Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
See also Leviticus 23:23-25.
Many believers are pointing to this Feast of Trumpets with great anticipation. Many believe the rapture will take place this fall 2017, September 23rd to be specific. The foundation of the theory is the Virgo alignment in the heavenlies which is consistent with Revelation 12:1. Present company is not included in this thought.
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Let’s cross the time and cultural divide from our place in the 21st century in western society. We are going back at least 2,000 years and upwards of 3,600 years ago. The Biblical text was written in an agrarian Middle East society. There are three languages involved: English, Greek, and Hebrew.
Judaism recognizes three trumps: first trump, the last trump, and the great trump. Each one of these named trumps represents a specific day. The “first trump” is blown on the Feast of Pentecost (Exodus 19:19). The “great trump” is blown on Yom Kippur and signals the return of Christ to Earth (Matthew 24:31). The “last trump” is synonymous with Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah (1 Corinthians 15:52). Resources: Festivals of the Jewish Year, Theodore Gaster; The High Holy Days, Herman Kieval.
The Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah is the only new moon observance. This is not some Old Testament warm and fuzzy tradition. God has a point and a reason. He has not forgotten. The Apostle Paul makes note of this holiday.
Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to 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.
God has singled out this appointed holiday for some big time fireworks! Judaism has been rehearsing this holiday for at least 3,600 years since Moses. Has the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed) connected the dots… (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.)
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit fulfilled the spring feasts (all four of them to the day, hour, and minute…case closed). Resurrection and rapture on the Feast of Trumpets during the fall appointments??? The ultimate question is the year.
Has Jesus Christ covered your sin? If no, you have bigger problems than when He is coming back for His church.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Regardless of the day on the calendar…Be Ready for His return.
Regardless of what is or is not taking place in the sun, moon, and stars…Be ready for His return.
Live your life as if He would come tomorrow…Be ready for His return.
Jesus calls believers to be alert and watchful. Proclaim the redeeming power of Jesus.
God’s fall appointments are the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Below is a brief 10 minute video that provides a framework for God’s fall appointed holidays. http://www.theseasonofreturn.com
Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.
See also Leviticus 23:23-25.
The first fall holiday has many names. It is called the Feast of Trumpets by Christians. It is recognized as the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Some refer to it as the “Hidden Day” or the “Wedding of the Messiah”. In Judaism, it is called Yom Teruah which means the “Day of Blowing”.
It is the beginning of the civil new year. The date for Yom Teruah is near September 21, 2017 (traditional Gregorian calendar). This date is confirmed pending the sighting of the new moon. The new year begins when the new moon is confirmed by two witnesses. The confirmation of the new moon will ultimately determine the dates of the subsequent fall appointments.
The second fall holiday is the Day of Atonement. See Leviticus 16. Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is celebrated on Tishri 10th. It is the last day of the 40 day period of Teshuvah or repent in the Hebrew. This holiday is viewed at the holiest day of Judaism. The day is a Sabbath day of rest. Yom Kippur is the only day a fast is required. The day begins at sun down. This is the busiest day of the year for the high priest with multiple animal sacrifices. The beginning for the Day of Atonement in 2017 is September 30 at sun down. This date is ultimately determined by the confirmation of the new moon.
Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.’”
The third and last fall holiday on God’s calendar is Tabernacles. It is also called Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it was after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it was also called “the feast” or “the festival”. This festival is a week-long festival from Tishri 15 to 21 on a Hebrew calendar. On our western Gregorian calendar, in 2017, the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed from October 5 again pending the new moon confirmed at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishri.
There are seven God appointed holidays communicated through the Old Testament Law. The first four were fulfilled to the day by Jesus Himself with His death, burial, resurrection, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. If the first four spring holidays were fulfilled on the God appointed holiday, why would the fall holidays be any different?
One of the biggest things I get from the Bible is that Jesus taught in love. He even loved those that hated him. There are so many verses in the Bible about love & that tells me that the greatest thing we can do is love one another. If we could all love each other a little more, this world would be a far better place. Spread love, it’s contagious.
Pray for Florida and America’s southeast. Pray for a break in the storms. Pray for communities, states, & a nation to come together.
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, & love. But the greatest of these is love.
Joshua 1:3-4 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.
