Red heifers, earthquakes and a looming solar eclipse could herald in the end of times.
It is a little late for an April Fools column, and even so, the topic broached here might prove to be no laughing matter. While the Biblical references contained herein are correct, some of the premises suggested in this column are offered tongue-in-cheek for entertainment purposes. Is the end nigh? You be the judge.
You don’t have to be a crazy nut-job conspiracy theorist to see that the world is going through what appears to be labor pains. This doesn’t mean that Armageddon or a nuclear apocalypse is on the horizon, but one can’t deny that there are some strange events culminating at the same time.
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Red Heifers
Israel is planning to have a good ol’ fashion barbeque with some Red Angus Texas beef, only these cows ain’t for eating’.
Israel is importing of five spotless red heifers from Texas, an act some in the Muslim world view as a serious provocation. Hamas military spokesman Abu Obedia even indicated that the importing of the cows was one reason for the preemptive attack on Israel that lead to the Gaza war.
The Red Heifer explained…..
Wild times we are living in…..#WeWantAnswers pic.twitter.com/isPjk8BMmf
— Isaac’s Army (@ReturnOfKappy) March 20, 2024
“Bringing of red cows as an application of a detestable religious myth designed for aggression against the feelings of an entire nation in the heart of its Arab identity and the path of its prophet and Ascension to Heaven,” Obedia said.
Red heifers are mentioned in the Biblical passage, Numbers 19:1-13. The passage outlines a section of the ceremonial Mosaic Law that involved purification.
The highly respected JPS Torah Commentary offers some interesting insights on the Jewish perspective of the passage. The cow was not to have more than one or two white or black hairs. The word for red itself is contentious because there is no Hebrew word for brown. Many believe the reference and word used for “red” was actually “brown” as perfectly red cows are incredibly rare. These cows had to be of a young age and never used for labor via a yoke.
One of the five imported cows has since been disqualified, but the remaining four are said to be without blemish and able to fulfill criteria outlined in Numbers 19.
The cows are to be killed, burned and their blood sprinkled towards the front of the Tabernacle. Therein lies the problem. The Tabernacle is gone. It was replaced with Solomon’s Temple, which was later destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
⭕ The Zionists have constructed the altar on which they plan to slaugher the red heifer in April
🤔 Not sure why this is significant?
Check out the next tweet… pic.twitter.com/2en0nCqRml
— Stand For Palestine (@AqsaFrontline) March 20, 2024
After the Temple was rebuilt by the Jews returned from Babylonian exile, priests would perform the red heifer purification ceremony on the Mount of Olives. That location works because a person can stand on the Mount of Olives and look directly at the entrance of the Temple.
The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Today the Al-Asqu Mosque and Dome of the Rock shrine sit on the Temple Mount that previously held the Jewish Temples.
It is Jewish tradition that the red heifer sacrifice is a precursor to the coming of the Messiah.Spoiler alert: He came already around 2,000 years ago, and His name was Jesus.
Muslims view the presence of the cows as an attempt to stir up religious animosity and aggression towards the Al-Asqu Mosque. After all, the mosque is in the way if a new temple is to be built as the Jews believe.
Shabbat Parah (Shabbat of the Red Heifer) occurred earlier this year on March 29. That marked the Sabbath before Passover which stars on April 22 and ends April 30. It is expected that the purification ceremony of Numbers 19 will occur between the March 29 and April 22 Sabbaths.
From a Christian perspective, any new sacrifice of red heifers carries no significance.The ritual is part of the ceremonial law which was fulfilled in Jesus’ sacrifice. The instant Jesus said, “It is finished,” and gave up His life, the ceremonial law was no longer relevant or applicable.
No manipulation on man’s part will force God to act. I believe the sacrifice, if it happens, will be nothing more than a great smelling afternoon. But it will anger and incite the Muslim community worldwide.
The Eclipse
A spectacular display is scheduled for April 8 for most of the United States. Eclipses have long been associated with religious activity. Science has taught us that eclipses are scheduled events and not a spur of the moment activity. This doesn’t mean that eclipses in the Bible didn’t happen, but rather they were either miraculous events or the timing of the eclipses aligned with some other event that was orchestrated by God’s sovereignty.
Numerous news articles indicate that “Christians” believe the eclipse is a sign of the Second Coming of Jesus. I would challenge one person to provide a single biblical reference as evidence to that position. It just isn’t in there. Maybe it’s in the “Message” Bible or “Not Inspired Version” aka “NIV” translations. But the idea that an eclipse will usher in Jesus’ return is absent to the Greek and Hebrew texts and their English translations.
The bottom line is that an eclipse is coming April 8. What is unique about this eclipse to many is that it crosses the path of an earlier eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 forming an almost cross shaped symbol.
X marks the spot. The exact location of the two eclipses intersection is an area known as “Little Egypt.” References to Egypt in the Bible are always bad. To make matters worse, Little Egypt sits inside the New Madrid Seismic Zone. A quick online search shows that earthquakes in that area are no laughing matter. The area is home to four of the largest North American earthquakes in recorded history.
To make matters even worse Taiwan encountered a massive earthquake Tuesday, April 2.
Locusts– Cicadas
It might not be Armageddon, but 2024 is going to be Cicada-geddon. The massive invasion of cicadas is expected to bring trillions of these ugly, loud bugs whose exoskeletons litter the landscape. Two broods of the insects have not hatched at the same time since 1803 when Thomas Jefferson mistakenly wrote about them, calling the locusts.
The broods are expected to hatch at roughly the same time creating what is expected to be the largest number ever at any time adoring to University of Maryland entomologist Paula Shrewsbury.
An even larger convergence of cicada broods is expected in 2076 if the earth is still here.
When is this plague sized appearance supposed to occur?April 2024.
I personally see no religious significance in the eclipse or emergence of the cicadas. But if Israel decides to roast the red heifers on April 8 and the ground starts shaking to the point that all of the cicadas fly out of the ground at the same time, I might change my mind.
