God's Calendar, The Rapture, and Getting Prophecy Right

The Hillel Calendar, invented in the 4th century A.D., attempted to overcome the problem of not having any idea for any year when the new year, Nisan 1, would start, so they decided to tie the date using astronomical calculations. The original calendar that God set up at the time of the exodus required two observations. First was the sighting of the new sliver moon by two reliable witnesses given to the Sanhedrin, and the determination when the barley was ripe for Aviv, to be used as the wave sheaf offering in the temple on the morrow after the Sabbath. (Lev. 23). If those two observations were not there, then the month of Nisan would not start. If the skies were cloudy, then the start of the month would be delayed. If the barley was not ripe at the time of the sighting of the sliver moon, then Nisan 1, would not start, so a lunar month was added on to be sure the barley is ready. The ripe barley was critical for use in the temple for that ceremony. As for 2016, the Hillel calendar declared that the new year, Nisan 1, has started in March 2016, but the barley was not fully ready. In 2016 some witnesses said they saw some ripe barley while others said there wasn't any ripe barley. Clearly there was no agreement. This is important to what follows.

During the time of Jesus, God's calendar was in use. Since Jesus came and fulfilled the first four Feasts of the Lord exactly to the day, then it stands to reason that He will do the same on the other three feasts of the Lord that happen in the fall of some future year, also on God's calendar.

In our modern Christian celebrations, the Gregorian calendar goes by the sun and not the moon. So Easter is determined by a formula that places it somewhere in early March to mid April. It is rare that the celebration of the risen Christ coincides with the Jewish Hillel Calendar let alone God's original calendar. This is an important distinction.

Some Bible students are claiming when the rapture takes place, basing the dates of the fall Jewish feasts on the Hillel Calendar. Many Bible students give weight for the day of the rapture on the Feast of Trumpets, which is possible, because no man knows the day or the hour. But really, should not God's Calendar be used here? So which calendar are you to use; man's traditional calendar for the Feast of Trumpets, or God's calendar?

What if Jesus does not follow the Hillel calendar, but instead follows God's calendar, just as He did in the year He was killed? Now we get to the real question; God often does things twice and sometimes more than twice, on the same Hebrew calendrical dates when other historical events happened.

For the Christians, there is a celebration that happened that the Jews do not acknowledge, that is the Ascension, which happened 43 days after crucifixion, on Passover. What if God has in mind the rapture happening on Ascension? Jesus was taken up on that date, and likely with Him, the saints that rose from the graves in Matthew 27. The rapture is like that, as in 1 Thess 4, the dead shall arise along with the living saints, --- and that is an Ascension! So this means we also need to consider a high watch rapture date around the time of the Ascension based on God's calendar.

But we cannot determine that date or set of dates yet, as the witness of the new sliver moon for the new year in God's calendar cannot be done until it is seen. By that time in late April 2016, the barley is ripe for sure.

The only way we can get close at this stage is to consider the astronomical date of the new moon and then wait for the real proclamation the month Nisan 1 has started, from the witnesses of the sliver new moon. The astronomical new moon is on April 7, 2016. Add 14 days to that to the full moon, which will be Passover, then add 43 days on that to get to the Ascension date on God's calendar. That takes us to about June 3, 2016. It is best to say that if the rapture takes place on Ascension Day then my best guess is somewhere from June 2 to June 5, 2016. So these dates should be considered high rapture watch dates.

If anyone who reads this decides that this is all nonsense, then okay, because "no man knows the hour or the day", and that will be true for everyone who thinks of the rapture - in any particular year. But we know it will happen. If 366 people each foretold an event to happen on a different date in a year, such as 2016 and it did happen, not one of them would know they were right, ahead of the event, but in one case, that person would be right. They may have been right, but for the wrong reasons. It is best to watch these things, to be worthy to be taken home to heaven!

Please note that I am counting from Passover on God's Calendar, not the false belief that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. It's impossible for Him to be in a grave for three full nights and three full days from Friday to Sunday. In the year 32 A.D., Passover happened on a Wednesday at sunset. Jesus died three hours before sunset. That easily and exactly counts three full days and three full nights to sunset on Saturday. That was the time He was resurrected, just after Sunset, which can be considered the start of Sunday, which is 6 hours before midnight when the Gregorian calendar starts the new day. Also, when Mary went to the tomb, she went before it was light, and He was already gone from the tomb.

So do consider all the Feasts of the Lord on God's Calendar, not the Hillel Calendar, which will help you come closer to interpreting the prophecies with greater understanding and accuracy.

It is also possible that the modern belief of the timing of Easter, could be a distraction from the truth of what we should know about His timing of the Crucifixion. This leads many into a faulty interpretation of prophecy, based on the wrong calendar, which in turn causes others to look upon the inaccurate proclamations, which they then decide to pay no more attention to God's people, who are warning about the days we are now in.

The more people believe the traditions of men, the less they will be able to discern the times and seasons of what is presently going on. To see these events as they are, and not be stuck in a belief system that prevents clarity of thought, should be a goal of everyone.

God bless,

James