Sometimes God uses the smallest and most unexpected things to change history.

David had a stone.

Moses had a staff.

Gideon had three hundred men.

And perhaps, in our generation, God used five red cows from Texas.

I realize how extraordinary that statement sounds. But to understand why I believe five red heifers may have played a part in saving the nation of Israel, we need to go back approximately 2,500 years to the words of the prophet Zechariah.

A Prophecy That Once Seemed Impossible

Zechariah describes a future time when Jerusalem would become the center of an enormous international conflict.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about...”

—Zechariah 12:2

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people... though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

—Zechariah 12:3

For centuries, there was an obvious problem with this prophecy.

The Jewish people had been scattered throughout the world.Jerusalem was controlled by one empire after another. There was no modern Jewish nation for the surrounding nations to attack.

Yet the prophets repeatedly said God's people would return.

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.”

—Ezekiel 36:24

“He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.”

—Jeremiah 31:10

“And he shall... assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

—Isaiah 11:12

For centuries that seemed impossible.

Then the Jewish people returned.

Israel became a nation again.

Jerusalem once again became the center of Jewish national life.

And today Jerusalem has become exactly what Zechariah described: a city at the center of a struggle involving peoples and nations far beyond its borders.

But there is something else in Zechariah's prophecy that I believe we have overlooked.

Why Does Zechariah Say “Judah”?

Zechariah does not simply use the words Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem interchangeably.The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.”

“The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that theglory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem donot magnify themselves against Judah.”

—Zechariah 12:7

Why Judah?

And why distinguish Judah from Jerusalem?

To understand why I believe that matters, we need to go much farther back in biblical history.

Israel, Judah and the Twelve Tribes

“Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel.”

—Genesis 32:28

Jacob's twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.

But after Solomon, the kingdom divided.

The northern kingdom retained the name Israel and is also frequently represented prophetically by Ephraim or Joseph.

The southern kingdom became Judah, centered around Jerusalem and the house of David.So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.”

“So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.”

—1 Kings 12:19

Judah and Israel therefore became two distinct kingdoms.

That distinction becomes enormously important when reading the prophets.

Israel Was Scattered

Centuries before the Roman dispersion of the Jewish people, something happened to the northern Kingdom of Israel.

Assyria conquered it.

“In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria.”

—2 Kings 17:6

But according to the prophets, Israel's destiny was not merely relocation to Assyria.

They would become scattered among the nations.

“For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations.”

—Amos 9:9

“Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people.”

—Hosea 7:8

“Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles...”

—Hosea 8:8

This is foundational to the way I understand biblical prophecy.

The northern tribes didn't cease to exist because historians eventually lost track of them.

Man lost track of them. God did not.

They Were Supposed to Become Innumerable

This brings us to something remarkable.

God never promised Abraham that his descendants would remain a small ethnic population.

“Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them... So shall thy seed be.”

—Genesis 15:5

“I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.”

—Genesis 22:17

Jacob later pronounced an extraordinary blessing over Joseph's son Ephraim:

“His seed shall become a multitude of nations.”

—Genesis 48:19

The Hebrew phrase is melo hagoyim—a fullness or multitude of nations.

“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered.”

—Hosea 1:10

Think about what that could mean after thousands of years.

“All they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.”

—Numbers 1:46

If those numbers are understood literally, adding women, children and older men would put the population in the millions even then.

Now consider what happens when millions of descendants multiply over thousands of years.

Consider what happens when a population is scattered into other populations, intermarries, has children, whose children marry still other populations, generation after generation.

After scores of generations, ancestry spreads enormously.

I am not suggesting that DNA allows us to identify particular modern nations as the lost tribes. Nor am I saying that hundreds of millions of people today consciously identify themselves as Israelites.

My point is almost the opposite.

They were scattered.

Mathematically, it is entirely conceivable that people carrying some biological ancestry from ancient Israel could now number in the hundreds of millions and, depending upon the assumptions used, potentially more than a billion.

They may not know who they are.

But God does.

“Not My People”

“Call his name Lo-ammi: for ye are not my people...”

—Hosea 1:9

But immediately afterward comes an extraordinary promise:

“Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea... and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.”

—Hosea 1:10

“Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head.”

—Hosea 1:11

Notice those words carefully:

Judah and Israel.

They are distinguished.

And then they are reunited.

The Two Sticks Become One

Ezekiel gives us perhaps the clearest picture.

“For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions.”

—Ezekiel 37:16

“For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.”

—Ezekiel 37:16

“Join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.”

—Ezekiel 37:17

“I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone... and I will make them one nation in the land.”

—Ezekiel 37:21–22

“David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd.”

—Ezekiel 37:24

The biblical story therefore doesn't end with Judah and Israel permanently separated.

It ends with restoration.

Judah and Ephraim.

The preserved and the scattered.

Two sticks becoming one.

Zechariah Knew the Difference

“And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph.”

—Zechariah 10:6

Zechariah distinguishes them.

