Perhaps the concept of the rapture is new to you. The Bible tells us in John 14 that Jesus promised to return one day and take us to heaven where we’ll spend all eternity. The Apostle Paul spoke of the rapture in the book of I Thessalonians chapter 4. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. We believe that day is coming soon.

What is the rapture of the church?

https://www.gotquestions.org/rapture-of-the-church.html

The word rapture does not occur in the Bible. The term comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” The concept of the “carrying off” or the rapture of the church is clearly taught in Scripture.

The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with all living believers, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

The rapture will involve an instantaneous transformation of our bodies to fit us for eternity. “We know that when he [Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). The rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming. At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, the Lord descends all the way to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake followed by a defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3–4).

The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul calls it a “mystery” now revealed: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

The rapture of the church is a glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God’s presence forever. There is far too much debate over the meaning and scope of the rapture. This is not God’s intent. Rather, the rapture should be a comforting doctrine full of hope; God wants us to “encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

What is the Rapture?

The Rapture - What is it? Who will it affect? When is it most likely to take place?

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rapture/

The Rapture is a glorious event which God has promised to the Church. The promise is that someday very soon, at the blowing of a trumpet and the shout of an archangel, Jesus will appear in the sky and take up His Church, living and dead, to Heaven.

The Term

The term “Rapture” comes from a Latin word, “rapio,” that means “to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out.” It is, in turn, a translation of the Greek word, “harpazo.” So, “Rapture” is a Biblical word that comes right out of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. The word is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In the New American Standard Version, the English phrase, “caught up,” is used. The same phrase is used in the King James and New International Versions.

A Promise to the Church

The concept of the Rapture was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets because it is a promise to the New Testament Church and not to the saints of God who lived before the establishment of the Church. Jesus will return as a bridegroom for His bride, and that bride consists only of Church Age saints. The saints of Old Testament times will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation and not at the time of the Rapture of the Church. Daniel reveals this fact in Daniel 12:1-2 where he says that the saints of that age will be resurrected at the end of the “time of distress.”

Biblical References

The first clear mention of the Rapture in Scripture is found in the words of Jesus recorded in John 14:1-4. Jesus said, “I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” The most detailed revelation of the actual events related to the Rapture is given by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He says that when Jesus appears, the dead in Christ (Church Age saints) will be resurrected and caught up first. Then, those of us who are alive in Christ will be translated “to meet the Lord in the air.”

Paul mentions the Rapture again in 1 Corinthians 15 — his famous chapter on the resurrection of the dead: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (verses 51-52).

Paul’s reference here to being changed is an allusion to the fact that the saints will receive glorified bodies that will be imperishable, immortal, and perfected (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50-55 and Isaiah 35:5-6).

A Summary

To summarize, these passages teach that the shout of an archangel and the blowing of a trumpet will herald the sudden appearance of Jesus in the heavens (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The dead in Christ will be resurrected and rise up to meet the Lord in the sky. Then, those saints who are alive will be “caught up” to the Lord. Paul concludes his description in 1 Thessalonians 4 by encouraging his readers to “comfort one another with these words.”

And truly the Rapture is a comforting thought! Consider the promises contained in the concept of the Rapture. Jesus will bring with Him the spirits of those who have died in Him (1 Thessalonians 4:14). He will resurrect their bodies in a great miracle of re-creation; He will reunite their bodies with their spirits; and He will then glorify their bodies, making them immortal. And those believers who are living will not even taste death. Rather, they will be caught up to the Lord, and in transit, they will be translated from mortal to immortal. All my life I have heard that there are two things no one can avoid: taxes and death. Well, that is not true. According to 1 Thessalonians 4, a whole generation of believers will escape death. Taxes appear to be the only inevitability!

The Timing

The most controversial aspect of the Rapture is its timing. Some place it at the end of the Tribulation, making it one and the same event as the Second Coming. Others place it in the middle of the Tribulation. Still others believe that it will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation. The reason for these differing viewpoints is that the exact time of the Rapture is not precisely revealed in scripture. It is only inferred. There is, therefore, room for honest differences of opinion, and lines of fellowship should certainly not be drawn over differences regarding this point, even though it is an important point.

Post-Tribulation Rapture

Those who place the timing at the end of the Tribulation usually base their argument on two parables in Matthew 13 and on the Lord’s Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. In Matthew 24 the Lord portrays His gathering of the saints as an event that will take place “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matthew 24:29). This certainly sounds like a post-Tribulation Rapture. But it must be kept in mind that the book of Matthew was written to the Jews, and therefore the recording of Jesus’ speech by Matthew has a distinctively Jewish flavor to it as compared to Luke’s record of the same speech.

Note, for example, Matthew’s references to Judea and to Jewish law regarding travel on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:15-20). These are omitted in Luke’s account. Instead, Luke speaks of the saints looking up for deliverance “to escape all these things” when the end time signs “begin to take place” (Luke 21:28, 36). The saints in Matthew are instructed to flee from Judea and hide. The saints in Luke are told to look up for deliverance.

It appears, therefore, that Matthew and Luke are speaking of two different sets of saints. The saints in Matthew’s account are most likely Jews who receive Jesus as their Messiah during the Tribulation. The saints in Luke are those who receive Christ before the Tribulation begins. Most of those who accept the Lord during the Tribulation will be martyred (Revelation 7:9-14). Those who live to the end will be gathered by the angels of the Lord (Matthew 24:31).

The parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and the parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50) can be explained in the same way. They refer to a separation of saints and sinners that will take place at the end of the Tribulation. The saints are those who receive Jesus as their Savior during the Tribulation (Gentile and Jew) and who live to the end of that awful period. The Bible clearly teaches that the Rapture is an event that is separate and apart from the Second Coming. The two simply cannot be combined into one event.

Mid-Tribulation Rapture

There are variations of the mid-Tribulation Rapture concept. The most common is that the Church will be taken out in the exact middle of the Tribulation, at the point in time when the Antichrist is revealed. This concept is based upon a statement in 1 Corinthians 15:52 which says that the Rapture will occur at the blowing of “the last trumpet.” This trumpet is then identified with the seventh trumpet of the trumpet judgments in the book of Revelation. Since the blowing of the seventh trumpet is recorded in Revelation 11, the mid-point of the Tribulation, the conclusion is that the Rapture must occur in the middle of the Tribulation.

But there are two problems with this interpretation. The first is that the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is blown for believers whereas the seven trumpets of Revelation 8, 9 and 11 are sounded for unbelievers. The Revelation trumpets have no relevance for the Church. The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is a trumpet for the righteous. The last trumpet for the unrighteous is the one described in Revelation 11.

Another problem with this interpretation is that the passage in Revelation 11 that portrays the sounding of the seventh trumpet is a “flash forward” to the end of the Tribulation. Flash forwards are very common in the book of Revelation. They occur after something terrible is described in order to assure the reader that everything is going to turn out all right when Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation.

Thus, the eighth and ninth chapters of Revelation, which describe the horrors of the trumpet judgments, are followed immediately by a flash forward in chapter 10 that pictures the return of Jesus in victory at the end of the Tribulation. The mid-Tribulation action resumes in chapter 11 with a description of the killing of the two great prophets of God by the Antichrist. Then, to offset that terrible event, we are presented with another flash forward, beginning with verse 15. The seventh trumpet is sounded and we find ourselves propelled forward to the end of the Tribulation when “the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord.”

The point is that the seventh trumpet of Revelation relates to the end of the Tribulation and not the middle. It is the same trumpet that is referred to in Matthew 24:31, the trumpet that will be blown to announce the Second Coming of Jesus. It is therefore no basis for an argument in behalf of a mid-Tribulation Rapture.

Pre-Wrath Rapture

A variation of the mid-Tribulation Rapture is the pre-wrath Rapture concept that places the Rapture at some point in the last quarter of the Tribulation, about five and a half years into the Tribulation. The argument for this view is that the Church is promised protection only from the wrath of God and not the wrath of Man or of Satan. It is then argued that only the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments constitute the wrath of God, and these are placed in the last quarter of the Tribulation, despite the fact that the book of Revelation clearly places the Trumpet Judgments in the first half of the Tribulation. They maintain that the Seal Judgments are the wrath of Man and Satan.

This view disintegrates when you consider the fact that it is Jesus Himself who breaks the seals that launch each of the Seal Judgments recorded in Revelation 6. These judgments occur at the beginning of the Tribulation, and they are referred to as “the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). All the judgments of Revelation are clearly superintended by God. That is the reason we are told in Revelation 15:1 that the Bowl Judgments at the end of the Tribulation will finish the wrath of God, not begin His wrath.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture

I believe the best inference of Scripture is that the Rapture will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation. The most important reason I believe this has to do with the issue of imminence. Over and over in Scripture we are told to watch for the appearing of the Lord. We are told “to be ready” (Matthew 24:44), “to be on the alert” (Matthew 24:42), “to be dressed in readiness” (Luke 12:35), and to “keep your lamps alight” (Luke 12:35). The clear force of these persistent warnings is that Jesus can appear at any moment. Only the pre-Tribulation concept of the Rapture allows for the imminence of the Lord’s appearing for His Church. When the Rapture is placed at any other point in time, the imminence of the Lord’s appearing is destroyed because other prophetic events must happen first.

For example, if the Rapture is going to occur in mid-Tribulation, then why should I live looking for the Lord’s appearing at any moment? I would be looking instead for an Israeli peace treaty, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the revelation of the Antichrist. Then and only then could the Lord appear.

Focus

This raises the issue of what we are to be looking for. Nowhere are believers told to watch for the appearance of the Antichrist. On the contrary, we are told to watch for Jesus Christ. In Titus 2:13 Paul says we are to live “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Likewise, Peter urges us to “fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). John completes the apostolic chorus by similarly urging us to “fix our hope on Him” at His appearing (1 John 3:2-3). Only Matthew speaks of watching for the Antichrist (Matthew 24:15), but he is speaking to the Jews living in Israel in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt Temple.

Wrath

Another argument in behalf of a pre-Tribulation Rapture has to do with the promises of God to protect the Church from His wrath. As has already been demonstrated, the book of Revelation shows that the wrath of God will be poured out during the entire period of the Tribulation. The Word promises over and over that the Church will be delivered from God’s wrath. Romans 5:9 says that “we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him [Jesus].” 1 Thessalonians 1:10 states that we are waiting “for His Son from heaven… who will deliver us from the wrath to come.” The promise is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 — “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Deliverance

Some argue that God could supernaturally protect the Church during the Tribulation. Yes, He could. In fact, He promises to do just that for the 144,000 Jews who will be sealed as bond-servants at the beginning of the Tribulation (Revelation 7:1-8). But God’s promise to the Church during the Tribulation is not one of protection but one of deliverance. Jesus said we would “escape” the horrors of the Tribulation (Luke 21:36). Paul says Jesus is coming to “deliver” us from God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

Symbolism

There are several prophetic types that seem to affirm the concept of deliverance from Tribulation. Take Enoch for example. He was a prophet to the Gentiles who was raptured out of the world before God poured out His wrath in the great flood of Noah’s time. Enoch appears to be a type of the Gentile Church that will be taken out of the world before God pours out His wrath again. If so, then Noah and his family are a type of the Jewish remnant that will be protected through the Tribulation.

Another Old Testament symbolic type which points toward a pre-Tribulation Rapture is the experience of Lot and his family. They were delivered out of Sodom and Gomorrah before those cities were destroyed. The Apostle Peter alludes to both of these examples in his second epistle. He states that if God spared Noah and Lot, then He surely “knows how to rescue the godly from trial and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:4-9).

Another beautiful prophetic type is to be found in the Jewish wedding traditions of Jesus’ time. After the betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a wedding chamber for his bride. He would return for his bride at an unexpected moment, so the bride had to be ready constantly. When he returned, he would take his bride back to his father’s house to the chamber he had prepared. He and his bride would then be sealed in the chamber for seven days. When they emerged, a great wedding feast would be celebrated.

Likewise, Jesus has returned to Heaven to prepare a place for His bride, the Church. When He returns for His bride, He will take her to His Father’s heavenly home. There He will remain with His bride for seven years (the duration of the Tribulation). The period will end with “the marriage supper of the Lamb” described in Revelation 19. Thus the seven days in the wedding chamber point prophetically to the seven years that Jesus and His bride will remain in Heaven during the Tribulation.

Revelation

Speaking of Revelation, the structure of that book also implies a pre-Tribulation Rapture in a symbolic sense. The first three chapters focus on the Church. Chapter 4 begins with the door of Heaven opening and John being raptured from the Isle of Patmos to the throne of God in Heaven. The Church is not mentioned thereafter until Revelation 19:7-9 when it is portrayed as the “bride of Christ” in Heaven with Jesus celebrating the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” At Revelation 19:11 the door of Heaven opens again, and Jesus emerges riding a white horse on His way to earth, followed by His Church (Revelation 19:14).

The rapture of the Apostle John in Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type of the Rapture of the Church. Note that it is initiated by the cry of a voice that sounds like the blowing of a trumpet (Revelation 4:1). Since the Tribulation does not begin until Revelation 6, the rapture of John in Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type that points to a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

Some counter this argument by pointing out that although the Church is not mentioned in Revelation during that book’s description of the Tribulation, there is constant mention of “saints” (for example, Revelation 13:7). But that term is not used in the Bible exclusively to refer to members of the Church. Daniel uses it to refer to Old Testament believers who lived long before the Church was established (Daniel 7:18). The saints referred to in the book of Revelation are most likely those people who will be saved during the Tribulation, after the Church has been taken out of the world.

Paul’s Assurance

An interesting argument in behalf of the pre-Tribulation timing of the Rapture can be found in 2 Thessalonians. The church at Thessalonica was in a turmoil because someone had written them a letter under Paul’s name stating that they had missed the “gathering to the Lord” and were, in fact, living in “the day of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2). Paul attempted to calm them down by reminding them of his teaching that the day of the Lord would not come until after the Antichrist is revealed. He then stated that the Antichrist would not be revealed until a restraining force “is taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7).

There has been much speculation as to the identity of this restraining force that Paul refers to. Some have identified it as the Holy Spirit. But it cannot be the Holy Spirit because there will be people saved during the Tribulation, and no one can be saved apart from the testimony of the Spirit (John 16:8-11 & 1 John 5:7).

Others have identified the restrainer as human government. It is true that government was ordained by God to restrain evil (Romans 13:1-4). But the governments of the world are in rebellion against God and His Son (Psalm 2), and they are therefore a contributor to the evil that characterizes the world. Furthermore, the Tribulation will not be characterized by a lack of government. Rather, it will feature the first true worldwide government (Revelation 13:7).

In my opinion that leaves only one other candidate for Paul’s restrainer — and that is the Church. It is the Church that serves as the primary restrainer of evil in the world today as it proclaims the Gospel and stands for righteousness. When the Church fails in this mission, evil multiplies, as Paul graphically points out in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Paul says that society in the end times will be characterized by chaos and despair because “men will hold to a form of religion but will deny its power.” When the Church is removed from the world, all hell will literally break loose.

Escapism?

The pre-Tribulation concept of the Rapture has often been condemned as “escapism.” I think this criticism is unjustified. The Bible itself says that Christians are to “comfort one another” with the thought of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:18). Is it a comfort to think of the Rapture occurring at the end of the world’s worst period of war instead of at the beginning?

Regardless of when the Rapture actually occurs, we need to keep in mind that the Bible teaches that societal conditions are going to grow increasingly worse the closer we get to the Lord’s return. That means Christians will suffer tribulation whether or not they go into the Great Tribulation. And that means all of us had better be preparing ourselves for unprecedented suffering and spiritual warfare.

If you are a Christian, you can do that on a daily basis by putting on “the full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:13), praying at all times in the Spirit that you will be able to stand firm against the attacks of Satan (Ephesians 6:14-18).

If you are not a Christian, your only hope is to reach out in faith and receive the free gift of God’s salvation which He has provided through His Son, Jesus (John 3:16).

The Rapture - What is it? Who will it affect? When is it most likely to take place?

The Rapture Under Attack - Prophecy Study By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rapture-under-attack/

Noah preached for 120 years before the Lord delivered on His promise to destroy the world with water. I’m sure that in the final years before the flood came, he must have been severely mocked as a false prophet and a mad man. But God was faithful to His promise, and Noah was vindicated in the end.

Likewise today, people are scoffing at the promise of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and they are mocking those who are preaching it. I keep hearing comments like this: “People have been preaching the Lord’s imminent return for a hundred years, and nothing has happened.”

The irony is that this attitude is one of the signs that we are living in the final days of the end times, for the Bible says “that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?'” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

The Common and Frequent Criticisms

Let’s consider for a moment some of the criticisms that are being aimed at the concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

1. The concept is not in the Bible. The word, Rapture, is not mentioned anywhere in the Scriptures.

First, there are many biblical concepts and words that are not found in the Bible — like Trinity, Atheism, Divinity, Incarnation, Monotheism, Shekinah Glory, and even the word, Bible.

But the word, Rapture, is found in the Bible — in the Latin version, which was the Bible of the Western world for over 1,000 years (from 400AD to 1517). The word appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where, in English, it says that a day will come when the living and dead in Christ will be “caught up” to meet Him in the sky. In the Latin, the term, “caught up,” is expressed as “rapiemur,” which is a declension of “rapio,” meaning snatch, or grab or abduct.

More importantly, the concept of the Rapture is clearly taught in the same passage (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) as well as other passages, such as John 14:1-6 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.

2. None of the Church Fathers believed in a Rapture that was separate and apart from the Second Coming.

It depends on your definition of “Church Fathers.” All the true Fathers of the Church definitely believed in a Rapture that was distinct from the Second Coming. I’m speaking, of course, of Jesus who taught the Rapture in John 14:1-6; the Apostle Paul who wrote about it in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15; the Apostle Peter who described the principle of it in 2 Peter 2:4- 9; and the Apostle John who does not mention the Church being on earth during the Tribulation (Revelation 6-18).

The later Church Fathers, who lived between 100 and 400 AD, were nearly all Premillennial in their Eschatology, but none of them seemed to pick up on the teaching of the Rapture. And when the Catholic Church endorsed Augustine’s concept of Amillennialism around 400 AD, all discussion of end time prophecy became taboo. That viewpoint pictured only one return of Jesus at the end of the Church Age.

Thereafter, You either accepted Amillennialism or you were burned at the stake, together with your writings.

3. The concept of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is too new to be true.

This is exactly what the defenders of Roman Catholicism said to Luther about his biblical concept of “salvation by grace through faith.”

It is true that the concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture was not crystalized in its final form until the writings of Englishman John Darby in the early 1800s, but we now have overwhelming proof that the concept was being discussed by Bible prophecy students for over 200 years prior to the time of Darby. (See William C. Watson’s book, Dispensationalism Before Darby, published in 2015.)

But then, how could there be any development of eschatology prior to the Reformation which began in 1517? During the Middle Ages, most people could not read, and even if they could, printed Bibles did not exist, nor were there translations available in the common languages of the people.

Once people obtained printed Bibles in their own languages, they quickly realized that the Amillennial view of the Catholic Church was based upon a spiritualization of the Scriptures. That’s when a revival of the Premillennial view occurred because it is based upon the plain sense meaning of the Bible’s prophecies. And that is also when Bible students began to notice that the Rapture is an event that is separate from the Second Coming.

Nor should the late development of the Pre-Trib Rapture concept be a surprise to anyone because the Scriptures themselves tell us that end time Bible prophecy will not be understood until the time comes for its fulfillment. For example, the prophet Daniel did not understand the end time prophecies that were given to him. And when he complained about this to the Lord, he was told, “these words are concealed and sealed up until the end times” (Daniel 12:9).

Many end time prophecies are being understood today for the first time because their fulfillment depended on either historical developments (like the re-establishment of the state of Israel) or technological inventions (like the atomic bomb and satellite television).

4. The concept of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture originated with a demon-possessed teenage girl in Scotland in the early 1800s who conjured up the idea in a vision.

This is pure myth. The idea comes from the writings of a man named Dave MacPherson who has made a cottage-industry of writing books in which he makes this ridiculous claim.

It is true that there was a teenage girl named Margaret MacDonald who had seizures and visions about the Lord’s return. And it is true that years later, after the concept of a PreTrib Rapture had gained acceptance, her husband claimed that she had originated the idea in one of her visions. But this claim can be disproved quickly and decisively by the fact that there is not even a hint of a Pre-Trib Rapture in any of her recorded visions.

And furthermore, as I have already pointed out, William Watson has proved that the idea of a Pre-Trib Rapture had been circulating among Bible prophecy scholars and writers for 200 years prior to Margaret MacDonald. Also, even if it were true that she mentioned such a concept in one of her visions, it would prove nothing. The test of any biblical doctrine is not who originated it but whether or not it is biblical. And the concept of a Pre-Trib Rapture certainly stands the test of the Scriptures.

5. The Rapture and the Second Coming are a combined event that will take place at the end of the Tribulation when Jesus returns to earth.

How could this be? These two events have nothing in common except that they both focus on Jesus. Consider the radical differences:

At the Rapture, Jesus appears in the heavens, but at the Second Coming he returns to earth.
At the Rapture, Jesus appears for His saints; at the Second Coming. Jesus returns to earth with His saints.
At the Rapture, Jesus appears as a Deliverer; at the Second Coming He returns as a Warrior.
At the Rapture, Jesus appears in Grace; at the Second Coming, He returns in Wrath.
At the Rapture, Jesus appears as a Bridegroom; at the Second Coming, He return as a King.

These obviously are not the same event. We must conclude, therefore, that the return of Jesus is going to be in two stages: first, the Rapture, and then the Second Coming.

6. If the Rapture is an event separate from the Second Coming, then it will most likely occur sometime during the Tribulation, either in the middle or near the end.

But the Bible teaches that the Rapture is imminent (Matthew 24:36,44 and 25:13), meaning it could occur at any moment. If you place the Rapture anywhere inside the Tribulation, then you render it non-imminent, for there are prophecies that must be fulfilled before it occurs. Furthermore, we are told to live looking for Jesus Christ, not the Antichrist.

Also, keep in mind that believers are promised exemption from the wrath of God. One of those promises is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 where it says that believers are waiting “for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.” The promise is repeated in the book of Revelation before it describes the horrors of the Tribulation. You will find that promise in Revelation 3:10 where it says, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

The seven years of Tribulation which the world is facing is the period of time when God will pour out His wrath, and believers are promised immunity from His wrath. Some of the critics of the Pre-Trib Rapture argue that the Church needs to be cleansed by the suffering of the Tribulation before its members are called to the Lord. This is nonsense. The members of the Lord’s Church have already been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Another problem with this concept is that it creates a Protestant form of Purgatory. An additional problem is that it pictures the Bridegroom beating up on his Bride for seven years before He marries her!

Other critics argue that the Seal and Trumpet Judgments constitute the wrath of Satan and not God. Therefore, the Church is immune only to the Bowl Judgments that will be poured out at the end of the Tribulation. This argument constitutes a serious challenge to the sovereignty of God — as if Satan is free to do as he pleases. Furthermore, the book of Revelation clearly pictures all the judgments of Revelation as coming from God’s throne, and the Bowl Judgments are referred to as the completion of God’s wrath, not the beginning (Revelation 15:1).

Conclusion

The Bible refers to the Rapture as our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). When Paul completes his detailed description of it in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, he concludes by saying, “Comfort one another with these words.” (Verse 18).

At the Lamb & Lion annual Bible conference in 2017, one of our guest speakers, Ron Rhodes, pointed to these comforting words when he demonstrated how ridiculous it is to believe that the Rapture and Second Coming are all one event that will occur at the end of the Tribulation. He pointed out that if this were true, then Paul’s great passage about the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4 would read something like this:

You will go through seven years of God’s wrath. You will also suffer through Satan’s furious wrath. You will experience the agonizing Seal, Trumpet and Bowl Judgments which grow progressively worse and are incredibly painful. And many of you will die horrible deaths as martyrs. Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

What? I don’t think so. Would that encourage and comfort you? It just doesn’t work.

The great American pastor, Adrian Rogers (1931-2005), once said, “The world is growing gloriously dark.” What he meant by that, of course, is that the Bible prophesies that in the end times society will become as immoral and violent as it was in the days of Noah.

We are witnessing the fulfillment of that prophecy before our very eyes today. It is difficult to watch, but at the same time, it is a sure sign that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. As the world is falling apart, the signs of the times are falling into place. In the midst of the growing darkness, we need hope, and the Bible’s promise of a Pre-Trib Rapture is a great source of that hope.

Rapture Under Attack - Prophecy Study

Rapture Under Attack

(Prophetic Perspectives #153 - Lamb and Lion Ministries)

Why are churches attacking the doctrine of the Rapture? Find out with guest Jan Markell and Nathan Jones of the Lamb & Lion Ministries evangelism team as they provide their Prophetic Perspectives.

The Rapture Deception (Prophecy Watchers w/ Billy Crone)

In a moment … in the twinkling of an eye … we shall be changed. Yes, the rapture of the church is most certainly the next big event on God’s prophetic calendar. It’s the subject of more confusion and controversy than perhaps any other passage of Scripture in the Bible. If you’re a believer in the pre-tribulation rapture, I’m sure you’ve heard the critics, who take a handful of verses out of context to make a case that the church will enter all or part of the Tribulation. Billy Crone’s research and careful handling of God’s Word will convince you otherwise, clearly separating God’s plan for Israel and His plan for the church. The mystery of the church and the rapture was taught by Jesus, by John and by the Apostle Paul.

Rapture Wars (Prophecy Watchers)

It may surprise you but 80% of Christians don’t believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture. Many are convinced the church will endure the entire 7 year Tribulation. Others teach that Christians will face part of the Tribulation. Still others believe the prophecies of the Bible were all fulfilled in 70 AD, tossing aside the book of Revelation and its end-time prophecies. There are certainly lots of opinions out there. Join Gary Stearman and Mondo Gonzales as they discuss these various opinions and why they often lead to conflict amongst Christians. This is why our ministry exists, to educate and encourage and seek out prophetic truth.

Why There Must Be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church

(Olive Tree Ministries w/ Pastor Jack Hibbs)

Jan Markell offers a presentation by Pastor Jack Hibbs, Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills, CA, on why we support and defend the pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. This theology is under attack, scorned, and mocked. While believers experience Satan’s and man’s wrath, the Bible is clear, we never experience God’s wrath. The righteous are removed! And our disappearance is imminent.

Videos

Until the Last One

Romans 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Until The Last One (Untold Legend)

What is the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25)?

https://www.gotquestions.org/fullness-of-the-Gentiles.html

In Romans 11 Paul makes a compelling observation—an affirmation he refers to as a mystery—that a partial hardening has happened until “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25, ESV). The context helps us understand the meaning of the partial hardening and what is the fullness of the Gentiles.

In the first eleven chapters of Romans, Paul catalogs the mercies of God in God’s provision of righteousness through the gospel. First, in Romans 1:1—3:20 Paul considers the universal human need for God’s righteousness, as all are unrighteous and separated from God. Then in Romans 3:21—4:25 Paul lays out how God applied righteousness through faith to all who believe in Jesus, outlining three different and significant types of descendants of Abraham: 1) ethnic Israel (Romans 4:1), 2) believing Gentiles (Romans 4:11), and 3) believing Jews (Romans 4:12). These three sets of descendants of Abraham are especially important for understanding the partial hardening and the fullness of the Gentiles that Paul talks about in Romans 11.

Romans 5—8 discusses the implications of that righteousness applied in freeing believers from the penalty and bondage of sin (Romans 5—7) and assuring them of a present and future of reconciliation and peace with God (Romans 8). At the end of Romans 8 is a powerful affirmation of the believer’s eternal security—God will keep His promises to those who have believed in Jesus Christ, and they will never be separated from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35).

While discussing these mercies of God, Paul seems to anticipate that his readers might wonder why, if God is so faithful to restore those who believe in Jesus, God’s promises of restoration to Israel do not seem to be fulfilled yet. Simply put, if God is faithful, and if His promises to believers are trustworthy, then why is He not keeping His promises to Israel? It is to answer this concern that Paul writes Romans 9—11, as he introduces the ideas of a partial hardening of Israel and the fullness of the Gentiles (Romans 11:25).

In Romans 9 Paul expresses his love for his Jewish brethren (Romans 9:1–5) and recognizes that the covenant promises are to be fulfilled to a specific group of Abraham’s descendants. Paul shows the distinct groups by highlighting God’s choosing of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and affirms that God’s blessing would be for those descendants who believe in the Messiah (Romans 9:33). Salvation would not only be for believing Jews, though, as Gentiles could also call upon the name of the Lord for salvation (Romans 10:12–13). While there are believing Jews and Gentiles, Paul explains that the nation of Israel as a whole has not yet received her Messiah (Romans 10:18—11:10), but they will one day be saved through believing in their Messiah (Romans 11:26).

In the meantime, Paul explains that there is a partial hardening of the nation—that many will refuse the Messiah—until the fullness of the Gentiles occurs. Israel’s hardening will continue until the divinely set number of Gentiles are saved: “Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ” (Romans 11:25, NLT).

Paul recognized that Israel’s failure to accept the Messiah when He came offering the kingdom represented blessing for the Gentiles because, instead of setting up that kingdom on earth at that time, Christ died to pay for the sins of all. In so doing, Christ fulfilled the promise God made to Abraham that in Abraham’s seed all the peoples of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). That partial hardening of Israel also represented a shift in focus to the announcement of salvation to the Gentiles. Paul acknowledged himself as an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13) and sought that many Gentiles would come to know Christ so those promises could be fulfilled and then the Jewish people might return to their Messiah (Romans 11:14–15). Paul alluded to this in 2 Timothy 4:17 when he expressed gratitude for God’s sustaining him so that Paul might fulfill his ministry and that all the Gentiles might hear.

Even though God’s promises to save the nation of Israel are not presently being fulfilled, Paul recognizes that God will keep those promises after the fullness of the Gentiles. Paul seems to be building on the foundation of Daniel 9, in which is revealed a 490-year prophetic timeline after which God will accomplish His covenant blessings for Israel. After the first 483 years of the timeline, the Messiah was cut off (Daniel 9:26a), signaling a shift in the focus away from Israel as Gentiles (Rome) would dominate, and there would be wars and desolation. But one day in the future, the ruler who would be known as the Antichrist would make a seven-year agreement with Israel. That last seven years of the timeline would begin to return the focus back to Israel and would conclude the times of the Gentiles of which Jesus spoke in Luke 21:24.

The fullness of the Gentiles in Romans 11:25 reminds us of God’s global focus (with the universal proclamation of the gospel of salvation) and chronology (with the times of the Gentiles not yet complete). One day, the fullness of the Gentiles will be complete, and God will deliver the nation of Israel. Anyone who might have doubts about God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises can consider these passages as important reminders that God has a detailed plan that He is fulfilling patiently and carefully.

Until the Last One

CHILDREN AND THE RAPTURE

There is no definitive answer to the question of whether all children (under the age of accountability) will be taken in the rapture. I've included 2 articles which give support to the two different options. I tend to lean towards the first article - that only the children of righteous parents will be taken- as it was in the days of Noah and Lot. There are certainly good arguments for all children being taken as well. The truth is, we just don't know for sure.

FAQ :: Will my children be raptured?

https://www.raptureready.com/faq-will-my-children-be-raptured/

Many prophetic writers make blanket statements that all children will be raptured. I do not foresee an all-inclusive rapture of every child. However, I do look for the children of Christians to be raptured because of a blessing from their parents’ faith. I recall two situations in the Bible when God blessed people because of an association. The first example is the instance when the Egyptian’s house was blessed because Joseph was his servant (Gen. 39:5) and the other example is when the house of Obededom was blessed because the Ark of the Lord remained on his property for three months (2 Sam. 6:11). The reverse of this is also true. When King David sinned, his whole house was cursed. David’s infant son died and his son Absalom rebelled against him. God himself said that He would visit judgment to the third and fourth generations for those who turn against Him (Ex. 20:5).

Ungodly parents only bring judgment to their children, so can you imagine how unsaved parents will react when they witness the rapture of Christian parents and their children while they and their children remain behind.

The two greatest biblical examples of God’s wrath being poured out on man both involved the saving of the righteous and their children. When Noah got into the ark, his children accompanied him. When Lot left Sodom, his two daughters went with him. In both cases, all of the children who remained behind perished.

Just as you work to financially support your children, your faith in God works to support your children who are under the age of accountability–in other words, until they are able to choose for themselves whom they will follow.

Will all children be Raptured? :: by Terry James

https://www.raptureready.com/2021/06/11/children-and-rapture-revisited-by-terry-james/

Most always the confutation over the issue of children and the rapture of the church is wrapped around the scripture: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy” (1 Cor. 7:14).

The Character of God

The very character of God, himself, is at the heart of the issues involved in the question that is raised quite often. “What about children and the rapture? Will they stay on earth, or go to be with Christ?” And there is nothing of more profound eternal significance than the individual human being’s consideration of God’s character. The all-importance of that consideration is cocooned within the words of Jesus Christ, himself, at the center of whom God’s great character is made manifest for fallen mankind.

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets” (Matt. 16:13-14).

Jesus’ question was straight from the heart of God. Jesus was God come to the earth in the flesh. Therefore, He, of course, knew what the people were saying about Him. He wanted His disciples to consider the question through spiritual eyes and ears, regarding themselves, individually. His follow-up question asked plainly: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” (Matt. 16:15).

The totality of scripture which went before Jesus asked the question, and all scripture that came after He asked the question, encapsulates –attests to—the holy, loving, merciful character of mankind’s Creator. His question is directed not to corporate mankind, however, but to each and every individual who has lived upon earth since He asked it. How each one of us answers that specific question Jesus asked will determine each and every individual’s position in Jesus Christ. The individual answer you and I and every other person give to that specific question Jesus asked will determine where you, I, or any other individual spends eternity. And, make no mistake, each and every person who has or ever will live –and that means from conception onward—will spend eternity in one of two places: either in hell, or in heaven.

The coming into existence of the creature called man, and the fall from walking perfectly with the Creator is a matter for another study. Suffice it to say that a quick perusal of any newspaper or a quick listen to any news story will attest to man’s fallen state. We human beings do not walk a perfect walk. We sin and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The fact is that we need redemption –we must have reconciliation with God, our Creator, or we remain lost forever. And, keep in mind, the matter is based not upon a corporate or collective relationship, but upon an individual relationship with God. And, this is where the awesome, loving grace – the very character of the Lord God– comes into view. God’s Word says,” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

We are each fallen. We need God’s grace gift of salvation. It is an individual need. Each of us must come to repentance for the sin into which we were born because of the fall of our father, Adam. God’s holiness requires blood sacrifice for remission of sin (Heb. 9: 22; 10:18). And, this is why God, himself, in the form of His Son Jesus Christ –the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world– came to die on the cross at Calvary. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

About each of us –you, me, and every other person—God’s Word says further: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3:18). Remember this verse; it is profoundly important to looking at the matter of children and the rapture of the Church.

Belief Essential

Man is born into sin because the first man (Adam) disobeyed or rebelled against his Creator. The human blood line has been, since that time, polluted, contaminated by the horrible thing called sin. Because of Adam’s fall, disease, deterioration, decay, and death entered the world, God’s Word says. God has provided reconciliation with himself for human beings –redemption, through the blood sacrifice of His holy, perfect sacrificial lamb, His Son, Jesus Christ. Now, all can be saved through belief in Jesus as the only way back to God the Creator. Jesus is the way –the only way, truth and life. No one comes to God the Father (the Creator) except through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, and what He did on the cross at Calvary (read John 14:6). Belief is absolutely essential.

This is the sort of faith Jesus spoke to Thomas about, when Thomas doubted that Jesus had resurrected after the crucifixion. When Thomas saw Jesus stand among the disciples, the Lord, having passed through solid matter to be with them, and Jesus bid Thomas to touch His wounds, Thomas believed, and could but mutter, “My Lord, and My God!”

Jesus then said: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (Jn 20:29). Jesus, with that statement, was, I’m convinced, looking not only at the disciples who were in that room, but down through time to all who would believe in His death, burial, and resurrection for salvation.

So, “belief” is absolutely essential–the kind of belief that saves, in order to be “born again” (John 3: 3) into God’s eternal family.

The Apostle Paul gave the precise formula required by God for the salvation of the individual soul: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10).

This is what is required to assure salvation for the individual soul. This places the person in God’s family through Christ Jesus–i.e, when the individual believes in the way Paul, through divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, plainly tells us, that person is saved. That is, God no longer looks at the person as fallen, as rebellious, as a sinner, but now looks at the individual through His Son Jesus. God now sees the “believer” through the prism of the shed blood of His precious Son. About that, God’s Word says: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1).

It is obvious beyond any rationale to the contrary that this sort of belief –belief that brings one into the very family of God for all of eternity—must be a belief that requires understanding that Jesus is the way –the ONLY way to such a position in God’s family. And, it is clear, according to God’s Word, that that position is gained through belief in Christ, totally, with no other prescription as antidote to the soul-destroying venom called sin. In other words, each individual’s soul owes his place in God’s family for eternity to what Jesus –alone—has done for that individual.

So, it is the person’s position in Christ –through his or her belief—that God looks at in the matter of whether the individual is “saved.” To come to this “salvation” position, the individual must “believe.” There must be a cognitive decision to achieve the position in Christ that saves the individual’s soul. Remember the Scripture: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3:18).

Position in Jesus Christ

The soul of the individual comes into existence at the moment of conception –the moment the Lord gives that life within the womb. I won’t argue the point. God’s Word says without reservation that life begins at conception. We could go into a study of that truth, but that’s for another time and space. Suffice it to say that God gives the soul at conception, and it becomes more than obvious when studying records of children in the womb. Two examples are Jacob and his twin brother, Esau, struggling within the womb of their mother. Another is the account of John, who would become the baptizer, who recognized the Messiah, Jesus, who was in His mother’s womb when the two women were in the same proximity. Children in the womb are living beings –with God-given souls.

These babies have certain abilities to think, and, in John’s case, certainly, a supernatural understanding about the fact he and his mother were in the presence of God, himself, come to earth in the flesh. However, it is a fact understood by anyone, with any common sense whatever, that a child in the womb, or for the first, formative years of life, are incapable of coming to comprehension of anything like making a decision about where his or her soul will spend eternity. These little ones are sinners every bit as much as any adult human being. The difference is the adult –presuming he or she hasn’t a severe mental incapacitation– can understand and make decisions about things like whether to accept Christ for salvation. These are therefore “accountable” for their belief or lack thereof. The child, whose reasoning powers haven’t reached that conceptual level of functioning, are not yet “accountable” for whether they believe to the point of salvation.