The Euphrates River is the future eastern border of Israel. This formation of Israel has not been fulfilled.
In June 2017, Russia issued a red line to the United States and supported Kurdistan forces. Do not go west of the Euphrates River. Russia effectively declared a no fly zone from the Euphrates River west to the Mediterranean Sea.
The United States has demonstrated clear air superiority since the early 1990’s. The US reminded Russia and friends by shooting down a Syrian SU 22 fighter jet.
There appeared to be a gentlemen’s agreement between the United States and Russia. The Euphrates River will be the divider. Russia and its surrogates will stay west of the Euphrates. The United States and its allies will be positioned to the east of the river.
September 13, 2017: Action is heating up on the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor, Syria. Countries are scrambling for possession of oil fields. ISIS currently occupies the city at least for now. ISIS is getting it from all angles. The Syrian army with the support of the Russians is attacking ISIS from the west. Kurdish forces (Syrian Democratic Forces/SDF) are approaching from the north of the city with the support of the United States.
Russia is reported to have crossed their own red line, the Euphrates River. There are conflicting reports rather or not Russia and the Syrian army has crossed the Euphrates. Russia is reported to have water bridges and boats on site.
The Kurds and Russian supported troops have promised not to fight each other.
“We have clear instructions that after Daesh (ISIS) is eliminated, we should not act against the forces of the (Bashar Assad) regime or against the Russian, Iranian forces or the Hezbollah movement, which are allied with it,” SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Sputnik Monday.
“It’s going to be a race. It is going to be a race because you’ve got the Syrian army with Russian assistance coming in from the West and you have the United States coming in from the north and the East,” former Pentagon official Michael Maloof told RT.
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The argument is being made that the Virgo alignment in September 2017 is the same sign that is described in Revelation 12. That may very well be. But, whatever meaning that may have — it does NOT mean the rapture for a variety of reasons.
NOTE by Trey Smith: Although Biblical text can take wonderful journeys, and contain hidden messages, dates and mathematical enigmas…. At some level the text just means what it means. This particularly applies when listening to the very straight-forward words of Jesus Christ (even if they may mean the Feast of Trumpets of some year — and that date is ambiguous each time).
Matthew 24:36-37
No One Knows That Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
This text and statement above by Jesus Himself, is a VERY bold one.
In layman’s terms it means that by working out a rapture date — you’ve probably just guaranteed it’s not the rapture date. Additionally, the passage lends incredible support to the rapture carrying the model (in a type and shadow) of a Jewish wedding (which is the focus with much study of Paul Lehr’s book, Rapture: The Bride Redeemed).
Revelation 12 Text issues
Here is how Revelation 12 reads:
The Woman and the Dragon
12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” (This is the stopping point before we get to the possible rapture passage of the text).
<—– NOTE: This is the end of a sentence in what is describe as “parenthetical” passage (meaning the entire chapter as put forth under the “rapture theory” is a summary of a much longer timescale of events). So, under that very definition — each sentence can (and MUST) have vast amounts of time that transpire before the next sentence, event or idea. You have examples in the Bible where thousands of years pass between a single comma.
In a practical sense, if I gave you a “parenthetical” summery chapter of US history it might read: “The United States was born and George Washington was president. Then Barrack Obama came.” <—- You know without question these statements are separated by a vast ocean of time between.
Now beneath we continue Revelation 12 verse 5. We have to also assume the theological position (which may be correct or at minimum worthy of note) that this references the rapture as we continue after the break in the text, or list of events in the text.
Revelation 12 continued “And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (Note: You know there has to be a leap in the text here following this period because the new sentence now rushes you to events at the middle of the tribulation. That means — at bare minimum — one would have to take a “mid-tribulation rapture” position) 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
Summary of Trey Smith opinion
Paul and I (Trey Smith) have spent much time on many evenings looking at this September 23rd 2017 “sign”…. While on one hand it is impossible to ignore all the math, prophecies, and the unique sign above on such day; it is also impossible to believe its the rapture for a theological arsenal of reasons. Also, in a geopolitical sense — we’re just not quite there at the place yet the texts describe.
The Rapture Date: Is it September 23rd 2017… We believe the answer is STRONGLY NO
To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, I hope you are right. Personally, I hope this is the case. Come Lord Jesus. Let’s go! You will receive eternal fist bumps and high fives for one of the greatest calls in human history.