House of Judah.

House of Joseph.

“And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries.”

—Zechariah 10:9

That provides important context when we arrive at Zechariah12.

Judah, Israel and Jerusalem

When I read these prophecies, therefore, I pay close attention to three names.

Judah. Israel.Jerusalem.

I understand Judah as the recognizable Jewish people—the people associated with the southern kingdom who maintained their identity through exile and eventually returned in great numbers to their ancient homeland.

People associated with the southern kingdom who maintained their identity through exile and eventually returned in great numbers to their ancient I understand Israel or Ephraim, where Scripture distinguishes it from Judah, as the northern tribes scattered among the nations—potentially an enormous multitude of descendants, many unaware of their ancient ancestry.

And I believe Jerusalem can sometimes carry more than a geographical meaning.

Jerusalem was the spiritual center.

It was the city of the Temple.

It was the center of Torah, priesthood and worship.

Therefore, in Zechariah 12, I believe Jerusalem can also represent the deeply religious element of Israel—the people sincerely searching the Torah and writings of the sages, asking what God requires and longing for restoration.

I offer this as my interpretation. Scripture must always determine its own meaning in context.

“The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first...”

—Zechariah 12:7

Judah first.

I believe we may have watched part of that happen.

The Plan to Surround Israel

Over recent decades Iran constructed what became known as the Axis of Resistance.

Hezbollah built an enormous arsenal in Lebanon.

Hamas armed itself in Gaza.

Iran provided weapons, financing, technology and training throughout the region.

The Houthis developed missiles and drones capable of reaching Israel.

Iran-aligned forces operated from additional fronts.

Look at a map.

Israel was increasingly surrounded.

The danger was not simply one army attacking one border.

The danger was many fronts acting together.

Israel possesses extraordinary missile-defense systems. But every defensive system has limits.

Imagine enormous numbers of rockets, missiles and drones arriving simultaneously while armed forces attempted to cross Israel's borders.

October 7, 2023 showed the world what even one breached border could produce.

Hamas-led attackers crossed from Gaza. Israeli communities were attacked. Civilians were murdered and hostages were carried into Gaza.

Now imagine something resembling October 7 occurring from several directions at once.

That was the nightmare.

And then something very strange entered the story.

Five Red Cows from Texas

“Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.”

—Numbers 19:2

The ashes of the red heifer were connected with purification from contact with death.

For Jews interested in restoring biblical Temple worship, the possibility of obtaining a qualifying red heifer therefore carries enormous significance.

After a long search, five remarkable red heifers were found.

In Texas.

In September 2022, the five animals arrived in Israel.

To most of the world they were simply cows.

To religious Jews interested in Temple restoration, they represented something potentially historic.

And to Hamas they represented something very different.

A threat.

Hamas Noticed the Cows

After October 7, Hamas itself publicly connected the red heifers with its grievances surrounding Al-Aqsa.

That matters.

This wasn't merely something Christians or Jews retroactively attached to the war.

Hamas was talking about them.

Why?

Because Hamas understood what the red heifers symbolized to some Jews: purification and the possibility of renewed Temple worship.

And Hamas viewed developments surrounding the Temple Mount through an entirely different theological lens.

The five Texas cows had unexpectedly become part of one of the most explosive religious conflicts on earth.

Did Five Cows Change the Timing of History?

Here I want to separate documented facts from my own conclusion.

We know Hamas planned October 7.

We know Hamas hoped for greater participation from the surrounding Iranian-backed network.

We know Hezbollah, Iran and the Houthis possessed substantial military capabilities.

And we know Hamas publicly identified the red heifers as part of its concern over developments surrounding Al-Aqsa.

My contention goes one step further.

I believe the red heifers contributed to a sense of urgency within Hamas leadership—that developments concerning the Temple Mount could not be allowed to continue indefinitely.

There have been claims concerning communications among Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran surrounding the timing and desired scope of the attack. I believe those deserve continued investigation.

But unless documentary evidence establishes the exact causal chain, I will distinguish what we know from what I believe happened.

My thesis is this:

Hamas attacked before  the larger regional network was prepared or willing to execute the overwhelming simultaneous attack that Israel most feared.

And if the red heifers contributed to that premature decision, then those five cows may have altered history.

October 7 Did Not Become the Planned Regional Avalanche

The horror of October 7 cannot be minimized.

But something else did not happen that morning.

Every enemy surrounding Israel did not unleash its maximum force simultaneously.

Hezbollah subsequently attacked Israel from Lebanon and Iran-backed groups elsewhere joined the conflict, but the regional war developed in stages rather than as one overwhelming coordinated invasion on October 7.

Even Hamas leadership later expressed frustration about the extent of Hezbollah's participation.

That distinction may have been enormously consequential.

Israel had time to mobilize.

Israel had time to recover from the initial shock.

Israel could redirect military resources as the conflict developed.

And one enemy after another suffered devastating blows.