The adult whom the Holy Spirit has called to salvation through Jesus Christ is “accountable” for his or her own soul at the point he or she then accepts or rejects. The child is not called to salvation because he or she hasn’t, at that point in his or her young life, achieved through growth the cognitive ability to make such decisions. These are not “accountable.” The child who hasn’t reached the “age of accountability” has a position in Jesus Christ, the same as the adult who has “believed” unto salvation. If the child were to die before becoming responsible for his or her own decision to accept or reject Christ, that child would go directly into the presence of God, for all eternity.

Remember King David. He put off his robes of mourning for his baby when the son died, because David said that the baby couldn’t come to him, but that he, David, would go to the child. The baby was in heaven with God, for all of eternity, where King David would surely go upon his death. We know this is where David would go, because God called him “a man after my own heart.”

So, the position we, as individuals (not collectively) have in Jesus Christ, is the determining factor –the all-important matter—in considering where you or I –or any person will spend eternity. All children before they reach the age of accountability are positioned securely in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose shed blood is the only remission for the soul-destroying thing called sin.

Rapture a Salvation Issue

The rapture of the Church is a salvation issue. These realities –rapture and salvation–are inexorably linked in God’s great economy. This truth is based upon a vast body of scriptural proof text, but is wrapped up by the Apostle Paul in one particular scripture, I think: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ…”(1 Thes. 5:9).

Paul, again through divine inspiration, had just gone through the facts surrounding the rapture of believers (the Church). He used the personal pronouns “we,” “us,” “your,” etc., as opposed to “they,” “them,” etc., to separate believers from unbelievers. Believers (Christians of the Church Age) were not, Paul said, appointed to wrath, because they were children of the day (the light found in Christ). The unbelievers were children of the night –the sin-blackened darkness of the fallen realm. Paul prophesied that the day of the Lord will begin like a thief-in-the-night experience. The children of the night would be taken by surprise, but the children of the day (believers) would escape the coming wrath of God, which the day of the Lord will bring upon a rebellious world of earth-dwellers.

This escape from God’s wrath will come, Paul said, through salvation, which is in Christ Jesus. The individual’s position in Christ will provide the escape. This is the same escape foretold by Jesus –through John—in Revelation 3: 10: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10).

Children below the age of accountability are individual souls within Christ’s salvation –the salvation that keeps the individual believer out of hell, eternally apart from the Creator –out of the time of God’s wrath, which will come upon the whole world of rebellious earth-dwellers –unbelievers. Again, God does not deal with human beings collectively, or corporately, when it comes to salvation of the soul. He, mercifully, deals with us one on one. Jesus asks each of us: “Who do you say that I am?” Unbelievers are those who, individually, have rejected the Holy Spirit’s call to salvation. Each will be left behind at the time of the rapture. Children, like all of lost mankind, are sinners, but those who haven’t reached the age of being able to understand God’s grace gift are not unbelievers. They are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. They are, individually, in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Lamb’s Book of Life

Let us look for a moment at this all-important volume God calls “The Lamb’s Book of Life.” This book is crucial to your and my souls, and to the soul of each and every individual human being who has ever been born –or who has died in the womb, before having a chance to draw a first breath. Here are two relevant scripture passages on that Book.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Rev. 3:5).

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

God’s Word is telling us here that there is a volume in which every human being’s name is written at some point. None whose name isn’t written in this book can enter into God’s holy presence for eternity. The word “Life” in the title of this book is “eternal” life. Every human being who has been conceived in the procreation process has his or her name written in the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”But, there is obviously the chance that one’s name can be blotted out of that book, according to Revelation 3:5. Since it is not possible for one to lose his or her salvation once the person has “believed” in the only begotten Son of God, the term “blot out” in Revelation 3:5 needs to be explained. The meaning becomes clear, when thinking on the fact that each and every individual’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The name remains there until the person is shown that he or she is a sinner, and is convicted or called by the Holy Spirit to repent of sin –to “believe” in the Lord Jesus Christ. When the person fully realizes that call, and that Jesus is the ONLY way to reconciliation with God the Father, but refuses or rejects God’s grace gift offer, that name is “blotted out” of the Lamb’s Book of Life. The individual who rejects that grace gift offer of salvation until his or her death will die in sin and spend eternity apart from his or her Creator. That person who has reached the age of accountability for his or her soul will also be left behind, when the Rapture occurs.

The name will be written back in that book when the individual subsequently accepts the Lord Jesus as the Savior of his or her soul. Jesus Christ’s shed blood is the only payment God the Father accepts. But, once a person accepts that free gift from the Lord Jesus, the individual is a member of God’s family–forever.

So, your and my position in Christ is the all-important thing, whether considering going to heaven when we die, or going to heaven at the rapture, when Jesus comes for us to take us to our home, which He, personally, has prepared for each of us, individually. (Read John 14: 1-4.) This is the only collective family gathering that counts in God’s economy, in consideration of the matter of the rapture and Salvation. We will, collectively at the rapture, go home to be in God the Father’s house. Here on earth, our relationship with our earthly parents is tremendously important, of course. But, it is our place in our heavenly family, and in our heavenly home that is absolutely crucial. This is an eternal matter. And, it all relies upon our position in Jesus Christ, not upon our position in our earthly home, or upon the spiritual condition of our parents.

Yes, but what about this?

A number of questions about the rapture and children crop up consistently. I thought it good to look at a couple of them.

Why do you believe children will be taken in the rapture, when God hasn’t intervened for them in wars, and other horrible things that have happened to the children throughout the centuries? Why do you think God will keep them out of the tribulation, when millions have died, and continue to die?
These are two different matters entirely. This question involves physical death versus spiritual death (the second death, as the Scripture puts it.) It is the death of the flesh versus the death of the soul of an individual. Sin brought death to the flesh and to the soul (physical and spiritual death), but Christ brings eternal life. That is what I’ve spent the bulk of the article addressing.

Wars and other terrible things on earth indeed take physical life –especially, it seems, the lives of innocent children. Unrepented sin takes the soul in death (eternal separation from the soul-giver –God, the Creator). It is comforting to know –according to God’s Word—that all children who have perished over the millennia have gone directly to be with the Lord. Not one single one of them has died in the eternal sense. Again, these are two separate issues –physical death versus spiritual death. The rapture is in the realm of the spiritual or the eternal sphere.

But, won’t there be children in the tribulation? Jesus says so in His Olivet Discourse.
Yes, the Lord does prophesy there will be children during the time of tribulation. He foretells the following: “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Matt. 24:19). Notice carefully. Jesus issues a special “woe” for the parents of children in the time of tribulation. But, the Lord specifically gives two ages of children, here: 1) children who are nursing, and 2) children still in the womb. There is absolutely no mention of older children. These children will be those born AFTER the Rapture. And, there will doubtless be millions upon millions born. Sexual debauchery will explode, as the Holy Spirit withdraws from governing the consciences of men and women (read 2 Thess. 2). No doubt, most of these little ones will perish in the horrors of that time. As many as two-thirds of all mankind will die during that period.

Not fair of God, you say? Consider this: Every single child who is born after the rapture will spend eternity with God the Father. None will have reached the age of accountability by the time Jesus Christ brings this decaying, dying world to an end as recorded in Revelation 19:11. For those who are thinking ahead of me, I realize that children who go into the millennium under the age of accountability will have to make the decision to accept Christ for salvation at some point.

As stated in the beginning of the article, God’s very character is at stake in the matter of whether ALL children (below the age of accountability) will go to be with Jesus at the electrifying moment of rapture. What, exactly, is wrapped up in 1 Corinthians 7:14 is a matter for another study. But, this much the overall context of God’s Word, when speaking to salvation matters—plainly, and loudly proclaims. The Bible teaches that the individual’s position in Christ, not his or her position in the physical family here on earth, determines the final disposition of the eternal soul. The rapture is an eternal matter, wrapped up in God’s salvation guarantee. And, it is a guarantee to the individual, not to the corporate –even though the collective will go as the Bride of Christ, the Church.

Every child below the age of accountability –including those in the womb—will go to be with Jesus when He steps out on the clouds of glory and shouts: “Come up here!”

Will my children be raptured?

CHILDREN AND THE RAPTURE

Will all children be Raptured?

Pre-Trib Rapture

PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE

The Holy Spirit Must be Removed Before the Antichrist Can be Revealed (1st Seal) - 1 Thessalonians 2:3

We are not appointed to God’s wrath

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 Luke 21:34-36 2 Peter 2:4-9

Revelation 3:10 Ephesians 5:3-7 Romans 1:18-23 Colossians 3:1-11

Romans 5:8-9 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Luke 3:7-9 Isaiah 26:20-21

The Rapture and Second Coming are different events

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 Comparison Table

Biblical typology

Sacrifice of Isaac – Genesis 22:19

Joseph took a Gentile bride before the 7 year famine – Genesis 41:45-54

As in the days of Noah – Luke 17:26-30, Genesis 6:1-12, Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4-9

Enoch was raptured before the flood (at Pentecost) – Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5-6, Comparison table

As in the days of Lot – Luke 17:26-30, Genesis 19:4-5, Jude 1:7

Lot was taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah before it was destroyed – Genesis 19:15-26, 2 Peter 2:4-9

Elijah was raptured before the destruction of Israel (850ish BC)

Daniel absent during the 7x hotter fiery furnace – Daniel 2:48-49, Daniel 3:15-25, Zechariah 13:8-9, Comparison table

Jewish Wedding (Marriage covenant) – Comparison table

Righteous people will not be affected by the famine (perhaps because we will not be here to be affected by the 3rd and 4th Seals?)

Proverbs 10:3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry (NIV)
Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.

Pre-Tribulation Rapture Proof (JD Farag)

7 Reasons to Trust the Pre-Trib Rapture (Andy Woods)

Proving the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (Chuck Missler)

When Will the Rapture Happen in Relation to the Tribulation

(GotQuestions)

When Will the Rapture Happen in Relation to the Tribulation

https://www.gotquestions.org/rapture-tribulation.html

The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. The three primary views are pre-tribulational (the rapture occurs before the tribulation), mid-tribulational (the rapture occurs at or near the mid-point of the tribulation), and post-tribulational (the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation). A fourth view, commonly known as pre-wrath, is a slight modification of the mid-tribulational position.

First, it is important to recognize the purpose of the tribulation. According to Daniel 9:27, there is a seventieth “seven” (seven years) that is still yet to come. Daniel’s entire prophecy of the seventy sevens (Daniel 9:20-27) is speaking of the nation of Israel. It is a time period in which God focuses His attention especially on Israel. The seventieth seven, the tribulation, must also be a time when God deals specifically with Israel. While this does not necessarily indicate that the church could not also be present, it does bring into question why the church would need to be on the earth during that time.

The primary Scripture passage on the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. It states that all living believers, along with all believers who have died, will meet the Lord Jesus in the air and will be with Him forever. The rapture is God’s removing of His people from the earth. A few verses later, in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Paul says, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The book of Revelation, which deals primarily with the time period of the tribulation, is a prophetic message of how God will pour out His wrath upon the earth during the tribulation. It seems inconsistent for God to promise believers that they will not suffer wrath and then leave them on the earth to suffer through the wrath of the tribulation. The fact that God promises to deliver Christians from wrath shortly after promising to remove His people from the earth seems to link those two events together.

Another crucial passage on the timing of the rapture is Revelation 3:10, in which Christ promises to deliver believers from the “hour of trial” that is going to come upon the earth. This could mean two things. Either Christ will protect believers in the midst of the trials, or He will deliver believers out of the trials. Both are valid meanings of the Greek word translated “from.” However, it is important to recognize what believers are promised to be kept from. It is not just the trial, but the “hour” of trial. Christ is promising to keep believers from the very time period that contains the trials, namely the tribulation. The purpose of the tribulation, the purpose of the rapture, the meaning of 1 Thessalonians 5:9, and the interpretation of Revelation 3:10 all give clear support to the pre-tribulational position. If the Bible is interpreted literally and consistently, the pre-tribulational position is the most biblically-based interpretation.

When Will the Rapture Happen in Relation to the Tribulation

Holy Spirit Removed

THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BE REMOVED (RAPTURE) BEFORE THE ANTICHRIST CAN BE REVEALED (1st SEAL)

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – The Great Apostasy

2Th 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away [physical departure] comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Andy Woods – The Falling Away
- Woods, Andy. The Falling Away: Spiritual Departure or Physical Rapture?: A Second Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Dispensational Publishing House. Kindle Edition.
- “I believe that what is being spoken of here is not a spiritual departure but rather a physical departure, which would be a great source of evidence favoring the pretribulational view. What I would like to present are ten reasons why I believe that the physical or spatial understanding of apostasia in Second Thessalonians 2:3a is the correct interpretation, and why the spiritual departure view is an inadequate interpretation.”
- 10 reasons why the Falling Away refers to a physical departure instead of a spiritual departure
  1. There have always been Doctrinal departures
  2. 2 Thessalonians was an early letter
  3. The definite article before the noun apostasia
  4. The noun apostasia can refer to a physical departure
  5. The verb aphistēmi can refer to a physical departure
  6. The extended context favors a physical departure interpretation of apostasia
  7. The immediate context favors a physical departure interpretation of apostasia
  8. 2 Thessalonians 2:3a is part of a review course
  9. Early Bible translations favor the physical departure view
  10. The physical departure view is held by credible scholars

1599 Geneva Bible translation of 2Th 2:3 – Changed by the Catholic Church to the spiritual falling away

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [speaking of the tribulation] shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition.

When is it that the translators changed the noun apostasy from departure or departing to falling away in the later translations?
Dr. Thomas Ice offers the following explanation:

Most scholars say that no one knows the reason for the translation shift. However, a plausible theory has been put forth by Martin Butalla in his Master of Theology thesis produced at Dallas Theology Seminary in 1998. It appears that the Catholic translation into English from Jerome’s Latin Vulgate known as the Rheims Bible (1576) was the first to break the translation trend. “Apostasia was revised from ‘the departure’ to ‘the Protestant Revolt,’” explains Butalla. “Revolution is the terminology still in use today when Catholicism teaches the history of the Protestant Reformation. Under this guise, apostasia would refer to a departure of Protestants from the Catholic Church.” The Catholic translators appear eager to engage in polemics against the Reformation by even allowing it to impact Bible translation.

Thus, the shift from a physical to a spiritual understanding of apostasia in Second Thessalonians 2:3a in the Roman Catholic Rheims Bible English translation appears to have been theologically rather than exegetically motivated.
- The campaign now with a dying Catholic church in these last days is come back home.

Furthermore, in 1611 the King James translators translated apostasia in Second Thessalonians 2:3a with the expression, “falling away.” This is perhaps the second time that we begin to see a spiritual departure understanding of this verse enter an English translation. Why did the King James translators translate it as a spiritual departure when virtually everybody else, going back to Jerome, thought it was speaking of a physical departure? The answer most likely lies in the fact the KJV translation was created in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Consequently, the translators wanted to apply the verse to the Roman Catholic Church, which represented a “falling away” from the truth. Thus, the translators of both the Rheims Bible and the KJV errantly embraced the theological interpretation “falling way” in lieu of the longstanding exegetical interpretation “departing” that had been faithfully handed down to them. Most modern translations follow the pattern established by the King James Version.

What difference does it really make if Second Thessalonians 2:3a is speaking of a spiritual departure or a physical departure?
- A physical departure translation confirms a pre-tribulation rapture
- The reason it matters is because there has been for over at least the last century a vigorous debate amongst those who believe in a future Tribulation period and subsequent kingdom, concerning the question, “When the rapture will take place relative to the coming Tribulation period?”
  - Pre-tribulationalists believe that the rapture takes place before the Tribulation period begins.
  - Mid-tribulationalists believe that the rapture is going to take place in the middle of the tribulation period.
  - Post-tribulationalists believe that the rapture will take place at the end of the tribulation period.
  - Prewrath rapturists contend that the rapture will take place at some point in the second half of the Tribulation period.
- If verse 3a, is talking about a physical departure and not a spiritual departure, then the debate concerning when the rapture will transpire is all but over.
- Paul says, “…that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first” (2 Thess. 2:3a).
  - The word translated “first” is the Greek adjective prōton, which means “first of all.”
  - If a physical departure must first transpire before the Day of the Lord can even begin, then it becomes a decisive victory for pretribulationalism. Thus, how one interprets Second Thessalonians 2:3a is of grave consequence to the longstanding debate concerning the timing of the rapture.

WE ARE NOT APPOINTED TO GOD'S WRATH

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – The Day of the Lord

1Th 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Isaiah 26:20-21 – Take Refuge from the Coming Judgment

Is 26:20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 – Their Good Example

1Th 1:8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Luke 21:34-36 – The Importance of Watching

Lk 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

We are worthy only because of what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary. We have to believe that He has paid our debts and we have gained righteousness through His sacrifice for us.

2 Peter 2:4-9 – Doom of False Teachers

2Pe 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

The word translated temptations is the same word translated as trial in Rev 3:10

Revelation 3:10 – The Faithful Church [Philadelphia]

Rev 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Ephesians 5:3-7 – Walk in Love

Ep 5:3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Romans 1:18-23 – God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

Ro 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Colossians 3:1-11 – Not Carnality but Christ

Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. 8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Romans 5:8-9 – Christ in Our Place

Ro 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The belief that the rapture happens after, or in the middle of, the tribulation is anything but comforting because it means believers must endure unbelievable agony before they are taken to heaven.

Luke 3:7-9 – John Preaches to the People

Lk 3:7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance

Not Appointed to Wrath

THE RAPTURE AND SECOND COMING ARE DIFFERENT EVENTS

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 – The Last Enemy Destroyed

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.

The Bible must see the Rapture and the Second Coming as separate events, because when the verses are compared they describe two very different scenarios:

Table - Rapture & 2nd Coming Seperate Ev

Is the Rapture and Second Coming the Same Event

(Lamb & Lion Ministries)

What would be the point of Rapturing the Church after the Tribulation, anyway? The Lord returns to establish His kingdom on earth, so why pull out all the Christians before He can do so? If they are all changed at the end of the Tribulation, then who, exactly, is left for Him to rule over? Since the Rapture and Second Coming clearly are different events that do not occur at the same time, this would rule out a Post-Tribulation Rapture scenario.

What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?

https://www.gotquestions.org/difference-Rapture-Second-Coming.html

The rapture and the second coming of Christ are often confused. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a scripture verse is referring to the rapture or the second coming. However, in studying end-times Bible prophecy, it is very important to differentiate between the two.

The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. The rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. The second coming is when Jesus returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial kingdom. The second coming is described in Revelation 19:11-16.

The important differences between the rapture and second coming are as follows:

1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation 19:14).

2) The second coming occurs after the great and terrible tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). The rapture occurs before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the earth as an act of deliverance (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9). The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew 24:40-41).

4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to all (Revelation 1:7; Matthew 24:29-30).

5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until after certain other end-times events take place (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54).

Why is it important to keep the rapture and the second coming distinct?

1) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, believers will have to go through the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).

2) If the rapture and the second coming are the same event, the return of Christ is not imminent—there are many things which must occur before He can return (Matthew 24:4-30).

3) In describing the tribulation period, Revelation chapters 6–19 nowhere mentions the church. During the tribulation—also called “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7)—God will again turn His primary attention to Israel (Romans 11:17-31).

The rapture and second coming are similar but separate events. Both involve Jesus returning. Both are end-times events. However, it is crucially important to recognize the differences. In summary, the rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. The second coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire.

Different Events

BIBLICAL TYPOLOGY

Biblical typology is the doctrine or theory concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Events, persons, or statements in the Old Testament are seen as types pre-figuring or superseded by antitypes, events or aspects of Christ or his revelation described in the New Testament.

Does God care about Biblical typology? Ask Moses about that!

Numbers 20:2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

The Israelites are complaining again about not having water
The Lord instructs Moses to SPEAK to the rock in front of the people
- Why? The rock is Jesus, and He was only struck once. Now we can speak to Him.
In his anger, Moses struck the rock
- Moses broke the Biblical typology and it cost him entrance into the Holy Land

Sacrifice of Isaac

In Genesis 22, Abraham left the donkey and the two young men at the foot of the hill as he and Isaac went up to the top of Moriah for the famous offering of his son. After the episode concludes with the substitution of the ram, it lists those that then returned to Beersheba:

Genesis 22:19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Where's Isaac? Obviously, Isaac also returned with Abraham and the two young men. But we are fascinated that the Holy Spirit appears to have edited the person of Isaac out of the record from the time he was offered until he is united with his bride two chapters later! We believe this was deliberate to have the narrative fully conform to the type.

Wives of Jacob - Lea and Rachel

Jacob married Leah, the first-born (Bride of Christ), then worked 7 more years for Rachel.

The Jewish wedding is 7 days - we will be in heaven for 7 years for our marriage celebration during the Tribulation. And so all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26).

Joseph took a Gentile bride before the 7 year famine

Genesis 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. … 50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, ... 53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

Enoch was raptured before the flood (at Pentecost)

Enoch was caught up before the flood (Ge 6)
- Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.
- Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

There are several provocative Jewish traditions regarding Enoch.
- He is regarded as having been born on the day the Jews observe Hag Shavout, the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost.
- By tradition, he is also believed to have been "translated" (or "raptured") on his birthday.
- Since the Church was "born" on this day, one wonders if we, too, will be "raptured" on its birthday!

As in the days of Noah

See The Days of Noah and Lot for details

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

Worldwide flooding
Earth was corrupt and filled with violence
DNA being tampered with – Nephilim

Noah is not a picture of the church, but of the Jewish remnant that will indeed go through the tribulation. They will be refined with fire and at last come to Jesus as a result.
- Enoch is the picture of the church, raptured before the flood

God will save the righteous from destruction
- 2Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
  - The word translated temptations is the same word translated tribulation
- Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

As in the days of Lot

See The Days of Noah and Lot for details

Parallels - Rampant homosexuality and sexual immorality
Sexual immorality being taught to the children

Lot was taken out of Sodom and Gomorrah before it was destroyed

Genesis 19:15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” … 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” … 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

God will save the righteous from destruction
- 2Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
  - The word translated temptations is the same word translated tribulation
- Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
  40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him.

Elijah was raptured before the destruction of Israel (850ish BC)

Bible scholars have assumed Elijah was removed during the reign of Ahaziah or perhaps that of his successor, Jehoshaphat because the writer of 2Kings recorded his account of Elijah’s departure in chapter 2, between the account of the Ahaziah’s death in 2Kings 1 and the reign of Jehoshaphat in 2Kings 3.
Destruction of Israel – 722 BC Israel

Daniel was absent during the 7x hotter fiery furnace

We all have enjoyed the famous confrontation between Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. Many prophecy buffs view Nebuchadnezzar and the forced worship of his image as a "type" of the Antichrist, and the three Jewish young men as a foreshadowing of the 144,000 miraculously preserved through the "furnace" of the tribulation.

That leaves a provocative question: Where was Daniel himself? Who might he represent as a type?
- Dan 2 [After the dream interpretation] 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

Daniel’ friends represent the Jewish remnant that will be saved and purified though the flames of tribulation
- Dan 3:15 … But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. … 25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

Zac 13:8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one-third shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

Jewish Wedding (Marriage covenant)

In describing a first-century Jewish wedding, D.A. Carson in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary describes the setting this way: “Normally the bridegroom with some close friends left his home to go to the bride’s home, where there were various ceremonies, followed by a procession through the streets – after nightfall – to his home. The ten virgins may be bridesmaids who have been assisting the bride; and they expect to meet the groom as he comes from the bride’s house…Everyone in the procession was expected to carry his or her own torch. Those without a torch would be assumed to be party crashers or even brigands. The festivities, which might last several days, would formally get under way at the groom’s house.”

Before the Wrath - 10 Minute Preview

Before the Wrath - Shocking Rapture Data

Typolog

Why I Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture - 11 reasons why Jesus will come back before the Tribulation By Nathan E. Jones

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/why-i-believe-in-a-pre-tribulation-rapture/

Frequently I am asked to explain or defend the end-time view of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. For that topic, lots of Bible verses, readings and references rattle around in my skull. I can extract each like a Powerball out of an air machine and present it to the inquiring mind, but never in a linear, comprehensive manner in which I particularly appreciate. And so, this article is my attempt to organize my brain on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view. You’re welcome to come along on the journey!

Taking It to the Bedrock

My belief that there will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church stands on the bedrock of the following foundational tenets:

A) The Bible is the Word of God

The 66-book canon called the Bible is God’s inerrant, infallible message to mankind, explaining His purposes and plans for the ages (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). No other document can be reliably trusted, nor remotely reach the bar for the requirements of authentication that the Bible attains to so easily.

B) The Bible is to be Interpreted Literally

God means what He says and says what He means. God wants His creations to know His will plainly. While God does indulge in picturesque descriptions and parables, an explanation almost always follows or context is provided for explanation. Spiritualization of text, therefore, has no proper place in interpreting Scriptures. Any eschatological viewpoint must then be thrown out if it is based on the reader’s desire to spiritualize the Bible into whatever ethereal meaning they desire. Take the Bible for its plain sense meaning.

C) The Church and Israel Are Separate Entities

Israel is not the Church and the Church is not Israel. A believer in Christ becomes a member of the Church, whether Jew or Gentile (Rom. 1:16), but a member of the Church does not become a form of spiritual Israel. God’s promises to Israel as a people and nation (see next tenet) are not the same as for the Bride of Christ, the Church.

D) A Literal 1000-Year Millennium

The Bible describes a future, literal 1000-year time period. The Greek word “chilias” for “one thousand” appears six times in Revelation 20, clearly marking the time period as having 1000 literal years. The purpose of this time period is for Jesus Christ to have an earthly kingdom from which to base His rule and to fulfill His promises (Gen. 13:14-17; 15:5,18-21; 2 Sam. 7:16-19; Isa. 10:21-22; 11:1-2; Jer. 23:5-8; 30:22; 31:31-34; Ezek. 11:18-20; 34:24; 36:24-28; Mic. 7:19-20; Hos. 3:5; Rom. 11:26-29).

E) A Literal 7-Year Tribulation

An upcoming time period has been set aside for God to pour out His wrath upon the evil of the world, to regather Israel back into its land, to force Israel to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah, and for the Messiah to return and fight for His believing remnant (Deut. 4:26-31; Isa. 13:6-13; 17:4-11; Jer. 30:4-11; Ezek. 20:33-38; Dan. 9:27; 12:1; Zech. 14:1-4; Matt. 24:9-31). This time period begins with a covenant between Israel and the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27). The length of the Tribulation is seven years long, described in a variety of ways as “one seven” year block (Dan. 9:27), consisting of two “times, time and half a time” (two years + 1 year + half a year; Rev. 12:14), or two “1260 days” periods (Rev. 11:3), or two “42 month” periods (Rev. 11:2; 13:5).

F) Jesus Will Return Again to Earth

The Bible says Jesus will physically return again to earth (Zech. 14:1-21; Matt. 24:29-31; Mk. 13:24-27; Lk. 21:25-27; Rev. 19). Jesus returns is to defeat His enemies, set up His throne, restore Israel, rule with “a rod of iron” and share His authority with those who overcame in Him (Mat. 19:28; 25:31; Acts 1:3-6; Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21).

G) The Bible Teaches About a Rapture

1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of an event called “the Rapture”, Latin “rapio,” Greek “harpazo,” which means “to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out.” “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Paul states that the concept of the Rapture is meant to encourage believers during this Age (1 Thes. 4:18). Other New Testament references on the Rapture are Jn. 14:1-4; I Cor. 15:51-58; and 1 Thes. 4:13-18.

These bedrock statements about the Bible and its interpretation provide the foundation in which to analyze the following reasons for why I believe the Bible teaches a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

1) The Bible describes the Rapture and Second Coming as different events.

The Bible must see the Rapture (Jn. 14:1-4; I Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thes. 4:13-18) and the Second Coming (Zech. 14:1-21; Matt. 24:29-31; Mk. 13:24-27; Lk. 21:25-27; Rev. 19) as separate events, because when the verses are compared they describe two very different scenarios:

Rapture — believers meet Christ in the air
Second Coming — Christ returns to the Mount of Olives to meet the believers on earth
Rapture — Mount of Olives is unchanged
Second Coming — Mount of Olives is divided, forming a valley east of Jerusalem
Rapture — living believers obtain glorified bodies
Second Coming — living believers remain in same bodies
Rapture — believers go to heaven
Second Coming — glorified believers come from heaven, earthly believers stay on earth
Rapture — world left unjudged and living in sin
Second Coming — world is judged and righteousness is established
Rapture — depicts deliverance of the Church from wrath
Second Coming — depicts deliverance of believers who endured wrath
Rapture — no signs precede it
Second Coming — many signs precede it
Rapture — revealed only in New Testament
Second Coming — revealed in both Old and New Testaments
Rapture — deals with only the saved
Second Coming — deals with both the saved and unsaved
Rapture — Satan remains free
Second Coming — Satan is bound and thrown into the Abyss

Since the Rapture and Second Coming clearly are different events that do not occur at the same time, this would rule out a Post-Tribulation Rapture scenario.

2) The Rapture is described as occurring at any time without warning.

Jesus stated in Matthew 24:42,44 to “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Not only do believers in Christ not know when to expect Him, but the Father Himself seems to have left Jesus out on the exact time His Son is to return. As Jesus stated in Matthew 24:36, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” These and other verses (Mat. 24:36,42,44,50; 25:13; 1 Thes. 4:18; Tit. 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:28; 3:2-3) indicate that Jesus’ arrival will come when nobody expects it.

The Second Coming, on the other hand, is preceded by many events, such as the rise of the Antichrist (Rev. 12:13-17; Zech; 13:7-9), a treaty with Israel (Dan. 9:27), the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple (Mat. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:1-2), as well as plagues and judgments and persecutions destroying most of the world’s population (Rev. 6-18). The Book of Revelation reports these events as occurring during the 7-year Tribulation, which Revelation reveals precede the Second Coming.

Because the Rapture could happen at any moment and without warning and the Second Coming is preceded by so many signs, then the Rapture and Second Coming must be different events. The Rapture has to occur before the seven years’ worth of signs, because Christians are called to look for the Lord’s return rather than signs such as the Antichrist’s arrival. Once the signs begin, then the seven year countdown begins towards its end with Christ’s return at the Second Coming.

Jesus’ imminent return dismisses any of the other viewpoints related to a rapture that occur within or at the end of the Tribulation.

3) The Rapture and the removal of the “Restrainer” occur at the same time.

In 2 Thessalonians, the church at Thessalonica was afraid due to a false report that they had entered the Day of the Lord (Tribulation) and had somehow missed the Rapture. The Apostle Paul assured them that the Antichrist would not be revealed until a restraining force would be taken away so that the Man of Lawlessness could be revealed.

Because the revealing of the Antichrist coincides with the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation starting with his peace treaty with Israel (Dan. 9:27), then the Restrainer has to be removed before the Tribulation. As the Holy Spirit also works in salvation (Jn. 16:8-11; 1 Jn. 5:7) during the Tribulation, then it is the Church that must be the Restrainer that is removed. Therefore, the Rapture and the removal of the Church must coincide, and at the beginning of the seven years.

4) The Tribulation is for Israel’s redemption.

Jeremiah 30:7 describes the Tribulation as the “time of Jacob’s trouble” — “How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.”

In the Book of Matthew, whose primary audience is the Jews, Jesus explains to his Jewish followers what life will be like during the Tribulation. Also, Revelation 12 describes picturesquely a woman who gives birth and has to flee due to persecution during the Tribulation. The context shows the woman is Israel. And again, the Battle of Armageddon is the world against Israel. Two-thirds of the Jewish people will be killed from these battles. These texts and others show that the Tribulation is meant for the redemption of the Jewish people.

Why are the Jews the object of persecution during the Tribulation? For one, Satan hates the Jewish people for giving the world the Scriptures and the Messiah, as well as he wishes to thwart God’s promises to the Jews (see Bedrock #4). Secondly, the Jews have to be so desperately brought low that they finally call out to their Messiah “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mat. 23:39; Lk. 13:35). The Tribulation, then, is used for Israel’s redemption which also results in the punishment of the wicked. The Church does not fit into this scenario, and are left out of the purposes of the Tribulation. They would need to be removed — caught up — before the Tribulation begins.

5) The Tribulation is not for the Church.

The Tribulation is God’s wrath upon the unbelieving world, and not for those who are saved from Christ’s resurrection to the Rapture — called the Church. Yes believers have suffered all throughout human history, but there is a special time (just like the Flood) set apart called the Day of the Lord for God’s wrath. Christians suffering and the Tribulation/Day of the Lord are different.

True believers in Christ during the Church Age, represented by the Church of Philadelphia, are promised in Revelation 3:10, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” He also states in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:9 states, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Ephesians 5:6 states, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” Colossians 3:4 states, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Again and again, Scripture states the Church is not meant to endure God’s wrath

6) God’s wrath involves the whole 7-Year Tribulation.

The view that the Rapture will occur at the mid-point of the Tribulation is based upon 1 Corinthians 15:52 which states that the Rapture will occur at the blowing of “the last trumpet.” This Mid-Tribulation Rapture view then declares this trumpet to be the last of the seven trumpets in Revelation 11 that is blown at the mid-point of the Tribulation. Why of the 114 references to trumpets in the Bible these two are identified as one and the same only defies sound Bible study. The context clearly shows the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is blown for believers whereas the seven trumpets of Revelation 8, 9 and 11 are sounded for unbelievers. The Revelation trumpets therefore can have no relevance for the Church.

Proponents of the Pre-Wrath Rapture view believe the Rapture will occur about three-quarters of the way through the Tribulation, about five years or shortly thereafter, with up to four comings of Christ. According to Dr. David Reagan in his article The Pre-Wrath Rapture:

“Those who espouse this viewpoint believe that the Seal Judgments are the wrath of Man and Satan and that they continue throughout the first half of the Tribulation and into the second half, right up to the three-quarters point, or shortly thereafter. They place the Trumpet Judgments in the last quarter of the Tribulation and the Bowl Judgments in the first 30 days following the end of Daniel’s 70th Week of Years.”

But, isn’t it Jesus Himself who breaks the seals that launch each of the Revelation 6 seal judgments which occur at the beginning of the Tribulation? Also, the seven angels who blow the trumpets that initiate each of the trumpet judgments are given their trumpets at the throne of God (Revelation 8:2). And, Revelation 15:1 states that the bowl judgments at the end of the Tribulation finish the wrath of God, not begin His wrath.

Because these judgments are initiated by Jesus Himself at the beginning of the Tribulation, the whole Tribulation must be God’s wrath, which the Church is exempt from.

7) The Old Testament and Revelation leave the Church out of the Tribulation.

The focus of the Tribulation — to pour out God’s wrath on the earth just like the Flood (Isa. 24:22; Zeph. 3:8; 1 Thes. 5:3; 2 Thes. 2:12) and to bring the Jewish people to accept Jesus as Messiah (Mat. 23:39; Lk. 13:35) — is addressed by the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation to the unbelievers and the Jewish people. In any biblical content concerning the Tribulation/Day of the Lord, the Church cannot be found.

The whole concept of the Church was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets. They focused on the nation of Israel. The Book of Matthew is written to the Jewish people, whom Jesus is addressing in Matthew 24. In the Book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 cover the Church Age, but then there is no mention of the Church until after the Tribulation/Day of the Lord chapters 6-18. In Chapter 19, the Church returns to the texts and can be found, not suffering, but celebrating with Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and preparing to return with Jesus to earth.

8) The Church is busy elsewhere during the Tribulation.

While the 7-year Tribulation is occurring, the Bible records the Church will be busy with three events. None of the three have to do with suffering on a world being destroyed.

The first event the raptured Church will participate in is a judgment by God — the Judgment of the Just. This judgment on works is not to determine eternal destiny, but to determine degrees of reward (2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 19:6-9).

The second event is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This feast celebrates the spiritual marriage of Christ’s Bride — the Church — to her Savior. Revelation 19:7-9 shares this wonderful celebration, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‘Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.'”

The third event follows the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and is the Church’s preparation to follow the King of Kings into the Battle of Armageddon at the conclusion of the Tribulation. This event is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Zech. 14:1-21; Matt. 24:29-31; Mk. 13:24-27; Lk. 21:25-27; Rev. 19:11-21). Revelation 19:14 identifies the Church in their “fine linen, white and clean,” which was given to them during the first event — the Judgment of the Just. The Church and angelic forces follow the King of Kings into His Second Coming to the earth, but only Jesus Himself will engage in battle and with mere words defeats the nations in siege against Jerusalem.

9) There needs to be sheep to separate from the goats.

If the Church is raptured at the end of the Tribulation, receives their glorified bodies, and then immediately u-turns back with Christ for the Second Coming as the Post-Tribulation Rapture view holds, then what believer in Christ will be available for the Sheep and Goats Judgment of Matthew 25? The only people left on earth would be unbelievers, called goats. No believer — sheep — would be available for God to put into the sheep category.

Since those who are in glorified bodies will be like the angels in that they aren’t given in marriage or reproduce (Matt. 22:30; Mk. 12:25), then a believing, unglorified, human remnant must make it into the sheep category and go on to produce the nations during the Millennial reign of Christ (Ezek. 43:13-27; Isa. 19:21; Isa. 65:20-22; Rev. 20:7-10). This would mean that people would need to come to Christ during the Tribulation yet after the Rapture to produce this Millennial population.

10) The Bible shows God rescues the righteous from His wrath.

Being a Christian means having to endure suffering and trials at the hand of man (Jn. 16:33; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thes. 3:3; 1 Pet. 4:12-13). But, the Bible has many examples of those who put their faith in God are exempt from God’s wrath. Noah and his family were removed from the Flood waters that in God’s wrath were used to judge and cleanse the earth. Lot and his wife and two daughters were made to leave Sodom and Gomorrah before God burned the towns up with fire and sulfur. Rahab’s family was set apart when Joshua’s army invaded Jericho.

Could believers be miraculously protected during the Tribulation, like the Israelites were during the plagues on Egypt? Yes, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists from Revelation 7 and 14, for instance, will be divinely protected. But, the slaughter of believers during the Tribulation will be so massive that they are certainly not under any special protection (Rev. 7:9-17; 20:4).

