Lightning, Heifers, Eclipses and The End of Time

On October 7^th of 2023 an event happened that would change the trajectory of world history. Hamas’ attack on Israel carried the same weight historically as December 7^th of 1941. However, since it involved Israel it carried even more significance in certain religious circles. On October 13^th of 2023 I wrote an article beseeching my brothers and sisters in Christ to pursue fidelity to Christ rather than discernment of the "End Times" (Is This the End in Israel?).  Since then, the apocalyptic postulations have become even more ubiquitous. Recently, there was both an earthquake in New Jersey and a lightning strike of the Statue of Liberty that brought out end of times and judgement superstitions from all corners of the religious and political landscape.

But it doesn’t stop there. Elsewhere, there are people in Israel looking to rebuild a third temple, which to some, is a signal of the consummation of time as well. These Orthodox Jews of organizations such as The Temple Institute have dedicated their life’s work to do so and they now have the requisite red heifers.  You read that right. But what does a red heifer have to do with the end of time and do a relatively small number of Orthodox Jews have to do with it? As with most of these things it depends a bit on one's theological framework. The red heifer was a necessary component of Temple worship in the time of ancient Israel. In Numbers 19 we find the instructions for the red heifer ceremony and its uses in worship. This section of the law basically gives instructions to Israel on ritually cleansing ones self to enter the Holy Place (after touching a dead body). A priest must wash with the waters mixed with the ashes of the red heifer (Num. 19:9-10) because it is this ritual washing that gives them “purification from sin.” The ashes of a single red heifer could be used to cleanse Temple priests for generations. In fact, tradition has it that Israel only used nine total red heifers over their Temple worship history and that they are preparing for a 10^th. Christians, however, believe that the uniqueness of the red heifer and its attributes were fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9) so what does this have to do with Christian and Jewish eschatology? Many Orthodox Jews still believe that a red heifer is needed to begin using the sacrificial system again (one cannot construct the Temple if he is ritually unclean).  Now, it is important to note that Talmudic and Rabbinic Judaism have differed on the need for a new Temple so not ALL religious Jews believe this. Some do, however, and many of them carry influence within the Jewish community in Israel. When I was in Israel in 2016 I learned from a few Rabbis that most of the necessary utensils, furniture and tools were already availabele and simply waiting to be installed. (For more on current "Red Heifer" movement from a Jewish perspective click HERE) Since 2017 the Temple Institute in Israel has actively pursued purchasing red heifers for their New Temple project (initially they tried a breading program but it was unsuccessful) and in 2022 they procured five red heifers from a ranch in Texas that fit the bill. This has led many to postulate that the End Times are upon us, that Israel is going to usher in the coming of their Messiah through the sacrifice of the red heifer to initiate the re-establishment of Temple worship. However, a survey of Old Testament prophecies will not produce any such prediction about the coming of the Messiah. Jesus did not appear after the 10^th red heifer, but his claims of Messianic authority were taken seriously and believed by many early Jewish followers based on the Old Testament law and prophets. But this prophecy does not come from the Hebrew scriptures, rather, it comes from something called the Mishnah. The Mishnah is the gold standard for modern Rabbinic Orthodox Judaism and the greatest of the Rabbinic tradition is a medieval Rabbi named Maimonidies. There is much to be said about Maimonidies and his influence on modern Judaism but our purposes take into consideration one prophecy supposedly made by Maimonidies in the Mishnah:

“… and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen, May it be G-d’s will.”

This is a much later Jewish tradition than any of Jesus’ followers would have known (almost 1,000 years older) and would explain the lack of prophecy concerning a red heifer in Jesus’ time, especially since Temple worship was still ongoing. It also helps to explain some of the hardness of the Jewish heart towards Jesus as Messiah in our current context. But what does this have to do with the Christian idea of Jesus’ second coming? Many dispensationalist and pre-millennial theologians believe that Daniel and Revelation speak to the reinstitution of the Temple sacrificial system to usher in the return of Jesus.  Again, these beliefs vary even in those traditions but the popular view is that once the third Temple is constructed the clock is ticking ever more closely to the second coming of Jesus as well. Along with the red heifer prophecy, the recent solar eclipse that ran across the United States of America on April 8

^th

garnered much attention as well. Astronomical events have long been sources of superstition and this one was no different. Those seeking to give it meaning assigned Matthew 24:29

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

to it and cited many reasons why. There have been two eclipses seven years apart and seven is biblical number of completion. One in 2017 and one now in 2024. The first crossed the country through seven cities called Salem (meaning: Peace) while the second (on Apr. 8) traversed the United States through seven cities called Nineveh. The eclipses also make an “X” across the United States with the intersection of the X hovering over a street called Salem Street. And X indicates piece in and unity (of some sort) so God is calling the United States to exhibit these attributes. There are videos aplenty outlining how this particular solar eclipse is a specific prophecy about the end times and particularly a warning to America of impending judgement.

The pictures, tweets, articles and videos are enough to send prophecy seeking apocalypse adherents into a tizzy. To highlight one voice, Troy Brewer is one of the more popular advocates for this view (though he did NOT predict the rapture occurring). He uses numerology and prophetical hermeneutics to justify his unique interpretation of multiple biblical texts to fit with the narrative. For instance, in relation to the two eclipses being seven years apart and as signs tot he Church in the United States he uses the date of the second “sign” to point to Exodus 4:8.

“If they will not believe you… or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.”

