Five red heifers arrive from Texas
StatusHappened
For Christians who expect a rebuilt Temple, the arrival of red heifers in Israel was a striking step. The Law requires "a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish" () for purification, and the stated aim was explicit: the ashes would "allow the kohanim (priests) to carry out their work in a future Temple". Prophecy teachers who read Paul's words about one who "sitteth in the temple of God" () as requiring a future Temple see in such steps a growing readiness for it.
Happened. The Jerusalem Post reported on 20 September 2022 that five red heifers from a Texas ranch had been located and brought to Israel "with the help of" the Boneh Israel organisation. They were raised by Byron Stinson, its fundraiser and adviser. After quarantine in Haifa they could be "slaughtered and rendered into ashes" from their third year. Later reports disagree on how many arrived and how many remain fit (see the entry on the Texas heifers).
Explore the counterarguments
The heifers were sought out and brought to Israel by people working toward a future Temple, so the event is a step taken to fulfil the texts, not an independent sign. Other Christian readings, which see the Temple prophecies fulfilled in the first century, do not expect a Third Temple at all. And bringing animals to Israel is far from a Temple: no ceremony with a qualified heifer has been held and no construction has begun.