11) The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is not too new to discount.

Some will argue that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is just “too new” to be considered viable. Critics will point to the origin of the modern Pre-Tribulation view and credit John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) with its founding. But, is that assessment historically accurate? Indeed, it is not.

The Early Church fathers’ such as Barnabas (ca.100-105), Papias (ca. 60-130), Justin Martyr (110-195), Irenaeus (120-202), Tertullian (145-220), Hippolytus (ca. 185-236), Cyprian (200-250), and Lactantius (260-330) wrote on the imminent return of Jesus Christ, the central argument for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view.

Biblical truth is determined by Scripture, and not how that teaching has been perceived at different times during history. When Augustine began spiritualizing the Bible, his view of a non-literal interpretation took hold of the church until the Renaissance, obliterating the Premillennial and Pre-Tribulation Rapture views in favor of Amillennialism. But, some Medieval writers such as Ephraem of Nisibis (306-373), Abbot Ceolfrid’s Latin Codex Amiatinus (ca. 690-716), and Brother Dolcino wrote statements that distinguish the Rapture from the Second Coming.

When the chains of allegorical interpretation began to fall off beginning with the Reformation in the 1400 and 1500s, writers such as Joseph Mede (1586-1638), Increase Mather (1639-1723), Peter Jurieu (1687), Philip Doddridge (1738), John Gill (1748), James Macknight (1763), Thomas Scott (1792) and Morgan Edwards (1722-1795) all wrote concerning the Rapture occurring separate from the Second Coming. Even in the more modern church, those like William Witherby (1818) were precursors to John Darby in support of the view. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is indeed then not only biblical, but supported throughout Church history.

Closing Thoughts

I thank you for coming down this mental journey with me concerning why I believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. Hopefully it has confirmed or challenged some of your eschatological ideas. Bear in mind, though, that one’s end-time views have no bearing on the doctrine of salvation. What is to be celebrated is that our salvation will one day lead us upwards to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever and ever.

Why I Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

Pre-Trib Rapture Arguments

Pre-Trib Rapture Arguments :: By Daymond Duck

https://www.raptureready.com/2021/06/06/pre-trib-rapture-arguments-by-daymond-duck/

I have been away from my computer for a few days to speak at a conference, so here is a revised and updated version of an article that I wrote several years ago.

It is a list of 45 reasons why I believe the Pre-Trib Rapture is right (save it so you can give it to Mid-Trib believers, Post-Trib believers, unsure believers, etc.).

1) There are no passages in either the Old Testament or the New Testament that say the Church will go through the Tribulation Period.

2) The Tribulation Period is called the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” [The time of unbelieving Israel’s Trouble], but it is never called the time of the Church’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7).

3) Gabriel told Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people [Daniel’s people are the Jews] and upon thy holy city” [The Holy City is Jerusalem] (Dan. 9:24). There is no mention of the Church.

4) The Church had no part in the first sixty-nine weeks, and it will have no part in the seventieth week [the Tribulation Period] (Dan. 9:24).

5) In the Book of Revelation, the Rapture occurs at Rev. 4:1, which is before the Tribulation Period described in Rev. 6:1-19:21. In the sequence of events, the Rapture is before the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments.

6) The Church is mentioned more than twenty times in the first three chapters of Revelation, but the Church is never mentioned in the description of the Tribulation Period between Rev. 4:1 and Rev. 19:1.

7) The Tribulation Period is called a Day of Wrath in the Bible (Zeph 1:15), but the Bible says, “God hath not appointed us [the Church] to wrath” (I Thess. 5:9).

8) The Tribulation Period is called a Day of Wrath in the Bible (Zeph. 1:15), but the Bible says, Jesus has “delivered us from the wrath to come” [delivered the Church from the Tribulation Period] (I Thess. 1:10; also see Rom. 5:9, Eph. 5:6)).

9) The Tribulation Period is called the Day of the Lord in the Bible (Zeph. 1:14). The Bible says, “the day of the Lord [the Tribulation Period] so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [the unbelievers] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them [upon the unbelievers], as travail upon a woman with child; and they [the unbelievers] shall not escape” (I Thess. 5:2-3). It clearly teaches that the Tribulation Period will come upon unbelievers, but it does not include believers.

10) Concerning the Rapture, the Bible says, “Comfort one another with these words” (I Thess. 4:18). There’s no comfort in the teaching that the Church will go through part or all of the Tribulation Period.

11) Jesus told the Church at Philadelphia, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation [the Tribulation Period], which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10). God promised to keep the obedient Church members out of the Tribulation Period (not through the Tribulation Period).

12) According to the Bible, the marriage of the Lamb will take place in heaven before Jesus comes back to fight the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation Period (Rev. 19:7-21). This means the Church will go to heaven [be Raptured] for the marriage of the Lamb before the Second Coming.

13) The end of the age will be like the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37). Noah and his family were removed from the earth [got on the ark] before the flood. Some believe this means that the Church will be removed from the earth before the judgment of God [Raptured before the Tribulation Period] (Gen. 7:23).

14) The end of the age will be like the days of Lot (Luke 17:28). Lot and his family were removed from Sodom before the judgment of God [before the fire and brimstone fell] (Gen. 19:16). Some believe this means that the Church will be removed from the earth before the judgment of God [Raptured before the Tribulation Period].

15) Jesus was talking about the Tribulation Period when He said, “Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass” (Luke 21:36). It seems unreasonable to believe Jesus would tell the Church to pray for something He is unwilling to grant.

16) The Bible says, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (II Thess. 2:7-8). The most common interpretation of this is that the Antichrist can’t be revealed until the Restrainer [who most commentators say is both the Holy Spirit and the Church] is removed. If the Restrainer is the Church only, this means the Church will be removed before the Antichrist is revealed [that’s the Pre-Trib. Rapture]. If the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit only so that the Holy Spirit is removed without the Church, this means believers will cease to be indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

It also means the Church will be left behind to go through the worst time the earth has ever seen [the Tribulation Period] without the help of the Holy Spirit. This would contradict the teaching of Jesus when He said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). And, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).

17) Isaiah wrote that God said, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isa. 26:19-21).

Notice that the dead rise first [that’s the Rapture]; next, God’s people are summoned to enter into His chambers for a short while until the indignation [a name of the Tribulation Period] is past. God will raise the dead and summon His people because He intends to punish the inhabitants of the earth [send the Tribulation Period].

18) Malachi wrote that God said, “They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not” (Malachi 3:17-18). Pre-Tribulation teachers believe God is saying He will come for His Church [the Rapture], and then He will return with His Church [the Second Coming] to judge between the righteous and wicked.

19) In the Rapture, Jesus comes for His Church (I Thess. 4:16-17; John 14:3). When He comes at the end of the Tribulation Period, He will come with His Church (I Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19:14).

20) Concerning the Second Coming, Jesus said, “But of the day and the hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matt. 24:36). But if the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, some will know the day because it will be seven years from the signing of the seven-year covenant. Some will know the day because it will be 1,260 days from the day the Antichrist defiles the Temple (Rev. 12:6).

21) Concerning the Antichrist, many scholars believe the Bible teaches he won’t be revealed until after the Church is gone (II Thess. 2:6-8), but if the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, some will know who he is because he will sign the seven-year covenant (Dan. 9:24-27), he will head up the world government (Rev. 13:1-10), and he will try to force multitudes to worship him and to receive his mark, receive his name or his number (Rev. 13:15-17). Many of those who are here and being forced to worship him and take his name or die will know who he is.

22) The Antichrist is not supposed to be revealed until after the Church is gone (II Thess. 2:6-8), but if the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, the Church will know who the Antichrist is because he will put a statue of himself in the rebuilt Temple (Dan. 11:31; Dan. 12:11; Matt. 24:15).

23) If the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, the Church will know who the Antichrist is because he will head up the world government and receive a deadly wound to his head that will be healed (Rev. 13:3). Some think he will be raised from the dead or at least fake the resurrection.

24) If the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, the Church will know who the Antichrist is because he will head up the world government and be supported by the head of the world religion called the False Prophet (Rev. 13:11-18).

25) If the Church goes through the Tribulation Period, the Church will know who the Antichrist is because he’s the one that will kill the Two Witnesses (Rev. 11:7).

26) Many people don’t think the Church will go through the Tribulation Period because of verses of Scripture that say things like, “The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked he will destroy” (Psa. 145:18-20). Many believe God will preserve the Church from the Tribulation Period or keep the Church out of the Tribulation Period, not destroy the Church in the Tribulation Period.

27) There are verses of Scripture that say things like, “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it” (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:5-6; Rev. 22:18-19). Some believe people have to throw away verses of Scripture to believe the Church will go through the Tribulation Period.

28) In the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus said, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” seven times (Rev. 2:7,11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). When we get to the Tribulation Period, Jesus said, “If any man have an ear, let him hear” (Rev. 13:9). He left out, “what the Spirit saith unto the churches” because there are no churches on earth to go through the Tribulation Period. The Church will be in heaven.

29) When the Rapture happens, the Church goes up to meet Jesus in the air (I Thess. 4:13-18), but at the end of the Tribulation Period, the Church will come down to the earth with Jesus to witness what He does at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19:14-21).

30) The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is more consistent with God’s grace, love, mercy, compassion, etc. The Mid and Post-Tribulation Rapture is more consistent with God’s wrath. If husbands are to love their wives the way Jesus loves the Church, why would we believe He will let the Church go through the Tribulation Period (Eph. 5:25).

31) If the Rapture takes place at the end of the Tribulation Period, and all the wicked are removed from the earth at that time (Matt. 13:24-30, 47-50; 25:41), no one will be left to re-populate the earth during the Millennium. If all of the saved are Raptured and all the lost are removed from the earth at the end of the Tribulation Period, no one will be left to re-populate the earth.

32) The Antichrist will prevail against the saints during the Tribulation Period, but the gates of hell won’t prevail against the Church (Rev. 13:7; Matt. 16:18). Therefore, the Church won’t go through the Tribulation Period.

33) The twenty-four elders [representatives of the Church] will be in heaven before the seven-sealed scroll is broken (Rev. 4:4; 6:1-17).

34) Jesus was talking about the Tribulation Period when He said, “Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass” (Luke 21:36). He didn’t say, “Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to endure some or all of these things that shall come to pass.”

35) There are no signs of the Rapture, but if the Rapture takes place during the Tribulation Period, it would have to be after the seven-year covenant is signed by the Antichrist and perhaps after several other things, depending upon what a person believes about Mid-Trib, Post-Trib, etc.

36) Jesus said, “When these things [the signs] begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). He didn’t say, “After all these things have happened, your redemption draweth nigh.” He said, “When these things begin to come to pass, it’s close.”

37) The Church won’t go through the Tribulation Period because God intends to use the 144,000 children of Israel, the Two Witnesses, and an angel to preach the gospel during the Tribulation Period. He wouldn’t need or use Jews or an angel to preach the gospel if the Church was here.

38) We are ambassadors for Christ (II Cor. 5:20), and ambassadors are called home before war breaks out (before the Tribulation Period).

39) Daniel was a type of the Church and not present when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Jews; types of Israel) are in the fiery furnace (type of Tribulation Period).

40) If Jesus is already headed down to earth at the end of the Tribulation Period, there is no reason why we would need to be caught up to meet Him in the air.

41) If the post-Trib Rapture is true, those that are left behind after the Rapture will not need to hear the gospel from the 144,000, etc., because they will immediately be removed from the earth and cast into outer darkness.

42) If the post-Trib Rapture is true, and the Church is on earth during the Tribulation Period, but God uses the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, etc., instead of the Church, then the Church has rejected Jesus, or He has rejected the Church.

43) The Tribulation Period is meant for the redemption of Israel (Dan. 9:24), not for the redemption of the Church (Jesus redeemed the Church by His death on the cross (I Pet. 1:18-19).

44) There is nothing unusual about Jesus keeping the Church out of the Tribulation Period. He has a history of protecting His people from tribulation on special occasions. He protected the Hebrews from the Ten Plagues, Noah and his family from the Flood, and Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. He will seal and protect the 144,000 during the Tribulation Period, and He will protect the Jews in Judea that flee into the wilderness during the last half of the Tribulation Period. There is no reason to believe He won’t protect the Church.

45) The timing of the Rapture should be based on Scripture, not what others believed many years ago unless they backed it up with Scripture.

Defending The Pre-trib Rapture

Defending The Pre-trib Rapture by Todd Strandberg

https://www.raptureready.com/2016/07/19/defending-pre-trib-rapture/

After reading countless messages and articles that attack the pre-trib rapture, I’ve noticed a certain number of arguments that are repeatedly sent to me.

Instead of trying to answer every individual e-mail I receive, I thought it would be a good idea to create a web page that addresses the most commonly mentioned points of debate. This way, I can avoid repeating myself so many times; thereby, maintain my sanity.

Nowhere in the Bible, can you find the word “rapture”

It amazes me that some folks write to me, questioning the validity of the rapture, simply because the word “rapture” doesn’t appear in the Bible.

With 1 Thes 4:16-18 giving us such a clear description of the rapture, you would have to conclude that some people are just playing games with the Word of God. I could change the name of my site to “Catching Up Ready” to satisfy these folks, but I hardly think that would improve things.

Their logic fails because there are a huge number of words that don’t appear in the Bible, including the word “Bible.” Because God’s Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek, one could truthfully say that no English words are in the Bible. Let’s take a look at 1 Thes 4:16-18 in the original Greek:

I don’t see the dead in Christ rising, Jesus descending from heaven, and us meeting Him in the air. So the cynics are right: the word “rapture” is nowhere to be found. All I see is gobbledygook.

For the record, the word “rapture” comes from the Latin word “rapturo,” which in turn was a translation of the Greek verb “caught up” found in 1 Thes 4:17. You can call it the pre-trib rapture, the pre-trib rapturo, or the pre-trib caught up–it’s all the same thing.

Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation.

Pre-trib opponents should have thought this one through because any pre-tribulationist has the same right to say, “Nowhere in the Bible does it directly say the Church will go through the tribulation.”

Jesus did say, “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). The only time frame I can think of when we believers would not be expecting Jesus to return would have to be before the tribulation.

The Margaret MacDonald Origin

One of the most widely circulated attacks against the pre-trib rapture is the notion that a girl named Margaret MacDonald started this theological view back in 1830. The claim is typically made that MacDonald received a demonic vision, passed it on to John Darby, who in turn popularized it. Disproving this assertion proves rather easy. Pre-trib scholars have discovered a host of rapture writings that predate Margaret MacDonald.

Epharaem the Syrian said, in 373 AD, “For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.”

One post-trib author offered a reward to anyone who could find a quote that predated MacDonald. He had to quickly cough up the money when someone identified a scholar who wrote about the pre-trib rapture several years before MacDonald. As of late, dozens of examples have been found, and the literary surface has hardly been scratched.

With the revealing of all these pre-MacDonald writings, you would think that this argument has been debunked. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We seem to be involved in a tug-of-war with the truth. Apparently, due to their lack of research, pre-trib opponents continue to pump out publications that cite MacDonald as the originator of the pre-trib rapture.

The Last Trumpet Argument

Because Paul, in 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thes 4:16, said believers would be raptured at the sounding of a trump, many folks have tried to make it appear that the rapture trumps are the same trumpets found in Revelation 11:15-18, Joel 2:1, and Mat 24:31–which all occur during the tribulation.

When you have trumpets commonly used throughout the Bible, I think it’s foolish to just assume any two of the 62 trumps or trumpets are prophetically related. To be able to make the claim that the tribulation trumpet soundings are the same as the rapture trumps, you would need a direct statement saying this is the case.

In the movies Ben-Hur and The Wizard of Oz, I recall hearing the sounding of trumpets. Are both these trumpets somehow prophetically related?

If your friend John said he went to his favorite restaurant last night, and another friend Larry said he also went to his favorite restaurant last night, is it logical for you to assume they both went to the same restaurant? Obviously not, because even though John and Larry went to their favorite restaurants, they may have had two different eating establishments in mind. The same logic should apply with the word trumpet.

With such a blind devotion to this one similarity, I have to wonder if these last-tumpeters are able to distinguish the difference between Tylenol and Exlax. They’re both over-the-counter drugs, they come in pill form, and they can also be found in a medicine cabinet. Of course, one will make your headache disappear and the other will make your toilet paper disappear.

Pre-wrath proponents say that the Seventh Trumpet blown in Rev 11:15-18 is the same last trump Paul spoke of in 1 Cor 15:52. However, they fail to take into account the fact that John wrote Revelation 40 years after Paul wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians. How could Paul refer to something that was not yet revealed?

Post-tribbers use a trumpet sounding in Joel 2:1 as evidence for a post-trib rapture on the Day of the Lord. I have three problems with Joel 2:1:

Joel clearly says that the purpose for blowing the trumpet is to “sound an alarm.”
According to 1 Cor 15:52, the rapture is something that occurs in the twinkling of an eye. Joel 2:1 says the Day of the Lord is nigh at hand. In order for Joel’s trumpet to be the same one in 1 Cor. there would have to be a time delay between the sounding of the trumpet and the rapture of the Church.
The fact that there is another trumpet being sounded in Joel 2:15 further clouds the possibility that these trumpets could have anything to do with the rapture.

When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he specifically said “the” last trump. During the Feast of Trumpets, the Jews blow short trumpet blasts. They end the feast with a long blast from what is called the last trump, which is blown the longest. Judaism has traditionally connected this last trump with the resurrection of the dead. Paul also made the connection. For many Christians, the association between the rapture and the Feast of Trumpets is so strong, they look for the rapture to someday occur on this feast.

The Day of the Lord Argument

A number people have attempted to refute the pre-trib rapture by trying to associate the “Day of the Lord” with a catching-up of believers at the end of the tribulation. They base their rapture views solely on the idea that the “Day of the Lord” and the rapture are either synonymous or somehow linked together.

The Achilles heel of their argument has to be the notion that the “Day of the Lord” and various other “days” of an end-time context refers to a 24 hour period that occurs at or near the end of the tribulation. Probably the most commonly cited verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:2 where Paul tells us the “Day of the Lord” will come “as a thief in the night.”

I’ve read countless articles that describe the “Day of the Lord” as Christ’s advent at Armageddon. These articles go on to say that, because Paul also tells us the Lord will come “as a thief,” we have a direct link to the same description that is applied to noted rapture verses.

It’s rather obvious that those trying to rely on the “Day of the Lord” never bothered to validate the meaning of this particular day. I’ve checked a number of commentaries on the “Day of the Lord” and many of them define this as being an all-encompassing period that begins with the Great Tribulation. Let’s examine some verses that clearly indicate that the term “day” is used to represent a broader time period.

II Peter 3:10-13
The “Day of the Lord” Peter spoke of in second Peter, cannot be a one day event because it mentions the destruction of the earth by fire and its renovation. Rev 21:11 tells us the earth will not be renewed until after Christ’s 1000 year reign.

Joel 2:11-20
The “Day of the Lord” Joel describes, includes the defeat of the northern army. Ezk. 38 and 39 is parallel passage. Most scholars would time the destruction of the Gog army as occurring before in the first half of the tribulation.

John 12:48
In the book of John, Jesus uses the term “last day” to indicate when the lost would be judged. Rev 20 makes it clear that the unsaved will not be judged until after the millennium–yet another 1000 year gap.

Hebrews 10:25
One of the best indications that most of the various “day” references are citing a general time period can be found in Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Surely, Paul would not be warning us to watch for a day that would be coming at the end of the tribulation. That type of logic would be like warning children, as they cross the road, to watch out for tail lights.

The First Resurrection

I’ve heard some folks say, “There cannot be a pre-trib rapture because to have one would require a second resurrection at Christ’s return to earth.” This conclusion is drawn from Revelation 20:

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev 20:5-6).

One pre-trib writer, explaining this passage, said, “The first did not mean first in time, but rather first in kind.” The first resurrection was for God’s people the second will be for the unsaved.

A quick way to shoot down the notion that the first resurrection is tied to a specific date, as opposed to a more general time frame, is to take note of the tribulation rapture of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. At the mid-point of the tribulation, the two witnesses are killed by the Antichrist, resurrected by God, and then caught up into heaven (Rev 11:3-12).

Revelation chapter 7 describes the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists just before the Beast issues his mark. Sometime during the latter half of the tribulation, Revelation chapter 14 indicates they will be “redeemed from the earth,” standing before the throne of God.

Confusion over Confusion: 2 Thes 2:1-6

Because Paul, in 2 Thessalonians, said the Antichrist would be revealed before the Day of the Christ, post and pre-wrath adherents frequently try to cite this passage as one that refutes the pre-trib rapture.

To quell the Thessalonian’s misunderstanding that they had somehow entered the tribulation, Paul told them the Antichrist must first be revealed. By telling them they had no reason to panic, Paul is clearly disputing the idea that the Thessalonians could someday find themselves facing the tribulation hour.

I’m constantly being irked by Post-trib and pre-wrath folks’ consistent, or better yet deliberate, failure to accept the simple fact that the pre-trib doctrine calls for a rapture and a second coming. Because they only glean the prophetic word for one event–the second coming–they’re unable to recognize pre-trib rapture passages.

Of course, when you fuse the two advents together, you end up with verses that appear to contradict each other: 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” and Revelation 13:7, “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”

Reverse Logic Stuck In Reverse

Many people are against the pre-trib rapture simply because they see it as being the dominant view on the timing of Christ’s return for the Church. The anti-pretribulationists often think they are the last remaining true believers. I’m simply dumbfounded over why some people choose rebellion against the majority view as their guide for finding truth.

The measurement of popularity alone is a terrible way to determine something’s validity. It is particularly strange when people solely rely on the contrarian view to judge truth from fiction. I utilize contrarian views all the time to help determine what is truthful; however, it would be a terrible mistake on my part if I made Contrarianism the core foundation of any of my beliefs.

If you’re using reverse logic, you need to support your conclusions. The vast majority of the population would agree that apples grow on apple trees and cherries grow on cheery trees. The pure novelty of the opposite being true does not in any way help make it so. Unless you see farmers gluing apples onto cherry trees or picking cherries from apple trees, you have no basis to think that these two fruits do not grow on anything but the trees that share the same name.

Some people are clearly more in love with the idea of a conspiracy than they are the truth. Every time an airplane crashes to the earth there’s someone who will proclaim it was caused by anything from an act of terrorism to a bizarre government plot. It’s just not exciting enough to say it was a mechanical problem that led to the crash.

The idea that the pre-trib rapture is the dominant view is not correct in the first place. Most evangelicals would say they look for a pre-trib rapture, but if you include all Christians, pretribulationists would rank third behind post-trib and preterist adherents.

Persecute Me Please

You would think the desire to go through the tribulation would be as popular as the desire to jump into a pit filled with vipers and broken glass. As illogical as it may seem, there appears to be a large number of Christians that fully expect to get roughed up before Christ returns.

Many Christians argue strongly for the right to suffer persecution at the hands of the Antichrist and the one world government. These tribulation saint wannabees constantly harp, “Because Jesus and His disciples suffered persecution, we should expect no better.” It’s been my experience that people with the weakest faith are generally the ones that talk the boldest. When the slightest difficulty comes their way, they cry to high heaven.

I hate to be the bearer of good news, but the word of God clearly states that believers will escape the tribulation bloodbath. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes 5:9). “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev 3:10).

In one regard, people who think the Church will go through the tribulation are somewhat correct. I believe a huge number people–who are Christians in name only–will find themselves left behind. By having the rapture before the tribulation, all those who find themselves facing the wrath of God will be without an excuse.

No Secret Rapture

“There is no secret rapture” is the beginning declaration of a large percentage of messages that attack the rapture. Rarely is this statement backed by supporting scriptural evidence. A few people will cite Rev 1:17, “every eye shall see him,” as proof that the rapture will not be a secret event. Of course, I would immediately note that “every eye shall see him” is the second coming.

I have a hard time understanding how these folks could think pretribulationists preach a secret rapture. We seem to be doing our very best to popularize the rapture before it takes place. I doubt that, afterwards, with all the car wrecks, plane crashes, and missing persons reports, the rapture will remain a secret occurrence.

The only people I know who are attempting to keep the pre-trib rapture a secret are its critics. Pre-wrath and post-trib folks have the national media and the liberal churches as their allies in their ongoing effort to silence all knowledge of the “blessed hope.”

No Imminency

Because an imminent or any moment rapture is one of the major teachings of pre-tribulationists, opponents of this view attempt to dismantle the imminency of the rapture.

Although Jesus said, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Mat 24:42), advocates for knowing the “day” will claim this only applies to the unsaved. I hear arguments like, “Surely a loving father would tell his own children when he’s coming for them.”

To try to get around “no man know the hour,” a popular scripture often cited is: “But yea brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thes 5:4).

Despite all their monkeying with scripture, pre-trib detractors just cannot escape Jesus’ restriction against knowing the timing of the rapture. In fact, our Lord was so restrictive about the rapture, He said its occurrence would come as a total surprise. “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

Now as far as the second coming goes, the Bible couldn’t be plainer. It clearly states that Jesus will return 1260 days from the moment the Antichrist sits in the Temple of God and declares himself to be God. Because there exists both a known and an unknown date, many scholars have logically concluded that there must be two different events occurring–the rapture and the second coming.

The Restrainer

In 2 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul speaks of a “he” that will restrain the advent of the Antichrist. The restrainer’s removal is required before the Antichrist can be revealed.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only hewho now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

A debate has erupted over the identity of the Restrainer because if this “he” is the Holy Ghost, the only real explanation for his removal would be the rapture of the Church, which is indwelled by him. The strongest argument offered against the Holy Spirit being the Restrainer is the belief that if God’s Spirit was ever removed from the earth, no one could then be saved. The removal of the Holy Ghost does not have to be an all or nothing proposition. I believe his being “taken out of the way” will only be a degree of removal.

Before the Church Age, people were able to find salvation, which obviously meant the Holy Spirit was at work on earth. When the outpouring of the Holy Ghost occurred at Pentecost, we didn’t have a second Holy Spirit come to earth. His removal at the rapture will only be a reversal or ending of the Pentecostal outpouring.

Replacementism

Because Revelation places a strong emphasis on Israel during the tribulation, and not on the church, most post-tribulationists have adopted a replacement theology view in order to maintain the focus on them.

Replacementism is the view that Israel, having failed God, has been replaced by the Church. The Church is now seen as spiritual Israel and spiritual Jerusalem. This teaching claims that all the promises and blessings, in fact Israel’s entire inheritance, now belongs to the Church. However, all is not lost for Israel; it gets to keep all the curses.

Dispensational theology, taught by nearly all pre-tribulationists, teaches that God has separate strategies for dealing with the Church and the Jews. When you consider the change in focus, during the tribulation, from the Church to Israel, the pre-trib rapture provides a good explanation for this transfer of attention.

To say that Israel is no longer God’s chosen people is really playing with fire because the Antichrist will likely be saying the same thing when he tries to destroy the Jews during the tribulation. I look for people that hold to replacementism to be in the cheering section when the Beast goes on his Jew-killing campaign. “The Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance” (Psalm 94:14).

“This is what the Lord says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is his name: ‘Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,’ declares the Lord, ‘will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me'” (Jeremiah 31:35-36).

In Defense of the Pre–Tribulation Rapture - Left behind or led astray?

In Defense of the Pre–Tribulation Rapture - Left behind or led astray? By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/in-defense-of-the-pre-tribulation-rapture/

A pastor in California recently issued a video album titled, “Left Behind or Led Astray?” It is a very hard–hitting documentary film that is designed to debunk the concept of a Pre–Tribulation Rapture.

The album contains two DVD discs that run a total of 4 hours and 22 minutes. The presentation is very tedious and highly repetitious, to the point of quickly becoming downright boring. It was tiresome, to say the least. I wanted to shout “Hallelujah!” when it finally ended — and in order to prepare this review, I had to sit through it twice!

The video was produced by Joe Schimmel, the pastor of Blessed Hope Chapel in Simi Valley, California. He also serves as president of an apologetics ministry called Good Fight Ministries (www.GoodFight.org). It is this ministry that actually produced the video.

Pastor Schimmel is a Premillennialist who believes in a Post–Tribulational Rapture. In other words, he believes that the Rapture and the Second Coming are all one event that will happen at the end of the Tribulation. The purpose of this video documentary is to disparage the doctrine of a Pre–Tribulational Rapture.

An Exercise in Character Assassination

The program begins with a very irenic spirit, emphasizing that differences in opinion about the nature and timing of the Rapture should not divide Christians. It also ends with the same spirit as the host, Pastor Schimmel, gives a big bear hug to Colin Le Noury, the director of the oldest Pre–Trib Rapture ministry in the world — namely, The Prophetic Witness Movement International in England.

But between those irenic bookends there is an all–out effort to besmirch the reputations of every major person that Schimmel considers to have played a role in the development of the Pre–Trib doctrine. He begins with a “sinister” 16th Century Spanish Jesuit priest named Francisco Ribera, followed by an 18th Century Baptist pastor from Wales, Morgan Edwards, who ends up being defrocked for immorality, and then quickly focuses on another “devious” Latin American Jesuit Priest, Manuel Lacunza, who wrote in the 19th Century. He then ties that priest to Edward Irving, a “flamboyant and eccentric” English prophecy teacher who also ends up being defrocked for heresy. To make matters worse, he spends most of the four hours of the program trying to prove that the real turning point in the development of the Pre–Trib doctrine came in 1830 when a 15 year old Scottish girl named Margaret MacDonald got caught up in Charismania and began to experience emotional seizures and visions that were demonic in nature.

The concept of a Pre–Trib Rapture was supposed to have emerged from all these warped people, only to be picked up by another Englishman, John Darby, who systematized the doctrine and then falsely claimed he had originated it. Darby then supposedly became a dogmatic and tyrannical cult leader. When the doctrine spread to the United States, it was popularized by C. I. Scofield in his popular study Bible. The only problem being that Scofield was a drunk, a crook, a jail bird, a shyster and a ruffian, among other nefarious things!

And then there is Clarence Larkin, the great illustrator of prophetic truths who turned out to be involved in pyramidology. And if that is not enough to turn your stomach against the Pre–Trib Rapture doctrine, then consider some of the doctrine’s modern day proponents like Chuck Missler and J. R. Church who are portrayed as dabblers in astrology. Whew! By the time you get to the end of the video you feel like you have been watching an episode from some slimy modern–day TV reality program.

And then there is their treatment of the foremost contemporary spokesman in behalf of the Pre–Trib Rapture doctrine — namely, Tommy Ice, the director of the Pre–Trib Research Center located in the Dallas, Texas area. He is derisively written off as “Tim LaHaye’s bulldog.” I found that label particularly interesting in view of the fact that two of the leading experts featured in the video are Jacob Prasch and Dave MacPherson, both of whom come across as sarcastic, mocking, vilifying pit bulls who make Tommy Ice look tame in comparison.

An Irrelevant Focus

Personally, I found all this character assassination totally irrelevant to the question of the validity of the Pre–Trib Rapture doctrine. After all, the only people God has to work through here on this earth are sinners. Take Morgan Edwards, for example. Yes, he was defrocked when he experienced what appeared to be an emotional breakdown and stopped attending church and started drinking. But no mention was made of his many years of faithful service to the church in Wales, Ireland and here in the United States after he emigrated to this country in 1761. Nor was there any mention of the fact that he co–founded the first Baptist university in the American colonies, known today as Brown University. Oh, and also, no mention was made of the fact that he was completely restored to the church and thereafter lived an exemplary life.

And then there are the two Jesuit priests who believed the Rapture would occur 45 days before the end of the Tribulation and the return of Jesus. Over and over we are reminded that they were Catholics who were members of the sinister Jesuit Order — as if nothing good could ever come from a Catholic priest. On that basis, I guess we will have to fault the revival of the true Gospel by Martin Luther in the 16th Century since he was also a Catholic priest.

In fact, based on the reasoning of this video presentation, we will have to throw out all of Martin Luther’s reforms since he ended up becoming the worst anti–Semite in the history of Christendom. Keep in mind that he wrote a pamphlet near the end of his life in which he provided the blueprint for the Holocaust. This was acknowledged by Hitler in his book, Mein Kampf, when he described Luther as “a great warrior, a true statesman, and a great reformer.” Later, after he came to power, Hitler paid further tribute to Luther by saying:

Martin Luther has been the greatest encouragement of my life. Luther was a great man. He was a giant. With one blow he heralded the coming of the new dawn and the new age. He saw clearly that the Jews need to be destroyed, and we’re only beginning to see that we need to carry this work on.

Margaret MacDonald

And then there is Margaret MacDonald, the hyper–Charismatic 15 year old Scottish girl who supposedly affirmed the Pre–Trib Rapture in her emotional trances in 1830 which are portrayed as demon–induced. They have an actor portraying her in the video, and she is shown over and over and over again throughout the tedious four hours of the program sitting in the corner of a room rocking back and forth and looking terribly distressed.

I grew up in an Amillennial church were I never once ever heard the word, Rapture. After attending that church for 30 years, if you had asked me to define the Rapture, I probably would have said, “It is a sensation you feel when your girlfriend kisses you.” I came to a belief in a Pre–Trib Rapture through my study of the Scriptures, and it was years later before I ever even heard of Margaret MacDonald.

Todd Strandberg, the founder of the Rapture Ready website, has written, “I cannot recall ever hearing any Pre–Trib speaker say, ‘I believe in the Rapture because Margaret MacDonald told me so.'” He goes on to say that he searched all the prophecy books in his library written by those with a Pre–Trib viewpoint, and he could never find even one reference to Margaret MacDonald. He concluded, “It was like looking for the cartoon character, ‘Where’s Waldo.’ Only in this case, no Waldo was to be found.”

I first heard of Margaret MacDonald when a Pre–Trib critic told me that the Pre–Trib Rapture doctrine had to be false because it originated with a teenage Scottish girl who experienced a demonic seizure. That perked my curiosity, so I went searching for this girl, and I found her in a book written by Dave MacPherson in 1973 entitled, The Unbelievable Pre–Trib Origin. Since that time, MacPherson has written at least six subsequent books on the topic, several of which come across as being nothing but the original book with a new title. As one writer has put it, “MacPherson has dedicated his life to full time Rapture hating . . .”

I will never forget how amazed I was when I finished reading Mac–Pherson’s book. That’s because the book had an appendix that contained Margaret MacDonald’s prophetic vision, and I could not find even so much as a hint of a Pre–Trib Rapture in what she supposedly said. Here was a whole book dedicated to the proposition that this girl was the originator of the doctrine and not one trace of that doctrine could be found in the vision that MacPherson presents as proof!

And what is really amazing is that Pastor Schimmel admits this in his video program when he says:

Our personal position at Good Fight Ministries is that Margaret MacDonald’s end time Rapture vision is convoluted, and we can’t say for sure that Margaret MacDonald had a partial Pre–Trib Rapture in mind…

The fact of the matter is that this young woman’s vision was about the Second Coming, and the only novel things about it were, first, her unbiblical concept that it would be “secret and invisible” rather than an event that “every eye will see” (Revelation 1:7), and second, that it would consist of a partial rapture of Spirit–filled saints.

The claims concerning the importance of Margaret Mac–Donald in the development of the Pre–Trib concept of the Rapture are so silly that Todd Strandberg was motivated to write:

From reading the writings of anti–Rapture authors, one would think we Pre–Tribbers would be reverencing MacDonald as Catholics do Mary. But clearly we don’t. Pre–Tribbers don’t go around reciting, “Hail Margaret full of grace, blessed art thou among visionaries, pray for us sinners at the time of the Rapture.”

Doctrinal Development

The Pre–Tribulation concept of the Rapture did not suddenly appear on the scene in the 1830s. It had been developing slowly over a long period of time, with strands of it coming from various sources.

One of the cardinal concepts of the doctrine is imminency, which is the biblical idea that the Lord can return at any moment. This was clearly taught by the early Church Fathers. The point here is that for the Lord’s return to be imminent, there must be a Rapture that is separate and apart from the Second Coming because there are many prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Lord returns to earth. In other words, the Second Coming is not an imminent event.

Evidence of the specific idea of a Pre–Tribulation Rapture has been found in a sermon preached sometime between the 4th and 6th Centuries by a person who referred to himself as “Pseudo–Ephraem.” In the sermon he said, “For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.” The later Second Coming of the Lord is mentioned at the end of the sermon.

Another early reference to the idea of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming can be found in the writings of an individual known as Brother Dolcino who was a member of a 14th Century sect called the Dulcinites. He taught that after the Antichrist made his appearance in the world, the true believers would be “transferred into Paradise” where they would remain until the Antichrist dies.

A two–stage concept of the Lord’s return was proposed by Joseph Mede (1586–1639) in a letter written in 1627. However, he did not place the Tribulation between the two advents. Rather, he pictured the Church being taken to Heaven and remaining there until the earth had been cleansed with fire to prepare it for the Lord’s reign.

A book published in 1674, written by Thomas Collier, rejects the idea of a Pre–Trib Rapture, indicating that the idea must have been circulating at that time. A few years later in 1687, Peter Jurieu published a book in which he taught that Christ would come in the air secretly to Rapture the saints and return to Heaven before the battle of Armageddon.

In the 18th Century, two men — Philip Doddridge (1738) and John Gill (1748) — wrote commentaries on the New Testament in which they used the term, Rapture, and spoke of it as imminent. Tommy Ice observes that “it is clear that these men believed that this coming will precede Christ’s descent to the earth and the time of judgment.” Two other authors — James MacKnight (1763) and Thomas Scott (1792) — taught that the redeemed would be carried to Heaven, where they would be secure until the time of judgment ended.

Morgan Edwards

Tommy Ice claims that one of the clearest references to a Pre–Tribulation Rapture before the time of John Darby is to be found in the writings of Morgan Edwards. Almost a century before John Darby systemized and popularized the Pre–Trib Rapture viewpoint, Edwards proposed a Rapture 3½ years before the return of Jesus. This did not mean he believed in a Mid–Trib Rapture because he viewed the second half of Daniel’s 70th Week of Years to be the Tribulation.

Edwards first wrote about this novel viewpoint in a college essay in 1742. It was published in book form in 1788. I think it is interesting to note that when he originally wrote the essay, it contained a note to his supervising professor in which he said, “I will work by a rule you have often recommended, viz, ‘to take the scriptures in a literal sense, except when that leads to contradiction or absurdity.'”