But there is this comment from Jesus…
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
See also Mark 13:32.
…that day and hour no one knows…Granted, this may be a veiled and figurative comment that possibly points to the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Yes, it could be one of two days for the fall appointment pending the confirmation of the new moon.
…nor the Son…To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, the claim is being made you have been given divinely inspired revelation that not even Jesus Christ knows. And He is God. He died for all the sins of the world. Jesus put in some serious bloodshed and sacrificial effort. Christ claims He does not know.
…not even the angels of heaven…There are angels in Heaven in the presence of the Son and the Father in the throne room. They don’t know either.
And we are expected to believe God the Father has revealed one of the greatest calls in history to a select group of humanity in its current fallen state? Our glorification comes later at the event being predicted on said date.
One has to admit. That is an incredible and audacious claim. It may be the rapture is on for September 23, 2017 at the beginning of the Fall Appointment Feast of Trumpets. And maybe it’s not.
It has been said by those in support of the Rapture Fall 2017 camp, “This is not date setting.”
But it has also been said by those who hype this alignment claim to have a “high degree of probability” and are “certain” that the rapture happens in the “season” or “watch period” of this alignment.
For the record, I am not claiming to know the date of the rapture. But I do know, date setters are totally defeated in history.
All of that said, it would be a grave error to dismiss the future rapture event just because it does not happen when others claim it will. Make no mistake. The resurrection/rapture event will happen at some point in the future.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep.For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
2 Samuel 22:14-16 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
This passage is an excerpt from a song or psalm written by David. He had been delivered from his enemies and King Saul. The LORD God had spared David.
At first glance, the verses appear to be over the top and unfathomable. How in the world can the water of the sea be removed and we see the floor of the ocean?
The critic of the Bible has a field day with verses like these. “The Bible is a book of fairy tales. The little stories are just cute fables. This is an example of an uneducated, primitive man trying to make sense of a so called God.”
Prior to Hurricane Irma, the ocean was reported to recede in the Bahamas, Pensacola Bay Florida, and Tampa Bay Florida. This was a result of the strength of Hurricane Irma.
But in other parts of the western hemisphere where hurricanes are not occurring, vast swaths of beaches in Brazil and Uruguay are reporting the same phenomena. The ocean is receding from the shore along hundreds of miles. The recession is so striking, natives are in fear of tidal waves.
…at the blast of the breath of his nostrils…The focus of the passage is on the terms “blast” and “breath”.
“Blast” or neshamah in the Hebrew means breath.
“Breath” or ruach in the Hebrew means breath, wind, or spirit. Ruach is the same word used of the Holy Spirit of God. The word is most frequently translated as “spirit” from the Hebrew.
Simply put, God is breathing through His nose. If this is an example of God breathing, I don’t think I am interested in seeing the results of God blowing His nose or sneezing.
This is not an example of Mother Nature. This is the omnipotent and all powerful creator El Shaddai at work. The meaning of Shaddai in the Hebrew: almighty, most powerful; the Almighty of God. (Strong’s Concordance).
Psalm 135:6-7 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
The last passage in the psalm is a promise to God’s chosen people of Israel. David ruled Israel 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. Today in the 21st century, we are 3,000 years removed from this prophecy. The pledge is not temporary. The promise is eternal.
2 Samuel 22:51 “He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”
Finished the last episode of 13 Reasons Why this morning. I do not believe this show glorifies suicide. It shows the truth. The truth of another person’s pain. The truth of bullying. The truth of rape. I believe every parent & teen should watch this show to understand more about suicide, depression, & pain. A person full of hurt will ask for help in their own way, however subtle it may be. Hopefully we can make it better. That being said, it’s not our job to determine when it’s our time to go, only God has this power in the way things should be. If you’re hurting, please ask for help. You are loved.
Ecclesiastes 7:17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
The argument is being made that the Virgo alignment in September 2017 is the same sign that is described in Revelation 12. That may very well be.
To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, I hope you are right. Personally, I hope this is the case. Come Lord Jesus. Let’s go! You will receive eternal fist bumps and high fives for one of the greatest calls in human history.
But there is this comment from Jesus…
Matthew 24:36 But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
See also Mark 13:32.
