Twenty two New Testament references to the rapture that correspond with the 9th of Av

As we know Pentecost refers to a 50 day count, the number 5 is associated with grace and when you multiply it by 10 it is the completion of grace. The Lord was baptized on or around Pentecost and then four years later His ministry of grace was completed when the Holy Spirit was poured as the new wine into the church as the new wine skins. The church age began at that point.

We are told in the Bible that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. There are very few appointed feasts in the New Testament. We are told clearly by Paul that we are not required to keep the appointed feasts given in the Law. We are, however, charged to keep the Lord’s table. That is certainly an appointed feast of the New Testament. The only other feast that we are told about is Pentecost. Jesus as the bread and wine is our Passover feast, He is our unleavened feast, He is the feast of first fruits for us, we celebrate His ascension and so He is our Shavuot, the Lord’s table is where we trumpet the soon return of the king and also it is our day of atonement where we must examine ourselves. We look to the Lord’s coming so in that sense it is also our Feast of tabernacles. So all of those feasts are wrapped up in our celebration of the Lord’s table.

However, the feast of Pentecost is also unique to the New Testament, it is where the church was formed, and it is where the Holy Spirit was given to us as an earnest of the promise. When you make a covenant there must be a price paid, that was paid by the Lord on the cross, there must also be the rules given, the Lord told us at His ascension to do all that He commanded, and there must be an earnest of the promise, a downpayment. The Holy Spirit was given to us as the earnest of the promise, it is our downpayment.

From this point the groom, Jesus Christ, has two years to build us a place to live in His father’s house. The Lord told us He was going to to do this and then return for us. Therefore we consider that the two thousand years since this point would be those two years. So then we expect all of this to be fulfilled by 2030. However, anyone who has studied eschatology knows that the last seven years are complicated. There is evidence that some get taken prior to these seven years, some in the middle and some at the end. I have looked at these different doctrines on this blog. In my opinion there is a strong Biblical basis to say all three will take place and no legitimate basis (in my opinion) to rule out any of these. I think about one sixth of the living saints will be raptured prior to the tribulation, five sixths will either die or be raptured during the tribulation and then Israel will be saved as a nation at the end of the tribulation. I also think all of that will be done by the year 2030, though the Jews could be on a Hebrew calendar which would take them into 2031 to the end of March. This is simply Bible interpretation and any or all of us could be wrong. But it is important to have a framework from which to work.

Interestingly the three major chapters on the Lord’s return in the gospels all begin with the question when will these things be, referring to the temple being destroyed, and the destruction of the temple is the context from which the Lord tells us about the end of the age. He likens the destruction of the temple and the scattering of Israel to the beginning of the tribulation.

However, the prevailing eschatology that I am using has the tribulation starting with the rapture. So then from the viewpoint of everyone on earth the rapture of the saints will be the destruction of the church (it will be gone and whatever is left will be attacked and burnt with fire by Antichrist and his armies) and all the believers will be scattered. What is fascinating about this is that the destruction of the temple took place in 70AD on the 9th of Av. That event is part of the New Testament history and that date is the answer to “when will these things happen” that the disciples asked the Lord.

So then let’s learn a little about the 9th of Av. This is the date in Exodus when Moses came down from the mountain and broke the ten commandments because the children of Israel were involved in an orgy while worshipping Moloch. Pentecost takes place at the same time. When Moses broke the ten commandments 3,000 died and when Peter preached the gospel at Pentecost 3,000 were saved. They were having their orgy at the time of the feast of new wine and Pentecost is the feast of new wine. This is contrary to traditional teaching in Christianity.