Edward Irving

In the early 19th Century the foremost Bible prophecy teacher in England was a Scottish minister named Edward Irving (1792–1834). Through a series of Bible prophecy conferences, he and his followers developed the concept of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming. It is believed that his ideas originally came from a book published in 1812 by a Jesuit priest from Chile amed Manuel Lacunza. In this book he proposed a Rapture that would occur 45 days before the end of the Tribulation. Irving translated the book and published it in English in 1827.

After toying with a number of different ideas, Irving finally concluded that the Man Child pictured in Revelation 12:5 was the Church and the child’s ascension to Heaven represented the Rapture of the Church before the last 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week of Years. This was considered to be a type of Pre–Trib Rapture since Irving viewed only the last 3½ years to be the Tribulation.

John Darby

John Darby (1800–1882) agreed with Irving in his early writings, also identifying the rapture of the Man Child as the Rapture of the Church, despite the fact that Revelation 12:5 is clearly speaking of the birth and ascension of Jesus. It was not until about 1846 that Darby began to teach a Rapture that would occur before the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week of Years.

Darby utilized his training as a lawyer to systemize Dispensational eschatology. He was also the one who effectively popularized the belief, and in the process, he made seven trips to the United States where his doctrine was enthusiastically received.

Irving vs Darby

Incidentally, one of the major issues raised in Pastor Schimmel’s video is how much Darby borrowed from Irving. He argues that Darby was heavily influenced by Irving and the papers that flowed from his prophecy conferences. He also argues that Pre–Trib scholars have tried to ignore Irving’s influence because they are embarrassed by the fact that he was a Charismatic and that his life career ended tragically by being defrocked for heresy.

I have detected evidence of this in the writings of Tommy Ice, one of the Pre–Trib Rapture’s foremost defenders. When he discusses Edward Irving, he dismisses him out of hand by labeling him an historicist, whereas Darby was “a consistent futurist.” This may have been true, but what does it have to do with the issue of what they believed about a Pre–Trib Rapture? The answer is nothing. Tommy has also labeled me as an “inconsistent futurist” because I believe that end time prophecies are being fulfilled today, and yet I believe in a Pre–Trib Rapture.

I think Pastor Schimmel is correct on this point. I don’t think there is any doubt that Darby was influenced to some degree by his personal association with Irving and by his writings. But the fact that Irving’s career ended in disgrace does not invalidate his prophetic studies. For example, I happen to believe that many of the doctrines of the Catholic Church are terribly unbiblical, but I am not going to throw out the doctrine of the Trinity just because it happens also to be a Catholic doctrine.

I think this brief historical survey makes it clear that a number of people with varied backgrounds were seriously considering the idea of a Rapture separate and apart from the Second Coming long before John Darby came on the scene. And the interesting thing is that more and more ancient examples of people separating the Rapture from the Second Coming are being found continually.

Did the Pre-Trib Rapture Doctrine Begin With John Darby?

(Prophecy Watchers)

Join Mondo Gonzales as he interviews Lee Brainard regarding the often repeated myth that John Darby created the rapture teaching around 1830. Lee Brainard shares for the 1st time publicly his research into the Greek church fathers demonstrating unequivocally that the doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation rapture was alive and well in the early church. The fable involving John Darby should forever be laid to rest.

Too New to be True?

This brings us to one of the major arguments that Pastor Schimmel and the experts he features on his video present against the Pre–Trib Rapture doctrine — namely, it is too new to be true.

He starts out emphasizing this point by proving that none of the early Church Fathers had such an idea. As I mentioned earlier, the Church Fathers taught the imminence of the Lord’s return, but they evidently had not thought deeply about their teaching because as I have already pointed out, there can be no imminence without a Rapture that is separate and apart from the Second Coming.

It is always dangerous to base doctrine on the teachings of the Church Fathers. For one thing they were all vehemently anti–Semitic which led them to be proponents of Replacement Theology — the idea that God has replaced Israel with the Church. And with regard to prophecy, the greatest of the Church Fathers (in the sense of the one who had the greatest impact on the Church’s eschatology) was St. Augustine who spiritualized God’s Prophetic Word and came up with the theory of Amillennialism. (Prior to Augustine, the vast majority of the Church Fathers had held a Premillennial viewpoint.) Amillennialism was quickly adopted as doctrine by the Catholic Church around 431 AD and has remained the orthodox view of the end times for Catholicism to this day.

Once Amillennialism was adopted as orthodoxy there could be no further development of prophetic viewpoints because the Roman Catholic Church did not tolerate doctrinal alternatives. Anyone who came up with an interpretation of the Scriptures that varied from Catholic doctrine on any point was burned at the stake, together with their writings.

All that changed with the Reformation in the 16th Century. The masses got hold of Bibles, and people began to study God’s Word on their own. That led to many doctrinal challenges. The in–depth study of Bible prophecy began in earnest, and the Premillennial view of end time prophecy was revived. Also, people began to challenge the concepts of Replacement Theology, arguing that God has not replaced Israel with the Church and that God still has a purpose for the Jewish people.

The idea of salvation by grace through faith, revived by Luther in the 16th Century, could have been declared to be “too new to be true.” I’m sure some made that allegation. The same can be said of Premillennialism. After all, neither one had been taught in the Church for almost 1,100 years. And the idea that God still has a purpose for Israel was just unthinkable.

The point I am making is that there are some very good reasons why developments in the study of Bible prophecy were delayed.

There’s another very important point that must be made in response to the argument of “too new to be true.” It should be kept in mind that the Bible itself states that some end time prophecies will not be understood until the time comes for them to be fulfilled. Daniel was told this (Daniel 12:8–9) as was Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:20 and 30:24).

The Timing of the Rapture

Another argument against the Pre–Trib Rapture that is repeated over and over throughout the video is that “there is not one verse in the Bible that states that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins.” In fact the video begins and ends with a childish offer of $10,000 to anyone who can produce such a verse.

It is true that the Bible does not provide us with a declarative statement about the timing of the Rapture. Its timing is something that must be determined by inference or deduction. The same is true, for example, of the timing of the War of Gog and Magog which is described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Some place that war in the middle of the Tribulation while others argue it will start at the beginning of the Tribulation or that it will take place before the Tribulation begins.

But the idea that the Rapture will occur before the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week of Years is not something that was manufactured out of nothing. It is biblically based. Simply stated, the Church is promised immunity from the wrath of God (1 Thessalonians 1:10), and scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments describe Daniel’s 70th Week of Years as a time for the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the world (Jeremiah 30:4–7 and Revelation 6:17).

Further, there is no purpose for the Church in the Tribulation. This is true because the entire seven years of the Tribulation are part of the 490 years God has set aside for achieving His purposes among the Jewish people (Daniel 9:24–27).

And then there is the important issue of imminency. The scriptures urge us to live looking for the coming of the Lord and that His appearance could occur at any moment (Matthew 24:36 42, 44). Why should I be looking for the Lord if there are many prophecies that must be fulfilled before He can return, as is the case when you place the Rapture after the beginning of the Tribulation or combine it with the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation?

The Rapture vs The Second Coming

The one view of the Rapture’s timing that seems unsustainable to me is the Post–Trib view of Pastor Schimmel. This is the view that combines the Rapture with the Second Coming as all one event. How can that be when the descriptions of the two events are so radically different? How could they possibly be talking about the same event?

The only thing these two passages have in common is that they both focus on Jesus. If you combine them into one event, you end up with a strange Yo–Yo Rapture whereby the saints are caught up to Jesus in the sky and then immediately return to earth with Him.

Another problem with Pastor Schimmel’s Post–Trib view is that it does not provide for a population for the Millennial reign of Jesus. If the Rapture and the Second Coming are all one event, then all saints, living and dead, will be glorified when Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation. And since the Bible says that when Jesus returns, He will consign to death all those who have not accepted Him as Lord and Savior (Matthew 25:31–46), where then do you get the people who will enter the Millennium in the flesh and who will repopulate the earth?

In contrast, the Pre–Trib view provides a Millennial population because Christians — both living and dead — are glorified at the time of the Rapture. Then, seven years later when Jesus returns to earth, all those saved during the Tribulation and who live to the end of it, are allowed to enter the Millennium in the flesh.

There’s another sticky problem with Pastor Schimmel’s Post–Trib view. It has to do with the fact that the Bible teaches that no one can know the day or the hour of the Lord’s return. But the book of Revelation reveals that when the Antichrist signs a treaty with Israel, launching the Tribulation, Jesus will return exactly 2,520 days later (Revelation 11:3 and 12:6). So, those alive at the time the Tribulation begins will be able to calculate the exact date of the Lord’s return. Therefore, the statement that no one can know the day or the hour must apply to the Rapture and not the Second Coming, and that makes the Rapture an event that is separate and apart from the Second Coming.

Preaching the Gospel to all the World

Strangely, one of the most important arguments that Pastor Schimmel emphasizes against the Pre–Trib Rapture is that it takes the Church out of the world before it has finished its task of proclaiming the Gospel to all the world.

I say this is a strange argument because the Bible never says that the Church will accomplish that task. Rather, it teaches that the task will be accomplished by an angel who will be sent forth before the final pouring out of God’s wrath. This angel will circumnavigate the globe, proclaiming the “eternal Gospel” to “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” (Rev. 14:6).

2 Thessalonians 2:1–3

The cornerstone passage that Pastor Schimmel uses throughout his video to attack the Pre–Trib Rapture is found in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. It reads as follows:

1) Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,

2) that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction…

Pastor Schimmel argues that these verses clearly teach that the Rapture (“our gathering to Him”) will not occur until two things take place: the great apostasy and the revelation of the Antichrist. Since the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will not be revealed until after the Tribulation begins, this passage means the Church will be on earth during the Tribulation.

The problem is that almost every time this verse is quoted, the second verse is left out, making it sound like the “it” in verse 3 is referring to the “gathering” in verse 1. But when you read all the verses, it becomes obvious that the antecedent of “it” is really not the “gathering.” Instead, it is “the day of the Lord.” The gathering refers to the Rapture. The “day of the Lord refers” in this context to the Tribulation and the Millennium.

This passage is actually a very strong proof text for a Pre–Trib Rapture. Paul had obviously taught the Thessalonians about the Rapture and that it would occur before “the day of the Lord,” or the beginning of the Tribulation. But someone had sent them a fake letter from Paul claiming the day of the Lord had begun. Accordingly, they thought they had missed the Rapture! Paul tries to assure them that has not happened because the day of the Lord, the Tribulation, will not begin until the apostasy occurs and the Antichrist is revealed.

A Mystery

I wonder why a biblical doctrine that is supposed to be so wrong has been so marvelously blessed by the Lord?

The first best–selling Bible prophecy book in history was Jesus is Coming, written by William E. Blackstone and published in 1878. Blackstone was an American Evangelical and Christian Zionist. The book sold multi–millions of copies worldwide and was translated into 48 languages. It is still in print today. In the book, Blackstone affirmed his belief that the Jews would be gathered back to their homeland, and he endorsed the concept of a Pre–trib Rapture.

The Scofield Study Bible, first published by the Oxford Press in 1909 became the most popular such book in the world, and continues to be distributed worldwide today. Scofield was an ardent advocate of the Pre–Trib Rapture.

And then there are the sermons of Harry Ironside at the Moody Church in Chicago and W. A. Criswell at First Baptist Church in Dallas. Both taught the Pre–Trib Rapture, and their books have been greatly blessed with widespread distribution.

Or consider the fact that Hal Lindsey’s Pre–Trib book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was the number one best selling book (except the Bible) for ten consecutive years (1970–1980), only to be outdone by the Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins which have sold more than 60 million copies.

I think the Lord is trying to provide hope to His people in the midst of a rapidly darkening world by assuring them that they will escape the Tribulation that is on the horizon.

And yes, I used the word, escape. That word drives Post–Trib advocates like Pastor Schimmel up the wall because they think that Christians are called to suffer for the Lord during the Tribulation. But Jesus Himself is the one who used the word when He said that when we see all the end time signs converging, we are to pray that we might “escape all these things that are about to take place . . .” (Luke 21:36).

Conclusion

I see no biblical basis for combining the Rapture and the Second Coming. I believe the Bible clearly teaches that the Lord’s return will be in two stages — first, the Rapture and then the Second Coming.

There is plenty of room for disagreement about the timing of a Rapture that is separate and apart from the Second Coming. I believe the best inference of the Scriptures is that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins. Those who do not agree with that viewpoint should at least recognize that it is biblically based, and they should offer biblical arguments against it rather than rely on character assassination.

My Answers to Rapture Questions :: By Terry James

https://www.raptureready.com/2022/04/23/my-answers-to-rapture-questions-by-terry-james/

The questions and answers that follow were part of an interview conducted by Pastor Billy Crone. My prayerful hope is that it will help believers be always ready to answer those who question why we believe Jesus will call the Church to Himself before the Tribulation begins.

What is the biblical basis for a Rapture?

Jesus’ words in John 14:1–3
Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians 15:51—5
Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians 4: 13-18
2 Thessalonians chapter 2—“Departure”
Revelation 3: 10

What do you see is the purpose of the Rapture?

To keep Christ’s Bride, the Church, out of the time of testing or Tribulation.
To separate God’s prophetic programs for the Church from those for Israel.

How would you respond to those who say that the word “rapture” does not appear in the Bible?

Neither do the word “Trinity” or “Bible.” The evidence is clear: the doctrine of Rapture is there in the total context of a number of scriptural references.

The Greek [word for rapture] is harpazo, for “catching up” or “snatching.” Later, the Latin Vulgate put it as raptura, from which the word “rapture” comes.

What are the benefits of the doctrine of imminency?

The prime benefit is that imminency should encourage all believers to always be ready for Christ’s any-moment intervention into the affairs of fallen man. It should make people want to live righteously. “Be ye always ready, for in a time ye think not, the son of man cometh”—Matthew 24:44.

How would you respond to those who say, “There is not one verse in the Bible that supports the pre-Trib position of the Rapture”?

I would say, “You are incorrect.” Revelation 3:10 is a promise to Church Age believers to be kept out of the Tribulation. Additionally, there are a number of verses that make the case for a pre-Trib Rapture.

The best single verse to indicate a pre-Trib Rapture is Revelation 3: 10. Second Thessalonians 2:3 is another passage that strongly indicates believers will be raptured before the Tribulation.

What precisely does Paul mean when he says that “the falling away” (2:3) must come before the Tribulation?

(Note: The Greek word apostasia is used as asfestimi in this instance of “falling away.” It means a spatial departure rather than a departure from faith.) The definite article “the” denotes that this will be a definite event, an event distinct from the appearance of the Man of Sin. The Greek word for “falling away,” taken by itself, does not mean religious apostasy or defection. Neither does the word mean “to fall,” as the Greeks have another word for that. [pipto, “I fall”; TDI].

The best translation of the word is “to depart.” The Apostle Paul refers here to a definite event which he calls “the departure,” and which will occur just before the start of the Tribulation. This is the Rapture of the Church. So the word has the core meaning of “departure,” and it depends upon the context to determine whether it is used to mean physical departure or an abstract departure, such as departure from the faith.

[Translation History—The first seven English translations of apostasia all rendered the noun as either “departure” or “departing.” They are as follows: Wycliffe Bible (1384); Tyndale Bible (1526); Coverdale Bible (1535); Cranmer Bible (1539); Breeches Bible (1576); Beza Bible (1583); Geneva Bible (1608).]

This supports the notion that the word truly means “departure.” In fact, Jerome’s Latin translation known as the Vulgate, from around the time of AD 400, renders apostasia with the word discessio, meaning “departure.”

Where in the Bible do you see the Church absent from the seven-year Tribulation?

Revelation 3:10 is part of the first three chapters of the Revelation. The Church is addressed nineteen times through chapter 3. The voice is heard saying, “Come up here!” at the beginning of chapter 4. The saints of the Church Age aren’t mentioned again until Christ returns with the saints in Revelation 19:11.

How would you respond to those who say the seven-year Tribulation does not include a full seven years of God’s wrath?

Daniel the prophet said that from the decree going forth to rebuild the wall and the sanctuary (Temple), seventy weeks (prophetic weeks—490 years) are determined on “thy people”—Israel.

Antichrist (the “prince that shall come,” will confirm the covenant for one prophetic week (seven years) of that seventy-weeks prophecy. That last week of seven years will begin with a covenant made by Antichrist. Daniel’s prophecy tells of the peace that will destroy many—Daniel 8:25, Isaiah 28:15–18—for one week. That is, seven prophetic days (or seven years in Daniel’s 490 years prophecy) from when the command went forth to rebuild the city and sanctuary. Daniel 9: 27 indicates this sets in motion the final seven years leading to Armageddon and Christ’s return—the Tribulation era, the last three and one half of which will be “Great” Tribulation (Matthew 24:21, Jeremiah 30:7).

When this “prince” comes riding forth on the white horse offering peace (Revelation 6:1), the seals have been opened and the last seven years run their course from that point.

How would you respond to those who say that the pre-Trib position is unfair?

God is sovereign. He alone can determine what His program for the consummation of human history will be. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sin of mankind, that anyone who believes in Him, according to John 3: 16 and Romans 10:9–10, can have eternal life.

The Rapture is part of His plan for humanity. It is up to humanity to accept His plan, not the other way around—i.e., God adjusting to fit what mankind might consider “fair.”

Also, Romans chapter 1 says that all have been given light for achieving escape from God’s judgment. They are “without excuse.”

How would you respond to those who say that the pre-Trib position encourages laziness?

Everyone I know who truly studies God’s Word and believes the pre-Trib view it presents are busy carrying out the Great Commission and trying to live a life worthy of being Christ’s followers. The doctrine of imminency should make Christians aware of the times and have them looking for their Lord’s sudden appearance (Titus 2: 13).

I say without reservation that the pre-Trib view of the Rapture makes the true student of Bible prophecy much more aware of Christ’s coming again and what that entails. That creates enthusiasm to hear the words “Well done, good, faithful servant” from Jesus when He appears.

How would you respond to those who say the pre-Trib position is teaching a “secret” Rapture?

I don’t know why they call it a “secret.” Paul was very plain and thorough in showing this “mystery.” Jesus first gave it as recorded in John 14:1–3. This is the “mystery” Paul made clear. It’s right there in the Scripture. It’s no secret.

It will be a total shock and surprise to those who don’t know Christ, the Bible says. It will come as a “thief in the night” to the lost. Unfortunately, it will come as a shock to most Christians, too. But, they are going to Christ when He calls anyway.

Also, Jesus, in the “days of Noah, days of Lot” passages of Matthew 24:36–42 and Luke 17:26–30, which is a Rapture reference, says it will be a time when He is “revealed.” This is not a secret coming. Everyone will know something major has just occurred.

How would you respond to those who say that the pre-Trib position is a “recent” teaching and therefore must be rejected?

Again, I go back to the Apostle Paul, who plainly taught it as recorded in His second letter to the Thessalonians (chapter 2). Also, a number of the early church fathers made reference to their belief in a pre-Trib view.

How would you respond to those who say that John Darby is the one who came up with the pre-Trib Rapture?

Jesus came up with it. Paul revealed the mystery the disciples didn’t know at the time. John Darby turned it into a systematic presentation/study.

How would you respond to those who say that John Darby received the idea of a pre-Trib Rapture from Margaret McDonald?

According to the history of the matter, letters show that Darby wrote about the Rapture in 1827 while recovering from a riding accident, and that Margaret McDonald’s supposed visions weren’t given until 1830.

How would you respond to those who say the Church is in Matthew 24?

I would say that Jesus is talking about the Rapture, which involves the Church, in Matthew 24:36–42. That is the “days of Noah, days of Lot” prophecy.

He talks, in that Olivet Discourse chapter, about His coming again at “an hour ye think not.” Both of these prophecies have to, in my view, be addressed to the Church.

The Lord could not have been talking about His coming at a business-as-usual time like is indicated in the “days of Noah and Lot” prophecy when addressing the Second Advent. As much as three-fourths of the earth’s population will have died during the previous seven years of that period. It will not be business as usual during the Tribulation.

Tribulation saints will be able to count down to the exact time the Lord is returning, [thus] Jesus’ words about “in a time you think not” (Matthew 24:44).

What are your biggest issues with—and why do you disagree with—the post-Trib position?

Because it’s not in the Bible. The pre-Trib position is taught by Paul and makes the best total sense of the whole matter. It is the position that brings everything into logical perspective.

The best argument against it is that the Bible plainly presents a Millennial Reign of Christ. It also plainly teaches that flesh and blood must be in that kingdom to procreate, because there will be peoples as ubiquitous as “the sands of the sea.”

If all believers are lifted to be with Christ at the end of the Tribulation, they are no longer flesh and blood, but flesh and bone. They are in their translated bodies like Jesus. They are perfect, and at any rate, do not procreate in Heaven, according to Jesus’ own words on marriage and the activity of Heaven’s citizenry.

All left on earth when Christ returns, if all believers were raptured at the end of that era, would be lost, thus would be cast into “outer darkness” at the sheep/goats judgment of Matthew 25.

No one would be left to populate the earth. Jesus says there will be flesh-and-blood people left after the sheep/goats judgment to repopulate the millennial earth.

What are your biggest issues with—and why do you disagree with—the pre-Wrath position?

Because I believe the word of God puts forth that not just the last three and one-half years, but the full seven years of the Tribulation, Daniel’s Seventieth Week, is the wrath of God upon the rebels of planet earth.

Daniel 9:26–27 presents that with the confirming of the covenant by the prince that shall come. The last seven years will, from that point on, be an era that will punish the anti-God masses. It says of Antichrist and those final years, “and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Revelation chapter 6 presents Antichrist as coming on the scene after the opening of the first seal. He confirms the covenant God says is made with “death and hell.” it is this agreement with Antichrist to be the world’s savior that invokes the wrath of God. It occurs at the very beginning of the seven years—Daniel’s Seventieth Week.

What are your biggest issues with—and why do you disagree with—the mid-Trib position?

Because, with the opening of the first seal, the wrath of God begins with the confirming of the covenant of false peace at the very beginning of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, as explained above. Jesus promised that believers (His Church) will be kept out of the very time of that era of God’s wrath (Revelation 3:10).

Believers of the Church Age cannot go through even one hour of that terrible time.

What are your biggest issues with—and why do you disagree with—a partial-Rapture position?

My primary reason is that the Apostle Paul, in the 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonian prophecies of the Rapture, uses the word “all.” He uses in conjunction the pronoun “we” (meaning all believers in Christ). He didn’t say “some,” He said “all.” He says we shall “all be changed.” There is no room in that prophecy for some to go and some to be left behind when it comes to born-again believers.

What kind of a response have you received and/or encountered with those who disagree with the pre-Trib position?

I receive weekly very harsh words, some even accusing me of leading people to Hell. They most always say to begin with that they once believed in the pre-Trib view but have, after reading what the Bible says, now believe in another view.

They also accuse us who teach the pre-Trib view as causing people to not recognize Antichrist when he comes on the scene.

Most of the email I get from these are angry, but they start off asking questions. As soon as I respond to their questions, they begin telling me that I am wrong—and are quite angry with their words.

What would you encourage those who disagree with the pre-Trib position to do differently in how they handle the varying positions on the Rapture?

I would encourage them to be more civil in their opposition. Most don’t back up their claims with relevant passages.

I would encourage them to study and pray earnestly over the Scriptures on the matter and stop reading books only by those who are anti-Rapture writers.

These always want to debate. I would advise them to stop seeking to debate those of us who know the pre-Trib view to be truth from God’s Word, and instead just teach their views, if they are that convicted.

I no longer debate, but teach, the pre-Trib view to those who truly want to know what the Scriptures say about the Rapture.

My Answers to Rapture Questions

Looking For Jesus

Looking For Jesus By Hal Lindsey

https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-1-16-2022/

On the list of end-time events, nothing has to happen before Jesus snatches His people from the face of the earth. That means the rapture could happen many years from now, or any second now. The Bible calls it our “blessed hope.” Titus 2:13 says, “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” [NKJV]

Notice that we are not looking for the appearing of Antichrist, but of Jesus Christ. A lot of Christians now believe that Antichrist must appear before the rapture. They base this on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3.

“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” [NASB]

People often confuse “the day of the Lord” and “the rapture.” A study of the day of the Lord in both the New and Old Testaments shows that it is not a single day, but an epoch. It begins at the beginning of the seven years of tribulation (also known as “Daniel’s Seventieth Week”). It ends at the end of the millennium. But the rapture happens before the day of the Lord.

Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians about a pretribulation rapture and about the day of the Lord. Sometime after he left, a group began teaching that the day of the Lord had begun. To the Thessalonians, this meant they had missed the rapture — a notion that shook them to the core.

Paul tells them to remember what he taught them about the day of the Lord. Daniel 9:27 says that the tribulation (“Daniel’s Seventieth Week”) begins when “the prince who is to come” (Antichrist) makes a treaty with Israel. Before Antichrist can make such a significant treaty, he will obviously have to arrive on the world scene. So, before the tribulation can begin, Antichrist must have risen to a high level of power and prominence, probably as leader of the European Union or its successor.

He cannot rise to such a position now because Satan’s work on earth is being restrained. Paul went on to write, “Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.” [2 Thessalonians 2:5-8, NASB]

The restrainer is the Holy Spirit working through the Church. At the rapture, that restraint on Satan will be taken out of the way. The teaching here is clear. The day of the Lord cannot begin until the rise of Antichrist, and Antichrist cannot rise until the Church has been taken out of the way. Therefore, the rapture must take place before the tribulation.

People who believe that the Antichrist must appear before the rapture face a conundrum. Instead of looking for the appearing of Christ, they must look for the appearing of Antichrist. But as we just read in Titus 2:13, we are to be “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In other words, we are looking for life, not death; love, not hate; and so, we look forward with joy rather than despair.

The Wheat and Tares :: by Kent Crockett

https://www.raptureready.com/wheat-tares-kent-crockett/

Some people try to use the parable of the wheat and the tares to prove that the rapture can’t happen before the Second Coming (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43). Jesus said to allow the wheat and tares to grow together until the harvest (v.30). Here is the pre-tribulation view of this parable.

First, Jesus is specially talking about the “end of the age” which is the Second Coming.

Second, the slaves asked if they should gather up the tares (not the wheat) before the harvest. Jesus said the tares are “the sons of the evil one” (Matt. 13:38). Jesus didn’t want the lost people to be judged and removed before the end of the age because He wants to give them time to repent and be saved. The wicked will not be judged and removed from the earth before the Second Coming.

Third, although Jesus specifically forbids the removal of the wicked, He did not forbid the removal of the righteous. Only those who are “in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven at the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16-17). After the rapture occurs, many who have been left behind on earth will be saved. When Jesus said to allow the wheat and tares to grow together until the harvest, He didn’t mean that the saved and lost (wheat and tares) would never die before the Second Coming. That cannot be the interpretation because many saved and lost people are separated by death every day. He was teaching that there will be a continual sowing of good seed (parable of the sower, Matt. 13:1-8) and a counter-sowing by Satan (parable of the tares, Matt. 13:38-39) until the end of this age. At the Second Coming, both the righteous and wicked will be gathered and separated (v.39-43).

Fourth, the good seed are called the “sons of the kingdom” (v.38), those who will go alive in their natural bodies into the millennial kingdom.

Fifth, at the Second Coming the tares are gathered first (Matt. 13:30). This can’t be the rapture, where the Christians are gathered first and the lost are left behind. The Rapture is not the harvest. The Second Coming is the harvest.

Sixth, the wheat (saved) are gathered, not resurrected. People in resurrected bodies don’t need to be gathered. Both the wheat and the tares are gathered by the angels, meaning these people are in their natural bodies.

The Wheat and Tares

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the midtribulational view of the rapture (midtribulationism)?

https://www.gotquestions.org/midtribulationism.html

Midtribulationism teaches that the rapture occurs at the midpoint of the tribulation. At that time, the seventh trumpet sounds (Revelation 11:15), the church will meet Christ in the air, and then the bowl judgments are poured upon the earth (Revelation 15—16) in a time known as the great tribulation. In other words, the rapture and Christ’s second coming (to set up His kingdom) are separated by a period of three and a half years. According to this view, the church goes through the first half of the tribulation but is spared the worst of the tribulation in the last three and a half years. Very close to midtribulationism is the belief in a “pre-wrath” rapture, i.e., a belief that the church is caught up to heaven before the “great day of … wrath” comes (Revelation 6:17).

In support of their view, midtribulationists point to the chronology given in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3. The order of events is as follows: 1) apostasy, 2) the revelation of the Antichrist, and 3) the day of Christ. The midtribulational view teaches that the Antichrist will not be decisively revealed until “the abomination that causes desolation” (Matthew 24:15), which occurs at the midpoint of the tribulation (Daniel 9:27). Midtribulationists use Daniel 7:25, which says the Antichrist will have power over the “saints” for three and a half years, to bolster their point—they assume this is the first half of the tribulation and that the saints spoken of are the church. Also, they interpret “the day of Christ” as the rapture; therefore, the church will not be caught up to heaven until after the Antichrist is revealed.

Another foundational teaching of midtribulationism is that the trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 is the same trumpet mentioned in Revelation 11:15. The trumpet of Revelation 11 is the final in a series of trumpets; therefore, it makes sense that it would be “the last trumpet” of 1 Corinthians 15. This logic fails, however, in view of the trumpets’ objectives. The trumpet that sounds at the rapture is “the trumpet call of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16), but the one in Revelation 11 is a harbinger of judgment. One trumpet is a call of grace to God’s elect; the other is a pronouncement of doom on the wicked. Further, the seventh trumpet in Revelation is not the “last” trumpet chronologically—Matthew 24:31 speaks of a later trumpet that sounds at the commencement of Christ’s kingdom.

First Thessalonians 5:9 says that the church has not been appointed “to suffer wrath but to receive salvation.” This would seem to indicate that believers will not experience the tribulation. However, midtribulationism interprets “wrath” as only referring to the second half of the tribulation—specifically, the bowl judgments. Limiting the word in such a way seems unwarranted, however. Surely the terrible judgments contained in the seals and trumpets—including famine, poisoned rivers, a darkened moon, bloodshed, earthquakes, and torment—could also be considered the wrath of God.

Midtribulationism places the rapture in Revelation 11, prior to the start of the great tribulation. There are two problems with this placement in the chronology of Revelation. First, the only occurrence of the term “great tribulation” in the entire book of Revelation is in 7:14, before the opening of the seventh seal. Second, the only reference to a “great day of wrath” is in Revelation 6:17, during the events of the sixth seal. Both of these references come too early for a midtribulational rapture, which is timed according to the seventh trumpet.

And a final weakness of the midtribulational view is shared by the other two theories: namely, the Bible does not give an explicit timeline concerning future events. Scripture does not expressly teach one view over another, and that is why we have diversity of opinion concerning the end times and some variety on how the related prophecies should be harmonized.

Is the last trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4 the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation?

https://www.gotquestions.org/last-trumpet.html

Those who hold to a mid-tribulation rapture teach that the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15 and the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are identical. Those who teach a pretribulation rapture identify them as separate events. What difference does it make, and how can we know the truth?

Why does it matter whether or not the trumpets are the same? God has given us His Word as the revelation of His plan of redemption, and that plan covers everything from creation to the new creation. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” There are many things that God has chosen to reveal to us, and it is important for us to understand them so that we can obey Him. We don’t always understand why He does things, but we are called to trust Him for the parts we don’t understand and to study to understand the rest. As we look at the texts about these trumpets, it becomes clear that they are part of a chronology that God has given us of events in the last days. Whether or not we are still living when those events come to pass, they involve us, so we ought to know what God has revealed to us.

The book of Revelation has sometimes been viewed as a book of mystery, yet the title itself implies something brought out of hiding. More specifically, it is “the revelation of Jesus Christ . . . to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Revelation 1:1). God wants us to know what is going to happen, so we can be prepared, and to help us in calling others to repentance. Beginning in chapter 6, we are given a chronological record of things that will happen in the last days. There is a series of seven seals, then a series of seven trumpets, then a series of seven bowls of wrath. We read in Revelation 11:15, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.’” In the context, this seems to come around the middle of the tribulation period.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is writing to believers concerning the transition from this life to eternal life. Our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal, incorruptible bodies, prepared for the eternal kingdom of God. Verse 52 says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Paul addresses the same subject to the Thessalonians, and specifically connects it with the Second Coming of Christ. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

There is no question that God has revealed these things to us and that He intends for us to be encouraged and instructed by them. The question is whether these trumpets are the same. If they are the same, then the rapture of the church happens in the middle of the tribulation period, and saints need to be prepared to endure those trials. If they are not the same, then we need to know when the last trump will sound, so that we can be prepared for it. In order to find out whether they are the same, we can compare the events they are associated with.

It is clear that the first two passages (Corinthians and Thessalonians) fit together, but the third doesn’t appear to have any correlation in either the events described or the intended results. The argument connecting them has to depend on the meaning of the word last in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The Greek word eschatos can mean either “last in point of time” or “last in point of sequence.” This trumpet sounds before the wrath of God descends, yet Revelation 6:17 speaks of the wrath of the Lamb as having come, and the seventh trumpet doesn’t sound until Revelation 11:15. The trumpet of 1 Thessalonians is given in a moment, whereas Revelation 10:7 indicates that the seventh trumpet will be sounded for a number of days. Even though the seventh trumpet is the last one described in Revelation, Matthew 24:31 indicates there is yet another trumpet which will sound “after the tribulation of those days,” when Christ returns to the earth, which parallels with Revelation 19.

If the “last trumpet” of 1 Corinthians 15 is not the same as the seventh trumpet, then what was Paul referring to? Both 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians were written long before John wrote Revelation, so Paul’s readers would have no knowledge of the seven trumpets of Revelation. Paul intended for them to understand what he was writing about, so we need to look elsewhere for clarification. Paul’s writing was distinctly in reference to the church and the closing of the church age at the rapture. Throughout Scripture, trumpets were used as signals to gather people, to set armies on the move, and as part of the worship of God. The trumpet that summons the church is called “the trump of God,” while those in Revelation are angelic trumpets. Since it is a summoning trumpet, we can look to the Old Testament for further understanding. Numbers 10 gives instruction to Israel about the use of trumpets to call an assembly of the people and to set them in motion. The first trumpet blast (v. 4) called the leaders together, while a continual blowing was an alarm for the people. A series of trumpet blasts was the signal for each group of tribes to begin their journey, and the last blast indicated the movement of the last group in the camp. Similarly, 1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of different orders, or ranks, in the resurrection: “Every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.” Further, 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 divides Christ’s own into two groups—the dead in Christ and those who are alive and remain.

So, if the trumpet is the call for saints to assemble and journey to heaven, what does that mean for us? Jesus said that no one knows when the Day of the Lord will begin (Matthew 24:36), and 1 Thessalonians 5:2 describes it as coming as a thief in the night, without warning. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, we are told to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, we do not know when the trumpet will sound, so we are to be always ready. While we may not know the day or hour, we have been given enough information to know it can happen at any moment. We are to be ready, putting on the armor of God, because we have been appointed to receive salvation through Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:8–9).

Mid-Trib Rapture

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-wrath view of the rapture?

https://www.gotquestions.org/pre-wrath-rapture.html

There are many opinions regarding eschatology (the doctrine of future things). However, almost all Christians agree on three things: 1) there will be a future time of tribulation, 2) after that time of trouble, Jesus will return to establish His kingdom, and, 3) believers will be translated from their mortal state to an immortal one—in other words, there will be a rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). One remaining question is, when will the rapture occur in relation to the tribulation and Christ’s second coming?

The three basic theories concerning the timing of the rapture are pretribulationism, which places the rapture before the tribulation; midtribulationism, which places the rapture at or near the midpoint of the tribulation; and posttribulationism, which places the rapture at the end of the tribulation. Somewhat closely related to midtribulationism is the belief in a “pre-wrath” rapture, which is the subject of this article.

The pre-wrath rapture theory says that the rapture occurs before the “great day of . . . wrath” (Revelation 6:17). According to the pre-wrath view, believers go through most of the tribulation but not the time of God’s wrath just before the end of the tribulation (Matthew 24:21). The church will endure Satan’s fury and man’s persecution, but will be spared God’s wrath. Before God pours out His final judgment on the world, the church will be caught up to heaven. Here is a brief summary of the pre-wrath rapture position.

The pre-wrath rapture theory views the trumpet and the bowl judgments (Revelation 7–16) as the wrath of God, from which the church is exempted (1 Thessalonians 5:9). However, the first six seal judgments (Revelation 6) are not considered the wrath of God; rather, they are viewed as “the wrath of Satan” or “the wrath of the antichrist.” This is because there is no direct mention of God’s wrath until after the sixth seal is broken (Revelation 6:17). According to the pre-wrath rapture theory, the church will be present to experience the first six seals.

Comparing Revelation 6 with Matthew 24, the pre-wrath rapture theorists identify the first seal judgments with Jesus’ description of the end times in Matthew 24:4-7. Jesus then refers to these events as “the beginning of birth pains” (verse 8). In verses 29 and 30, “the sign of the Son of Man” appears in the sky, and it is at this time, according to the pre-wrath rapture theory, that the rapture of the church occurs.

One weakness of the pre-wrath rapture position is its presumption that the “elect” mentioned in Matthew 24:22, 31 are church-age saints. These saints could just as easily be individuals saved during the seven-year tribulation; in fact, Jesus tells those who flee the antichrist’s persecution to pray that their flight does not occur “on the Sabbath” (verse 20). Since the church is not under the Mosaic law and does not keep the Sabbath, Jesus’ words cannot be directed to the church.

Another flaw in the pre-wrath rapture theory is its teaching that the first seal judgments are not the wrath of God. Scripture shows that it is the Lamb who opens the seals (Revelation 5:5; 6:1). No other man is found worthy to open them (5:3-4). It would seem, then, these are not man’s judgments, but God’s. The tribulation begins when Jesus opens the first seal, and from that point on, the wrath of God is meted out on a sinful world.

A final weakness of the pre-wrath rapture view is shared by the other theories: viz., the Bible does not give an explicit time line concerning future events. Scripture does not expressly teach one view over another, and that is why we have diversity of opinion concerning the end times and some variety on how the related prophecies should be harmonized.

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the pre-wrath view of the rapture?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the posttribulational view of the rapture (posttribulationism)?

https://www.gotquestions.org/posttribulationism.html

When considering any question involving eschatology (the study of end times), it is important to remember that almost all Christians agree on these three things:

1) There is coming a time of great tribulation such as the world has never seen,
2) After the Tribulation, Christ will return to establish His kingdom on earth,
3) There will be a Rapture—a “catching away” from mortality to immortality—for believers as described in John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. The only question regards the timing of the Rapture: when will it occur in relation to the Tribulation and the Second Coming?

