Paul the Poke

SCRIPTURE teaches that there is an appointed date for the Rapture. Acts 17:31 …because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.

While only God knows the exact date, many prophecy watchers believe it could be the Feast of Trumpets.

Here are 10 reasons why:

1. TRUMPET THEMES

The fundamental theme of the Feast of Trumpets is the sounding of trumpets (Lev. 23:24). In the Bible, trumpet blasts are associated with . . .

• Resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18).

• The opening of a door to heaven (Rev. 4:1).

• A gathering of the people (Isa. 27:13).

• The coronation of a king (1 Kings 1:39; Ps. 47:5; 98:6) .

• Approaching danger (Ez. 33:4; Jer. 4:19–21).

• A battle cry (Jer. 4:19–21).

• A time of wrath and judgment (Joel 2; Zeph. 1:14–16).

All of these themes are denotive of the Rapture and arrival of Judgment Day.

Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “trumpet blasts” in Leviticus 23, teruah, may also refer to a “shout” (Strong’s 8643). The Rapture is when the Lord descends with a “shout” and a trumpet blast (1 Thess. 4:16).

2. JEWISH TRADITION

According to Jewish belief, the Feast of Trumpets is when . . .

• The resurrection of the dead occurs.

• The wedding of Messiah occurs.

• The time of Judgment begins.

These themes are denotive of the Rapture and arrival of Judgment Day.

3. INVISIBLE MOON

The Feast of Trumpets begins on the first day of the biblical month, when the moon is in its ‘New,’ or invisible, phase (Lev. 23:24). The Rapture is when the Church—symbolized by the moon—disappears, or is hidden from sight (Mic. 7:1, 2 NLT; Isa. 26:20).

4. DAY AND HOUR UNKNOWN

The Feast of Trumpets begins at the first sighting of the New-Moon crescent. Since no one knows exactly when the crescent will be sighted, “no one knows the day or hour” that the festival begins (Matt. 24:36).

5. HEAVEN’S GATE OPENED

The Feast of Trumpets, or New Moon, is when the eastern gate of Jerusalem is opened: “The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the … day of the New Moon it is to be opened” (Ezek. 46:1). The Rapture is when, after “six (thousand-year) days,” God’s people enter through the gate into heavenly Jerusalem: “Behold, I am coming quickly …. Blessed are those who … enter through the gates into the [holy] city (Rev. 22:12, 14).

6. SIGN OF THE WOMAN

The Feast of Trumpets coincides with an annual astronomical alignment in which the constellation Virgo is “clothed with the Sun with the Moon under her feet.” This alignment, called the “Sign of the Woman” in Revelation 12, marks the beginning of Israel’s Tribulation period and, some believe, the Rapture that precedes it.

7. PEACE AND SAFETY

The Feast of Trumpets coincides with the annual assembly of the UN, the organization established 77 years ago with the mission of “maintaining international peace and security.” This is significant because Scripture says the Rapture will occur while people are saying “peace and security” (1 Thess. 5:3).

Coincidentally, the UN’s 77th assembly this year ends on September 27—the Feast of Trumpets.

8. WHEAT GATHERING

The Feast of Trumpets occurs around summer’s end, when the wheat harvest is gathered into barns or granaries (Deut. 16:13). The gathering of wheat into a barn is a picture of the gathering of believers into the Father’s house at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:1; Matt. 3:12).

9. APPLES AND GRAPES

The Feast of Trumpets is traditionally associated with apples and grapes, fruits that are harvested around this time. Some Jews even deny themselves apples and grapes until the Feast of Trumpets, so that they may eat them with increased enjoyment at the festival. This is significant because apples and grapes are the fruits mentioned in Song of Solomon’s rapture-allegory where the Gentile maid is in the presence of her beloved shepherd, a picture of the Church in the presence of the Good Shepherd, Jesus (Song 2:3, 5, 13, 15).

10. WEDDING REMINDER

The Feast of Trumpets is called a “memorial” blowing of trumpets (Lev. 23:24). While Leviticus does not specify what the trumpet blasts memorialize, the context suggests it is the trumpet blast at Sinai when God gave Israel the Law as a ‘wedding contract’ on the Day of Pentecost (Ex. 19).

Thus, the Feast of Trumpets is a day to remember Israel’s wedding and, by association, the Church’s betrothal that occurred on the same day, centuries later (Acts 2).