The story is still unfolding, and we should be careful about declaring any enemy permanently defeated.

But the military balance surrounding Israel has changed dramatically since October 7.

And every time I look at what happened, I return to Zechariah.

“The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first...”

—Zechariah 12:7

Could we have watched part of this prophecy unfolding before us?

I believe we have.

How Five Red Cows from Texas Saved Israel

That is why I chose this title.

How Five Red Cows from Texas Saved the Nation of Israel.

I am not suggesting that cows possess supernatural powers.

Of course they don't.

I am suggesting something much more consistent with the biblical story.

God repeatedly uses seemingly insignificant things to accomplish enormous purposes.

David had a stone.

Gideon had three hundred men.

Moses had a staff.

And perhaps five cows grazing peacefully in Israel affected the calculations of men preparing for war.

If they contributed to Hamas moving before the entire ring surrounding Israel was prepared to strike together, then those cows played an extraordinary part in history.

But even that isn't the end of Zechariah's story.

Zechariah 12 Doesn't End With Military Victory

This may be the most important part of the entire prophecy.

Zechariah doesn't finish with Israel defeating its enemies.

Something spiritual happens.

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications...”

—Zechariah 12:10

“In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem...”

—Zechariah 12:11

For Christians, Zechariah 12:10 has profound messianic significance. John directly invokes the prophecy:

“They shall look on him whom they pierced.”

—John 19:37

Revelation echoes it:

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him...”

—Revelation 1:7

Jewish interpretations of Zechariah differ from Christian interpretations, and I respect that distinction.

But I believe Zechariah is describing something far greater than military victory.

He is describing spiritual awakening.

Danger.

Deliverance.

The pouring out of God's Spirit.

Mourning.

Repentance.

Restoration.

And ultimately the reign of God.

“And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”

—Zechariah 14:9

What About Scattered Israel?

This brings us back to the millions—perhaps ultimately hundreds of millions or more—who may carry ancestry from scattered Israel.

God's promise wasn't merely to preserve Judah.

He promised to restore Israel.

Ezekiel's two sticks must become one.

Hosea's Judah and Israel must be gathered together.

Jeremiah's scattered Israel must be gathered.

Zechariah's House of Joseph must be saved.

“He shall... assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

—Isaiah 11:12

Notice again:

Israel and Judah.

I believe we are living in the middle of that story—not at its conclusion.

Judah has returned.

Jerusalem has returned to the center of world attention.

But scattered Israel remains largely hidden among the nations.

What happens when God begins awakening them?

The Watchmen on the Wall

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night...”

—Isaiah 62:6

That is where I believe we stand.

We should become watchmen.

Not watchmen longing for another war.

Watchmen praying for peace.

Pray for Judah.

Pray for Jerusalem.

Pray for scattered Israel.

Pray for Christians.

Pray for Muslims.

Pray for every innocent person trapped in the hatred and warfare of the Middle East.

Pray for something armies cannot accomplish.

The Spirit of God.

Love.

Peace.

Gentleness.

Repentance.

Reconciliation.

Hope.

Faith that God's Word is true.

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”

—Zechariah 4:6

Ultimately, missiles cannot fulfill God's promises.

Armies cannot reunite the tribes.

Governments cannot transform the human heart.

Only God can do that.

All Israel Shall Be Saved

“And so all Israel shall be saved.”

—Romans 11:26

When I speak of the restoration of Israel, I see something much larger than a modern political state.

I see Judah.

I see the scattered tribes.

I see the promises made to Abraham.

And as a Christian, I see the nations being invited to worship the God of Abraham through the Messiah.

I believe God's ultimate purpose is restoration—not endless hatred between peoples.

“Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

—Isaiah 2:4

That is the Israel I am watching for.

That is the Jerusalem I am praying for.

That is the Messiah I am waiting for.

Keep Watching

Five red cows left Texas.

They crossed an ocean and arrived in the land of Israel.

Almost nobody noticed.

Hamas did.

Then came October 7.

Then came war.

Then the military architecture that had been constructed around Israel began to unravel under a conflict that did not unfold according to the hoped-for simultaneous regional assault.

Was that coincidence?

Perhaps some will say so.

I see something else.

I see Zechariah.

I see Judah being preserved.

I see Jerusalem once again at the center of the nations.

I see the scattered House of Israel still waiting somewhere among the peoples of the earth.

And I see a prophecy that doesn't end with tanks, missiles, or victory on a battlefield.

It ends with God pouring out His Spirit.

It ends with restoration.

It ends with one King.

It ends with peace.

So let us become watchmen upon the walls.

Let us pray day and night.

Let us ask the God of Abraham to remember Judah, to awaken scattered Israel, to comfort Jerusalem, and to pour His Spirit upon the nations.

I have already seen enough of Zechariah's words come alive in our generation to believe that we should pay very close attention to what comes next.

But perhaps the greatest part of the story is still ahead.

Not by might.

Not by power.

But by His Spirit