There are primarily three theories about the timing of the Rapture: the belief that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins (pretribulationism), the belief that the Rapture will occur at the midpoint of the Tribulation (midtribulationism), and the belief that the Rapture will occur at the end of the Tribulation (posttribulationism). This article deals specifically with the posttribulational view.

Posttribulationism teaches that the Rapture occurs at the end, or near the end, of the Tribulation. At that time, the church will meet Christ in the air and then return to earth for the commencement of Christ’s Kingdom on earth. In other words, the Rapture and Christ’s Second Coming (to set up His Kingdom) happen almost simultaneously. According to this view, the church goes through the entire seven-year Tribulation. Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy, and many Protestant denominations espouse a posttribulational view of the Rapture.

One strength of posttribulationism is that Jesus, in His extended discourse on the end times, says He will return after a “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21, 29). Also, the book of Revelation, with all its various prophecies, mentions only one coming of the Lord—and that occurs after the Tribulation (Revelation 19-20). Passages such as Revelation 13:7 and 20:9 also lend support to posttribulationism in that there will obviously be saints in the Tribulation. Also, the resurrection of the dead in Revelation 20:5 is called “the first resurrection.” Posttribulationists assert that, since this “first” resurrection takes place after the Tribulation, the resurrection associated with the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 cannot occur until then.

Posttribulationists also point out that, historically, God’s people have experienced times of intense persecution and trial. Therefore, they say, it should not be surprising that the church also experiences the Great Tribulation of the end times. In relation to this, the posttribulational view distinguishes “Satan’s wrath” (or “man’s wrath”) from “God’s wrath” in the book of Revelation. Satan’s wrath is directed against the saints, and God allows it as a means of purifying His faithful. On the other hand, God’s wrath is poured out on the Antichrist and his godless kingdom, and God will protect His people from that punishment.

One weakness of posttribulationism is the clear teaching of Scripture that those who are in Christ are not under condemnation and will never experience the wrath of God (Romans 8:1). While some judgments during the Tribulation specifically target the unsaved, many other judgments, such as the earthquakes, falling stars, and famines, will affect the saved and unsaved equally. Thus, if believers go through the Tribulation, they will experience the wrath of God, in contradiction of Romans 8:1.

Posttribulationists also face a difficulty in explaining the absence of the word church in all biblical passages related to the tribulation. Even in Revelation 4 — 21, the lengthiest description of the tribulation in all of Scripture, the word church never appears. Posttribulationists must assume that the word saints in Revelation 4 — 21 means the church, although a different Greek word is used.

And a final weakness of the posttribulational view is shared by the other two theories: namely, the Bible does not give an explicit time line concerning future events. Scripture does not expressly teach one view over another, and that is why we have diversity of opinion concerning the end times and some variety on how the related prophecies should be harmonized.

Post Tribulation Rapture

The Biblical Calendar - Based on Israel's Harvests

https://www.alionhasroared.org/index.php/feast-days/the-biblical-calendar/

The Biblical Calendar

We would like to follow God’s request to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. But in order to understand when to celebrate His Sabbaths and Feasts, we need to have an understanding of the Biblical Calendar. If we allow Scripture alone to lead us, we can learn the Bible truth about God’s calendar.

Click here to download a PDF of this document: The Biblical Calendar

The Bible will show:

God established a Biblical calendar and He uses this calendar to identify His holy days for us to meet with Him.
On the fourth day of Creation He placed signs in the sky to mark this calendar.
The Biblical year revolves around the harvest season.
The year begins with the month when there are ripening heads of barley in late Spring and ends in Fall when the harvest is fully gathered in.
The sign in the heavens that marks the beginning of the year is the moon, not the Vernal Equinox of the sun.
The moon also marks the beginning of each month.
The first visible crescent of the moon after sunset marks the start of the first day of the month.
Christians and Messianic Believers should observe the harvest and the moon in their unique locations instead of relying on observations in Jerusalem.

We can begin with this verse in Genesis:

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs,H226 and for seasons,H4150 and for days, and years.” (Genesis 1:14)

This verse tells us specific facts about the Biblical Calendar.

God established His calendar on the 4th day of Creation.
The word “seasons” is the Hebrew word H4150 moed which are God’s appointed meeting times. From the 4th day of Creation, God intended to use His calendar to identify His appointments, which include the weekly Sabbath and His Feasts (Leviticus 23).[1]
The “lights in the firmament of the heaven” are signs (H226 oth) and will be used to mark this calendar.
He placed this calendar in the sky for everyone to see, so no one needs to use the internet or follow someone else to determine the Biblical Calendar.

The Harvest

The next thing we learn about this calendar is that God has a preference for the starting point of the year. God told Moses,

“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Exodus 12:2)

In the same conversation, God mentions the name of this first month of the year.

“On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.H24” (Exodus 13:4)

From this passage in Exodus 12-13, we can learn that the first month of the year is the same month in which the ancient Hebrews made their great Exodus from Egypt. We also learn that God named this month “Abib.” When we discover the meaning of this word “Abib” we will find that this name alone ties the month to the agricultural growing season.

Looking at this word Abib in a couple of Hebrew dictionaries might give us deeper insight into the meaning of the text.

Abib, Strong’s number H24 = ear, tender, young, green ears of grain.
Strong’s Definition: pronounced aw-beeb’. “From an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, that is a young ear of grain; hence the name of the month Abib or Nisan: – Abib, ear, green ears of corn.”
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions: “1) fresh, young barley ears, barley, 2) month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, month of exodus and passover (March or April).”

The first month of the year is named after the condition of the grain when it is tender, green and going to seed.

Season

If we want to know what season of the year this first month falls in, we can find the answer in Scripture by examining the condition of the crops during the time the seventh plague fell on Egypt.

God said to Pharaoh,

“Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now. Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die. . . .
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.’
“And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.
“So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.” (Exodus 9:18-25)

This plague of hail fell in the same month that Jehovah brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt. This was the month of the Exodus and the Passover. This was the month named Abib.

In Exodus 9:31-32 we see four different crops mentioned. Of these, only the barley was in the state of abib. The barley had gone to seed, the flax was flowering, and the wheat and spelt were either not yet sprouted out of the ground or were tender grass that was able to bounce back after the hail. The barley itself is not important except that it helps place the timing of this particular month.

“Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the headH24 and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops.” (Exodus 9:31-32 NKJV)

This verse tells us “the barley was in the head.” If you understand the growing cycle, you will recognize that the barley had developed a seed head. The King James Version says,

“The barley was in the ear.H24 ”

In the original Hebrew language, this word “in the head” or “in the ear” is the same word H24 abib. “The barley was abib,” and the month was called Abib, showing that this month corresponded to the particular time in which the barley was in seed.

Firstfruits

In conjunction with His decree to keep this as the first month, God gave further instructions that in this same month His people were to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This Feast included a wave sheaf offering of firstfruits somewhere between the 15th and 21st days of this month.

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’” (Leviticus 23:10-11)

God then stated that no part of the new crop could be eaten until this offering had been presented.

“You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:14)

Both of these passages in Leviticus 23 also tie the first month of the year to the harvest season through the concept of the firstfruit offering.

When we look to Scripture to learn more about this “firstfruits offering,” we will find that it was made with a sheaf of grain which was in the state of abib or in the stage when there were fully dried kernels ready for threshing. This is explained in Leviticus 2, but we must refer to the original Hebrew in order to see the full explanation of the condition of the firstfruit offering.

“If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the Lord, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain [H24 abib] roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads.” (Leviticus 2:14 NKJV)

Again, from a different Bible version:

“And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of cornH24 dried by the fire, even corn beatenH1643 out of full ears.H3759: ” (Leviticus 2:14 KJV)

From the Hebrew, we can discover the deeper meaning of this verse.

green ears of corn, H24 abib = grain in the stage called “abib.”
corn beaten, H1653 geres = kernels. There is actually no verb here that refers to being “beaten,” but geres is actually referring to grain that is dried and ready to be beaten out.
out of full ears, H3759 karmel = a planted field, the fruitful field. This tells us the sheaf of the firstfruits has been newly pulled from the fruitful field. But there is more to discover behind this phrase.

A more literal translation would read: “You shall offer for your firstfruits, green heads of grain roasted on the fire or ripened kernels of grain taken directly out of the fruitful field.”

This description shows two different stages of the ripening of the grain: 1) When it is in the stage of abib, and 2) when it is fully dried and ready to be threshed. A firstfruits offering of any kind can be offered to the Lord in either of these stages.

This text also tells us that this firstfruits sheaf was freshly taken out of the fruitful field when it was offered. A traveler would cut this sheaf and then immediately carry it the several days walk to Jerusalem for the Feast. This could not be grain that was left over from last year.

Barley in Abib

The barley crop, as shown by its stage of development during the Egyptian plagues, was the first crop of the year. From Scripture, we also know it was the only crop that was in the state of abib during the month that the Lord called “abib.” From this we also know that the wave sheaf offered during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is going to be the firstfruits of the barley crop.

But the description of the firstfruit offering we found in Leviticus 2 leaves the start of the year fairly open to interpretation unless we can understand the condition of the crop when it is called “abib.” Is that when you see the very first green heads of grain forming on the barley? Is it, as some are claiming, when there is starch within the kernel? Or is it in the next month when this grain is getting closer to the time it will be harvested? What is the Bible’s definition of “abib?” Let’s allow the Bible to answer this question.

Throughout the growing season, the people could offer the firstfruits of each and every crop, including the firstfruits of the wheat harvest which comes at the Feast of Pentecost. In this way, the development of the wheat harvest could also help us place the first month of the year because it ripens 50 days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

In Deuteronomy, we are shown this relationship between the barley and wheat harvests and we are also given the answer to the question of “Does the year start with the first appearance of seed heads on the barley, or later when it is more developed?” With the instructions for counting 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost, we find the answer we are looking for.

“You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.” (Deuteronomy 16:9)

The same day that you begin counting to 50 for the Feast of Pentecost, is the same day as the wave sheaf offering during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This verse clarifies that the day of the wave sheaf offering is not so early in the season that you have the very first visible green seed heads. It must be at the time when you are immediately ready to begin the harvest by putting “the sickle to the grain.”

Year’s End

The proper timing for this first month of the year can only be placed if consideration is also given to the end of the year which comes in the 7th month. Additional evidence comes with the injunction to keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year.

“And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest [Pentecost], and the Feast of Ingathering [Tabernacles or Sukkot] at the year’s end.” (Exodus 34:22)

This text further emphasizes that the yearly cycle and the Feasts revolve around the harvest season. It also helps to develop the timeline of the new year. By the end of the seventh month, the harvest needed to be complete, the grain sown for the next year and the food preserved for the winter months. This was truly a Thanksgiving festival to be held after the harvest was complete.

For further evidence, Scripture gives us this text about this Feast of Ingathering:

“. . . and the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered inH622(H853) thy labors out of the field.” (Exodus 23:16)

This phrase “gathered in” is accompanied by a second Strong’s word, H853 eyth which gives it the extra emphasis of completion, surety or finality. Then Deuteronomy 16:13 completes the explanation of the timing of this feast in the 7th month.

“Thou shalt observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gatheredH622 in thy cornH4480, H1637 and thy wine.H4480, H3342” (Deuteronomy 16:13 KJV)

Again, looking into the Hebrew words in this text will give us a deeper meaning. Notice the Strong’s word H4480 minnee is included with both “the corn” and “the wine.”

Gathered in, H622 asaph = gathered, take away or withdraw.
H4480 minnee = from, out of or after that.
Corn, H1637 goren = a threshing floor.
Wine, H3342 yeqeb = the wine vat, coming from an unused root meaning “to evacuate.”

The literal translation would read: “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles after you have completely gathered in your harvest and withdrawn from the wine vat and withdrawn from the threshing floor.”

The Hebrew words in this verse give the understanding that you have not just harvested your grain and wine, but that you have also processed these foods. The work of harvesting and also processing the harvest are completely finished at the time you keep the Feast of Ingathering in the end of the seventh month.

The first month of the new year comes when the earliest harvest is ripe. The year continues into the 7th month when the work of the harvest will be complete. You cannot start the new year too early or else, by the 7th month, you will not have completed the harvest. When traveling to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, the farmers would not have left their fields in the middle of the harvest, nor would they have left their wives and children home alone to finish the processing.

Additional evidence that the Biblical Calendar is linked to the harvest season comes from the specific harvest analogies that are used throughout the plan of salvation and referenced in the lessons of the Feasts. (For example, Amos 8; Matthew 13; Revelation 14.)

Signs in the Heavens

There is ample Scriptural evidence to show that the harvest determines which month of the year is the first month. But we also have to look to Scripture in order to identify exactly which day is the first day of this month. This is important because the exact day of many Feasts are counted from this first day. In the first month, the 10th, 14th, and 15th-21st days all identify events. And then 50 days after the firstfruits offering comes the day of Pentecost. All of these days are dependent on finding the correct first day of the year. And Scripture will help us find the correct date.

We saw that when God established His calendar on the 4th day of Creation, He specifically pointed out that the lights in the heavens would mark His moed—His set appointed meetings.

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs,H226 and for seasons [moed],H4150 and for days,H3117 and years.H8141” (Genesis 1:14)

Signs, H226 oth = signal, flag, beacon, sign, marker.
Seasons, H4150 moed = an appointment, a set time, a set appointed meeting, the act of congregating, an assembly designated for a specific purpose, a Feast.
Days, H3117 yom = day
Years, H8141 shaneh = year (as a revolution of time.)

This text tells us that the lights in the heavens would be signs (H226 oth) that mark God’s meeting times and identify the days and years. But in Genesis, God does not tell us which of these lights will identify the month or the new year. We need to explore other places in Scripture to get this information.

Today we consider the “year” to be a solar event that is defined by the cycle of the Sun. So we would assume that the Sun is the light in the heavens that marks the year. And today’s astronomers consider the Sun’s position at the time of the Vernal Equinox to be the zero point in which to start the year. So it is surprising that God does not use the sun to mark the start and end of the year.

We have just learned that the Bible uses the harvest cycle to determine the revolution of the year. With the harvest as the foundation of the Biblical year, God chooses a different and unexpected marker.

Looking again at the text in Exodus 12, we can see that it tells us nothing about the condition of the sun, moon or stars at the time when God said this is the first month of the year. But we are given a clue that relates to the heavenly lights. God said,

“This month H2320 shall be your beginning of months; H2320 it shall be the first month H2320 of the year to you.” (Exodus 12:2)

God defines the year by identifying its first month. His emphasis is not on the year, but on the month. The Bible verifies this in another place where it tells us God uses the moon as the sign that marks His Feasts and His appointed times:

“He appointed the moon for seasons H4150 [moed = set appointed meetings]. . . .” (Psalm 104:19)

These verses tell us that we are going to look at the moon to find the first day of the new year.

New Year’s Day in the Bible

The moon is an obvious heavenly light to mark the cycle of the month because the moon’s cycle is repeated each month. The words “moon” and “month” are used interchangeably in many languages including ancient Hebrew where we find that they are the very same word. The Hebrew word for “month” tells which phase of the moon starts the new month.

Unlike the pagans, who placed great emphasis on the full moon, or the Rabbis who use the dark of the moon when it is aligned with the sun, (called “conjunction” or the “astronomical new moon”), Scripture specifically points to the actual observance of or the sighting of the new moon in the sky.

The word used 256 times in the King James Old Testament is H2320 chodesh. It means “month.” But this very same word also means “new moon.” This Hebrew word helps us know the exact phase of the moon that defines the month. We can see this in Deuteronomy 16:1.

“Observe H8104(H853) the month H2320 of Abib, H24 and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.

“Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name.” (Deuteronomy 16:1-2 NKJV)

Again we turn to the Hebrew words to see the deeper meanings in this passage.

“Observe” is H8104 shamar plus H853 eyth, which means: to keep, protect, observe visually, attend to, wait for or watch for.
As we saw earlier, the added H853 eyth makes it a superlative and gives body and added emphasis to its importance and longevity. So this means, surely observe or specifically observe.
“Month” is H2320 chodesh = month or new moon
“Abib” is H24 abib = green heads of grain

Every time you find the phrase “new moon” in Old Testament Scripture it is from the Hebrew word chodesh. Chodesh originates from the primitive root word, H2318 chadash which according to Strong’s means:

“to be new; causatively to rebuild: – renew, repair.”

This is how the word “new moon” got its meaning. The specific phase of the moon used to locate the start of the month is when it is “new.” This is when it appears to be renewing or rebuilding in the sky.

The text in Deuteronomy specifically says observe the new moon. This instructs us to actually see the first visible crescent of the new moon in the sky. Since the words “month” and “new moon” are interchangeable, how did the Bible translators choose to use “month” instead of “new moon?”

The Hebrew tells us this text literally reads,

“Look for the new moon at the time when there is ripening grain and keep this month.” Deuteronomy 16:1

While refreshing the Passover instructions in this text, God also is giving very precise instructions as to when to begin the new year.

The month that the Passover falls in is the first month of the year.
This month is called Abib because it corresponds to the month when there are ripening heads of grain. The barley is the crop that is in the state of abib during the month of Abib.
We are to visually see the new moon at the beginning of this month.
We are to surely look for this month.

We are to observe by both visually seeing the new moon and by attending to the importance of this month. We are to surely observe by waiting for it, watching for it.

This month is called Abib because it is the time when there are heads of grain ripening in the field. The month of Abib is not when the first signs of seed heads appear on the grain, but when the grain is almost ready to be harvested.

God very clearly spells out His calendar. And He gives very clear direction that He wants us to follow this specific calendar for arriving at the dates for His set appointed meetings. He says,

“Observe the new moon when there are ripe heads of grain.” “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Deuteronomy 16:11 and Exodus 12:2)

Once you have seen the new crescent of the moon during the first month of the harvest, you can then find your way to the rest of the Feasts simply by counting.

The evening in which you see the moon, and the day following it, is the first day of the year.
The Passover is prepared on the 14th day of that month and eaten that night before sundown.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is from the 15th day until the 21st day of this first month.
The day after the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day of the Wave Sheaf. From this date you count 50 days to Pentecost which also falls on the day after the 7th-day Sabbath. Pentecost always falls on the 1st day of the week (Sunday) as shown by the two different ways to count to it in Leviticus 23:15-16.
Then you simply count six more months until the 7th month. Again you look for the new moon so you can find the first day of the 7th month. That day is the Feast of Trumpets.
On the 10th day of this month is the Day of Atonement.
From the 15th to the 20th days is the Feast of Tabernacles.
Then on the 21st day is the Last Great Day.

The Bible Calendar

Relying on Scripture alone, we have the complete definition of the Biblical Calendar. God wants us to follow His calendar that He established on the Fourth Day of Creation. Finding the correct timing for His Sabbaths, Feasts and moed depends on understanding this calendar.

The year begins in late Spring, not at the first signs of Spring, but when the first crop of the season is ready for harvest. In North America, this corresponds to the end of April and the beginning of May. (Read more about the New Year in Late April, Early May.)
The first day of the month can be determined by physically observing the first crescent of the New Moon in the western sky. Repeat this observation in the 7th month to determine the exact days for the Fall Feasts.
The year concludes in the Fall, in the 7th month, when the harvest is fully taken in. This 7th month cannot be both the end of the year and also the beginning of the year, contradicting the Jewish practice of celebrating the New Year in September.
The light in the heavens that marks both the year and the months is the Moon. The Vernal Equinox of the Sun is not the heavenly sign that marks the new year.
The Sun is the light in the heavens that marks the day, its setting and rising clearly identifying each day.
The new day begins at sundown, for God said, “From evening to evening, shall you celebrate your Sabbath.” (Leviticus 23:32)
A week is composed of seven of these days, ending with the Sabbath. The Sabbath is found by observing the Sun (not the Moon) and counting seven days.

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

“Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” (Leviticus 23:3)

When God gave His Ten Commandments to Moses and wrote them on the Tables of Stone, He specifically reminded us to follow the Biblical Calendar. He said to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread “in the appointed time of the month of Abib.” (Exodus 34:18) Only with the knowledge of the true calendar will we be able to identify the times when God desires to meet with us.

Location — “Where I Put My Name”

By looking to the Bible we have outlined the Biblical Calendar. But today, there is a question about location. God had originally told the Hebrews to come to meet with Him on three Feasts at the location that He chose and where He placed His name.

“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” (Deuteronomy 16:16)

And the location where He placed His name was in Jerusalem.

“And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.” (1 Kings 11:36)

The calendar questions circling the globe are “Should we look for abib barley in Jerusalem?” And should we base the new month on the sighting of the new moon in Jerusalem?

At first it appears that this question could have several possible answers. We could look for the harvest in Egypt since that is where the crops were struck by hail when God gave the instruction to keep this as the first month of the year. Or we could go by the status of the abib in Jerusalem since that was where the Lord chose to place His name. But Christians have a different answer. The Jerusalem temple is no longer the place where God dwells or where He chooses to place His name.

Jesus said, “The hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. . . . But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:21, 23)

Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew. 18:20)

“The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, each one from his place….” (Zephaniah 2:11)

“Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

God has placed His name in the foreheads of His servants and our bodies are the temple in which He dwells. No longer can you only find God in Jerusalem. God’s Shechinah presence no longer dwells above the mercy seat in the earthly temple in Jerusalem. We no longer need to follow priests and rabbis to maintain our connection with God, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave His life as a ransom for all.” (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

God has come to each and every one of us in the form of His Holy Spirit. When we are gathered together to worship Him in the name of His Messiah, He will gather with us in our midst. (More information about the current location of God’s Temple is in Isaiah 66:1 and Revelation 21:22.)

The Sabbath day begins at sundown on the sixth day of the week. This moment does not happen at the same instant throughout the world. God is able to accept a flow of worship as the sun sets and the Sabbath day begins. In the same way, the “set appointed meetings” of God—or His Biblical Holy Days—do not need to begin at the exact same instant throughout the globe.

The Feast Days revolve around the theme of the harvest. And following the growing season in your locale will help you to understand the lessons embodied by the Feasts. Whether you are in the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, you can look for barley growing in your area or the grasses in your backyard, but you should at least try to center the year around the growing season in your location.

If you live in a city or climate that does not lend itself to a harvest, you unfortunately have lost some of the impact of the harvest lessons. But do not fear, no matter where you are, you will at least be able to look out for the crescent moon in the late April to mark the start of the year.

The lights in the heavens mark God’s calendar so every person can see them. Just as you might tack your calendar to your wall, God has pinned the Moon in the sky for all to see. Each month you can watch for the first crescent of the new moon in the western sky after sundown and know that this night marks the start of a new month.

The important point is to be reliant on God and to place Bible truth foremost in our lives. With this as our starting point, the Lord will be able to lead us into more and greater truths. We need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, just like He told Peter, “You, follow Me.” Wherever you are, you can gather together to rejoice and worship the Father in Spirit and in truth. The Father is seeking such to worship Him.

May God bless you as you rejoice with Him on His new moons, Sabbaths and Moed!

The Biblical Calendar - Based on the Harvests

The Seven Jewish Feasts

Understanding the Feast Days and the Biblical Harvest Models are key to understanding God's calendar and the timing of the rapture

The feasts then – Seven feasts were given to Israel to celebrate over a seven-month period of time, beginning in spring and continuing through fall. - (Exodus 12; 23:14-17; Leviticus 23; Numbers 28 & 29; and Deuteronomy 16)
- The Jewish calendar incorporates seven major periods of “sacred time,” or holidays (e.g., “holy-days”):
  - Passover (Leviticus 23: 5)
  - Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23: 6)
  - First Fruits (Leviticus 23: 11)
  - Pentecost (Leviticus 23: 16)
  - Trumpets (Leviticus 23: 24)
  - Atonement (Leviticus 23: 27)
  - Tabernacles (Leviticus 23: 34)
- Christianity also observes seven “sacred times” throughout the liturgical year

The feasts now –
- Col 2:16-17 "Let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
- These feasts were prophetic types, or symbols, that pointed to Christ and which would be fulfilled in Him.
  - The first four were fulfilled with the first coming of Christ.
    - Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits – take place in the spring over 8 days
    - Harvest (Pentecost) is 50 days later at the beginning of summer
  - The last three will be fulfilled with the rapture and second coming of Christ.
    - Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles took place over a period of twenty-one days in the fall of the year.

What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Jewish-festivals.html

There are seven Jewish festivals or feasts outlined in the Bible. While they are mentioned throughout Scripture, we find instructions for all seven laid out in Leviticus 23. Leviticus 23:2 refers to the seven Jewish festivals, literally “appointed times,” also called “holy convocations.” These were days appointed and ordained by God to be kept to the honor of His name. These times of celebration are important not only to Israel, but also to the overall message of the Bible, because each one foreshadows or symbolizes an aspect of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The book of Leviticus contains God’s instructions to His chosen nation, Israel, on how they were to worship Him. It contains detailed instructions about the duties of the priests as well as instructions on observing and obeying God’s Law and the sacrificial system. God designated seven specific feasts that Israel was to celebrate each year. Each one of these Jewish festivals is significant both in regards to the Lord’s provision for His people and in regards to the foreshadowing of the coming Messiah and His work in redeeming people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. While Christians are no longer under any obligation to observe any of the Old Testament feasts (Colossians 2:16), we should understand their significance and importance, nonetheless.

The feasts often began and ended with a “Sabbath rest,” and the Jews were commanded to not do any customary work on those days. Both the normal weekly Sabbath and the special Sabbaths that were to be observed as part of the Jewish feasts point us to the ultimate Sabbath rest, which is found only in Jesus Christ. It is a rest that Christians experience through faith in the finished work of Christ upon the cross.

Beginning in the spring, the seven Jewish feasts are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jewish feasts are closely related to Israel’s spring and fall harvests and agricultural seasons. They were to remind the Israelites each year of God’s ongoing protection and provision. But, even more importantly, they foreshadowed the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Not only did they play significant roles in Christ’s earthly ministry but they also symbolize the complete redemptive story of Christ, beginning with His death on the cross as the Passover Lamb and ending with His second coming after which He will “tabernacle” or dwell with His people forever.

Here is a brief summary of the spiritual significance of each of the seven Jewish festivals or feasts. It is interesting to note that the first three occur back to back, almost simultaneously. The Feast of Unleavened Bread starts the very day after Passover is celebrated. Then, on the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits begins.

Passover reminds us of redemption from sin. It was the time when Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was offered as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. It is on that basis alone that God can justify the ungodly sinner. Just as the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the doorpost of Jewish homes caused the Spirit of the Lord to pass over those homes during the last plague on Egypt (Exodus 12), so those covered by the blood of the Lamb will escape the spiritual death and judgment God will visit upon all who reject Him. Of all the Jewish festivals, Passover is of the greatest importance because the Lord’s Supper was a Passover meal (Matthew 26:17–27). In passing the elements and telling the disciples to eat of His body, Jesus was presenting Himself as the ultimate Passover Lamb.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread followed immediately after Passover and lasted one week, during which time the Israelites ate no bread with yeast in remembrance of their haste in preparing for their exodus from Egypt. In the New Testament, yeast is often associated with evil (1 Corinthians 5:6–8; Galatians 5:9), and, just as Israel was to remove yeast from their bread, so are Christians to purge evil from their lives and live a new life in godliness and righteousness. Christ as our Passover Lamb cleanses us from sin and evil, and by His power and that of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are freed from sin to leave our old lives behind, just as the Israelites did.

The Feast of Firstfruits took place at the beginning of the harvest and signified Israel’s gratitude to and dependence upon God. According to Leviticus 23:9–14, an Israelite would bring a sheaf of the first grain of the harvest to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord as an offering. Deuteronomy 26:1–11 states that, when the Israelites brought the firstfuits of their harvest before the priest, they were to acknowledge that God had delivered them from Egypt and had given them the Promised Land. This reminds us of Christ’s resurrection as He was the “firstfuits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Just as Christ was the first to rise from the dead and receive a glorified body, so shall all those who are born again follow Him, being resurrected to inherit an “incorruptible body” (1 Corinthians 15:35–49).

The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) occurred 50 days after the Firstfruits festival and celebrated the end of the grain harvest (the Greek word Pentecost means “fiftieth”). The primary focus of the festival was gratitude to God for the harvest. This feast reminds us of the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to send “another helper” (John 14:16) who would indwell believers and empower them for ministry. The coming of the Holy Spirit 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection was the guarantee (Ephesians 1:13–14) that the promise of salvation and future resurrection will come to pass. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in every born-again believer is what seals us in Christ and bears witness with our spirit that we are indeed “joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16–17).

After the spring feasts conclude with the Feast of Weeks, there is a period of time before the fall feasts begin. This time is spiritually symbolic of the church age in which we live today. Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection are past, we have received the promised Holy Spirit, and now we await His second coming. Just as the spring feasts pointed toward the Messiah’s ministry at His first coming, the fall feasts point toward what will happen at His second coming.

The Feast of Trumpets was commanded to be held on the first day of the seventh month and was to be a “day of trumpet blast” (Numbers 29:1) to commemorate the end of the agricultural and festival year. The trumpet blasts were meant to signal to Israel that they were entering a sacred season. The agricultural year was coming to a close; there was to be a reckoning with the sins of the people on the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Trumpets signifies Christ’s second coming. We see trumpets associated with the second coming in verses like 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” Of course, the sounding of the trumpet also indicates the pouring out of God’s wrath on the earth in the book of Revelation. Certainly, this feast points toward the coming Day of the Lord.

The Day of Atonement occurs just ten days after the Feast of Trumpets. The Day of Atonement was the day the high priest went into the Holy of Holies each year to make an offering for the sins of Israel. This feast is symbolic of the time when God will again turn His attention back to the nation of Israel after “the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and . . . all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25–26). The Jewish remnant who survive the Great Tribulation will recognize Jesus as their Messiah as God releases them from their spiritual blindness and they come to faith in Christ.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) is the seventh and final feast of the Lord and took place five days after the Day of Atonement. For seven days, the Israelites presented offerings to the Lord, during which time they lived in huts made from palm branches. Living in the booths recalled the sojourn of the Israelites prior to their taking the land of Canaan (Leviticus 23:43). This feast signifies the future time when Christ rules and reigns on earth. For the rest of eternity, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will “tabernacle” or dwell with Christ in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–27).

While the four spring feasts look back at what Christ accomplished at His first coming, the three fall feasts point us toward the glory of His second coming. The first is the source of our hope in Christ—His finished work of atonement for sins—and the second is the promise of what is to come—eternity with Christ. Understanding the significance of these God-appointed Jewish festivals helps us to better see and understand the complete picture and plan of redemption found in Scripture.

Passover - Jesus' Crucifixion (Jesus was the Passover Lamb)

Jesus as the “Lamb” of God was being set aside from the flock to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. For five days he was to remain in Jerusalem, from the 10th to the 14th where he would be killed at twilight fulfilling the picture of the Passover lamb in Exodus. During those five days, Jesus would celebrate Passover with His disciples in the upper room. He was also be examined by the religious leaders and tested before he was sacrificed. (Matthew 21:23-27)

The death of the Lamb foreshadowed God’s Lamb the Messiah, who would also be killed and entombed at the start of Passover. As the lamb was being cooked oven an open fire, the Messiah body lay in the tomb. As families all throughout Jerusalem celebrated Passover, God’s Passover lamb bore their sins.

Passover occurs in the spring of the year, on the 14th day of the Hebrew month Nisan (March/April). Passover is a type, or picture of something much greater--it pictured the redemption of God's elect through the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God, the Lord Yeshua. In the evening of the fourteenth of Nisan, at exactly 3:00 p.m. the Passover lamb was to be killed. And 1600 years after Passover was instituted, Yeshua, our Lamb, was killed on the very same day, at the very same time as the Passover lamb; the 14th of Nisan at 3:00 p.m. Like the lamb, Yeshua was without spot or blemish (1Peter 1:19), and had none of His bones broken (John 19:33).

We take the bread and the wine of Passover as communion, according to what happened on that Passover of crucifixion in the New Testament record. We correctly “do this in remembrance of Me” remembering our deliverance from bondage by the blood of the Lamb (as Israel was delivered from Egypt in the Exodus).

What is Passover?

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-Passover.html

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a Jewish festival celebrating the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ freedom from slavery to the Egyptians. The Feast of Passover, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was the first of the festivals to be commanded by God for Israel to observe (see Exodus 12). Commemorations today involve a special meal called the Seder, featuring unleavened bread and other food items symbolic of various aspects of the exodus.

Passover is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays. Along with Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), Passover is one of the three “pilgrimage” festivals in Scripture, during which the Jews were commanded to travel to Jerusalem and observe the feasts together. Passover takes place in the spring, during the Hebrew month of Nisan. In Western countries, Passover is celebrated in early- to mid-April and is always close to Easter.

The book of Exodus tells of the origin of Passover. God promised to redeem His people from the bondage of Pharaoh (Exodus 6:6). God sent Moses to the Egyptian king with the command that Pharaoh “let my people go” (Exodus 8:1). When Pharaoh refused, God brought ten plagues on the land of Egypt. The tenth and worst of the plagues was the death of all the firstborn in Egypt.

The night of the first Passover was the night of the tenth plague. On that fateful night, God told the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and mark their doorposts and lintels with its blood (Exodus 12:21–22). Then, when the Lord passed through the nation, He would “pass over” the households that showed the blood (verse 23). In a very real way, the blood of the lamb saved the Israelites from death, as it kept the destroyer from entering their homes. The Israelites were saved from the plague, and their firstborn children stayed alive. From then on, every firstborn son of the Israelites belonged to the Lord and had to be redeemed with a sacrifice (Exodus 13:1–2, 12; cf. Luke 2:22–24).

The children of Israel in Egypt followed God’s command and kept the first Passover. However, none of the Egyptians did so. All through Egypt, behind the unmarked, bloodless doorways of the Egyptians, the firstborn children died at midnight (Exodus 12:21–29). “There was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead” (verse 30). This dire judgment finally changed the Egyptian king’s heart, and he released the Israelite slaves (verses 31–32).

Along with the instruction to apply the Passover lamb’s blood to their doorposts and lintels, God instituted a commemorative meal: fire-roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8). The Lord told the Israelites to “observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever” (Exodus 12:24, ESV), even when in a foreign land.

To this day, Jews all over the world celebrate the Passover in obedience to this command. Passover and the story of the exodus have great significance for Christians also, as Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law, including the symbolism of the Passover (Matthew 5:17). Jesus is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7; Revelation 5:12). He was killed at Passover time, and the Last Supper was a Passover meal (Luke 22:7–8). By (spiritually) applying His blood to our lives by faith, we trust Christ to save us from death. The Israelites who, in faith, applied the blood of the Paschal lamb to their homes become a model for us. It was not the Israelites’ ancestry or good standing or amiable nature that saved them; it was only the blood of the lamb that made them exempt from death (see John 1:29 and Revelation 5:9–10).

Unleavened Bread - Jesus' Burial

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 - Immorality Defiles the Church

1Co 5:6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Pointed to the Messiah's sinless life (leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus' body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

Leaven symbolizes sin and decay, the power of death. Jesus, God’s Lamb was killed and placed in the Tomb on the twilight of Passover in accordance with the Exodus 12; however His body would not see decay. The feast of Unleavened Bread pictures the burial of Messiah and the feast of First Fruits His resurrection.

Jesus called himself the “Bread of life” come down from Heaven (John 6:51), John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God, Paul called him the First Fruits of the resurrection (I Cor. 15:20,23). Jesus became our sacrifice, he was buried and resurrected like we will one day be. The death, burial and resurrection are pictured in the first three feasts in the month of Nisan.

Isaiah reveals the picture of the Messiah and His first coming 700 years before his birth in chapters 52-53.
- The aspects of the first three feasts are revealed here.
  - The fact that God’s servant would die for the sins of the world.
  - He would be led like a “lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).
  - He would also be sinless,
  - He is called “My Servant” (Isa. 52:14) and “My righteous Servant who will justify many” (Isa 53:11).
- This servant came to bear the sins of the world, to be the lamb for our Passover; Isaiah reveals his punishment brought us peace (Isa. 53:5). Though He is killed (vs. 9) he shall see the light of life (vs. 11), resurrection.

The seven days of the feast of Unleavened Bread foreshadow the complete (number seven) sinless (without leaven) sacrifice of God’s Lamb the Messiah.

Feast of Unleavened Bread demonstrates our holy walk — “And on the fifteenth day of the same month as the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread” (Lev. 23:6). Leaven, in the Bible, is sin, and the God of Israel asked for a week of eating “sinless” bread. As we walk in Christ, “the Bread of Life,” we demonstrate a continuous keeping of this feast, which is exactly our instruction from the Apostle Paul:

First Fruits - Jesus' Resurrection is the First Fruits of God's Harvest

1 Corinthians 15:20-24 - The Last Enemy Destroyed

1Co 15:20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

The Feast of First-Fruits name contains a great truth – If there are first fruits, then there must be a second, a third and so on, and that is the true meaning of this Sunday. We do not merely celebrate the resurrection of the Lord on First Fruits, but more so, the resurrection of the entire church. Jesus celebrated First Fruits in the appropriate manner by rising from the dead on that day. He also gave the Father His proper First Fruits offering; graves were opened and dead people rose and were seen after His resurrection in Jerusalem (Matt. 27:53).

Matthew 27:50-53 - Jesus Dies on the Cross

Mt 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

This is a fulfillment of Isaiah

Isaiah 26:19 - A Song of Salvation

Is 26:19 Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.

Our Lord, not unlike any farmer of the soil, gratefully brought before the Father a few early “crops” of what would be a magnificent harvest later on. We sometimes fail to note that Jesus was not the only deceased person to rise on that miraculous day of First Fruits. Those He brought forth from their graves represent a type of the church. We, too, shall be brought forth from our graves for the big fall harvest — the Rapture — at the Feast of Trumpets. It was not only, then, the Lord’s resurrection that demonstrates our promise, but also the resurrection of those chosen saints of the time, which assures us of our own triumph.

Pentecost - Jesus Indwells in Us as the Holy Spirit During the Church Age

Occurred fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter's great sermon and his first proclamation of the Gospel.