Since the Feast of Trumpets is a day to remember past weddings and betrothals, it is a fitting time for the ultimate wedding, the Rapture.

With the above 10 reasons in view, the Feast of Trumpets is a plausible time for the Rapture.

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But there is more. Five major factors make this year’s Trumpets festival particularly auspicious:

1. STAGE SETTING

The current year, 2022, has seen an escalation of end-times “birth pains” like no other: wars and threats of war, new and resurgent viruses, extreme weather, earthquakes, famine and shortages (Matt. 24:6, 7). Yet, for most people, life carries on more or less as normal.

That a façade of normalcy exists, even as the world teeters on the brink, is significant as this is how Jesus said it would be at His return:

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 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. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26–30).

2. SABBATICAL SIGNS

The God of the Bible is known for giving a seven-day or seven-year warning before bringing judgment (Gen. 7:1–4; Josh. 6:1–5; Gen. 41). Moreover, the Lord orchestrates prophetic events according to His seven-year Sabbatical cycle (Dan. 9:24–27).

With these two facts in mind, it appears God has been issuing ‘trumpet’ warnings for the last three Sabbatical cycles:

In 2001, we saw the 9/11 attacks, followed by a record stock market crash on the Feast of Trumpets.

In 2008, we saw the Global Financial Crisis and another record market crash—a 777-point drop when Congress failed to pass a $700 billion bailout plan—on the Feast of Trumpets.

In 2015, we saw no financial crash but, instead, an extraordinary display of “signs in the sun, moon, and stars”—the signs that portend the Day of the Lord (Luke 21:25; Joel 2:31). Significantly, the final sign, a blood moon eclipse visible above Jerusalem, occurred on September 28, exactly seven years prior to the Feast of Trumpets in 2022.

3. WEDDING SIGN

On June 24 this year, all seven planets in the Solar System lined up in their correct order on the same side of the Sun, to form an ultra-rare “planetary procession.”

Seven days later, the Sun and Moon, which symbolize the Bridegroom and Bride in Scripture, came together in the constellation Gemini, the sign depicting the marriage union between a man and woman.

Notably, this ‘celestial wedding’ occurred on the biblical date Tammuz 1, exactly three months prior to the Feast of Trumpets on Tishrei 1. This is significant because a rabbinic law called Havchana requires a three-month waiting period before a Gentile bride can marry a Jew. (The purpose of the law is to ensure that the bride is not already pregnant before marrying, thereby avoiding any confusion concerning the lineage of the child.)

With the traditional three-month waiting period in view, it is possible that the wedding sign on Tammuz 1 was pointing to the ultimate Gentile–Jewish wedding, the wedding of the Church to Messiah, three months later at the Feast of Trumpets.

4. JUPITER NEAR APPROACH

On the Feast of Trumpets this year, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in 70 years. This is noteworthy for a few reasons.

First, Jupiter, the planet with the red spot on its side, is a symbol of Messiah, wounded for our transgressions (Isa. 53).

Second, because it is the largest planet, Jupiter is called the King Planet. This is significant as Jewish tradition holds that the biblical month of Elul, which ends at the Feast of Trumpets, is when the “King is in the field,” i.e., nearest his subjects. It is thus striking that the King Planet is at its nearest point to Earth in 70 years as Elul ends and the Feast of Trumpets begins.

Third, in Scripture, the number 70 denotes a generation-timespan, a period of judgment, and/or liberation for God’s people (Ps. 90:10; Jer. 29:10).

With the above in view, Jupiter’s near approach on Feast of Trumpets signifies . . .

• A visit by Messiah–King.

• The end of a generation.

• A time of liberation.

5. TIMELINE CONVERGENCE

The number one reason Feast of Trumpets 2022 is particularly auspicious is a convergence of prophetic timelines. For details on this convergence, please see the article, video, or chart linked below.

Article: https://storage.googleapis.com/…/Ten%20Reasons%20Nisan…

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgDenJ3a7NE&t=141s

Chart: https://storage.googleapis.com/…/BIBLICAL%20TIMELINE…

The most important timeline pointing to 2022 relates to the Year of Jubilee. While numerous attempts have been made to pinpoint the Jubilee based on historical events or patterns, I believe that Daniel’s Weeks Prophecy provides the simple formula needed to calculate the year of redemption:

“From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the prince comes, there will be seven weeks” (Dan. 9:25).