These words were spoken to Pharaoh in Egypt concerning the release of the Hebrew slaves and Moses’ proof of access to divine authority in demanding their freedom.  It is not a prophecy, nor should it be used to bolster ideas of prophecy concerning the end times. Brewer calls the passage

Exodus “April the 8

^th

”

(juxtaposing 4:8 into a calendar designation, 4 (April, the fourth month) of 8 (the eighth day)) but his application of dates and times is not consistent. He seems to use the Hebrew calendar when it suits his interpretation for the first eclipse but uses the Gregorian calendar for the current eclipse. For example with the sign of Jonah in Matt. 12:39 Mr. Brewer indicates that Jonah’s sign is not about his “death” and "resurrection" in the belly of the fish (pointing, ultimately to Jesus' death and resurrection) but an astronomical event that occurred in Nineveh during Jonah’s prophecy against Nineveh.  Supposedly, an eclipse occurred on the very day of Jonah’s prophesying to Nineveh and this is the sign that cause them to turn away from their sins. There is no biblical support given for this, only a reference to an eclipse that moved across the Assyrian empire in 763 BC. He goes so far as to say we know the exact day that Jonah declared the prophecy to Nineveh, the first day of Elul. But we do not know the exact date Jonah entered Nineveh. The assumption that Jonah entered on the first of Elul would be linked to his prophetic message giving the Ninevites 40 days to repent. Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) occurs 40 days after the first of Elul. This assumption was most made famous by Douglas Stuart in his commentary on Hosea-Jonah released in 1987 but Stuart also says this of the argument,

"There is, of course, absolutely no way to identify with confidence the king mentioned in Jonah 3:6" (WBC 31, 490-493). 

Much more could be said about this and it certainly is possible but it is no where near the realm of confident certainty which Brewer seems to give it. To Brewer there are layers to prophecy and this prophecy includes, not only an eclipse around the time of Jesus’ crucifixion (Mark 15:33) but a reference point to this current eclipse as well. But this removes all of those passages out of their contexts and assigns a duty to them that is out of place with their intended meaning. Brewer admits that there are “layers” to the prophecy but Jesus seems to be pretty clear in Matthew 12:39 that it is a “wicked and idolatrous generation” that demands a sign and only the sign of Jonah will be given to them. Is our current generation similarly demanding a sign from Jesus as the Jewish elites did in Jesus' day? Brewer does a similar thing with the phrase “be watchful." He says it is in the Bible twenty-four times and links this "fact" to our current year: 2024. I did a cursory search of the phrase "Be Watchful" or even the word "watch" or "look out" and could not verify his claim. The best I could do was find that some derivative of the Greek word "to watch" (ἐγείρω) is used 23 times in the King James Version. Similarly, Brewer links biblical importance to the time of the totality of the most recent eclipse: four minutes and twenty-eight seconds (give or take a few tenths of a second). For some reason he traces this to Jeremiah 4:28:

“Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.”

But 

why

Jeremiah 4:28? Why not Exodus 4:28 considering we used Exodus 4:8 to explain the first occurrence? I want to be clear that I am not seeking to denigrate Mr. Brewer. It is clear, at least to me, that he loves the Lord and believes he is being earnest in interpreting all these things. He clearly wants the American church to wake up and pursue Christ but this sort of eisegesis in prophetic interpretation can be misleading and discouraging to the church. Pastor Greg Laurie recently released a video saying something similar, not about Brewer specifically, but about the hysteria surrounding the eclipse. Pastor Laurie is also a dispensationalist type that believes in many similar approaches to prophecy, but I would echo some of the concerns in his video. Jesus speaks in Matthew 24 about the end of all things to his disciples and he ends his discourse on the matter this way:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be… Therefore be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will.” (Matthew 24:36-39; 42-44)

To people like Troy Brewer these admonitions of being ready include reading into these "signs" and preparing for the coming of Jesus through prediction, but this misses the point in my opinion. Precisely 

because

Jesus indicates to his disciples that he will return when they “do not think he will.” So if our preparation is not about prediction what is it about? It is about faithfulness. Whether all of these events are signs of the time or not the charge to the church remains the same. I am not here arguing that none of these things are signs or that the end is not near. I am skeptical but I do not know. What I do know is that the charge to the Church remains the same: faithfulness in service to Christ. Jesus ends his discourse in Matthew 24 this way:

“Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is the slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” (Matt. 24:45-47)

Faithfulness. Regardless of the chaos around us, the timing and epochs of the Father are not to be known or guessed by us (Acts 1:6-8). It is not our duty to pursue the end of time, nor can we “usher it in” as if we can manipulate the Father into jumpstarting his apocalyptic campaign. When we focus on the end in this manner we lose sight of the current mission and, in a sense, we actually become unprepared for his return. Yes, we are eager for Christ’s return but that should not turn us to mysticism or prophetic discernment in a way that will distract us from our primary goal lest we become the "slave" that the master does NOT find "so doing when he comes." Disciple the nations. We still have a mission to complete (Matt. 24:14) and the United State’s judgement, when it comes, is not our utmost concern or, necessarily, a sign of the times but a reminder that our mission remains incomplete. If we really want to usher in the kingdom let us pursue Christ, share him with others, and disciple the nations. Not get distracted by lightning, heifers, and eclipses.

Notes

https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Articles/Tenth_Red_Heifer/tenth_red_heifer.htmlhttps://templeinstitute.org/statement-of-principles-2/https://www.newsweek.com/israel-gaza-hamas-temple-mount-islam-jews-jerusalem-red-heifers-jerusalem-religion-1886787https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674278776https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/moses-maimonides-rambamhttps://templeinstitute.org/red-heifer-the-tenth-red-heifer/https://bible.org/seriespage/14-major-events-preceding-second-coming-christhttps://x.com/greglaurie/status/1777404323779019095