On the fiftieth day, during the Feast of Weeks, the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Christ who had gathered in the Upper room to celebrate the feast. The church is the harvest of Messiah’s redemption in this age. We are the bread of the harvest. Those who had gathered in the upper room were the first fruits of the “Wheat Harvest”. They were both Jews and Gentiles, the two loaves, with their sins before the Lord, they had “Leaven” in their midst.

Jesus was our Passover Lamb for the redemption of humanity. His blood allowed death to Passover our sins, since he took our sins upon Himself. Jesus was in the grave, but he did not decay, fulfilling the picture of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then Jesus rose on the Feast of Firstfruits, Himself being the Firstfruit of the resurrection. Jesus instructed His followers to remain in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts1:4-8 - The Holy Spirit Promised

Act 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

On the fiftieth day, during the Feast of Weeks, the Holy Spirit descended upon the followers of Christ who had gathered in the Upper room to celebrate the feast. The church is the harvest of Messiah’s redemption in this age. We are the bread of the harvest. Those who had gathered in the upper room were the first fruits of the “Wheat Harvest”. They were both Jews and Gentiles, the two loaves, with their sins before the Lord, they had “Leaven” in their midst.

Acts 2:1-12 - Coming of the Holy Spirit

Act 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. 7 Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”

On the Feast of Shavuot the first fruit of the Wheat Harvest is celebrated and the harvest of Wheat has begun. This harvest will continue until the Fall when the Fall Harvest is celebrated. Today we the believers are part of the “Wheat” Harvest until the Seventh Month when the End Times will begin. Jesus alludes to this in the Gospel of John, when he refers to the souls from Sycar as the souls of the harvest to be reaped between the 4th and 7th Month of the year.

John 4:34-41 - The Whitened Harvest

Jn 4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.

In the Old Testament, Pentecost marks the birth of Israel as a covenant community under Law
- God descends in fire on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:16-19
In the New Testament it marks the birth of the Church as a covenant community under Grace.
- Holy Spirit descends in what seems like tongues of fire marking the birth of the Church.
- Pentecost became a Christian holiday after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2
- When we read in the beginning of Acts that “there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5), we understand that they were there for Shavuot—the Festival of Pentecost. Acts 2:1 simply states: “When the day of Pentecost came, they (the disciples) were all together in one place.”

Notice the Jewish/Christian parallels in these spring festivals.
- Pentecost is reminiscent of the Last Supper – In both instances the disciples are together in a house for what proves to be an important event.
  - At the Last Supper the disciples witness the end of the Messiah’s earthly ministry as He asks them to remember Him after His death until He returns.
  - At Pentecost, the disciples witness the birth of the New Testament church in the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers.
  - Thus the scene of the disciples in a room at Pentecost links the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church with the conclusion of Christ’s earthly ministry in the upper room before the crucifixion.
- Jesus and his disciples come to Jerusalem for Passover, as they should for a pilgrimage festival. Jesus celebrates the Passover Seder with his friends in the upper room. He gives new meaning to two important elements of the Seder meal: unleavened bread and wine.
- The day of Passover, Jesus—the Lamb of God—is crucified.
- The day after the Sabbath—or the Feast of First Fruits—is the day of Jesus’ resurrection.
  - On Easter, Paul says, “20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
- Jesus stays among us for forty days and then is taken up into heaven; ten days later—at Pentecost, the feast marking the birth of Israel—the Holy Spirit descends in what seems like tongues of fire (as God descends in fire on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:16- 19), marking the birth of the Church.
- The parallels are stunning in both structure and symbol, offering a beautiful example of the stepped-up parallelism that is such an important literary feature of the Bible.

In the story of the golden calf
- On the Day of Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks, the “firstfruits” of the church were gathered by Christ as some 3,000 people heard Peter present the gospel after the Holy Spirit had empowered and indwelt the disciples as promised. With the promised indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the first fruits of God’s spiritual harvest under the New Covenant began. Today that harvest continues as people continue to be saved, but there is also another coming harvest whereby God will again turn His attention back to Israel so that “all of Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26).
  - Ex 32:25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
  - Acts 2:40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who [m]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ [n]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Feast of Trumpets - Jesus Will Blow the Trumpet of God to Call Us Home in the Rapture

FEAST OF TRUMPETS – 100 trumpet blasts

Tekiah – symbolizes joy and contentment
- 1 long single blast – a straight, plain, smooth continuous note.
Shevarim – symbolizes weeping
- 3 short blasts – a combination of three broken notes.
Truah – symbolizes trepidation, sorrow, and sobbing.
- 9 extremely short blasts – staccato notes in quick successions.
Tekiah Gedolah – symbolizes redemption
- 1 long final blast – “the great tekiah” or “the last trump”.
- In a Jubilee year, this blast happens during the Day of Atonement
During the ceremony, the first three categories are repeated until there is a total of ninety-nine blasts. Then comes the one-hundredth blast, the tekiah gedolah, also known as the “last trump”.

Convocation – It’s important that we understand what a holy “convocation” is and what this trumpet sound communicated in calling God’s people.
- miqra' (mik-raw'); from OT:7121; something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons, or the place); also a rehearsal: KJV - assembly, calling, convocation, reading. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.)
Memorial – It was meant to remember something important
Most Christians (the Church) do not celebrate this Feast but it is important for the Church to be familiar with it as this is thought to symbolize the rapture.

Day of Atonement - Israel’s national repentance at Jesus' Second Coming

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), represents the affliction and salvation of Israel during the “7” year tribulation and the Day of the Lord or “Second Coming” after the tribulation. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).

Matthew 23:37-39 - Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Passover commemorates the day when God passed over Israel when the blood of the Lamb was placed on the doors of their homes. Passover was a foreshadowing of the coming of God’s lamb, the Messiah, who would take away the sins of the world. Messiah was rejected by Israel at His first coming. Israel will accept the “Suffering Messiah” at the end of this age as they turn from their sins and repent as a nation. The picture of Israel’s national repentance is foreshadowed in the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The blood of Messiah will be applied to a repentant nation.

Though Jesus, the Messiah, died for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:6) the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, have yet to receive the redemption that comes through the death of Messiah. The picture of Yom Kippur is a nation coming before the Lord, seeking his forgiveness for sin. The high priest represents the nation and petitions the creator of the universe to cover (atone) for the sins of the nations.

The tribulation period is a 7-year period when Israel is confronted with their sins. The feast of Trumpets calls Israel, and the world, to attention; to prepare for the “Day of Atonement”. In that day the world comes against Israel. The only hope for the nation is to turn to the Lord and repent for their sins. God pours out His wrath on the nations as He judges the world. At the end of this period Israel cries out to the Messiah, who returns with armies of heaven to redeem His people from their sins.

At his first coming Jesus promised Israel that they would not see Him again until they recognized Him as the “One who comes in the Name of the Lord”. (Matthew 23:38-39)

The focus of this day is a day of national repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Prior to the destruction of the Temple, the Day of Atonement was only a temporary measure until the next year when the whole process would be repeated. In the same, the Passover lamb was only a picture of a greater fulfillment. The national repentance will one day occur when the nation of Israel comes to a national realization of Jesus as Messiah.

Zechariah 12:10 foretells a day when God will pour out on the inhabitants the “Spirit of Grace and Supplications”. The people of Jerusalem, and Israel, will then cry out to the Lord, repenting for their sins and turning to the one who was “Pierced”. The nation will then “Mourn” (afflict) themselves for the death of Messiah.

Zechariah 12:10-14 - Mourning for the Pierced One

Zec 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

The theme developed in Yom Kippur is of the need for national repentance leading to national salvation. How does Israel go from a state of disobedience and alienation from God to redemption? The formula is revealed in the seven feasts of the Lord. When Jesus, the Messiah, was rejected by Israel at His first coming God opened the promises of Israel to the Gentile nations as discussed by Paul in the book Romans chapter 11. God, however, is not done with Israel. They are still part of His plan and promises in redemption. Paul, in Romans 11:25, informs us this hardening is only temporary “until the full number Gentiles has come in”, then God will again deal with Israel and the nation will be saved as the Day of Atonement implies.

Romans11:1-6, 25-27 - Israel’s Rejection Not Total

Ro 11:1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

…

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [g]saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

Tribulation

In the tribulation period the nations of the earth turn against Israel. The Tribulation period is a 7-year period known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week. At the end of this seven-year period, through the witness of the Two-Witnesses and the 144,000 (the first fruits of Israel), the nation turns to the Messiah repenting, seeking mercy from the nations. No longer dependent on their own power they seek the Lord as their only help. Jesus then fulfills the words of His promise and returns with the armies of heaven to vanquish the nations and establish the millennial kingdom.

Jeremiah, Daniel and Jesus refer look to a period of great affliction for Israel, a period of time unequaled in the history of the world and never to be equaled again. However difficult this period is, God promises that Israel will survive it and out of it be redeemed and restored, just as the sixth feast points us to.
- Jeremiah promises Israel and Judah that even though the “Time of Jacob’s trouble” is unequaled they will survive and be delivered out it.

Jeremiah 30:4-6 - Restoration of Israel and Judah

Jer 30:4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

5 “For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale?

Daniel also promises a time of unparalleled “distress” on “Your people”, but those “written in the book” will be delivered.

Daniel 12:1-4 - Prophecy of the End Time

Dan 12:1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.
2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Jesus also promises an “unequalled” distress, which end with His return.

Matthew 24:15-22 - The Great Tribulation

Mt 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

The book of Joel captures the three final feasts of Israel. Another name for the Tribulation period is the “Day of the Lord”, the Day of Atonement. In Joel we see the call of the Trumpet Joel 2:1, 15, this corresponds to the Feast of Trumpet.

The Day of the Lord

Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
For the day of the Lord is coming, For it is at hand:
2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains.
A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been;
Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.

A Call to Repentance

Joel 2:12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

…

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly;
16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.
17 Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar;
Let them say, “Spare Your people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them.
Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

The Land Refreshed

Joel 2:18 Then the Lord will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.
19 The Lord will answer and say to His people, “Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil,
And you will be satisfied by them; I will no longer make you a reproach among the nations.

20 “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land,
With his face toward the eastern sea And his back toward the western sea;
His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”

21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things!
22 Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up,
And the tree bears its fruit; The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

And He will cause the rain to come down for you—The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.

God’s Spirit Poured Out

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

God Judges the Nations

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake;
But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.

17 “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain.
Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”

The nation of Israel is called to assembly, for what? To pray, fast and mourn as they face great affliction. This corresponds to the “Day of Atonement”, they are told to take the Lord seriously.

Finally, Israel is delivered from the event and God’s spirit is poured out on the nation, they then receive the blessing of obedience. This period of blessing corresponds with the Feast of Tabernacles as they “Rest” in the Lord.

Feast of Tabernacles - We Will Tabernacle with Jesus During the Millennial Kingdom and Heaven

The feast of Tabernacles is the final feast of the seven established by the Lord for Israel in Leviticus. The feast is the most joyful of the seven feasts. This feast commemorates Israel’s fellowship with God in the wilderness. This feast also celebrates Israel’s rest with the Redeemer, the Lord God, who rescued the nation from Egyptian bondage.

This Feast paints an ever so beautiful prophetic portrait of eternity in how it pictures and points to both the Millennium and Heaven.

Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits were the feasts foreshadowing the First Coming of the Messiah. Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles foreshadow the Second Coming. Following the period of Atonement on the earth, known as the Tribulation period, Jesus Christ returns with the Glory and Power of Heaven to establish the Messianic Kingdom. In the Messianic Kingdom the Lord Fellowships and dwells with humanity, ruling the nations from Jerusalem, surrounded by the tribes of Israel. This is exactly the picture presented in Exodus as the tribes of Israel surrounded the Tabernacle of Meeting in the wilderness of Sinai. God’s presence was visible as a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day as He fellowshipped with His people.

Ex 33:7 Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. 9 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

Tabernacles foreshadow a future day of God’s redemption of humanity when the world will be at rest following God’s judgment on the nations. It points to the Lord's promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world during the Millennium (Micah 4:1-7).

Mic 4:1 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.
2 Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
5 For all people walk each in the name of his god,

But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God Forever and ever.

6 “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast

And those whom I have afflicted;
7 I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation;
So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.

Sukkot (J.C.O.M.E.S. Its all about Jesus!)

Feast of Tabernacles, the last feast, the feast of ingathering. The feast for all. I hope this gives you more understanding about this exciting and important feast.

The Seven Jewish Feasts

What are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible?

Passover

Unleavened Bread

First Fruits

Pentecost

Feast of Trumpets

Day of Atonement

Feast of Tabernacles

Rapture According to Harvest Model

Resurrections of the Dead: Firstfruits, Harvest & Gleanings

Understanding the First Resurrection According to the Biblical Harvest Model

God's Roadmap to the End - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQbRGpjMk5ITFHif8nD9JB_TFb7Y-kgpW

Do you have a complete understanding of the Rapture? There are so many viewpoints between believers who are all reading the same Bible, especially on subjects such as the Rapture. How is it possible that people can have such diverging views and opinions about subjects that are addressed in the Word of God, such as the Rapture?

In this series of 5 videos, we will look at what the Bible really says about the subject and how understanding can be obtained by considering the models that are associated with the resurrection of the dead, provided for us in the Word of God.

Understanding the First Resurrection - Part 1

What is the First Resurrection?

How is this shown by the Harvest and Temple Models?

What are the 3 parts of the First Resurrection?

Part 1 of the First Resurrection - Resurrection of Jesus

Understanding the First Resurrection - Part 2

Havest Attributes - Barley, Wheat & Grapes

Part 2 of the First Resurrection - Harvest

Part 3 of the First Resurrection - Gleanings

Understanding the First Resurrection - Part 3

Differences between the main harvest and gleanings

Parable of the 10 Virgins

Understanding the First Resurrection - Part 4

Good and Evil Servants

Q&A from previous videos

Understanding the First Resurrection - Part 5

The 2 remaining parts of the First Resurrection

Correctly ordering these events on God's timeline

Resurrections of the Dead: Firstfruits, Harvest & Gleanings

https://www.hellhadesafterlife.com/sheol-know/resurrections-firstfruits-harvents-gleanings

To tie everything up and see the bigger picture, we’ll focus on the resurrections of the dead in this chapter. Whether believers know it or not, the resurrections of the dead is one of the six basic doctrines of Christianity, as shown in Hebrews 6:1-2. Unfortunately, it’s rarely taught and so the body of Christ is largely ignorant on the topic. This chapter will help rectify the problem.

As noted in the previous chapter, the Bible speaks of two types of resurrections…

The Resurrections of the Righteous and the Unrighteous

Jesus and Paul plainly declared two basic resurrections of the dead:

“for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice (29) and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” John 5:28-29

“having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that there is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous” Acts 24:15 (YLT)

As you can see, there will be resurrections of both the righteous and unrighteous. This doesn’t mean, however, that there will only be two resurrections in number, just that there are two types of resurrections: 1. The resurrection of the righteous and 2. the resurrection of the unrighteous. The former is called “first resurrection” in Scripture (Revelation 20:5-6), which makes the latter the second resurrection.

The second resurrection takes place at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, detailed here:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (13) The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. (14) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. (15) Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Re velation 20:11-15

This massive judgment concerns every dead soul contained in Hades (Sheol) after the thousand-year reign of Christ on this earth, which means it involves every unredeemed person throughout history. It does not include Old Testament holy people because they had a covenant with the LORD and will be resurrected after the 7-year Tribulation and before the Millennium, which we’ll examine later in this chapter.

The second resurrection is covered thoroughly in HELL KNOW, so I encourage you to pick up a copy, if you haven’t already. Not only do we examine the nature of the “second death”—i.e. being thrown into the lake of fire (verses 14-15)—we also explore the question of whether or not every person who partakes of this resurrection will automatically be cast into the lake of fire. For instance, what about those who never heard the gospel? What about those who heard the gospel but didn’t understand it for one legitimate reason or another? What about those who rejected it because it was either a flawed, religionized version of the gospel or it came with serious baggage, like imperialism? Every legitimate minister of God’s Word must consider these obvious questions and try to answer them based on what the Bible says and simple common sense. I would be seriously skeptical of anyone who doesn’t do this, particularly those who write off such questions in preference to the official position of whatever group they adhere to, which is an example of rigid sectarianism. Staunch sectarianism actually hinders the truth and, in fact, is a form of legalism, i.e. counterfeit Christianity. Remember, Jesus said it’s the truth that will set us free (John 8:31-32), so anything that hinders the acquisition of truth is not good.

In any event, HELL KNOW addresses these questions and others in Chapter Eight.

The Resurrection of the Righteous

The first resurrection is the resurrection of the righteous, meaning those in right-standing with God. Again, when Jesus and Paul spoke of two basic resurrections they were talking about types of resurrections and not numbers. While there’s only one resurrection of the unrighteous, the resurrection of the righteous takes place in stages, which correspond to the analogy of a harvest.

In biblical times the harvest took place in three basic stages: 1. the firstfruits, 2. the main harvest, and 3. the gleanings. The harvest began with the firstfruits, which concerned the first fruits and grains to ripen in the season and were offered to the LORD as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Exodus 23:16,19). Later came the general harvest (Exodus 23:16) and, lastly, the gleanings, which were leftovers for the poor and needy (Leviticus 19:9-10).

Let’s examine the three stages:

1. The Firstfruits. Paul described Jesus as the firstfruits here:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (21) For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. (22) For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (23) But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”1 Corinthians 15:21-23

Just as the firstfruits of the harvest were a sacrifice to the LORD so Jesus Christ was sacrificed for our sins and raised to life for our justification (Romans 4:25); hence, he’s the firstfruits of the resurrection of the righteous.

2. The General Harvest. Verse 23 shows that the main harvest takes place when Jesus returns for the church—his “bride”—which is the Rapture, detailed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This harvest includes physically-alive believers translated to heaven.

3. The Gleanings refer to the righteous who were not included in the main harvest and are, as such, “leftovers.” This resurrection takes place at the time of Jesus’ return at the end of the Tribulation. Jesus’ return to the earth to establish his millennial reign is separate from the Rapture, which is when the general harvest occurs. Remember, when Jesus comes for his church he doesn’t return to earth, but rather meets believers in the sky (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We’ll address this in a forthcoming section. The gleanings include the resurrection of Old Testament saints—at least a bodily resurrection, but more likely a soulish/bodily resurrection (more on this later)—as well as the bodily resurrection of believers who died during the Tribulation.

The “gleanings” will also include believers who physically die during the Millennium. Some argue that such a resurrection won’t be necessary because, as Isaiah 65:19-25 shows, lifespans will return to the lengthy durations of people before the flood, like Adam and Methuselah. However, this passage doesn’t actually say righteous people won’t die during the Millennium; notice what it says:

“Never again will there be in it [Jerusalem] an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.” Isaiah 65:20

The passage simply shows that lifespans will be greatly increased, as before the flood; it doesn’t say righteous people won’t die. In fact, it’s implied that blessed people will die by the reference to “an old man who does not live out his years.” Moreover, verse 22 says that God’s people will live as long as trees during the Millennium. Depending on the species, trees can live less than a hundred years or up to a few thousand, but they ultimately die.

Something else to consider: While it’s true that many people lived to be over 900 years old before the flood, it’s still not a thousand years, which is how long the Millennium will last. Also, some people died well short of 900-plus years; for instance, Lamech died at 777.

Someone might argue: How can both the resurrection of the righteous at the beginning of the Millennium and another resurrection at the end be considered “gleanings” since they’re separated by a thousand years? Answer: Because the very word “gleanings” implies more than one gleaning; after all, the poor gleaned the harvested fields more than once in biblical times. Also, Psalm 90:4 shows that a thousand years is like a day to the LORD, so the two gleanings occur only one day apart from his perspective.

Why is it Called the “First Resurrection”?

The resurrection of the righteous is called the “first resurrection” in this passage:

“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

The passage refers specifically to the bodily resurrection of Christian martyrs from the Tribulation, which John calls the “first resurrection.” By calling it the first resurrection is he saying that there were no resurrections before this? No, because Jesus Christ was resurrected at the beginning of the Church Age and believers will be resurrected bodily at the time of the Rapture while living believers will be translated; not to mention the resurrections of Enoch, Elijah and Moses as types, covered in Chapter Nine. Speaking of those three, their resurrections can be considered “taste-testing of the fruit” according to the harvest analogy.

Here’s a diagram that helps visualize the first and second resurrections and the three stages of the first (click image for clarity and enlargement):

By calling the resurrection of the righteous the “first resurrection” John may mean more than just first in order. The Greek word for “first” is prótos (PRO-toss), which also means principle, chief, honorable or most important. How is the resurrection of the righteous the more honorable resurrection? Because it entails the resurrection of people in right-standing with the LORD through covenant and spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5 & Ephesians 4:22-24). Since this resurrection involves people who are in right-standing with their Creator, i.e. God’s children, it’s the more honorable resurrection and therefore the more important one to the LORD, just as the resurrection of your child would be more important to you than some stranger you never knew.

Someone might argue that all people are God’s children, even atheists. No, all people are creations of God, but only those born-again of the seed (sperm) of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit are children of God (1 John 3:9). Because of the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Old Testament saints who were in covenant with God automatically become spiritually-regenerated at the time of their resurrection.

‘Isn’t this too Complicated?’

Some might argue that the resurrection of the righteous, as mapped out in this chapter, is too complicated. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why the so-called “father of orthodoxy,” Augustine of Hippo, simplified human eschatology by inventing (or, at least, popularizing) the false doctrine of amillennialism. Believe it or not, this erroneous teaching suggests that we’re currently already in both the Millennium and Tribulation; and when believers or unbelievers die their immortal souls either go to heaven forever or suffer never-ending torment in hell. Incredibly, Augustine argued that biblical references to the new Jerusalem, new earth, new heavens and the believer’s new glorified body are all symbolic language for heaven! Talk about adding to and taking away from the Holy Scriptures, a practice repeatedly denounced in the Bible (see Revelation 22:18, Proverbs 30:6 and Deuteronomy 4:2).

NOTE

See HELL KNOW for more information on Augustine and his false doctrines that corrupted the church, specifically Chapter Seven’s The Augustinian Corruption of Christendom and Chapter Nine’s The Good and Bad of Orthodoxy and Traditionalism (scroll down to the section)

Getting back to our question: Is the resurrection of the dead too complicated? Think about it like this: When referencing a complex subject to someone who knows little about the topic it’s best to state the facts in the simplest of terms, which is how Jesus and Paul talked about the resurrection of the dead in John 5:28-29 and Acts 24:15 (both cited at the beginning of this chapter). Daniel did the same thing in Daniel 12:1-2. All three of these passages detail that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous, which is true, but they don’t go any further than this. As such, we have to look to the rest of Scripture for more details and that’s what we’re doing in this chapter. This is in line with the hermeneutical rule “Scripture interprets Scripture” wherein the more clear and detailed passages offer necessary data that helps interpret the more ambiguous and sketchy ones.

Furthermore, the argument that “this is just too complicated” implies that truth—reality—must always be simple when this simply isn’t the case. Take brain surgery, for example. Is it simple or does it take years of schooling to master? How about computer technology, astronomy, world history, languages or law? How simple is the sewage system of any major city? How about the electrical grid of New York City? I could go on and on.

Yes, the resurrection of the dead is more complicated than what Augustine taught, but it’s certainly not too complicated for the average person to grasp. The above diagram illustrates that it’s actually not that complicated and it’s much less complicated than any of the topics just listed.

As noted at the beginning of this chapter, the resurrection of the dead is one of the six basic doctrines:

“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, (2) instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1-2

Years ago I did a six-part series on these foundational doctrines, one sermon per each doctrine. A knowledgeable minister could easily do a series of teachings on every one of them. Unbelievably, in most Christian camps the six basic doctrines are almost utterly ignored. And then ministers wonder why many in their congregations act like spiritual babies. It’s because the pastors and teachers aren’t properly feeding them! This, by the way, explains the existence and mission of my ministry, Fountain of Life—to feed the body of Christ the rightly-divided Word of God; and to do this free of the constraints (hindrances, limitations) of rigid sectarianism (Matthew 4:4).

In any case, the writer of Hebrews was lamenting that the people he was addressing needed to be taught these basic doctrines all over again when they should’ve been teachers by this point (Hebrews 6:12). Now, think about it, if the topic of the resurrection of the dead was as simple as Augustine taught—that is, people just go to heaven or hell when they die to spend eternity in either bliss or torment—why would these people need to be taught the subject again? If the subject were that simplistic it’d take just a few minutes to teach and not a whole sermon or series of sermons. Moreover, if it were that simple how could the believers not grasp it the first time around?

Yes, the resurrection of the dead is a complicated subject and this explains why this chapter exists, as well as the previous chapter.

PENTECOST RAPTURE?

What is the day of Pentecost?

https://www.gotquestions.org/day-Pentecost.html

Pentecost is significant in both the Old and New Testaments. “Pentecost” is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9). The Greek word means “fifty” and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed since the wave offering of Passover. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. Most interesting, however, is its use in Joel and Acts. Looking back to Joel’s prophecy (Joel 2:28–32) and forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s last words on earth before His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:8), Pentecost signals the beginning of the church age.

The only biblical reference to the actual events of Pentecost is Acts 2:1–3. Pentecost is reminiscent of the Last Supper; in both instances the disciples are together in a house for what proves to be an important event. At the Last Supper the disciples witness the end of the Messiah’s earthly ministry as He asks them to remember Him after His death until He returns. At Pentecost, the disciples witness the birth of the New Testament church in the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. Thus the scene of the disciples in a room at Pentecost links the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church with the conclusion of Christ’s earthly ministry in the upper room before the crucifixion.

The description of fire and wind mentioned in the Pentecost account resounds throughout the Old and the New Testament. The sound of the wind at Pentecost was “rushing” and “mighty.” Scriptural references to the power of wind (always understood to be under God’s control) abound. Exodus 10:13; Psalm 18:42 and Isaiah 11:15 in the Old Testament and Matthew 14:23–32 in the New Testament are only a few examples. More significant than wind as power is wind as life in the Old Testament (Job 12:10) and as spirit in the New (John 3:8). Just as the first Adam received the breath of physical life (Genesis 2:7), so the last Adam, Jesus, brings the breath of spiritual life. The idea of spiritual life as generated by the Holy Spirit is certainly implicit in the sound of the wind at Pentecost.

Fire is often associated in the Old Testament with the presence of God (Exodus 3:2; 13:21–22; 24:17; Isaiah 10:17) and with His holiness (Psalm 97:3; Malachi 3:2). Likewise, in the New Testament, fire is associated with the presence of God (Hebrews 12:29) and the purification He can bring about in human life (Revelation 3:18). God’s presence and holiness are implied in the Pentecostal tongues of fire. Indeed, fire is identified with Christ Himself (Revelation 1:14; 19:12); this association naturally underlies the Pentecost gift of the Holy Spirit, who would teach the disciples the things of Christ (John 16:14).

Another aspect of the Day of Pentecost is the miraculous speaking in foreign tongues which enabled people from various language groups to understand the message of the apostles. In addition is the bold and incisive preaching of Peter to a Jewish audience. The effect of the sermon was powerful, as listeners were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37) and instructed by Peter to “repent, and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). The narrative concludes with three thousand souls being added to the fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers, apostolic signs and wonders, and a community in which everyone’s needs were met.

Pentecost - Coming June 5th - A Type of the Rapture?

(Prophecy Watchers)

Once you come to understand the symbolism built into the Jewish Feast Days, you may never view the Bible the same way again. The Feast of Pentecost provides a perfect picture of the Rapture of the Church in so many different ways. The Church, of course, was birthed on a Pentecost. The Jewish people believe that Pentecost is the day the fruit of the trees is judged! King David was born and died on Pentecost. According to tradition, Enoch was born and then raptured on Pentecost! The Law was given at Mt Sinai on Pentecost and 3,000 people died. Peter preached the Gospel on Pentecost and 3,000 people were saved! It’s no coincidence—a perfect picture of Law and Grace! Gary Stearman and Jack Langford discuss this important day on God’s calendar and wonder—will the Church be raptured on a future Pentecost?

Pentecost Rapture?

NEW WINE / TISH B'AV / PENTECOST RAPTURE?

Tish B'Av Rapture?

https://www.rev310.net/post/tish-b-av-rapture

If you've followed my writings over the years, you know I have never gotten overly excited about any (if ever) of the numerous Rapture theories floating across the Internet. That means I intentionally missed out on the: 2011 Craze (2018 - 7 years), 2012 Mayan Calendar hysteria, 2014-16 Blood Moon hype, 2017's September 23rd Revelation 12 frenzy, et cetera. Maybe I'm just jaded like that, but when one holds to a doctrine of imminence (as I do) I've learned early on not to get swept up with the latest and greatest hysteria that comes and goes with increasing frequency.

But it's in our nature to want to know when the Lord will return. Perhaps the increased frequency of trying to figure out when the Rapture will happen (or anything peripheral to it), is in itself a sign of the end. Let me add that while I don't diminish anyone's earnest desires to look into these things, we must always exercise caution as to being dogmatic about a specific day or date because Jesus Himself said that its specificity (i.e., the day or hour) cannot be known (Matt. 24:36).

Now, I've never held to the idea of "strict imminence," i.e., that

a) we cannot know anything about His return (we can), nor

b) to the idea that Christ could have returned a hundred, five hundred, or a thousand years ago which doesn't seem to fit with the prophetic model

He's laid out for us in Revelation 2-3. Imminence, in my definition, simply means, we can't know when exactly/precisely/definitively. However, imminence should not mean arbitrary or random. And apologies for the length of this article, but this is why I'm publishing it on a Friday so you have all weekend to ponder the things discussed here.

Furthermore, I personally have never been one to link the Rapture of the Church to any of the seven Feasts of the Lord either. To me, those were always prophetically significant to Israel, and not the Church. However, the ONLY one I've ever even really considered as a possibility (if the Rapture were to fall on a feast date), has been Pentecost (Shavuot). The only reason I think that is, since the Church was conceived at Pentecost, it makes some degree of sense that it will be born (Raptured) on Pentecost. I mean, if the Church Age does exist in the 'pause' between the 69th and 70th Week of Daniel, starting and stopping on the same feast makes sense.

If Israel's rebirth is the supersign of Bible prophecy, and Israel/Jerusalem/Temple are the timepieces to which God's prophetic timeline is synched too, and the Rapture is not synched to her, then what does that leave us with? Randomness? Arbitrary dates? The last Gentile convert?

I don't know.

Both Jesus and Paul alluded to the idea that although we can't know the specific date, we would know the season, and I've considered some past seasons/years more prophetically interesting than others. Nevertheless, I've had a good track record thus far of being pretty even-keeled when it comes to this sort of thing.

That said, I'm not opposed to people presenting well-thought-through theories either.

Take for example a recent article that a reader from here (h/t Dan H) informed me of by Greg Lauer. As Greg would note in his article, this idea wasn't even original to him, but it was presented to him by someone else to "do something with it," to which, he does a fantastic job. However, before you continue here, please go to his link (already hyperlinked below) to see why I am very intrigued with this idea of the Rapture's connection with the Jewish holy day of Tish B'Av because frankly, it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I've never seen a theory presented before that makes as much sense as this one does. And before anyone rolls their eyes and thinks, oh brother, here we go again, I can promise you four things.

This is not linked in any way to any astrological or cosmological signs
It's not linking the Rapture to any of the seven Feasts of the Lord
It's not setting a specific date (as in a specific day/month/year)
It's not dogmatic either. Greg honestly admits this is just a theory

With that said, please do not proceed any further until reading the linked article: A Pattern with a Hole

Ok, I'm moving forward assuming you've read the article by now, hopefully, because if not, you're going to get confused and I'm not really wanting to answer a thousand questions about it. Go back and read the article! Ok, I think I've beaten this dead horse enough, let's get on with the review.

Review

So the article itself is a little long for my taste, but I understand why he does go to the lengths he does. It's a theory that needs to be placed in its proper context, and to do that, requires a certain degree of historical and prophetic perspective. I can respect that. But for this article's sake, I'm going to tie in his comments on the 'Song of Moses' and get down to his summary at the bottom.

And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them,

I will see what their end will be,

For they are a perverse generation,

Children in whom is no faith.

They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God;

They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols.

But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation;

I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

Deuteronomy 32:20-21 (my emphasis)

Start Quote

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Let's review this round by round and see if we can spot it:

ROUND ONE

1. The Jews' great sin is rampant idolatry, plus failing to trust in God for their protection and instead making a foolish deal with their enemies.

2. The First Temple is destroyed.

3. A major round of judgment falls upon Israel via the Babylonians.

ROUND TWO

1. The Jews' great sin is turning God's Word into legalism, and rejecting their promised Messiah and having Him crucified like a common criminal.

2. The Second Temple is destroyed.

3. A major round of judgment falls upon Israel via the Romans.

ROUND THREE

1. The Jews' great sin is dismissing with anger and jealousy the salvation Christ offered them as they watched it go out to the Gentiles. They should have understood Moses' prophecy and repented, but they refused to do so. Not only that, but they will divide God's land.

2. ? ? ? ? ?

3. A major round of judgment falls upon Israel via the Antichrist.

Not to be overly dramatic or anything, but I think you can see the problem. There is a hole in the pattern this third time around, and that's where God destroys or removes the physical, visible representation of His presence on earth, following a great sin of Israel and prior to His unleashing of a round of judgment on them.

• Round One: In 586 BC, it was the destruction of the First Temple.

• Round Two: In AD 70, it was the destruction of the Second Temple.

And that begs the question:

Is there something that fills this hole in the pattern the third time around?

I believe there is:

19 What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19 AKJV / emphasis added)

As I've already mentioned, born-again believers may be the body of Christ, but we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit—the physical, visible representation of the presence of God the Holy Spirit on earth, starting on the day of Pentecost two thousand years ago and ending the moment we are caught up to be with the Lord in the translation of the Church.

As a result, I believe it is the Rapture—the removal of the physical, visible representation of God the Holy Spirit's presence on earth—that fills that hole and completes the final round of this pattern. And although I believe the Rapture fills that hole regardless of what day it actually occurs...

IF the Rapture were to occur on Tisha B'Av, just like the destruction of the First and Second Temples, it would dot the last "i" and cross the last "t" of a pattern established by a God who doesn't do random.

KA-BOOM!

If the Rapture were to occur on Tisha B'Av, it would shake Israel to its spiritual core.

Generally speaking, we as believers have utterly failed to grasp something of critical importance, and that is the simple fact that the Rapture has tremendous significance for Israel—almost as much as it does for the Church itself (some might even say more). The Rapture represents the point in time when God no longer has to focus His attention on His Church on earth and will turn His attention back to dealing with His Chosen People. And it grieves me to say it, but it won't take long for His dealings with His Chosen People to involve purging them in this final round of judgment at the hands of the Antichrist—a round of judgment that is going to make the Holocaust pale in comparison.

The Rapture is going to be an earth-shattering, supernatural event that will shake the world to its core, and make no mistake:

If the Rapture were to occur on Tisha B'Av, it would shake Israel to its spiritual core.

It would certainly set them thinking about what it all meant; and as they attempted to put the pieces together, I believe it would play right into what God is going to do to re-establish His relationship with His people.

Incidentally, one other rather striking parallel is the following:

• The First Temple was intimately connected with God the Father—the only form of God the Jews understood.

• The Second Temple was intimately connected with God the Son, who presented Himself as the Jews' promised Messiah in the midst of that temple. Not only that, but its veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn from top to bottom at the moment He was crucified.

• The Church is intimately connected with God the Holy Spirit since we are His temple on earth for the duration of the Church Age.

The bottom line is that, given everything we have discussed, it is virtually impossible to ignore the compelling connection between the Rapture, the destruction of the First and Second Temples, and Tisha B'Av—the day they were both destroyed. It all fits.

Connecting dots

Of course, I don't have to remind you that there have been numerous people with really swell theories about the Rapture where everything fit together s-o-o perfectly, and they were all dead wrong as those dates came and went, ruining some really cool charts.

Just so you know, like many Jewish feasts and celebrations, Tisha B'Av occurs over the course of two days and occurs every year sometime in the mid-July to mid-August time frame. This year, it falls on August 6–7. In 2023, it falls on July 26–27, and in 2024 it falls on August 12–13.

So...could the Rapture occur this year on August 6 or 7? Sure. How about next year on July 26–27? You betcha. August 12–13, 2024? In a heartbeat.

And it could happen today—I'm ready and waiting.

End Quote

***************************************************

So my take away from all of that was not that he was saying it will happen this coming August or next July, but how it makes a lot of sense that it could happen on Tish B'Av, primarily because of a) historical precedence, b) theological connection, c) and it would be the divine motivation to begin waking up the unbelieving Jewish people. Now, I drafted my own visual presentation of Greg's article simply to help me make sense of it.

Now, I've consulted with my buddies Lee Brainard, Randy Nettles, and Pablo Frascini on this article as well. As per the norm, if you ask four people their opinions, you'll get four different opinions. I list these differing opinions for your edification to know that differing opinions on something like this are ok. I've included my thoughts after theirs, so hold on to your hats, we are about to enter into...

The Personal Opinion Zone

Lee's thoughts:

I think the pattern has a great deal of merit. But I am hesitant to locate the rapture at any non-God-ordained feast. Moreover, the temple of the church is removed from the earth at the rapture, not destroyed. The most plausible dates for me are Passover and Trumpets. But perhaps this pattern will match with some last days apostasy of the professing church.

Randy's thoughts:

That’s a new one…very interesting. I’ve written about Tisha B’Av a few times, such as The Dog Days of Summer:: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready. It comes on the 9th day of the 5th month, which is interesting. 9 is the number for judgment and 5 is the number for grace. I never thought about it being anything other than a judgment against the Jews. I think the punishments are more than just the destruction of the temples, however, as there have been 8 tragic events for Israel on this day. Also, when the Rapture occurs, our bodily temples will be removed/remade and not destroyed.

I used to think the A.O.D. would occur on this day, but I think it will occur on or around Passover, probably Nisan 10, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as king of the Jews but was rejected. As I said in my article, there are usually 1260 days (42 months; 3.5 years; or time, times, and half a time) between Nisan 10 or 12 and Tishri 1 (the Feast of Trumpets). All the Jews will gather at the newly built third temple in Jerusalem at Passover when the A.C. makes his move. 1260 days later, Jesus will return on Trumpets.

