God’s Plan to Save the Jewish People

Why should we care about the nitty-gritty of rabbinic historical thought concerning the red heifer? One could argue that modern believers do not need to care much; the Bible says a third temple will be rebuilt, and that is all we should care about. That perspective might be satisfactory to some, but I have a different outlook. God calls the day of the Lord a time of intense trouble.

The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring distress on mankind so that they shall walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. In the fire of his jealousy, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full and sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

—Zephaniah 1:14–18

Even more serious, God says through Jeremiah, “Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:7).

The Jewish people believe that the earthly kingdom will come through the arrival of the Messiah. This is true, but before it does, God is going to have a serious talk with them about their rejection and killing of Jesus the Messiah. God will use the seven-year time of tribulation known as the seventieth week of Daniel, a seven-year period known as the day of the Lord, and the culminating day of the Lord to discipline Israel into a state of repentance and acknowledgment of their sin of piercing their Messiah. (See also Zechariah 12:10.)

We know that by the end of the tribulation, persecution will be so severe that the people of Israel will call upon the name of Jesus to rescue them from the Antichrist and worldwide persecution meant to bring genocide on the Jews. Jesus said that the Jewish people would not see Him again until they receive Him.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

—Matthew 23:37–39

This passage reveals that many religious Jewish people currently believe they need to build a temple to please God in order to draw closer to Him. To do this, they must also follow the prescriptions of Numbers 19 and perform the ritual slaughter of the red heifer in order to obtain the ashes and cleanse the Temple Mount area in preparation for the construction of the third temple.

The rabbis outlined extremely detailed specifications to make this happen. Some of these criteria are extremely difficult to re-create, but through His providence, God is allowing them to come to fruition. Why? Because God’s ultimate goal is to save the Jewish people (Rom. 11:26).

God knows that in order to get the Jewish people focused on Him, they will need to slaughter the red heifer, build the temple, make an agreement with the false messiah (Antichrist), and then be put under serious distress, as Jeremiah 30:7 shows. Then and only then will their hearts be humbled to receive and call out to Jesus at the end of the tribulation period. I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

—Hosea 5:15

Remember that the ultimate point of watching the time is not simply to be amazed at prophecy, but to ask yourself whether you are spiritually ready for the Lord to return at the rapture.

To learn more about Mondo Gonzales’s new book, The Mystery of the Red Heifer, visit MyCharismaShop.com