In Christianity the traditional teaching is that Jesus ascended 40 days after He rose from the dead. This is based on a superficial reading of Acts which says that the Lord appeared to the disciples 40 days or 40 times after the resurrection. The problem is that John tells us the second time he appeared was 8 days after the first and the third time He appeared was when they went fishing. It is hard to believe that right after Jesus appears Peter says “I’m going fishing”. Therefore at the very least it should be 48-50 days after the resurrection. Shavuot depicts Moses, a type of Jesus, ascending the mountain just like ascension day. It is the day after seven complete sabbaths after the resurrection. Therefore it is about 52-53 days after the resurrection. Jesus conception, birth, baptism, death, burial, and resurrection were all on appointed feasts. Therefore many have questioned how the ascension was not also on an appointed feast. In addition, if the ascension was two or three days before Shavuot and Pentecost was on Shavuot (traditional Christian teaching) then it doesn’t make sense that Jesus tells them to tarry in Jerusalem. They all came to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot according to the law, of course they will tarry till then. However, if Jesus ascended on Shavuot it explains why they were all in Jerusalem and it explains why He said to tarry till the Spirit be poured out. They had to wait another 50 days, fasting and praying. Also, it was 50 days after Shavuot that Moses came down, broke the ten commandments and 3,000 were killed. Also, on the feast of Pentecost some mocked that they were drunk on new wine. Pentecost is the feast of new wine, it is 50 days after Shavuot. However, Peter said they couldn’t be drunk because it is only 9am. At 9am (the third hour) the priests have to pour out the new wine as the first fruits to God, only after that can everyone drink. Peter was saying they can’t be drunk because the Priests have just poured out the wine, no one has had a chance to get drunk yet.

A second reference that ties in with this feast of new wine is Paul saying the church is the pillar and base of the truth. This is a reference to Samson pushing out the pillars and the temple to Baal collapses killing 3,000. The pushing out of the pillars by Samson is a reference to the rapture and it coincides with the collapse of the temple of Baal and the death of the idol worshippers. What is interesting about this reference is that we are told specifically that when the restrainer (Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way the evil one is fully revealed.

A third reference to the rapture is when the Lord said “it would be as the days of Noah”. On the 9th of Av Noah released both the dove and the raven. The dove represents the Holy Spirit and the raven represents the spirit of Satan going to and fro over the face of the earth. The dove is then drawn into the ark for seven more days referring to the raptured saints being kept in safety during the tribulation. This reference to the raven flying to and fro reminds us of Job and all the things that happened to him remind us of the tribulation. Again we see the rapture and the start of the tribulation coincide and occur at the same time.

Fourth, the New Testament term for rapture is “harpazo” which means to be snatched out of the way of certain destruction. When you read the book of acts the tribulation and persecution against the church starts shortly after Pentecost. The very first thing we learn is that they all shared and had everything in common. This sounds like what will happen during the tribulation when you cannot buy or sell without having the mark of the beast.

Fifth, the dead in Christ rise first. This also is a reference to the 9th of Av, so let me explain. On this day the ten spies gave an evil report and the two spies prior to them gave a good report. After 38 years on this date the dead rose up out of the graves. Every year after the curse a portion of the Jews in the wilderness died on this night. They would dig graves and lie in them and then in the morning the dead would still be in the graves. But 38 years later the curse was over and everyone rose up out of the graves, just like Paul saying “the dead in Christ rise first”.

Sixth, the apostasy comes first. Paul said that before the day of the Lord comes there will be a falling away from the faith. This word apostasy is only used twice, it can refer to a departure but the first time it is used it is an accusation against Paul that he has departed from Moses. This is what we see on the 9th of Av, God tells Moses to get down because they are sinning, they have departed from the covenant.

Seventh, in a moment the rapture takes place. This is the same term that God used when talking about destroying the worshippers of Moloch at Mount Sinai.

Eighth, the judgement on the Great Babylon, the whore that rides the beast, refers to the apostate church which has prostituted itself to Satan and the beast. This is mentioned in the book of Revelation in a number of places. The judgement on the temple of God always takes place on the 9th of Av.

Ninth, they will be marrying, and giving in marriage, eating and drinking. According to Jesus this will be taking place right up to the moment the flood comes and takes them all away. No Jewish person would get married on the 9th of Av, nor would there be eating and drinking. It is a fast day for all Jews. The Lord’s word indicates that the rapture is a dividing line between people getting married and having feasts and not getting married and having feasts. That sounds like sunset on the 8th of Av.

