An Israeli Jewish fundamentalist group that received donations from the country’s defence minister has said that an end of times prophecy ushering Armageddon has been fulfilled following the birth of a “flawless” red heifer.

The Temple Institute, which promotes the construction of a third temple on the ruins of Al-Aqsa Mosque, has announced the birth of the first red calf in Israel for 2,000 year. They believe that a biblical prophecy predicting the end of days has come true. The temple institute in Jerusalem announced the calf’s birth, saying it would undergo extensive examinations to determine if it is red all over.

The Jewish fundamentalist group believes that if the female baby calf is found to be “blemish free” and completely red, the institute will declare that the calf will bring the promise of reinstating biblical purity to the world.

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In some Christian and Jewish reading of the bible, the red heifer is believed to be central to the prediction about the “end of times”. After sacrificing the red cow, the prophecy states that, construction can begin on the third temple in Jerusalem; a goal which the Temple Institute and a number of other groups worldwide are determined to do. Their goal is to full fill the prophecy by building the third temple on Mount Moriah also known as the temple mount.

Rabbi Chain Richman, international director of the Temple Institute, has said that the time is ripe to build the Third Temple, following the birth of the red heifer.

Supporters of this institute include Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Eli Ben-Dahan who donated $12,000 to the organisation five years ago when he was head of Israel’s Rabbinical courts. The institute is also receiving indirect financial support from the US from which two organisations donated over $50,000 a few years ago.

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