Rock.

'Jewish extemists want to destroy the Dome and the adjoining Al-Aqsa mosque to make way for a new temple. In 1985 a group of Jewish terrorists were jailed in Israel for planning to destroy the Dome with high explosives.

'But Jewish activists say they regard it as their divine mission to build a new Temple.

'"We have been waiting 2,000 years for a sign from God, and now he has provided us with a red heifer," said Yehudah Etzion, the ringleader of the Eighties' plot to blow up the Dome, who was present at last week's inspection of the red heifer at Kfar Hassidim.

'"There were a couple of little white hairs which worried us, but the rabbis are satisfied that it is the red heifer referred to in the Bible," said Mr. Etzion.'

Editor: Unfortunately, the present-day Jews DO NOT have a "divine mission" to rebuild the Temple before the return of the Messiah. The Bible makes it clear that the Third Temple will not be built until AFTER the Messiah returns -- notice!

The "Branch" here referred to by Zechariah is none other than the Messiah -- see Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Isaiah 11:1-2.

Every attempt to build a Temple in Jerusalem since A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple, has been twarted by YEHOVAH God. The only legitimate reason for building a Temple is to house the Shekinah Glory of YEHOVAH God, and YEHOVAH will not descend to this earth until AFTER the Messiah has returned and commissioned the construction of a new Temple. For further information, read our article, The Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah.

Another problem prevents the immediate construction of the Temple -- the exact site of the former Temples is unknown to most of this world's scholars! It is assumed by most that the Temples once stood in the vicinity of the present Islamic Dome of the Rock -- on the enclosure known as the Haram esh-Sharif. However, overwhelming evidence has been uncovered by Ernest L. Martin showing that the Haram esh-Sharif is the location of the the Roman fortress known as the Tower or Fort of Antonia, and that the Temples stood over the Gihon Spring about a third of a mile SOUTH of the Dome of the Rock! For an in-depth discussion of this remarkable discovery, read Dr. Martin's book, The Temples That Jerusalem Forgot.

Since the correct location of the previous Temples is unknown by most, the efforts to purify the site prior to the construction of a new Temple would be futile -- if allowed by YEHOVAH God to take place at all. Also, since the Red Heifer represents the Messiah, there will be no need for the ashes of the Red Heifer to purify the Temple since the Messiah himself, in his glorified form, will be present to "purify" the site and finished construction. Be sure to read our article, The Return of YEHOVAH god and His Messiah.