~ The Miraculous Birth ~
~ Of a Red Calf ~

      Usually, when the American news media reports on events taking place in Israel it has to do with some type of violence or political problems between the state of Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). That is why many people were taken aback when a news report came out about the birth of a calf. Not only was it reported in the American news media, it made the cover of Newsweek magazine. As you might imagine, this is no ordinary calf. But what is it that makes it so special? The color. This calf is pure red.
      So what? you might ask. There are thousands of red calves born in the United States every year. That is true, but the birth of a red calf in Israel is big news because of Numbers, chapter 19.

      "Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying:
      "‘"Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no defect and on which a yoke has never come. You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, that he may take it outside the camp, and it shall be slaughtered before him; and Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times directly in front of the tabernacle of meeting. Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight: its hide, its flesh, its blood, and its offal shall be burned. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.’"
(Num. 19:1-6)

      Many would view this passage as, just another one of those Old Testament sacrifices which God gave to Israel. So why all the attention and excitement?
      Actually, the answer is extremely important to every human being who lives on the face of the earth, but it is especially important to those of the Jewish and Christian faiths.
      The Parah Adumah (Pah-rah’ Ah-doo-mah’ = Red Cow) is the prime sacrifice in the Tabernacle/Temple ritual. Without the sacrifice of the Parah Adumah there can be no other sacrifices performed.

      "Then a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and store them outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for the water of purification; it is for purifying from sin."
(Num. 19:9)

      The ashes of the Parah Adumah are used in all of the purifying rituals that must be performed prior to a Temple service. A small amount of ash is mixed with water and is used to sprinkle anyone who is ritually unclean. This is especially important for the Priests and Levites, since they cannot perform any of the Temple services unless they are ritually clean.

      How does a person become ritually unclean? Primarily it comes through contact with a dead body. In fact, if one person becomes ritually unclean through contact with a dead body, and then touches another person before becoming ritually clean himself, the second person also becomes ritually unclean.
      Please understand that ritual uncleanliness has nothing to do with the body being physically dirty. It is strictly a matter of ‘ritual’ uncleanness.

      "He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.
      "Whoever touches the body of anyone who has died, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD. That person shall be cut off from Israel. He shall be unclean, because the water of purification was not sprinkled on him; his uncleanness is still on him. ...
      "And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, the slain, the dead, or a grave."
(Num. 19:11-13,17-l8)

      Notice it is not just the dead flesh of the body that makes a person unclean by contact, uncleanliness can even come from a human bone or grave. In fact, according to Jewish law, if one even casts their shadow upon a grave they encounter corpse uncleanness. This is why, just prior to Passover, whitewash was applied to all of the grave stones in Israel. That way all of the pilgrims coming into the land for the festival could see the graves and avoid any contact with them. This is the origin of the term ‘whitened sepulchers.’
      Today the entire world, including Israel, is in a state of ritual uncleanness. Therefore, even if a Temple or Tabernacle is erected, there can not be any sacrifices offered there until the ‘waters of purification’ are prepared using the ashes of a Parah Adumah (Red Heifer).
      The birth of a red calf in Israel has excited many people, both friend and foe of the Jews. There has been a effort underway for several years to develop a strain of cattle in Israel that would be capable of producing a totally red calf. So far that effort has not been productive. What makes the birth of this animal so important is that it is the product of a dun colored Swedish bull and an Israeli black and white Holstein. This calf was not even remotely expected to be pure red, it’s mother was merely being bred for farming purposes. The Rabbis are calling it a miracle, and indeed it seems to be so.
      In June, 1993, while on a tour of Israel, we were privileged to meet Clyde Lott, a Mississippi cattle breeder who has been working for a number of years on developing a strain of red cows to be sent to Israel. He happened to be at the Temple Institute when our tour group visited there. In addition we were also privileged to meet Rabbi Chaim Richman, who is one of the leading rabbis of the Temple Institute. Rabbi Richman told us that only nine Red Heifers have been sacrificed since the time of Moses and they know the name of the High Priest who officiated at each one. According to Jewish tradition the tenth Red Heifer is to be the one of the Messiah!
      It is understandable why the Parah Adumah would be so important to the religious Jews, but why should it make any difference to a Christian Believer? The answer lies in the words of Yeshua Himself:

      "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be: And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’
      "And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.
      "‘Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ... then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains... For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, not ever shall be....
      "‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’"
(Matt. 24:3-4,15-16,29-31)

      The companion scripture referenced by Yeshua is found in the book of Daniel.

"And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate."
(Dan. 9:26-27)

      Most prophetic teachers agree that there will be a Temple or Tabernacle in Jerusalem at which daily sacrifices are being offered just prior to the return of the Messiah to this earth. However, there cannot be Temple or Tabernacle services without there first being a sacrifice of a Parah Adumah so that the Priests and Levites can be made ritually clean by the sprinkling of the ‘water of purification.’
      In other words, if there is no qualified Red Heifer there can be no Temple services. If there are no Temple services they cannot be cut off as prophesied in Matt. 24 and Daniel 9. if the sacrifices cannot be cut off there will be no return of Messiah. That is how important the Parah Adumah is to the entire world.
      Even though there has been a seemingly miraculous birth of a red calf in Israel, there is no guarantee that it will remain qualified to be the tenth Parah Adumah. For if even two white hairs appear in one hair follicle the animal becomes invalid, if it develops any blemishes such as warts, moles, or even a scratch, it becomes invalid. Currently this calf is under close guard, for if anyone were to climb on its back it would become invalid. It is going to be the most pampered cow in the world. As Joseph Good said on a taped message last fall: "This cow is only going to have one bad day."
      The earliest this particular Red Heifer could be sacrificed is just prior to Rosh HaShanah, 1998. This would be the month of September on our Roman calendar.
      For more detailed information about the Red Heifer, including a video of the red calf born in Israel we suggest you contact:
            Joseph Good
            Hatikva Ministries
            P.O. Box E
            Neaderland, TX 77627
            (409)724-7601

      DEW

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