Temple watch.

A dated record of preparations for a Third Temple in Jerusalem (the red heifer, the Temple Mount and the attempts at sacrifice) and of what was predicted about them. Each entry gives its sources and says how firm they are.

Messianic prophecy End-times prophecy Temple watch

Happened 9Planned 1Reports differ 1Did not happen 1

2015

Temple Institute starts a red heifer breeding project

The Temple Institute began implanting frozen Red Angus embryos to raise a red heifer in Israel.

Happened

September 2022

Five red heifers arrive from Texas

Five red heifers raised in Texas were brought to Israel through the Boneh Israel organisation.

Happened

7 October 2023; 14 January 2024

Hamas leaders cite the "red cows"

Hamas leaders named the red heifers among their stated grievances over al-Aqsa.

Happened

April 2024

A red heifer ceremony expected at Passover 2024

Online commentary expected a red heifer ceremony on the Mount of Olives at Passover 2024; none took place.

Did not happen

1 July 2025

A practice burning of a red heifer

A heifer, reported to be unfit, was burned on a hilltop in northern Israel as a rehearsal for a future ceremony on the Mount of Olives.

Happened

2025-2026

How many of the Texas heifers remain fit

Reports differ: two of the heifers disqualified and two still fit, or all disqualified.

Reports differ

May-June 2026

A red calf, "Tamima", born in the Galilee

A red calf reported born on a Galilee farm was ruled unfit for the rite because of an ear-tag blemish (a single blog report).

Happened

late 2025 to 2026

Jewish prayer permitted on the Temple Mount

Police began allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount under conditions, including printed prayer sheets; officials say the status quo is unchanged.

Happened

31 March 2026

An attempted Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount

Men filmed trying to bring goats to the compound for a Passover sacrifice were reportedly arrested before they reached it.

Happened

no date set

A red heifer ceremony on the Mount of Olives

The stated aim is a ceremony on the Mount of Olives with a fully qualified heifer; no date has been announced.

Planned

July 2026

A second red calf born in the Golan Heights

A red calf born in the Golan Heights before Tisha B'Av was left untagged; her fitness is under rabbinic review because she is a twin of a bull calf.

Happened

27 Sept to early Oct 2026

Record Jewish visits and open prayer on the Temple Mount at Sukkot

About a thousand visitors on the first intermediate day and a reported record over the holiday, with open prayer; the government says the status quo is unchanged.

Happened

← All entries

A red heifer ceremony expected at Passover 2024

StatusDid not happen

Date: April 2024
Reported by: Christian media and online commentary

The Christian case

Jesus warned against setting dates: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (). Many Christians who watch prophecy take that seriously. This entry concerns online speculation, not an announcement by the organisers and not a claim of Scripture, so a failed expectation here says nothing against the biblical texts.

What the research found

Did not happen. Christian media and online commentary reported speculation that a red heifer would be burned on the Mount of Olives at or before Passover 2024 (22-30 April). No ceremony took place. On 29 April 2024 CathNews noted: "April's nearly over; no sign of the Red Heifer". The expectation came from commentators, so it counts against them, not against the organisers or the texts.

Explore the counterarguments

The episode is a reminder of a recurring pattern: expectations tied to a date, spread widely and then not met. Interpreters who treat each new development as a sign of imminent fulfilment have been wrong before, and claims of an imminent ceremony need to be checked against dated facts rather than taken on trust.