Daniel says Messiah will appear “seven weeks,” or one jubilee period, after a restoration of Jerusalem.

The only modern restoration of Jerusalem occurred in June 1967, when the Jews took possession of the Holy City for the first time in nearly 2,000 years.

Counting seven weeks from the start of the first Sabbatical week following the restoration of Jerusalem, which is 1973, the Jubilee begins in 2022.

It is awe-inspiring to consider that 2,000 years ago, Jesus stood up at the synagogue to declare His role as Messiah and fulfiller of the Jubilee:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18, 19).

Today, if our reading of Daniel’s prophecy and the Sabbatical cycle are correct, “the Year of the Lord’s favor” is upon us.

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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Scripture teaches that there is an appointed date for the Rapture (Acts 17:31). We are told to watch for this day, and that we will see it approaching (Mark 13:37; Heb. 10:25).

The themes of the Feast of Trumpets are denotive of the Rapture. Furthermore, a convergence of signs and timelines suggests that 2022 may be a climactic year.

Will the trumpet blast that changes the world be heard at the impending Feast of Trumpets? Only God knows. But the prospect is utterly thrilling.

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NOTES:

1. Feast of Trumpets timing:

The modern (precalculated) Jewish calendar has Feast of Trumpets beginning the evening of September 25. https://www.hebcal.com/converter?gd=25&gm=9&gy=2022&gs=on…

Torah Calendar, which bases festival timing on the projected sighting of the New-Moon crescent, has the Feast of Trumpets beginning the evening of September 27: https://torahcalendar.com/Calendar.asp?YM=Y2022M6

2. In the Bible, the Sun symbolizes Jesus the Bridegroom (Ps. 19:5; 84:11). The Moon, the Sun’s heavenly counterpart, represents the Bride, or Church. The Moon is emblematic of the Church as it has no light of its own, relying entirely upon the Sun for its light (Ps. 19:4, 5; 84:11). Likewise, man has no light of his own. We were created in the image of God to reflect His brilliance and glory (Gen. 1:27). When we turn to face the majesty of God, when we surrender to Him and seek Him with all our hearts, we reflect His glory, just like the Moon reflects the glory of the Sun (Matt. 5:14)

3. The UN was established 11 Sabbatical cycles ago on October 24, 1945, corresponding to the Jewish calendar date of the biblical Flood: Cheshvan 17.

4. More on why the Feast of Trumpets in late summer or early fall could be the time of the Rapture:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/Seven%20Reasons%20Late…

5. An indication that the Feast of Trumpets is a remembrance of the giving of the Law (Sinai) is the fact that Ezra read the Law to the Israelites, newly returned from exile in Babylon, on the Feast of Trumpets in Nehemiah chapter 8.

6. More on how the Feast of Trumpets relates to Pentecost:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/From%20Pentecost%20to…

7. More on how the world stage is presently set for the Rapture:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/The%20Prophetic…

8. Signs of 2015 as a seven-year warning:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/DAY%20OF%20THE%20LORD…

9. Planetary parade and wedding sign of 2022:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/June%20Planetary…

10. Jupiter near approach on Feast of Trumpets:

Article: https://www.business-standard.com/…/don-t-miss-jupiter…

Miscellaneous:

*Jupiter, the planet with the red spot on its side, has 53 named moons. Coincidentally, Isaiah chapter 53 talks about the sin-bearing Messiah who was wounded for our transgressions.

*It was a Jupiter–Venus conjunction that produced the Bethlehem-Star sign at Jesus’ birth. Significantly the Bethlehem Star conjunction recently reoccurred on June 30, 2015, exactly seven years before the ‘wedding sign’ on June 30 (Tammuz 1), 2022.

11. Jubilee calculation:

The jubilee count begins at 1973 because Daniel says to count “weeks,” which are fixed periods on God’s calendar. Since the modern restoration of Jerusalem occurred in June 1967, after a portion of the current Sabbatical week had already passed, a count of seven full weeks could not begin until the start of the next Sabbatical week, which is 1973.

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Jubilee Q and A: Is the Year of Redemption Upon Us?

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/Jubilee%20Q%20and%20A…

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Calculating Daniel’s Jubilee:

https://storage.googleapis.com/…/Calculating%20Daniels…

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*Visit the author’s website: www.theseasonofreturn.com

*YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVxcqsgEKvYtscqyYJpTxbQ

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matt. 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:13).

Do it today. Time is running out.