…that day and hour no one knows…Granted, this may be a veiled and figurative comment that possibly points to the Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah. Yes, it could be one of two days for the fall appointment pending the confirmation of the new moon.
…nor the Son…To those who support and advocate for Rapture Fall 2017, the claim is being made you have been given divinely inspired revelation that not even Jesus Christ knows. And He is God. He died for all the sins of the world. Jesus put in some serious bloodshed and sacrificial effort. Christ claims He does not know.
…not even the angels of heaven…There are angels in Heaven in the presence of the Son and the Father in the throne room. They don’t know either.
And we are expected to believe God the Father has revealed one of the greatest calls in history to a select group of humanity in its current fallen state? Our glorification comes later at the event being predicted on said date.
One has to admit. That is an incredible and audacious claim. It may be the rapture is on for September 23, 2017 at the beginning of the Fall Appointment Feast of Trumpets. And maybe it’s not.
It has been said by those in support of the Rapture Fall 2017 camp, “This is not date setting.”
But it has also been said by those who hype this alignment claim to have a “high degree of probability” and are “certain” that the rapture happens in the “season” or “watch period” of this alignment.
For the record, I am not claiming to know the date of the rapture. But I do know, date setters are totally defeated in history.
All of that said, it would be a grave error to dismiss the future rapture event just because it does not happen when others claim it will. Make no mistake. The resurrection/rapture event will happen at some point in the future.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep.For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Ezekiel 38:21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Lord GOD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.
Israeli activity is increasing in and around God’s mountains. These mountains are in the Golan Heights in northern Israel.
This is a developing story. Israel reportedly has crossed into the village of Beer Ajam. The village is held by Syrian moderate forces. The Syrian government also reports Israeli flights over Beer Ajam in the Quneitra province.
Russian forces are located just south of this location in the village of Quneitra.
Luke 21:25 And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves… -Jesus
Isaiah 51:15 I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is his name.
Pray for people around the world impacted by natural disasters.
The planet is currently experiencing a rough patch. Some have referenced the creation groaning. Others have called these events birth pains.
Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
The state of Florida is on the verge of taking a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. The storm is one of the largest and one of the most destructive hurricanes in the Atlantic basin in recorded history. At times, winds have been reported up to 215 mph. Islands experiencing the storm have been devastated.
The Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana are recovering from the flooding rains and winds of Hurricane Harvey. Up to 41 million people in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal are suffering from historic flooding in southeast Asia. Flooding and mudslides have occurred in Africa’s Sierra Leone.
2 Peter 3:7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
The scope of Peter’s verse is the heavens and earth. Fire plays a significant role in the end times scenario.
The situation in the western half of the United States is an ignored tragedy. I am not suggesting these wild fires are the judgment of God.
76 forest fires are noted in 9 western states. Approximately 1.4 million acres of land are burning. The smoke can be viewed by satellites from space. Smoke can be observed from space from the west coast to the east coast of the United States.
Know at some point in the future, judgment is coming to the planet in the form of fire.
Luke 21:11 …and there will be great earthquakes…
September 8, 2017: A magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico. Multiple aftershocks of 5.0 have been registered. As of this date, 61 are reported dead. Nearly 2 million homes have lost power. Tsunami warnings were issued. Waves as high as 3 feet were reported. Hurricane Katia in the western Gulf of Mexico will only complicate the matter.
A swarm of over 200 quakes has been reported on the southwest edge of Yellowstone in Soda Springs, Idaho. Over 2,300 tremors have been reported in the Yellowstone caldera since the beginning of June 2017.
Is this the time Jesus referenced? Did He really mean what He said? Jesus also spoke of a better day. Good news is coming.
Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
The focus is on the word “redemption”. It is the Greek word ἀπολύτρωσις/apolutrósis. Strong’s Concordance defines as: release effected by payment of ransom; redemption, deliverance.
HELPS word studies states the following: literally, “buying back from, re-purchasing (winning back) what was previously forfeited (lost).”
The believer’s glorification is coming. We will be transformed and born again.
1 Corinthians 15:49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
The Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah is the only new moon observance. This is not some Old Testament warm and fuzzy tradition. God has a point and a reason. He has not forgotten. The Apostle Paul makes note of this holiday.