Tenth, according to the picture of the rapture in 1Corinthians 15 we are caught up into the clouds to be with Jesus. In the picture in Exodus Moses calls out to the Levites to “come up hither” to him. That is a picture of the rapture.

Eleventh, the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. Pattern is prophecy. Judas was a thief and he came as a thief in the night when he betrayed Jesus. When Jesus was arrested He was taken from the believers. In that sense the crucifixion was like a thief coming in the night for those who were sleeping and not watching. The 9th of Av this year is on a Wednesday. If Jesus rose early in the morning on the Lord’s day and was crucified on Wednesday, spend three days in the tomb (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and then rose early on the Lord’s day you could compare that pattern to the rapture, followed by three days of darkness followed by believers hiding in an upper room beginning to talk about the rapture.

Twelfth, the date of the 9th of Av on our calendar is 7/26. Strong’s identifies the words of the New Testament by usage. The 726th word used in the New Testament is Harpazo, the word we use for rapture.

Thirteenth — Paul says we are not appointed to wrath. On the 9th of Av the Jews were supposed to get the wine cup of marriage, instead they got the cup of wrath. Moses ground up their idol, put it into the water and made everyone drink. Those that swelled up were killed.

Fourteenth — "I go to the Father and if I go I will come again that where I am you may be”, this matches Moses going up the mountain on Shavuot and then coming again and calling the Levites up to be with him.

Fifteenth — The Lord used the analogy of gathering the wheat to the barn for the rapture. Ruth, who was a type of the gentile bride is married to Boaz a type of Christ as the kinsman redeemer. The marriage happens at the time they are threshing the wheat. It says that she lay down with Boaz by the threshing floor and you don’t thresh barley, you only thresh wheat. Shavuot marks the first fruits of the wheat harvest followed by the general harvest for the next fifty days. The feast of new wine, Pentecost, is when the wheat harvest is concluding, they are threshing the wheat and bringing it to the barns.

Sixteen — Revelation 3:18 “and the shame of thy nakedness do not appear”. The Lord warns Laodicea, the apostate church, that if they didn’t repent the shame of their nakedness would appear. This reminds us of Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made the people naked unto their shame among their enemies), another reference to the 9th of Av.

Seventeen — Pentecost, the feast of new wine can also be tied to Song of Songs where it says we have been brought to His banqueting house. The word we translate as “banqueting” is translated as “wine” in the other 138 usages. This should be called the house of wine.

Eighteen — Jesus says He will not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He drinks it new with us when the kingdom comes. Pentecost is when we drink wine new with God. 5. Matthew 26:29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Mark 14:25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

Nineteen — Ephesians 2:21 says the church is growing unto a holy temple in the Lord. The 9th of Av is the day that the temple departs from the earth according to Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13.

Twenty — Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. This is another description of the 9th of Av. In Proverbs 7 the adulterous woman says the goodman doesn’t come home till the appointed time (the full moon). This sounds like the attitude of those worshipping Moloch. They may have thought Moses doesn’t come down till the full moon and the Bible seems to support that. God tells Moses to get up and hurry down because they are sinning. It seems Moses came down sooner than he was supposed to and caught the adulterous woman by surprise.

Many argue that the Lord said “no one knows the day or the hour” and although there is some debate as to what that was referring to it is obvious that the rapture is a surprise to some. However, the Lord also said John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. We are warned to watch so that we are not caught by surprise. It is biblical to say that those who are watching and waiting will not be caught by surprise but will be ready and expecting the Lord.

Twenty one — 1Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

These twenty previous points describe the rapture of the church to be the judgment of the apostate church and that this precedes the seven year tribulation on the nations. According to Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13 this judgment at the end of the age is similar to the destruction of the temple which took place on the 9th of Av in AD 70.

Twenty two — 2Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: God is going to send a strong delusion to those that hate the truth. John 14:29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. However, the purpose is that those who listen to the Lord’s word and treasure His words will believe. The delusion is only for those who despise the word. Therefore it is perfectly reasonable that the Lord would tell us beforehand concerning the rapture so that those who are left behind would not be caught up in the great delusion but rather that they would believe.

Stuart W