Pablo's thoughts:

I know that prophecy is steeped in pattern. And so as I read the article, I immediately saw where Greg was going with it. The fact that the first and second temples were destroyed on the same day of the same month, separated by centuries is no coincidence. I also thought it was very astute of Greg to see the steps surrounding each one of the temple’s destruction and subsequent judgment. However, I am not certain of the transition between brick and mortar temples and a third flesh and blood temple being part of Round 3 as laid out in the article. I do agree wholeheartedly that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit as Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 6:19.

But, I have a hard time going from Round 1 and 2, which are strictly about Israel (the Jewish nation), and then suddenly shifting to Round 3 and having saved gentiles in the gap, “those which are not a people;” “a foolish nation.” I believe the pattern has to be consistent. Rounds 1, 2, and 3 all should deal with Israel, not just in part. What I believe will complete the hole or gap in round 3 in my opinion is the brick and mortar 3rd temple built during the tribulation. This seems to fall more in line with the consistency in the pattern.

I know that this article is purely speculative in its scope, at least that’s my understanding. Though it’s very well written, highly informative, and accurate in its historical scope, I’m gonna go with the fact that we just don’t know. I want to make it clear that Greg isn’t saying that the rapture IS going to happen on Tisha B’Av, but rather that he is making the case for the possibility that it can. Even then, I remain aloof to anything that even may resemble setting a date. Again, Jesus was crystal clear about that fact in Matthew 24:36 (i.e, no man knows the day nor hour..)...crystal.

Pete's Thoughts:

My own thoughts on this, adding to what Greg has already written, is that the strongest evidence to me for the strength of this theory is in regards to The Trinity's connection to the Jewish Temples. It makes sense that the Father had a connection with the First Temple. It also makes sense that the Son had a connection with the Second. However, there doesn't seem to be a Holy Spirit (HS) connection with the Third Temple (or Tribulation Temple). This is why linking the Church (i.e., the body of Christ) to the Holy Spirit makes a lot of sense. Is it 100% right? I don't know. I guess we will have to wait and see, but it makes sense to me.

While there are some concerns with regards to pattern consistency (as Pablo pointed out i.e., a physical temple rather than a flesh and blood temple made of a no nation), for me, it's not a bridge too far. There are numerous concepts in the Old Testament like "the Kingdom" and a "bride" that were thought to be physical/natural, only to take on a metaphysical nature in the New Testament (i.e., Mystery Kingdom, Bride of Christ, etc.). That's not to say these are simply spiritualized and were never meant to be taken literally; they were, and will one day, just not yet.

As for Lee's concerns regarding the former temples being destroyed and how we are not destroyed (the Church that is), is not necessarily an issue for me. If we look at the results of what's happened in either destruction or rapture, the temple is removed from the equation. Lee's a lot smarter than I on things of this nature so perhaps he's correct in his logic.

However, what I can't see, is the HS's connection with the Third Temple inside the boundaries of the seven-year Tribulation.

When we think about the renting of the veil in twain (Matt. 27:51), and the role of the Holy Spirit's ministry inside the dispensation of the Church age (John 16:5-15), then there is no rhyme or reason for the HS to work inside a third Temple after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Now, we know aside from the Tribulation Temple, there will be a future Temple inside the Millennial Kingdom (MK) complete with animal sacrifices (Ezekiel 40-48), but that is for a different set of circumstances.

Side note: This is a bit of speculation on my part, but the natural humans who are born into the coming Millennial Kingdom will still need a way to atone for their sins. If our salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9), and faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 12:1), then how can people inside the MK exercise that faith when Jesus is physically ruling and reigning from Jerusalem? They can see Him. They can interact with Him physically. It won't take faith to acknowledge that Jesus is alive and in charge. And yet, those natural humans will still have sinful natures that will have to be dealt with.

This means the Church has to be removed first, and then a third Temple constructed. Even then, we know that according to Scripture, the Third Temple's Holy of Holies is desecrated in the vilest way at the mid-point when the Abomination of Desecration (AoD) occurs. IF the Holy Spirit were to be in there, that presumably wouldn't happen. If He was, then anyone who entered that room should be struck dead immediately.

Now, that add-on by yours truly isn't without its own issues. We know that the precursor of the Tribulation AoD occurred a couple of centuries before Christ. It was done by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes when he managed to slaughter a pig and erect a statue of Zeus inside the Holy of Holies. How was he able to do this if the Holy Spirit was still filling the Temple?

Well, we know historically that the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to rest inside the Holy of Holies, and that it had gone missing sometime before the Babylonians sacked the city and temple back in 586 BC. Yet, as Greg points out, God dwelt in this second temple to some degree (Matt. 23:21). But perhaps the Arks' disappearance modeled (or foreshadowed) the same kind of departure the Holy Spirit would do prior to the crucifixion. When, at the moment of His death, the Temple veil 'rent in twain,' to expose the emptiness of the Holy of Holies which had been reduced to a shadow of its intended purpose by the Jew's vanity in choosing religious legalism over their own Messiah?

Nevertheless, just as there was an overlapping of existence between the conception of the Church 32AD and before national Israel's destruction and subsequent diaspora in AD70, there was no overlapping in the role of the Holy Spirit (again see Matt. 27:51). Thus, it means (in my mind at least) that the Church is this "no nation" who is pulled from the gentiles (a foolish nation) to provoke Israel into a state of jealousy. I think given the global success of the spread of Evangelical and Dispensational Christianity across the world over the past two centuries (right at the time Israel is being brought back as a literal nation) is evidence of this as well.

So let's assume, that the Rapture does fall on a Tish B'Av. Here are the upcoming Tish B'Av dates:

2022: August 6-7

2023: July 26-27

2024: August 12-13

2025: August 2-3

2026: July 22-23

2027: August 11-12

2028: July 31-Aug 1

2029: July 21-22

2030: August 7-8

2031: Jul 28-29

2032: July 17-18

2033: August 3-4

Given the 26 Jewish/Israeli tragedies associated with Tish B'Av (see Jeff Van Hatten's article below), it appears there was and will be a continued connection with this day and the ensuing tragedies that befall Israel. Now, if we add on top of that the already HUGE list of prophetic events converging in our own day, it seems beyond random or coincidence that the Rapture itself is happening sooner, rather than later.

We are coming up on the two-thousandth anniversary of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This means that from the year 29AD (earliest) through 33AD (the latest), plus two thousand years, would land us somewhere between 2029-2033. I think that is the most widely accepted range of dates for Christ's first ministry upon the earth. I also don't need to rectify this on a 30-day lunar/prophetic calendar as the history for the past two thousand years is well understood.

From Adam to Abraham, was 2,000 years.
From Abraham to Christ, was 2,000 years.
From the start of the Church Age til now, is coming up on the 2,000-year mark.
This equals roughly 6,000 years of human history.
God spread creation out over six days and rested on the seventh. God does not need rest, nor did He need six days to Create the universe. God does not do arbitrary or random
If mankind's timeline follows the Creation Week model (a day for a thousand years) then we are coming up on the end of the sixth day
We know the Rapture precedes the 70th Week (aka...The Seven Year Tribulation)
We believe there is a gap in time between the Rapture and the start of the 70th Week
We don't know how long that gap is though
At a minimum, the Rapture happens seven years before the Second Coming
The only known date is the Abomination of Desolation, which occurs at the mid-point (or 1,260 days or 42 months) into the 70th Week.
All of the prophetic predictions regarding the end are in play:

a. Israel back in her land (Amos 9:14-15, Luke 21:24)

b. Israel in control of Jerusalem (Zech. 12:2)

c. The third Temple is ready to be built (Dan. 9:27, Matt. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:3-4)

d. Technologies necessary to control all buying and selling now exist (Rev. 13:16-18)

e. Geopolitical players are lining up as the Bible says they will (Ezekiel 38)

f. Knowledge and travel greatly increasing (Dan. 12:1-2)

g. The Church Age turning Laodicean (Rev. 3:14-22)

h. Wickedness being normalized globally (2 Tim. 3)

i. Man caused birth pangs- Wars, rumors of wars, deception, love growing cold (Matt. 24)

j. Natural birth pangs- Earthquakes, famines, pestilences, etc. (Matt. 24)

j. Scoffers within Christendom abounding (2 Peter 3)

k. Greed and corruption abounding (James 5:1-6)

l. Spiritual blindness upon the Jewish people until the end (Rom. 11:25)

So could the Rapture happen on Tish B'Av?

It could and if it did, would be a mighty powerful sign to the Jewish people when they begin to connect the dots about what just happened. It certainly brings 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:9 into more context.

That said, it could also happen tomorrow. We simply can't know definitively.

Although it is fun to work through all the potential dates and outcomes of when it could happen, we just need to remember one thing. Each day that passes, moves us one day closer to whenever that Day of Christ arrives.

Maranatha!

Additional Resources

1. Dr. Chuck Missler on Tish B'Av

2. Jeff Van Hatten on The Ninth of Av

3. Cynthia Nuara on A Prophetic Occurrence as Tisha B’Av Approaches

Tish B'Av Rapture Connection? - Pete Garcia (Generation2434)

Brother Pete Garcia joins me for a livestream "thinking out loud" discussion on the possibility of a Tish B'Av rapture connection. We don't hope in a date, rather our hope is in Jesus Christ! However, it's very interesting to look at possible clues in scripture as to the nearness of our Lord's return... "encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.".

Tish B'Av Rapture?

WHY PENTECOST IS THE FESTIVAL OF NEW WINE – IN THE 4TH MONTH

A TIME FOR DISPENSATION COVENANT CHANGE
Rapture of the Brides of the Vineyard Typology

https://www.fivedoves.com/letters/jul2022/luisv717-1.htm

by Luis B. Vega
vegapost@hotmail.com
www.PostScripts.org

‘Then I will send Rain on your Land in its Season, both Autumn and Spring rains, so that you may gather in your Grain, New Wine and Olive Oil’. -Deuteronomy 11:14.

The purpose of this study is to present Evidence that Pentecost corresponds to the Feast of New Wine, which occurs in the 4th Month, not the 5th Month. For 2022, the Jewish Calendar is not ‘off by a Month’. And consequently, how Tu B’Av is the Typology of the Rapture but celebrated, now arbitrarily incorrectly, as the Jews lost Count of when it actually occurred. One will present Evidence that what has come to be celebrated as Israel’s Valentine’s Day corresponded to the Feast of New Wine, and thus, also Pentecost.

And as such, it is a fitting Typology of when the Timing of the Rapture could very well occur, as it is when the Brides were ‘Snatched’ away from the Vineyard. Jesus said He is the Vine, and His Disciple are the Branches during the Church Age. One argues that presently, those who take it for Granted, Biblically, that the Feast of New Wine, is rather associated with the Feast of Tu B’Av have the Timeline approximately 1 Month shifted forward. This study will attempt to show that, based on the discovery of the Temple Scrolls, there are 3 Minor Feasts that corroborate with one’s Assertion.

It is how these 3 Feasts of the New Grain, New Wine and New Oil correspond and complement the Pentecost Double Count Theory and how not only is Pentecost not Shavuot but occurs in the 4th Month and converges with the Feast of New Wine. This study will first touch upon several of the Factors that will be introduced as Evidence as it is only a Rationale and Conjecture. One cannot definitely prove the Theory 100%. However, the Circumstantial Evidence is confirmatory, in one’s Assessment. For this purpose, the Temple Scrolls that speak to the 3 Feasts will be examined and defined.

Then, several Bible Translation Versions will be presented that show how Pentecost of Acts 2 was not, is not Shavuot. And in so much as the Term Shavuot can be applied to any 49 Day Count, which can technically be called true in all of the 3 Feasts in question.

Then, the Double Count Theory will be touched upon to have a Reference of how, the Theory, in the 1st place is considered ‘True Pentecost’ in the 4th Month and correlated to the Feast of New Wine as described and inferred to, clearly in Acts 2. Then one will look closely at what occurred on Pentecost of Acts 2 and how the Event connected, Biblically, with Joel and implied an Out-Pouring, just like one does with Wine.

3 Minor Feasts

The Festival called Tu B’Av, that is now celebrated in Modern Israel, is mis-Dated but nonetheless has Significance, as in the Rapture Typology. Consider the Prophetic Typology in how New Wine is alluded to in the Wedding of Cana. There is a ‘Code’ related to the 6 Large Jars of Water that Jesus turned into New Wine. And how Jesus promised not to partake of Wine and finish the Passover Meal with, until a Time of a New Wine correspondence completes it, starting in the ‘7th Jar’ or Millennial Kingdom.

One suggests that the Prophetic Pentecostal Intermission is about to conclude, perhaps in this present Year, with the culmination of the Church Age and Rapture occurring on the Feast of New Wine, i.e., ‘When Pentecost had fully come’. Thus, what one is suggesting, is that if such a Timeline is valid, then the Rapture occurs on True Pentecost, as the Feast of New Wine in 2022. The 3 Minor Feasts of New Grain, New Wine and New Oli are not listed in the Feasts of YHVH from Leviticus 23. There are inferences throughout the Old Testament that do refer and mention the Feast though.

How the World has come to know about these 3 Feasts came with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. However, it was not until Decades later that the portion that spoke clearly about these 3 ‘Forgotten Feasts’ of YHVH were released to the Public. They are found in what is called the Temple Scroll - 11QT=11Q19, 20, 4Q365a – XVIII-XXI. The following will be Evidence that there were 3 Feasts that had 3 ‘Shavuot’ or 49 Day Counts, plus 1 Day to Celebrate them.

This will demonstrate that the 2nd 50-Day Count corresponds, not only to True Pentecost, as one presents that Argument for a Double Count, from the Day after Passover, that being Nisan 15 as patterned also from the Exodus Day Count, but that the 2nd 50 Day Count corresponded to the Feast of New Wine. This would then corroborate the Mockery endured of the Disciples for speaking in other Known Languages when the Holy Spirit came down as a ‘Deposit’, Sealed, etc. The Crowd thought the Disciples were ‘Drunk’ on the New Wine. Only on the 4th Month could the New Wine First Fruits of the Grapes be presented as the Wheat Harvest would be coming to a conclusion, etc. The following is the Temple Scroll Parchment Portion.

1. New Grain
You shall count-7 Complete Sabbaths from the Day of your bringing the Sheaf of [the Wave-Offering. You shall c]ount until the Morrow of the 7 Sabbath. You shall count [50] Days. You shall bring a New Grain-Offering….it is the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of First-Fruits, an Eterna[l] Memorial.

2. New Wine
You [shall count] 7 Weeks from the Day when you bring the New Grain-Offering… 7 full Sabbaths [shall elapse un]til you have counted 50 Days to the Morrow of the 7th Sabbath. [You] shall [bring] New Wine for a Drink-Offering.

3. New Oil

[You sha]ll count from that Day 7 Weeks, 7 Times, 49 Days; there shall be 7 full Sabbaths; until the Morrow of the 7th Sabbath you shall count 50 Days. You shall then offer New Oil.

Temple Scrolls

On January 26, 2018, Israel365News published an Article regarding this finding about the 3 Feasts that the Essenes kept and recorded. The News Agency realized and acknowledged that the Temple Scroll describes 2 Special Feasts not mentioned in the Bible. However, they were known and recognized from the other Dead Sea Scrolls Portions. These 2 Festivals were of the New Wine and New Oil. Here is the Evidence of how they, being Jewish, interpreted the Timing of when the 3 Feasts Occurred. It corroborates the point that one is arguing. And that is?

Pentecost coincided with the Feast of New Wine, as that was the 2nd Day Count of 50 Days. The 1st 50 Day Count was from Passover to the 1st Shavuot, Feast of Weeks being the Feast of New Grain. But realizing that a 2nd and 3rd ‘Shavuot’ Day Count of 49 Days + 1 Day would ensue to complete this Triple Shavuot Count. This will be addressed in how there is a Mis-Interpretation of thinking that there was just 1 Shavuot, and that was Pentecost, the 50th Day after Shavuot. No. The following Interpretation from Israel 360 will bear this out, which one also would concur is the true Interpretation.

_______________________________

‘These Dates constituted an Extension of the Festival of Shavuot as we know it today, which celebrates the New Wheat, the Researchers said. According to this Calendar,

1. The Festival of New Wheat falls 50 Days after the first Sabbath following Passover.
2. The Festival of New Wine comes 50 Days later.
3. And after a further Interval of 50 Days, the Festival of New Oil is celebrated’.

________________________________

Another Confirming Witness is the work of Dr. Ken Johnson. He has studied the Dead Sea Scrolls and such Temple Scroll Parchments. He has also written Books related to how the Essenes kept such Records of these 3 Feasts and how they went by a Solar Enochian Calendar that was pegged to the Spring Equinox etc. Dr. Johnson confirmed that the Festival of New Wine occurred in the 4th Month, that of Tammuz and correlated to July in the Gregorian Calendar. This corroborates not only the Double-Count Theory is correct, to suggest True Pentecost occurs in the 4th Month as Wheat is Harvested, but that it coincides with the First Fruits of the New Wine Grapes. The following is a Timeline based on the Year 2022 that one suggests is an extremely Rapture High Watch Season, if not Month and Day.

___________________________________

From Friday, April 14, 2022 – Day after Passover
Adding 3 Shavuot’s of 49 Days + 1 Day = 50 Days (Repeated 4 Times)

Result 1: June 3, 2022 = Shavuot = Feast of New Grain (Wheat)

Result 2: July 23, 2022 = Pentecost = Feast of New Wine

Result 3: September 11, 2022 = Feast of New Oil

Result 4: October 31, 2022 = All Hollow’s Eve

___________________________________

Solomon

Now, many People, Skeptics and Detractors might rightly bring-up the various Biblical Verses that clearly state that YHVH commanded Moses to instruct the Fighting Men of Israel to Assembly at Jerusalem, around the Temple on 3 Harvest Feast Days, that being Passover, ‘Feast of Weeks’, and Tabernacles. This is also seen and stated during Solomon’s Dedication to the House of YHVH. All this is True, but which ‘Shavuot’?

‘Then Solomon offered entirely Burned Offerings to the Lord on the LORD’s Altar that Solomon had built in front of the Porch, as each Day required, according to the Commandment of Moses for Sabbaths, New Moon Festivals, and the 3 Annual Festivals—Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Booths’. – 2 Chronicles 8:12-13

The verse clearly is translated as, ‘Mitzvah, Shavuot and Sukkot’. So, from the outset, the whole Rationale for a Double Cunt and Pentecost not being ‘Shavuot’ and coinciding with the Feast of New Wine would appear to collapse. However, the following Verse Translation that comes from the Temple Dedication of Solomon, suggest the Shavuot of the 2nd Count, that corresponding to the Feast of New Wine, i.e., Acts 2.

________________________________

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Festival of Thin Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters.

Good News Translation (GNT)
Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Shelters.

Traducción en Lenguaje Actual (TLA)
La Fiesta de los Panes Sin Levadura, la Fiesta de la Cosecha y la Fiesta de las Enramadas.

Reina Valera Actualizada (RVA-2015
La Fiesta de los Panes Sin Levadura, en la Fiesta de Pentecostés y en la Fiesta de los Tabernáculos.
____________________________________

The point is that the Traditional Shavuot that occurs in the 3rd Month of Sivan cannot be Pentecost as the Wheat is only then offered as the Frist Fruit. The Harvest of the Wheat occurs after the June 20 Summer Solstice, etc. In the New Testament, Jesus infer that Wheat Harvest occurs in the 4th Month. Wheat is likened to Church Age Harvest. A Bundle of Wheat is considered to have 24 Stalks, typifying the 24 Elders seated with Christ. It is not of Barley, as that was the Type of Jesus’ Resurrection and/or Fruit Type.

It is not Oil or Olives as that is a Pressing-out and reminiscent of the Garden of Gethsemane episode. That will pertain to Israel and the Word during the Tribulation Period. The 2 Harvest types in question are that of Wheat and Wine. It is for this reason that one has argued for a Double-Count of Pentecost being 99 Days from the ‘Marrow after the Sabbath, which is Passover. This is the Key and where all Day Counts depend.

4th Month

One holds to the interpretation that Nisan is determined by the 1st New Moon after the Spring Equinox. Thus, the Double-Count of 99 days is correct to have the Wheat Harvest begin after the Summer Solstice and end in late July. But it is in mid-July that the Wine Harvest begins, thus the Feast of New Wine convergence on the Acts 2 Pentecost. The gathering-in of the Wheat Harvest concludes for 2022 around July 23 (24th of Tammuz) in conjunction with the First Fruits Festival of New Wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10 may allude to this New Wine Festival. ‘Honor the LORD with your Substance, and with the First Fruits of all your Increase: So, shall your Barns be filled with Plenty, and your Presses shall burst out with New Wine’. With regard to the Rapture, and end of Church Age Pentecost of the 99th Day, was when the Covenants or Dispensation of YHVH ‘turned’. There are 3 since Mount Sinai that have occurred.

________________________________

Mount Sinai
1-The 1st was the Pentecost of Mount Sinai wherein, Moses came down with the 10 Commandments. Israel entered into the Dispensation of the Law. One is still of the interpretation that the True Count of Pentecost is corroborated by Exodus 32. Aaron declared a Festival to be on Tammuz 24, the 4th Month. It was the day Moses came down with the original 10 Commandments. This was the Day, the Israelites set-up the Golden Calf and 3000 Died. On Pentecost of Acts, the Holy Spirit came down and 3000 got Saved.

Mount Moriah
2-Then there was the Pentecost of Mount Moriah, wherein the Disciples gathered at the House of YHVH, that the Temple Precinct, as was there custom, on the 99th Day since Passover of 32 AD, they were endowed by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This constituted the change in Dispensation from the Law of Moses to the Age of Grace, i.e., the Church Age, etc.

Mount Zion
3-But then the 3rd Pentecost that is to come will be the occasion where the Age of Grace reverberates back to the Age of Law. Why? This is to complete the Interrupted and Intermission of Daniel’s 70th Week. And this, to occur in the 70th Year of the Sabbath Cycle for Israel, since it returned to the Promised Land and was ‘Birthed’ in 1948. However, the 1st Sabbath Year in the Count occurred in 1952. This is the true 70 Year Countdown to Daniel’s 70the Year, etc.

_________________________________

August 1947 Partition Plan Report + 888 Months (‘Jesus’ in Greek) = July 2022

July 23, 1947 + July 23, 2022 = 75 Years or 900 Months

This Rationale presented is challenging the Traditional Teaching that the Year 1948 was and is the Conventional Year most then to count from the 70 Years to 'figure out' the Last Generation. One believes the Alternative Year is 1952, affirming also that the Fig Tree is Israel. And to reiterate, notice that there were 120 Days from the Spring Equinox to the proposed Pentecost that would then fall in the 4th Month. This is as Jesus stated of the Wheat Harvest, that being in a July or the 4th Month of Tammuz, etc. The main significance of the number 120 is that it is Prophetically Indicative of how long the Maturing Process of the Wheat Harvest is. It has to do with the Resurrections.

Orders of the Resurrections

Jesus states that there would be 4 Months and then the Harvest. The number 120 is significant as that is how many Disciples were present when Pentecost, ‘had fully come’ and the Holy Spirit came down on the Disciples as they met in the Temple Precinct. As the Holy Spirit came down, the Disciples were speaking in other Known Languages, most supposed they were Drunk with the ‘New Wine’, being only 9am. This suggests that Pentecost, 'Fully Came' was when the New Wine Feast commenced. What one also argues, to corroborate the Double Count to determine True Pentecost is in the 4th Month, is that the Harvest Types determine the Order of the Resurrection. How so?

This Acts 2 Pentecost will account for the Order of the next Resurrection, which will be the Bride of Christ. This will have constituted all those in Jesus throughout the Church Age as a type for the Summer Wheat Harvest to gather-in, in the 4th Month. The Apostle Paul taught, ‘But now Christ is risen from the Dead, and has become the First Fruits of those who have fallen Asleep . . . For as in Adam all Die, even so in Christ all shall be made Alive. But each one in his own Order: Christ the First Fruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His Coming’. [Resurrection-Rapture] (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

_________________________________

1. First Fruits of Barley – Jesus’ Resurrection along with others
This Barley Grain Waving after Passover was typified by the Resurrection of Jesus on the 3rd Day. This is when the Frist Fruits of the Barley were waved before the Temple. This is why when Jesus rose, there were several other Saints that rose along with Jesus. These were the Token of the Resurrected Saints that served as a ‘Down Payment’ of the whole Harvest of Souls. God gave to Ancient Israel this Typology in the Barley Harvest to represent Jesus Christ's acceptance by the Father as, ‘The First Fruits of those who have Fallen Asleep.’ (1 Corinthians 15:20).

2. First Fruits of Wheat – 1st Shavuot Count (49 Days + 1 Day = 50 Days)
Pentecost is now interpreted and celebrated as a Day Count of 7 Weeks from the Day after Passover, on Nisan 15. This is when the Shavuot is celebrated as the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost, on the 50th Day (Deuteronomy. 16:8-11). This was the Wave-Sheaf Ceremony of the First Fruits of Wheat. But it was not the Pentecost of Acts 2. As noted, the Temple Scrolls found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, teach that there were 2 other 50 Day Count Festivals after ‘Pentecost’. The 1st being New Wine or the First Fruits of the Grape Harvest, and 50 Days later, the New Oil of the Olive Harvest.

3. First Fruits of New Wine – 2nd Shavuot Count (49 Days + 1 Day = 50 Days)
One is arguing that this Feast was/is the Pentecost account of Acts 2. It stresses that the Disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and is the fulfilment of Joel 2:28. ‘And it shall come to pass in the Last Days, says GOD, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all Flesh.’ (Acts 2:17;). Joel 2 is complimentary of Acts 2 as the Language and Typology of Joel also deals with Wine Metaphors. Paul also referred to the Members of the Church as those, ‘Who have the First Fruits of the Spirit.’ (Romans 8:23).

3. First Fruits of New Oil – 3rd Shavuot Count (49 Days + 1 Day = 50 Days)
This is why one is arguing that the Term, ‘Shavuot’ is indicative of a 49 Day +1 Day count. But regardless of what is now just fixed as a 1-Time Feast, being after Passover.
______________________________

Tu B’Av

The verses the Apostle Paul used in 1 Corinthians 15 are clearly inferring the Rapture Appearing, not the 2nd Coming Appearing, etc. This is why Pentecost, the 1st 50 Day Count from the ‘Shavuot’ from the Day after Passover is going to be commemorative of the 2nd Part of the 1st Resurrection of Jesus, which was the First Fruit. His Disciples will then experience at the Resurrection-Rapture Event thereafter. It will be the completion of the Wheat Harvest of Souls having, been planted, watered of the Gentile Grafting into the Commonwealth of Israel, throughout the Church Age. The Bride of Christ is now ready for Harvesting, to be ‘Plucked’ or Extracted-away, etc.

So, how does Tu B’Av factor into the Argument that Pentecost is in the 4th Month and corresponds to the 2nd Half of the Resurrection Order since Christ? One will argue that the Feast of Tu B’Av took place also on the Feast of New Wine and thus correlating to Pentecost of Acts 2. That it is a Typology of the Rapture of the Brides taken from the Vineyard, etc. The Typology and Imagery of the Vineyard is the next best correlation of what Jesus is doing during the Church Age, as he is Grafting-in the Gentiles that were excluded. The problem is that all End Times Students of Biblical Prophecy take at Face-Value the notion that Tu B’Av occurs in August, in the Month of Av. This is not the case.

The Jews will admit that the Date is ‘Unknown’. The Month of August or Av has just been arbitrarily chosen since Israel returned to the Promised Land, etc. And? Av starts the Season of Mourning, in which NO Weddings are allowed. The Point is that as the Day Counts are being determined, this Feast is throwing-off all Day Counts. In that, the Feast is being forced to comply with the various Estimates of when the Timing of the Rapture is to take place. One agrees that it is a ‘Rapture’ Type but wrong Month. And so much so, that one argues had taken place on the Feast of New Wine. Evidence?

________________________________

Mount Sinai
Note that the Festival of New Wine is the Wedding Festival. It is not listed in Leviticus 23. But it echoes the Wedding Theme of what happened at Mount Sinai with YHVH and the 70 Elders that meet for a Meal and exchange ‘Vows’. Then thereafter, the Law came down on the 99th Day after leaving Egypt on Nisan 15.

Mount Zion
Fast forward to the LORD’s Supper. This was reminiscent of how now on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Jesus essentially ‘Proposed’ to the Disciples in a Typology of acquiring a Bride for the Son. Notice how the Last Cup was postponed. Why? Here is the clue in that Jesus stated that He would not drink of that Cup, until it would be Wine that is New, in the Kingdom to come.

Mount Moriah
After the Supper and Passover, likewise, 99 Days later, in the 4th Month, at the start of the New Wine Harvest, the Holy Spirit came down to indwell the Disciples. And this has been the Course throughout the 7-Fold Church Age that has lasted for nearly 2000 Years. One thus conjectures, that the Resurrection-Rapture event to complete the 2nd Half of the Order of the Resurrection. It will likewise be commemorated on the Day the Holy Spirit came down, i.e., Acts 2 when ‘Pentecost had fully Come’, in the Season of the start of the New Wine Festival. Perhaps.
_______________________________

Wedding at Cana

To reiterate, one is arguing that there is a direct relationship to Tu B’Av and the supposed connections to Pentecost and its possible Timing of the Rapture of the Bride of Christ. Presently, the Minor Jewish Feast called Tu B’Av is celebrated on the 15th of Av on the Jewish Rabbinical Calendar. This notion will be in the context of how some are linking the New Wine Feast to Tu B’Av to the end of the Pentecost Wheat Harvest. In actuality, one is arguing that the New Wine Feast is when Pentecost ‘had fully come’. If so, it commemorates the taking of Maidens in the Vineyards around Shiloh for the Tribe of Benjamin. Evidence?

Due to the brief Israeli Tribal Civil War and Discipline against the Tribe of Benjamin, the majority of Fighting Men were Decimated. The Tribe was on the verge of going Extinct and for the sake of the whole Nation of Israel, a Compromise was reached for their Fellow Tribesmen to continue the Tribal Lineage of Benjamin. As the Bible Account goes, the Virgin Women taken from Jabesh Gilead dressed-up in White and were told to Dance in the Vineyards when the Grapes were Tender, as in the New Wine Season and Time of Year. This would correspond to Mid-July in the 4th Month, etc.

‘But look, they said, there is a Yearly Feast to YHVH in Shiloh, so they commanded the Benjamites: Go, hide in the Vineyards and watch. When you see the Daughters of Shiloh come out to Perform their Dances, each of you is to come out of the Vineyards, catch for himself a Wife from the Daughters of Shiloh, and go to the Land of Benjamin....the Benjamites did as instructed and carried away the Number of Women they needed from the Dancers they caught. They went back to their own Inheritance, rebuilt their Cities, and settled them’.
-Judges 21:19-23

According to the Biblical Account the Men of Benjamin that were left alive were instructed to lie-in-wait and to ‘Snatch’ or as some see it, ‘Rapture’ their Bride away. However, some critics of the Elder’s Decision insinuated that it was a ‘Rape’ rather than ‘Rapture’. So, Typologies can only go so far. In this case, the Women were taken from the City of Benjamin that did not meet at the Required Times before YHVH at Shiloh. And all their Men of Benjamin were killed for not attending. It was these Women that were given to the surviving Men of Benjamin.

The next Piece of Evidence for a New Wine Typology of the Timing of the Rapture and Conclusion of the Church Age and Age of Man, really since Adam, that being 6000 Years, is what many see in John 2, the Wedding of Cana. For context, the Bible associates New Wine with a Harvest. The Wedding of Cana, occurred in the End of the Wheat Harvest. The New Wine was Miraculous, saved for Last and was the Best. This speaks, Prophetically, how during the Church Age, Jesus has saved the ‘Best for Last’.

The 6 Empty Jars of Wine symbolize the ‘Emptiness’ of Humanity without Jesus Christ. It is a Metaphor for the 6000 Years since Adam that has left Humanity ‘Void’. And only when the New Wine comes at the End will the 7th Day or the Millennial Kingdom be a Time of New Wine, etc. Notice that the occasion took place on the 3rd Day. This is exactly how on Mount Sinai, it was on the 3rd Day that Israel was instructed to Prepare, be Purified to meet the YHVH from the Mountain and hear His Marriage Proposal, etc.

The Jews understand plainly that Sinai is when Israel Married YHVH. It was a Marriage Covenant much like with Jesus proposed and enacted the Marriage Covenant, called the ’New Covenant’. In Jewish Tradition, a Marriage Covenant begins with a Written Contract. At Sinai, that was the 10 Commandments. In the LORD’s Supper, it was called a Ketubah, and a Wedding Ceremony is conducted under a Canopy, Chuppah in Hebrew. And?

________________________________

1. Golden Calf – New Wine
The Pentecost of Acts 2 did not occur in the 5 Month as some calculate it. Nor is the Feast of New Wine in the 5th Month, it is ‘Impossible’. Again, the Key is determined by when Passover was. For 2022, the Jewish Year, having added Adar II synchronized with the Gregorian Calendar. Thus, making April 1 the same as Nisan 1. The Calendar and thus Feasts are NOT off by 1 Month for 2022. This then would put Pentecost and the Feast of New Wine in the 4th Month.

The Exodus 32:17 Account is that of the 99th Day that Moses likewise alluded to the Revelry of the Camp being consumed with ‘The Banquet of Wine’, or New Wine in this case. It is a Parody of what occurred or inferred took place in Acts 2 with the similar inference to a supposed ‘Revelry’ by the Disciples who were accused of being Drunk on the New Wine, etc.

2. Jesus – New Wine
The Temple Scroll states that no one could drink new wine until the offering had been made at the Temple. This reminded me of our Messiah and Bridegroom saying after communion with His disciples that last Passover, “But I say to you, I will not drink from now on of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it 'New' with you in my Father's kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29)

With the Feast of Trumpets being after this festival, that would be certain. Another passage came to mind which speaks to me of the restoration of the fellowship of believers as God's Holy Spirit intends it. So, one does want to reiterate the argument because it can get confusing with all the 50 Day Counts and how there can technically be 3 ‘Shavuot’, based just on Terminology.

________________________________

Thus, one is arguing that Pentecost is not the 50th Day, or 1 Day after the Shavuot of the 49 Days, from the Day after Passover. One would agree that this is the ‘1st Shavuot’ Count that corresponds to the 1st Feast of New Grain and occurs in Sivan.

If that be the case, then the Feast of New Wine, being the ‘2nd Shavuot’ Day Count of the 49 Days + 1 Day or 50 Day Count, according to the Temple Scrolls, would occur in July, the 4th Month of Tammuz. This is precisely why the 2nd Shavuot 50 Day Count would be correct. This would then be Evidence that both the 2nd Feast of New Wine does indeed coincide with the Pentecost of Acts 2, being in the 4th Month of Tammuz.

If this be the case, that is precisely what one is arguing. Then from the 2nd Shavuot 49 Day Count + 1 Day is the True Pentecost of Acts 2 and corresponds to the Feast of New Wine. From there, the ‘3rd Shavuot’ 49 Day Count + 1 Day Count would correspond to the 3rd Feast of New Oil in the 6th Month of Elul.

Feast of New Grain Feast of New Wine Feast of New Oil
Day after Passover 1st Shavuot 2nd Shavuot 3rd Shavuot
Nisan 14-------------------- Sivan 3 ---------------------- Tammuz 24 -------------------- Elul 15

The point is that when the Holy Spirit came down on the Pentecost of Acts 2, that one is arguing, corresponded to the Feast of New Wine, is likened to New Wine Spiritually, i.e., the New Covenant. It is a Time when the Harvest of Souls is occurring during the Church Age. It is the New Covenant that has been operating but is to conclude. When? Pentecost, as that is the Feast where the change in Dispensation or Covenants change. This to infer that in an up-coming True Pentecost Feast, as Acts 2, The New Covenant will revert back to the Sinai Covenant as Israel will be under the Mosaic Law during the Tribulation Period.

______________________

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Main Sources
Chabad.org
Hebcal.com
Wikipedia.com

New Dead Sea Scroll Translation Reveals Anti-Temple Calendar

https://www.israel365news.com/101605/dead-sea-scroll-temple-calendar/

Tu B'Av

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_B%27Av

Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love

www.myjewishlearning.com

Video

Ancient Dead Sea Scroll Calendar
Ken Johnson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AXaa7jmQi4

Articles

#645: 30 REASONS WHY PENTECOST IS IN THE 4TH MONTH JULY/TAMMUZ AND
SUBSEQUENTLY, A CORRELATION OF THAT BEING POSSIBLY THE DAY OF THE RESURRECTION-RAPTURE EVENT FOR THE YEAR 2022

https://www.postscripts.org/ps-news-645.html

#644: WHY RAPTURE OCCURS IN 5TH YEAR

https://www.postscripts.org/ps-news-644.html

#632: WHY PENTECOST CANNOT OCCUR IN AUGUST

https://www.postscripts.org/ps-news-632.html

WHY PENTECOST IS THE FESTIVAL OF NEW WINE – IN THE 4TH MONTH A TIME FOR DISPENSATION COVENANT CHANGE

Many believe the RAPTURE at 9th of Av (7-26) Here's why!

(Dr Barry Awe)

This teaching is a REVIEW of the greatest Revelation of our time concerning the CHURCH SPECIFIC RAPTURE TYPOLOGIES and their connection to the True PENTECOST Feast of New Wine which collides with the 9th of Av. Het ready to take notes and to share this EVERYWHERE! Come and See 👀

Can The New Wine Be Rapture Time? - Night Watch with Bro Chooch (TOL End Times)

Ahhhhhhhh yes! The Rapture of the Church! Bro Chooch looks into how the time of year for the "New Wine" connects to when the Bride goes up to meet her Bridegroom! Oh Joy!

Sinai & Pentecost (Generation2434)

Let's study some more about Pentecost! Did you know the Exodus account of Mt Sinai gives us some great insight into the story of Pentecost?

The Wheat & The Wine - Rapture Time? (Part 1) and When The Wheat Meets The Wine (Part 2) (Generation2434)

Let's think out loud on something VERY interesting! Is it possible the Bible gives us clues as to the "season" of the rapture?

Summer Rapture? (Generation2434)

Does the Bible give us any clues as to which season the rapture will occur? I personally believe we should be watching at ALL times and God can call us up anytime He chooses... at the same time, I believe there's good reason to be extra watchful in the Summer.

The New Wine Pentecost (Generation2434)

Brother Barry Awe joins me to talk about the new wine Pentecost!

