Conflicting Reports Emerge Over Red Heifer Ceremony in Israel
The rare biblical red heifer, long regarded as a prophetic sign connected to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, has become the center of controversy after two very different accounts surfaced about whether the long-awaited ritual has already taken place.
In recent weeks, statements from Adam King, a media personality claiming firsthand knowledge of the event, has clashed with information from Mondo Gonzales of Prophecy Watchers, who has spent years closely following the red heifer project.
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Adam King’s Claim: The Ritual Already Happened
During a recent appearance on the Timcast IRL podcast, fellow podcaster Adam King said that on July 1, 2025, a real red heifer named Tikva was sacrificed in Israel according to Jewish law.
Publicly, it was announced as a “practice run” using a disqualified animal, but King insisted that this was intentional misdirection to avoid political backlash and international outrage. “They fooled everybody and they successfully performed the ritual about a month ago,” he claimed.
King described the sacrifice as being carried out “specifically according to halakha” (Jewish law) and emphasized the rarity of such an event. “The last time that the red heifer was done was over 2,000 years ago,” he said, noting that the first was performed by Moses, the second by Ezra and that throughout all of Jewish history, only nine have been sacrificed.
He further claimed to possess physical proof of the event: “I have with me some of the ashes right here, red heifer ashes… and also hyssop that is from the actual ritual.”
According to King, these ashes, kept in a clay jar in keeping with biblical requirements, are being used to purify people from the “impurity of death,” enabling them to ascend the Temple Mount in ritual purity. He asserted that miraculous healings have already occurred, citing a man with Alzheimer’s who “started remembering everything” and even cases of “sight to the blind.”
King also tied the red heifer ritual directly to messianic expectations, saying, “Now that it’s been done, the Messiah can come” and build the Third Temple. He maintained that the Third Temple cannot be constructed without the red heifer ceremony taking place and linked this development to broader geopolitical events, claiming that Hamas and other hostile actors saw the ritual as a threat. According to him, “The Democrats are trying to stop the Messiah,” and the Oct. 7 Hamas attack was partly motivated by an obsession with halting the red heifer project.
Mondo Gonzales: It Wasn’t the Final Ceremony
Mondo Gonzales, co-host of Prophecy Watchers, has been in regular contact with those directly involved in the red heifer project, including Boneh Israel member Byron Stinson. While acknowledging that a heifer was burned on July 1, he says the location, Samaria, prevents it from qualifying as the final, prophetic ceremony.
“The Bible is ambiguous, but the rabbinic oral tradition in the Mishnah is crystal clear,” Gonzales explained. “It has to be on the Mount of Olives, and from a vantage point where you can look down into the Temple area. This box cannot be unchecked.”
Gonzales confirmed that Stinson has described the July 1 ritual as both a “real ceremony” and a “practice” in preparation for the Mount of Olives event. According to Gonzales, Stinson has told him there are still “two, maybe three” qualified heifers remaining, with additional candidates being bred in Israel and Texas.
He also pushed back on speculation that the actual prophetic ceremony could have been done secretly. “There’s no way this could be done in secret,” Gonzales said. “We’re talking about a gigantic bonfire in an area surrounded by Arabs. The police have to be there. The fire department has to be notified. You couldn’t hide it.”
From a Christian perspective, Gonzales stressed that Hebrews 9 and 13 make it clear that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, rendering any future animal sacrifices unnecessary for believers. “This coming temple is not going to be the millennial one. We know that for sure,” he said, warning that while the Third Temple is prophetically significant, it will ultimately be defiled by the Antichrist before being replaced by Christ’s millennial temple.
The Need for Discernment
While the debate over the red heifer continues, Scripture warns that deception will increase in the last days (Matt. 24:4, 2 Thess. 2:9–10). For that reason, it is paramount for Christians to remain grounded in biblical truth, exercising discernment through God’s Word and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
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We live in a time when prophetic events can stir intense excitement, and misinformation, spiritual clarity is essential to keep believers anchored in what God has revealed.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
