In a recent interview with Charisma News, Phil Hotsenpiller, senior pastor of Influence Church in Anaheim Hills, California, delved into the complex and prophetic significance of the red heifer sacrifice. Offering insights rooted in Scripture and contemporary events, Hotsenpiller shed light on various facets surrounding this ancient ritual which has struck fear in the hearts of many.
With millions, if not billions, of people paying great attention to the war raging between Israel and Iranian proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, there are those who do not understand why people care whatsoever about these red heifers flown from Texas to an undisclosed location in Shiloh.
“In most people’s minds … it doesn’t even seem relevant, and yet it’s so relevant for end times,” explains Hotsenpiller.
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“After the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., basically, the red heifer disappeared,” he says. “It was an anomaly of nature, and there was no reason for it because there was no temple. And so when you begin to study … if they don’t have a temple, they don’t need the red heifer. But now they found the red heifer.”
The initial announcement of the red heifers did not cause as much of a worldwide stir as the animals are now causing, but there were certainly those who paid attention even then.
One group who paid close attention to the announcement was the terrorist organization Hamas, whose spokesman specifically mentioned the “red cows” as one of the reasons behind the horrific massacre against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The words from Hamas fighters saying that part of the reason for the attack was, they call them the red cows, because they know what that means,” Hotsenpiller says. “That means that they’re [Israel] going to rebuild the temple, that means … the Dome of the Rock has to be removed, the [Al-Aqsa] Mosque has to be removed off the Temple Mount. And so this is war for them. This is the real deal.”
Such an endeavor would almost certainly draw the entire Muslim world into conflict with Israel. Riots and protests would erupt worldwide should Israel remove what is considered the third holiest place in Islam: the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
If there were ever an event that would unify the Sunni and Shia Muslims, it might very well be this.
“Jesus said, there will be wars and rumors of wars,” says Hotsenpiller. “Some of them, however, are tied to prophecy. So if we look at the Dome of the Rock [which] has to be moved, and I believe it does for the temple to be rebuilt, then how do we get rid of it? Well, we go to a prophetic event … and that’s Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is the invasion by some nations against Israel.”
As many events are happening that appear to have end-times significance, be it the upcoming eclipse, the red heifers or war in the Middle East and Ukraine, Hotsenpiller reminds listeners that God is in control no matter what is taking place on the earth today.
“I think we make our problems bigger than our God. Do we think somehow that the eclipse or do we think that the movement of a despotic ruler in the world or a nuclear attack is bigger than God?” he asks. “Are we going to trust in God or are we going to trust in the circumstances that surround us?”
“If I have courage, then I don’t worry about my future,” Hotsenpiller adds. “If I have courage, I don’t worry about my job. If I have courage, I don’t worry about what I say and don’t say, who I’m going to offend or anything else. I just live with courage. And courage is foundational for everything we do. And it’s really the other side of the coin of faith. They work hand in hand together.”{eoa}
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
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