RAPTURE 7 years before 2030 Messiah Part 1 of 3 (Dr Barry Awe)

Almost everyone has seen Messiah 2030, but what must happen 7years before that? The 9th of Av RAPTURE prophesy is the most exciting of all the appointed times. The 9th of Av coincides with the Feast of New Wine and is actually the true Pentecost! Yah-way! Shavuot is NOT Pentecost. Shavuot IS Ascension Day. Come and learn amazing revelations from our Father. The books have been opened!

RAPTURE 7 years before 2030 Messiah part 2 of 3 (Dr Barry Awe)

This 3 part series reveals a TRUTH hidden for ages that was recieved by allowing the Holy Spirit to silently lead our prayerful study through His Word. It is TRUTH. It is revolutionary. It is mostly unknown and misunderstood. It is scriptural fact and provable. It goes against several traditionally believed errors. It is mostly ignored by Bible scholars and is scoffed at by everyone who will not bother themselves to listen to the simple TRUTH straight from the Bible. All that look and listen can instantly see and hear the self evident TRUTH that was always there. I truly hope to reach God's beloved bride with this TRUTH for encouragement!

Prove RAPTURE is at the TRUE PENTECOST (Feast of Wine🍷) and "Show your work🤓😁 (Dr Barry Awe)

The TRUTH will set you Free and lift up your Spirit that is knit one with Christ! Big suprise! We have been lied to😲 and deceived for most of our lives.😮‍💨 The truth about "ascension day" and "Shavuots" and "the day of Pentecost" are NOT what you have been told... but people HATE change.🤨 I only ask you to look at Bible verses and God's precepts and statutes, and don't let your tight grip on TRADITIONS block your revelation of the TRUTH!🤓 The Word "TRADITION" has the Gematria value of 666....😈 what are you CLINGING to?🤔😈👹

Part 4 (of 3) the RAPTURE and the 9th Av prophesies collide!

(Dr Barry Awe)

All of God's appointed times have Rapture topologies, but only one has over a dozen Church specific types... the Feast of New Wine. Come and see how this Hidden Feast has become the #1 RAPTURE Watch day.

PROOF positive of New Wine PENTECOST 🍷 (Dr Barry Awe)

Feast of Trumpets Rapture?

FEAST OF TRUMPETS RAPTURE?

September 26-27, 2022

October 26-27, 2022

See Christ's fulfillment of the Jewish Spring Feast days - on the exact days

The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the Fall Feast days, and the next to be fulfilled by Jesus

Trumpets

Leviticus 23:23-25 - The Feast of Trumpets

Lev 23:23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”

Numbers 29:1-6 - Offerings at the Feast of Trumpets

Nu 29:1 ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. 2 You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. 3 Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4 and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 - The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

1Th 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 - Our Final Victory

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Trumpets: Rapture Day

http://www.21stcenturyrevelation.com/2022_Trumpets

Jewish tradition says a new month begins after two witnesses see the crescent new moon, testify before the Sanhedrin who declare the beginning of the new month. Messengers set beacon fires on hills throughout Israel. This happens about a day after the astronomical new moon. But Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of a new civil year. Distant communities celebrate Trumpets on two possible days. The shofar sounds one hundred times during the Jewish service. Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets is the Rapture.

The Feast of Trumpet Is the Rapture Day

1. Day of Blowing the Shofar or Ram's Horn

The Feast of Trumpets is on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri. Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Weeks/Pentecost were prophesies fulfilled with redemption through Jesus Christ so Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles will be fulfilled with the return of Jesus Christ.

In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall you have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. You shall do no work: but you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord (Leviticus 23:24-25).

2. Day of Rosh Hashanah, the New Year

The Feast of Trumpets is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish civil new year which begins on a new moon in the summer/fall (September 4-October 6). After the night's prayer service, a special greeting is used: "Ketiva ve-chatima tovah" or "May you be written and sealed for a good year".

Blow the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day (Psalm 81:3).

3. Day of Creation and Birth of Adam

The Feast of Trumpets is the Jewish celebration of the creation of the world and Adam. The Hebrew name Genesis is Beresheet but right to left (teeshereB) is the 1st of Tishri. The month of Tishri is the beginning (Creation) and the end with Trumpets (Rapture), Atonement (Second Coming) and Tabernacles (Reign of Jesus Christ). The Jews celebrate the coronation of God as King.

On the 1st of Tishri [beginning, Aleph b'Tishri] God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

4. Day of the Awakening Blast and Day of Shouting

The Feast of Trumpets is the day of shouting, the resurrection of the dead and the rapture of believers. God rescues those in Christ from imminent danger before the Tribulation.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first [resurrection]: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [rapture] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Rosh Hashanah 2011 Blowing The Shofar (partytown2)

Understanding the Shofar Blasts on Rosh Hashanah (Torah Live)

Why do we hear 100 blasts of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah?

What should we be thinking about during shofar blowing?

What are the main themes of the shofar?

5. Day of the Last Trump

On the Feast of Trumpets, the prayer service includes a hundred blasts of the shofar with four sounds: Tekiah (1 long), Shevarim (3 medium), Teruah (9 short) and Tekiah Gedolah (1 extra long). Paul said when the last trump (Tekiah Gedolah) sounds on the Feast of Trumpets, we will transform from life to eternal life.

> First Trump - Weeks/Pentecost - Exodus 19:16-17, 18-19
> Last Trump - Trumpets - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
> Great Trump - Atonement - Matthew 24:30-31

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump [Tekiah Gedolah]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Personal comment (not part of the original article):

In a Jubilee year (2022), the last trumpet is blown on the Day of Atonement

(see Day of Atonement Rapture below)

6. Day That No One Knows

The Feast of Trumpets can occur after the 29th or 30th day of Elul, so no one knows the day or hour until the crescent moon appears in the afternoon sky. Jesus uses a Jewish figure of speech to tell us the day of the Rapture is the Feast of Trumpets.

But of that day and hour knows no man (Matthew 24:36).

7. Day of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb

The Feast of Trumpets is the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. Both Jacob and Samson's weddings last one week (Genesis 29:26-28, Judges 14:12). Christ and His Church's ceremony lasts seven years.

In my Father's house are many [rooms]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2-3).

God tells us what is going to happen before it happens and when. He describes the Rapture by Jewish traditions on the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year. Since God revealed to us the days of the Rapture but not the year, Daniel's dream, four horses, five trumpets and other prophesies describe important events that occur before the Tribulation.

Prophecy Window for the Rapture

Jesus Christ was born ~7-1 BC and died ~27-33 AD, then ~2027-2033 could be the Second Coming. So the years ~2019-2026 is a possible seven year rapture window as God prepares the world for the seven years of Tribulation, within the margin of calendar errors. Since we are at the end of the Church Age, work but also watch for Jesus on the Feast of Trumpets.

On the Jewish calendar, the Feast of Trumpets 2022 (5783 AM) starts on the evening of September 25. The astronomical new moon is September 26 at 12:54 AM IDT but 15 hours is not enough to see the new crescent moon in Jerusalem. So Trumpets is the evening of September 27 sunset and ends September 29 sunset Jerusalem time. In US Central Time, Trumpets begins on September 27 at ~10:29 AM and ends on September 29 at ~10:26 AM.

This year or not? Those awake, watching and expecting Christ's return will be the first to know.

You, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5).

Jewish Feast Dates

The sun, moon and stars are not only used to tell time but also for prophetic signs. Those signs are linked to Jewish holy days. Key days to watch are the 9th of Av (Kadesh Barnea), Teshuvah, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. The list of holy days are the future dates of the Rapture, beginning of the Tribulation, Second Coming and reign of Jesus Christ. These dates are calculated dates and must be confirmed by observation. See Calendar, Jewish Calendar.

WARNING

Specific years are mentioned. This is not a prediction of the year of the Rapture or Second Coming. Put all of what is written in context with the rest of the book. After God's time, seven churches, four horses, seven trumpets and other End Time prophecies are combined, we can better understand God's plan for our time.

References: 21st Century Revelation: World Wars, Iraq Wars & End War Chapter 11 - The Feast of Trumpets, Chapter 12 - Fall Jewish Feasts, Appendix D - Jewish Feast Dates, Revelation 12 Sign, Rosh Hashanah

The Feast of Trumpets: Rapture Day

Christ's Fulfillment of the Spring Feast Days

Trumpets

10 Signs the Rapture could happen on the Feast of Trumpets

https://raptureandendtimes.com/2022/07/22/10-signs-the-rapture-could-happen-on-the-feast-of-trumpets/

In this post, we explore 10 prophetic points of this Holy Day. The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the Rapture – the last great harvest.

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. (Leviticus 23:23-25)

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:50-52)

According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. (Genesis 1:14-16)

Our Sun-Moon system is very special. The sun’s diameter is about 400 times larger than that of the moon – but the sun is also about 400 times farther from Earth. The two therefore look the same size in the sky – a unique situation among our solar system’s eight planets and 166 known moons. Science calls it a remarkable coincidence, but as Christians, we know that the precision of the Lord is 100% design, from an omnipotent Being.

The Lord designed the 7 major Jewish feasts around a lunisolar calendar. A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year.

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. (Leviticus 23:1-2)

Beginning in the spring, the seven Jewish feasts are Passover (Pesach), the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).

The Jewish feasts are closely related to Israel’s spring and fall harvests and agricultural seasons. They were to remind the Israelites each year of God’s ongoing protection and provision. But, even more importantly, they foreshadowed the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Not only did they play significant roles in Christ’s earthly ministry but they also symbolize the complete redemptive story of Christ, beginning with His death on the cross as the Passover Lamb and ending with His second coming after which He will “tabernacle” or dwell with His people forever.

While the four spring feasts look back at what Christ fulfilled at His first coming, the three fall feasts point us toward the glory of the second coming. The spring feasts are the source of our hope in Christ—His finished work of atonement for sins—and the fall feasts are the promise of what is to come—eternity with Christ. Understanding the significance of these God-appointed Jewish festivals helps us to better see and understand the complete picture and plan of redemption found in Scripture.

The next unfulfilled feast is the Feast of Trumpets.

On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. (Numbers 29:1)

Jewish names and themes for this feast include:

Rosh HaShanah – ‘Head of the year’ / Tishrei 1 is the first day of the Jewish new year in their civil calendar. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.
Yom Teruah – ‘Day of Awakening Blast’ / Jewish belief is that the resurrection of the dead will occur on the feast of Trumpets.
The Last Trumpet – On this day, there are 100 trumpet blasts. The final, long, and most significant trumpet blast is called ‘the last trump’.
Yom Zikaron – ‘Day of Remembrance’ / A day on which the chosen people remember God, and God remembers them.
Yom Hadin – ‘Day of Judgment’ / God opens the books on that day and judges the righteous and the wicked according to what they had done.
Yom Hamelech – the Day of the Coronation of the King.
The time of Jacob’s trouble – There shall be great tribulation in Israel such as never was since there was a nation.
Yom Hakeseh – The Hidden Day / It was ‘hidden’ because they didn’t know the exact day it would begin due to the fact that it is the only feast that starts on a new moon. Thus it was a two day feast because they didn’t want to celebrate it on the wrong day. Concerning Rosh HaShanah, the Jews would typically say “Of that day and hour no one knows.”
The Opening of the Gates of Heaven / The Gate of Heaven is opened on Rosh HaShanah so the righteous nation may enter.
The Wedding of Messiah / The blowing of the heavenly trumpet is a call for the entire, true, bride of God to assemble together.

Now, let’s review some scripture that corresponds to these names of the Feast of Trumpets:

1. Rosh HaShanah – ‘Head of the year’

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long,
And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
For You are the glory of their strength,
And in Your favor our horn is exalted.
For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel. (Psalm 89:15-18)

2. Yom Teruah – ‘Day of Awakening Blast’

Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you. (Ephesians 5:14)

Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!
For you will be covered with the morning dew,
and the earth will bring out the departed spirits. (Isaiah 26:19)

3. The Last Trumpet

4. Yom Zikaron – ‘Day of Remembrance’

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name.

“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,
“On the day that I make them My jewels.
And I will spare them
As a man spares his own son who serves him.” (Malachi 3:16-17)

5. Yom Hadin – ‘Day of Judgment’

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again. (Revelation 17:8)

6. Yom Hamelech – the Day of the Coronation of the King

Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll with writing on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. And I cried and cried because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.

Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw One like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of the One seated on the throne.

When He took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:

You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because You were slaughtered,
and You redeemed people
for God by Your blood
from every tribe and language
and people and nation.
You made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they will reign on the earth.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. They said with a loud voice:

The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy

to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say:

Blessing and honor and glory and dominion
to the One seated on the throne,
and to the Lamb, forever and ever!

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.(Revelation 5)

7. The time of Jacob’s trouble

While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”

Then Jesus replied to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:3-8)

8. Yom Hakeseh – The Hidden Day

For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)

9. The Opening of the Gates of Heaven

Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous will enter through it. (Psalm 118:19-20)

After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was set there in heaven. One was seated on the throne, and the One seated looked like jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that looked like an emerald surrounded the throne. (Revelation 4:1-3)

10. The Wedding of Messiah

The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the Rapture – the last great harvest. Are you ready to meet Him?

Is The Rapture About To Happen?! (The_Watchman_1963)

The Last Trump…Feast of Trumpets and a 2021 Rapture? (The_Watchman_1963)

What is the Feast of Trumpets?

https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Trumpets.html

The Feast of Trumpets marked the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before God. It is one of seven Jewish feasts or festivals appointed by the LORD and one of three feasts that occur in the autumn. The Feast of Trumpets began on the first day (at the new moon) of the seventh month. Its name comes from the command to blow trumpets (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1-6). It is also called Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year,” because it marks the beginning of the Jewish civil calendar. During this celebration, no kind of work was to be performed, but burnt offerings and a sin offering were to be brought before the Lord.

In the Leviticus passage, the words trumpet blasts are a translation of the Hebrew word teruah, which means “a shout” or “a blowing.” It appears that the shofar (ram’s horn) was to be blown at this time, as it was on the other new moons (Psalm 81:3). Jewish tradition indicates that both the ram’s horn and the priestly silver horns (hazozerah) were used in the Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets was important for several reasons. First, it commemorated the end of the agricultural and festival year. Also, the Day of Atonement fell on the tenth day of this month, and the Festival of Booths began on the fifteenth day. The blowing of the trumpets on first day of the month heralded a solemn time of preparation for the Day of Atonement; this preparation time was called “Ten Days of Repentance” or the “Days of Awe.” The trumpet sound was an alarm of sorts and can be understood as a call to introspection and repentance.

The Feast of Trumpets, along with the other six festivals of the LORD, foreshadowed certain aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ. The prophets linked the blowing of trumpets to the future Day of Judgment: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand” (Joel 2:1; see also Zephaniah 1:14, 16).

In the New Testament, we see that the Lord’s Second Coming will be accompanied by the sound of a trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Each of the judgments in Revelation 8-9 is also signaled by a trumpet. Just as the shofar called the Jewish nation to turn their attention to the Lord and ready themselves for the Day of Atonement, so will the “trump of God” call us to heaven and warn the world of coming judgment.

DAY OF ATONEMENT RAPTURE 2022?

October 7-9, 2022

November 4-6, 2022

The last trumpet blown during the Feast of Trumpets on a Jubilee year occurs at the sunset on the Day of Atonement!

Although Israel celebrated the Feast of Trumpets on Sept 25-26th, the new moon was not seen until Sept 27th. 10 days later is Oct 7th.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. No telling how long it will take for the dead to rise first.

The First Trumpet - Exodus 19:13 - Israel at Mount Sinai

Ex 19:13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. (KJV)

We are waiting for the last trump at the rapture. This is the 1st trump
Trumpet (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל) - In every other occurrence of this word in the Pentateuch, this word is translated as Jubilee (See 3104)
- Designation of 50th year, marked by blowing of cornets, AV 'jubile' (so Late Hebrew יוֺבֵל, ᵑ7 יובֵילָא, as loan-word); originally no doubt שְׁנַת הַיּוֺבֵל year of the ram ('s horn), as Leviticus 25:13,28,40,50,52,54 (all H), Leviticus 27:17,18,23,24 (all P), but then, without שׁנת, as יוֺבֵל הִוא תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם Leviticus 25:10 a ram ('s horn blowing) shall it be to you; so Leviticus 25:11; Leviticus 25:12; Leviticus 25:15; Leviticus 25:28; Leviticus 25:30; Leviticus 25:31; Leviticus 25:33 (all H), Leviticus 27:18; Numbers 36:4 (both P).

Leviticus 25:8-13 - The Year of Jubilee

Lev 25:8 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee (תְּרוּעָה֙ שׁוֹפַ֤ר) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל) for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל) to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל); it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. 13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל), each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee (הַיֹּבֵ֔ל) you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you.

If the first Trumpet of God sounded in a Jubilee year, it stands to reason that the last Trumpet of God will sound in a Jubilee year
See Biblical proof 5783 is Jubilee in God's reckoning! that 2022 is a Jubilee year

Leviticus 25:9 - The Year of Jubilee

Lev 25:9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee (תְּרוּעָה֙ שׁוֹפַ֤ר) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.

Trumpet and Jubilee as used here are NOT the same words as above
תְּרוּעָה֙ שׁוֹפַ֤ר = shophar teruah = The same words used in Lev 23:24 and Nu 29:1 for the trumpets blown during the Feast of Trumpets
The last trumpet blown during the Feast of Trumpets on a Jubilee year occurs at the Day of Atonement!
- Although Israel celebrated the Feast of Trumpets on Sept 25-26th, the first sliver of the new moon was not seen until about 5:00 am (Israel time) on Sept 27th. Therefore, the Day of Atonement does not occur until 10 days later, Oct 6th.

Is this (5783) a Jubilee Year? YES!

Lev 25:10 Proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants ...

You shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family

5782 (2021/22) / 49 = 118 (Rapture, October/November 2022, beginning of Jubilee year (5783))
5733 (1972/73) / 49 = 117 (Yom Kippur War, October 1973)
5684 (1923/24) / 49 = 116 (Restrictive US 1924 Immigration Act Boosts Jewish Immigration to Palestine)

The Last Trumpet - 1 Corinthians 15:50-51 - Our Final Victory

STRONGS NT 4536: σάλπιγξ

σάλπιγξ, σάλπιγγος, ἡ, a trumpet: Matthew 24:31 (cf. Buttmann, 161 (141); 343 (295)); 1 Corinthians 14:8; Hebrews 12:19; Revelation 1:10; Revelation 4:1; Revelation 8:2, 6, 13; Revelation 9:14;

ἐν σάλπιγγι Θεοῦ, a trumpet which sounds at God's command (Winer's Grammar, § 36, 3 b.), 1 Thessalonians 4:16;

ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι, the trumpet which will sound at the last day, 1 Corinthians 15:52 (4 (2) Esdr. ; see commentaries on 1 Thessalonians as above).

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOM KIPPUR

This day was a solemn day for the nation with stern consequences for those who choose to reject the requirements imposed by the Law. The nation was not seen as only a collection of individuals but as a composite group. This day was set aside for the covering of sin, not only for the individual, but for the whole nation, from high priest to the servants.
The people were required to afflict their souls (עָנָה “anah”) meaning to humble yourself, to be downcast, oppressed. The nation was to mourn their sin individually and nationally. Those who did not afflict themselves were cut off from Israel - judgment was upon them.
- This was not a festive time, but a time of contemplation and mourning. This affliction of soul was also known as “The Fast”, It was not a time to enjoy the pleasures of food; but to mourn your sins, to be afflicted.
They were to not do any sort of work. Those who worked on this day God would destroy. God called for this day to be a “Solemn Rest”. This was the day when the people were to be afflicted with their sin and mourn their wicked ways.
The high priest would enter the Holy of Holies to petition the Lord on behalf of the people of Israel. The high priest was to wear a special set of garments for this day; white linen with the golden ephod, and with 12 gemstones representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

The Last Trump & The Jubilee (Generation2434)

What is the "Last Trump"? What's special about the Jubilee? I'd like to just think out loud with you guys and share some interesting things on these two topics. Fear not. Hold fast. Eyes on Jesus!

Biblical proof 5783 is Jubilee in God's reckoning! (Dr Barry Awe)

Our Father who art in heaven is keeping perfect watch and perfect track. This is a 50th year of His count. that makes this a type of Jubilee one way or another.

God's Decree to Upgrade Shemetah Cycle to Daniel's 70th Week! Day of Atonement! Judgment Day! (ENDTIME DREAM & VISION)

Day of Atonement Rapture?

Is This Really the Year 5783?

(This is a sidenote, but it is so interesting that I wanted to include it!)

The Book of Esther actually confirms that the dates used are correct! It's all about the jots and tittles!

What is a jot? What is a tittle?

https://www.gotquestions.org/jot-tittle.html

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus assures His audience on the mount that He had not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; rather, He had come to fulfill them. Then, in verse 18, Jesus emphasizes the eternal nature of God’s Word: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (KJV). His statement naturally prompts the question of what’s a jot? And what’s a tittle?

Most of us are unfamiliar with jots and tittles because most of us do not read the Hebrew language. Jots and tittles have to do with letters and pen strokes in Hebrew writing.

A jot is the tenth letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the smallest. It was written above the line and looks to us rather like an apostrophe:

Jot is related to our modern English word iota, meaning “a very small amount.” The Hebrew spelling is yod or yodh. Many Bibles have a picture of a yod in Psalm 119. Check out the section title coming just before verse 73.

A tittle is even smaller than a jot. A tittle is a letter extension, a pen stroke that can differentiate one Hebrew letter from another. An example can be seen in the comparison between the Hebrew letters resh and daleth (or dalet):

The resh (on the left) is made with one smooth stroke. The daleth (on the right) is made with two strokes of the pen. The letters are very similar to each other, but the distinguishing mark of the daleth is the small extension of the roof of the letter:

That extension is a tittle. See Psalm 119:25 and 153 for pictures of the daleth and resh, respectively.

When Jesus said, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” in Matthew 5:18, He was stating emphatically that God’s Word is true and trustworthy. God has spoken, His words have been written down accurately, and what God has said will surely come to pass. Fulfillment is inevitable. Even the smallest letter of the Law will be fulfilled. Even the smallest pen stroke of the Prophets will be accomplished. The NLT translates the verse this way: “Until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.”

Doubters will doubt, and mockers will mock, but God’s Word will not change: “Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). The gospel changes lives: “‘The word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25). God is reliable, and so is His Word—every jot and tittle of it.

Esther 9:6-14 - The Jews Destroy Their Tormentors

Est 9:6 And in Shushan the citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

11 On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.”

13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow according to today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”

14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

If the sons of Hamen were already dead, why hang them again?

tomorrow (מָחָר) - in time to come

2,400 years later, after World War II, the Nuremberg trials in Germany (1945-46), sentenced twelve of the Hitler’s top Nazi leaders to death by hanging. But, one was tried and condemned to death in absentia, and one committed suicide before he could be executed. Hence, only the following ten of them were hanged on October 16, 1946.

tav = 400

shin = 300

zayin = 7

very large vav = 6th millennium

(5000)

5000 +

400 +

300 +

5707 = 1946

On October 1, 1946, 12 high-ranking Nazis are sentenced to death by the International War Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg. However, Martin Bormann was tried and condemned to death in absentia, and Hermann Göring committed suicide before he could be executed. Hence, only ten were hanged on October 16, 1946 (5707).

There are many more fascinating correlations between the Nuremberg Trails and Esther.

Purimfest 1946: The Nuremberg Trials and the Ten Sons of Haman - TheTorah.com

Queen Esther and Nuremberg Trials – SonnyZin.com

Purim, Haman and the Nazis - An Incredible Link

(Jewish Wisdom | J-TV)

Watch Ollie deliver an incredible monologue on a link between the evil tyrant in the Purim story, Haman, and the Nazis. In the monologue Ollie looks at a fascinating comparison between the ten sons of Haman hung on the gallows, and the hanging of ten senior ranking Nazis in Nuremberg 2000 years later.

Biblical proof 5783 is Jubilee in God's reckoning! (Dr Barry Awe)

Our Father who art in heaven is keeping perfect watch and perfect track. This is a 50th year of His count. that makes this a type of Jubilee one way or another.

October / November Rapture, 2022

Feast of Trumpets - October 26-27, 2022

Day of Atonement - November 4-6, 2022

Israel's Feast days were off by one month in 2022. Watch the videos to see why.

HIGH WATCH TIME AHEAD! BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE TRUMPETS YET (Ricardo Garcia)

Did Feast of Trumpets 2022 happen yet? God’s clock disagrees

(Jason Blood church)

October / November Rapture, 2022

Halloween Rapture?

HALLOWEEN RAPTURE?

See above - October/November Rapture 2022

Our Heavenly Father has poured out His Spirit upon His people over the last month, giving them dreams and visions about the judgment that is soon coming over the earth. The world that we knew for so long, will never return to the state it existed in under God's grace and mercy. Time will soon literally run out which will affect even the reality of life for those who will remain on the earth and you do not want to be here when that happens. Ensure that you place 100% of your Trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you from your sins and to rescue you from this world when He returns to take those that belong to Him to their eternal mansions in new glorified bodies!

Many believers in Christ do not know God's Word as they should and this leads to all kinds of doctrines that contradict many passages written in the Bible and misleading many to believe what is not true. The Bible tells us that Jesus will soon thrust in His sickle and will reap the earth and it is so important to understand how a harvest will be conducted because it concerns every believer! Much of what is shown to those who are given dreams have to do with what will play out during Halloween this year. It would seem that this Halloween will be one that the world, will remember forever, because it would also seem to involve the Rapture of God's people and the resurrection of the dead.

Halloween to All souls day, the Noah's Flood link (Oct 31 - Nov 2)

(Saviour Yeshua)

I did this video as it's nearing Halloween (Oct 31) and all saints / all souls day (On 2 Nov ) this is celebrated by the masses of people worldwide and especially children as harmless fun, commemorating the dead (but I will explain the pagan background of these festivals and where it originated ie back in the time of Noah's flood, when God destroyed the wicked world of mankind back then. .Also should Christian families celebrate these festivals, when really they're worshipping Satan

The Halloween Rapture - Dreams and Visions

(God's Roadmap to the End)

ARE YOU READY FOR THE RAPTURE?

Billy Crone Study

Part 1 Part 7 Part 13

Part 2 Part 8 Part 14

Part 3 Part 9 Part 15

Part 4 Part 10 Part 16

Part 5 Part 11 Part 17

Part 6 Part 12 Part 18

If there’s one thing you don’t want to be deceived about in life, it’s the Biblical truth concerning the Rapture. The Bible says that for those who are left behind after this next great event on God’s end time prophetic calendar, they will be thrust into the 7-year Tribulation, which is not a party. Rather, it’s an outpouring of God’s wrath upon this wicked and rebellious planet which will soon turn into mankind’s greatest nightmare! Unfortunately, there seems to be a multitude of opinions out there concerning the purpose and timing of the Rapture which is starting to cause a lot of unnecessary confusion and division. Are You Ready For the Rapture is not only designed to equip and encourage you in the truth concerning the purpose and proof of the Biblical Rapture, but to also motivate you in sharing the wonderful truth that people don’t have to be left behind at the Rapture. God has provided a way out of this horrible time frame through Jesus Christ and has been warning us about this sudden shocking event for the last 2,000 years! It’s near and we need to get ready for it!

Purpose of the Rapture (Hope For Our Times w/ Billy Crone)

Ready for the Rapture

Lamb & Lion Ministries - Prophetic Perspectives #7

How does one get ready for the Rapture?

New Book About the Rapture

Lamb & Lion Ministries w/ Terry James

Are you Rapture ready?

Are you ready?

Rapture Kit (for those left behind)

https://rapturekit.org/

The I Am A Watchman ministry provides resources designed to equip, inform, and encourage. We believe the Rapture will happen soon and have a particular burden for those who will be left behind.

Members of the I Am A Watchman ministry team have friends and relatives who are not saved and are aware that few church pastors prioritize teaching about prophecy and the coming Rapture. The creation of this resource was prompted by a burden to see Christians more informed, the lost amply warned, and those left behind provided with resources designed to lead them to Christ and equipped to serve as ministry leaders in the post-Rapture world.

The Rapture Kit resource will help believers know what the Bible says about the Rapture and how to proactively warn and inform those who are not spiritually prepared for the return of the Lord. Rapture Kits will serve as a valuable resource for those not taken in the Rapture. With the church gone (raptured) and prohibitions on Christian literature and programming coming, we are concerned that individuals not taken in the Rapture will not understand what has happened, know how to be saved, or be able to grow to become strong disciples and leaders for Christ. The Rapture Kit resource addresses those concerns.

A 50-minute video will explain what has happened, what is coming, and how to be saved. 9 eBooks, a 120-page digital binder, evangelistic tracts, a Bible and 12 teaching videos will help individuals understand the truth, grow in Christ, prepare for the dark days of the Tribulation period, and be equipped to be leaders for Christ in the last days.

The church does well in the area of FOREIGN missions—we are encouraging the church to do better in the area of strategic FUTURE missions. The Rapture Kit resource can help believers reach past the Rapture, past their own lives and impact the future, post-Rapture world.

Rapture Kit materials are biblically-based, centrist, and written with individuals with limited or no church background in mind. Materials are informative and uplifting. Ours is a message of hope. Yes, dark days are coming, but so is victory and the Millennial Reign of Christ.

We pray this resource will be a blessing to you and to the lost individuals the Lord places on our heart.

Please use the CONTACT form to share any questions or prayer requests.

God bless you,

– The I Am A Watchman Team

https://iamawatchman.com/

Rapture Kit Overview

What is a Rapture Kit?

The Rapture Kit resource is a 32-GigaByte USB (Flash Drive) preloaded with an abundance of educational, evangelistic, and discipleship materials.

A Rapture Kit is a resource designed to aid believers in actively praying for and reaching out to individuals who are not yet saved and in danger of being left behind after the Rapture. The goal is two-fold:

Lead individuals to Jesus Christ BEFORE the Rapture. We pray for and strongly suspect that many individuals that receive a Rapture Kit from a loved one (you, the sender of the Kit) might be curious enough about the Rapture and the Prophetic Timeline to yield to Jesus Christ now and thus escape the coming Tribulation period.

Lead individuals to Jesus Christ AFTER the Rapture. If the Rapture Kit recipient is left behind, it Kit will explain what just happened in order to fight deception coming from the Antichrist World System narrative. We speak honestly, directly, and in some cases very bluntly about what Tribulation Saints need to know and do. Always, in love, and always intentionally pointing to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the one and only way to Salvation and an eternally secure future.

The giving of a Rapture Kit is an expression of care and God’s love, and a way for believers today to have a spiritual impact in the world even after they have been taken in the Rapture by Christ.

A Rapture Kit is a collection of resources designed to draw people to faith, explain what the Rapture is and what has happened, and help individuals be prepared for events associated with the Tribulation.

A Rapture Kit is a resource that will aid believers in being a witness before the Rapture, and draw individuals to faith and equip new believers for service in a post-Rapture world.

Structure of Rapture Kit USB Drive - Folder Descriptions

There are many resources included on the Rapture Kit to help you understand your need for Christ, help you understand what you must do to be saved, and help establish your understanding of the Bible and the great work of Salvation that the Lord. The following summary of each folder will detail the scope of the content.

\Section 01 – Information for the Rapture Kit Sender\

There is an 11-page PDF document that explains what the Rapture Kit is, how to use the Rapture Kit before the Rapture, important links to legal resources should the Sender wish to include legal documents, and five (5) sample letters to introduce the Rapture Kit resource to the recipient.

\Section 02 – First things first\

This is the recommended starting point for discovering what just happened and why. There are two important videos:

Did Many People Just Disappear (15-minutes, from Lamb & Lion Ministries) is a docudrama that will reveal what happened and how your friends and loved ones—now in Heaven—anticipated this event and their desire for you to come to salvation and reunite with them soon.
What Just Happened (56-minutes) will go through a broader explanation of what happened, including a presentation on the theology of the Rapture and Bible Prophecy and next steps that you should consider to be saved so as to inherit eternal life in Jesus Christ and avoid the consequences of unforgiven sin and a hard heart towards God.

\Section 03 – Bibles\

There are several Bibles in PDF format for supporting the rest of the materials in the Rapture Kit. We include Bibles that are all in the public domain. These include the King James Bible, the American Standard Bible, the World English Bible, and a HTML-based version of the American Standard Bible. These Bibles use Adobe Acrobat PDF format which is widely adopted on virtually all Mac and PC’s. As such, the PDF Bibles are offline and are capable of discrete use without requiring an online browser. This is done to protect private underground small groups wishing to study in secrecy. The HTML-based version has all pages stored locally on the Rapture Kit USB drive in a subdirectory and is offline from the Internet even though it uses a browser. Double-clicking the index.htm page will load this version into a browser.

\Section 04 – Books\

The IAAW team has included 16 eBooks (in PDF format) with over 1,800 pages of information that will assist the Rapture Kit recipient during the Tribulation Period. Importantly, there are several targeting Bible Prophecy, guidance on what to do, and learning and discipleship resources to grow their young faith. There is one additional eBook contribution from Apologist Charlie Campbell on Teaching and Preaching God’s Word as well as a Bible Prophecy Timeline (in English and Spanish) for a total of 19 PDF documents.

\Section 05 – Discipleship Study Materials\

Included are video teaching presentations on Nehemiah (video format, 10 minutes), Reasons to Believe (3-part video series, 1 hour 18 minutes), The Gift of Salvation – How to be Saved (video format, 24 minutes), The Story of Jesus Bible Study (3 eBooks, 496 pages in PDF format for with 10 PowerPoint instructor slide decks), The Wonders of Bible Prophecy (7-part video series, 1 hour 54 minutes), and What it Means to be a Watchman (video format, 18 minutes). In all there is over 4 hours 17 minutes of instruction.

\Section 06 – What Tribulation Saints Need to Know\

In this series, taught by I Am A Watchman founder Scott E. Townsend, we unpack extensive teachings balancing “speaking the Truth in love” with “brutal honesty” about what Tribulation Saints must know and what they will face. This collection contains 14 videos with over 5 hours of teaching, strategy, exhortations, and principles for the Tribulation. Topic areas include: Fear, The Grace of God, Reliability of Bible Prophecy, What Will Happen, Your Ministry Calling, Evangelism, Your Seal, The Mark of the Beast, What You Must Discern, Your Destiny, Finishing Well, and a final Personal Message from Scott.

\Section 07 – Sermons and Teachings\

We have curated several sermon and teaching series (with permission) to get Tribulation Saints up to speed as quickly as possible. We have contributions from apologist Charlie Campbell (“The End Times – Ten Upcoming Events in Bible Prophecy”, 1 sermon, video format, 58 minutes), evangelist Nathan Jones and Pastor Vic Bautista (Book of Daniel chapters 8-12, 16 teachings, audio format, 10 hours 34 minutes), Pastor Brandon Holthaus (Book of Revelation, 45 sermons, audio format, 32 hours 31 minutes), Pastor Dr. Andy Woods (Book of Revelation, 75 sermons, audio format, 84 hours 19 minutes), Pastor Gary Ray (Various subjects, 9 teachings, audio format, 2 hours 46 minutes), Pastor Jack Hibbs featuring Amir Tsarfati (“Things You Should Know”, 1 video, 56 minutes), and Pastor Tom Hughes (Book of Revelation, 40 sermons, video format, 29 hours 27 minutes).

These sermons and teachings consist of a combined total of 130 hours in MP3 audio files, and 39 hours of video files.

\Section 08 – Additional Articles\

This is a collection of 58 IAAW articles published since 2018 covering a wide range of topics meant to encourage, equip, and train Christ Followers to finish well. As Watchmen ourselves, you will notice a bias towards how every believer should “watch and warn”. For us—those that were Raptured and now in Heaven—our Warning to others consisted of telling people that there is an urgent call to repent and believe so as to have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and escape the Tribulation period. For you—those left behind—your role to “watch and warn” has to do with helping to establish a second chance rescue effort to reach and bring as many as possible to faith in Jesus Christ, to NOT take the Mark of the Beast, and to finish strong and well before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of the 7-year Tribulation Period.

PLATFORM SUPPORT

The USB 2.0 Drive is compatible with any Mac or Windows-based PC’s capable of loading any USB 2.0 specification or higher.

Video (MP4) and audio (MP3) can also be played from many contemporary TV platforms (such as Samsung, Sony, LG…). This is intentionally purposed for small, private, underground Christ Followers seeking to finish well during the Tribulation period. As such, it facilitates group study and discussion.

Order Rapture Kit

Rapture Kit

Hasten The Day!

Future Prophesies - the Stage is Set (Can Happen Any Day) RAPTURE

Tish B'Av Rapture?

The Rapture - What is it? Who will it affect? When is it most likely to take place?

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rapture/

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The Term

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A Promise to the Church

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Biblical References

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A Summary

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The Timing

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Post-Tribulation Rapture

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Mid-Tribulation Rapture

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Pre-Wrath Rapture

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The Pre-Tribulation Rapture

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Focus

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Wrath

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Deliverance

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Symbolism

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Revelation

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Paul’s Assurance

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Escapism?

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The Rapture Under Attack - Prophecy Study By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rapture-under-attack/

The Common and Frequent Criticisms

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Conclusion

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FAQ :: Will my children be raptured?

https://www.raptureready.com/faq-will-my-children-be-raptured/

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Will all children be Raptured? :: by Terry James

The Character of God

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Belief Essential

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Position in Jesus Christ

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Rapture a Salvation Issue

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Lamb’s Book of Life

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Yes, but what about this?

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PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE

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THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BE REMOVED (RAPTURE) BEFORE THE ANTICHRIST CAN BE REVEALED (1st SEAL)

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2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – The Great Apostasy

WE ARE NOT APPOINTED TO GOD'S WRATH

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1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – The Day of the Lord

Isaiah 26:20-21 – Take Refuge from the Coming Judgment

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 – Their Good Example

Luke 21:34-36 – The Importance of Watching

2 Peter 2:4-9 – Doom of False Teachers

Revelation 3:10 – The Faithful Church [Philadelphia]

Ephesians 5:3-7 – Walk in Love

Romans 1:18-23 – God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness

Colossians 3:1-11 – Not Carnality but Christ

Romans 5:8-9 – Christ in Our Place

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 – The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

Luke 3:7-9 – John Preaches to the People

THE RAPTURE AND SECOND COMING ARE DIFFERENT EVENTS

Future Prophesies - the Stage is Set (Can Happen Any Day)
RAPTURE