Jesus Christ said the following in Matthew 24:15-16, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place –– let the reader understand –– then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.” Continuing, Jesus describes just what this event leads to. Verse 21 reads, “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life [flesh] would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (NASB throughout)
This is the start of the Great Tribulation, a 3.5-year period of time that will be brutal beyond our ability to understand. Christ said, “When you see,” implying those that are paying attention (keeping watch) will not miss this event. He also said, “Spoken of through Daniel the prophet.” So, let’s go to Daniel for more understanding!
Starting in Daniel 11:29 we read, “At the appointed time he will return and come into the south, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.” Continuing in verses 30-31, “For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore, he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.”
All of Daniel 11 describes a back-and-forth battle between the king of the North and the king of the South which takes place over several centuries, however in verse 29 we read “at the appointed time” and “last time”, which is that period of time just in our future. So, to bring this forward in time, there is an event just on the horizon we need to know about and understand…sacrifices! In verse 31 we see the king of the North will do away with the regular sacrifice. “But wait,” the reader might say, “There are no sacrifices occurring in the holy land today,” and that would be correct. However, that might all change very soon. For sacrifices to end they must at some point begin.
To gain a more thorough understanding, let’s look at Daniel 12 starting in verse 9, “And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age” (Dan. 12:9-13).
So, Daniel learns these words are not for him, in his day, but are for “the end time.” And we also see when the sacrifices end and the abomination of desolation is set up (armies will surround the holy land, Luke 21:20) these verses spell out a time frame. See also, Daniel 12:7. A period of 3.5 years that the holy land will be occupied by the King of the North (see also Daniel 11:40-41).
Jewish religious groups have been working very diligently over the past several years to bring back sacrifices to the modern-day nation of Israel. One such group is the Temple Institute. In 2022 the Temple Institute purchased five red heifers all the way from the state of Texas and brought them to the land of Israel, where they are today. Why red heifers? To understand why, read the ritual for purification in Numbers chapter 19. Also remember that the religious mainstream Jews of Israel live in the Old Testament. They never accepted the man Jesus Christ as the Son of God, “Immanuel” (meaning, “God with us”). So they are driven to start sacrifices once again and the unblemished red heifer is an instrument in that endeavor. They need the ashes of the sacrificed red heifer for purification purposes.
Out of the five red heifers, four of them have been determined to be unblemished and in April of 2024 are considered to be of age (3 years old) to be sacrificed. The Priests have already been selected and have been determined to be from the priestly line and direct descendants of the Levitical priesthood.
The location of the Temple mount is in Jerusalem. Today the only structure sitting on top of the Temple mount is the Dome of the Rock, a sacred building for the Muslim faith, reported to be the third most holy place in the Muslim world. The Temple Institute believes they only need to be able to see the Temple mount and the location where the Holy of Holies was once located to be able to start sacrifices again. They cite Ezra 3:1-6, which depicts sacrifices on an altar before the foundation of the Temple had been laid. Because of this, the Temple Institute has purchased private land on the Mount of Olives which overlooks the Temple mount. They also have constructed an altar on which the sacrifices would take place.
Something to be noted here is that the arrival of the red heifers in Israel was one of Hamas’ justifications for their terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. As you know, those attacks from Hamas resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,400 citizens of the Jewish State and unspeakable crimes against those killed and those taken hostage. Israel’s offensive against Hamas into the Gaza Strip continues today. As we can imagine, if Israelite Jews once again start sacrifices anywhere near the Temple mount the reaction from the Muslims would be unpredictable. The country of Israel is surrounded by Muslim Nation States.
Just like after the United States were hit by terrorists on 9/11 and came together in National Patriotism, the Nation of Israel has come together with similar National Patriotism. This could embolden the religious Jews to start sacrifices anytime now.
Again, for sacrifices to end they must start again, and this appears to be in the works and not far off! What should we consider when we see bible prophecy from “end of days” events playing right out in front of us? If you’re baptized and following “The Way” (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 19:23, 22:4) you should continue to fill your spiritual cup until it overflows. Be alert, get ready, pay attention. Exhort one another to love and good works as you see the day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25) and assemble when you can.
If you’re being called by Father God (John 6:44, 65), know this: there is a pathway. Jesus said in Matt. 4:17, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” And Peter said in Acts 2:38, “Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Kingdom of God is not afar off. The time to draw near to God is now.
