Hello John and Doves,
It looks like we have possibly
three groups of people..maybe more...looking at possible
late Spring or Summer 2025 Rapture days.
In this letter, I'll be
specifically looking at Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost and
Feast of New Wine/Act's Pentecost. The first is in
early June typically and the other is in late July/early
August.
I brought together some
interesting points (pro and con) I've come across concerning
each of these dates. My comments are not complete with
all the good reasons or not so good reasons why each one
could be THE day. These have been covered pretty
extensively by various authors and various letters.
Both look good to me, if going
with a specific appointed date for the Rapture.
I also included dates for each on
various calendars and calculated by various people.
And I looked at the grape harvest
in Israel as a possible clue to when Acts Pentecost was.
As I've mentioned many times in
other letters - I don't know which calendar is
correct. And do we really know when to start the
religious calendar - as which day is 1 Nisan? It
might make more sense to stick to the calendar the Jews in
Israel use today - but we know how the various factions in
Israel changed the calendar and days and how much was lost
after the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. God has His
calendar - maybe one we have is in line with His.
These are just two possible dates
for the Rapture. There is a specific date chosen by
God...we are just watching for it. I'll be watching
specific days and weeks pretty much from now to the fall
feasts.
First Group:
Rapture on Feast of
Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost:
These people are looking for a
possible Rapture on Feast of Weeks. Feast of Weeks is
in late Spring. Jesus talked about the fig tree as
'putting forth leaves' and 'you know summer is nigh' - so
that would be late Spring.
It is also called the Feast of
Harvest. Jesus will 'harvest' the Earth of Believers
at the Rapture. And it's also known as the "day of the first
fruits". It does not have a fixed date. Paul
told us there is an order to the resurrection of the dead -
a firstfruits resurrection order.
"Although Shavuot was one of the
three festivals on which the Jewish people were commanded to
make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, it did not play an important
role in Jewish life, especially outside of Jerusalem.
Its initial purpose was entirely agricultural. It was
the concluding feast of the grain harvest and a thanksgiving
to God." "It was sometime after the destruction
of the Temple in 70 A.D. that Shavuot took on an historical
basis for its celebration..this festival became the
celebration of the giving of the Torah to Israel at
Sinai. Although this tradition was undoubtedly started
after 70 A.D., there was already a move on in Israel to
associate this agricultural festival with an historical
event." And "it was sometime in the second century
A.D. that the reading of the Book of Ruth became a
tradition."
Shavuot:
The Feast of Weeks – Israel My Glory
This feast is the middle feast of
the seven given in Leviticus 23. We are not told that
Jesus celebrated this feast during His ministry - but being
Jewish - He would have. The first three feasts were
fulfilled by Jesus in quick succession. The last three
feasts will be fulfilled by Jesus in fairly close succession
(Rosh Hashanah to Feast of Tabernacles.) The middle
feast is left up for grabs. Good Rapture day?
What
Holidays Did Jesus Celebrate? Here is a List! — FIRM
Israel
"Fig trees in Israel typically
produce fruit from late sprint to early summer, with harvest
occurring from June through September. Two main crops
are identified: the breba crop (late June) and the
main crop (August to September). The harvest of early
figs points to June.
Aaron at God A Minute? said Jesus
did not fulfill Feast of Weeks Himself. This is the
next feast of the seven in Leviticus to be fulfilled by
Jesus Himself.
There was a large number of people
in Jerusalem on the day of Acts Pentecost - yet we are told
it wasn't that popular of a day to the Jewish people during
Jesus' time. Hmmm.
It's possible there was 'new wine'
in June. So this could fit with Acts 2:13
Possible Dates for Feast of
Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost:
There is Aaron's date of June 8,
2025.
The Dead Sea Scroll calendar/Essene
calendar has June 1 as Pentecost, the 15th of Sivan.
Dr. Awe's date for Shavuot is June
11, the full moon.
(I lean towards Ascension Day as
occurring on a Feast of the Lord - specifically
Shavuot/Feast of Weeks - my calculated date is May 30.
This would put Jesus as fulfilling Feast of Weeks
Himself). The Holy Day/Feast of the Ascension is May
29.
The Rapture occurring on a
'Leviticus 23 Feast of the Lord' would be recognizable by
the Jewish people. And people who use calendars that
list this day. My home desk calendar shows Shavuot
begins at sundown Sunday, June 1.
Second Group:
Possible Rapture on Feast
of New Wine/Acts Pentecost:
These people are looking for a
possible Rapture on Feast of New Wine. They believe
this day is the correct day for Acts Pentecost. The day the
Church was created. Peter talked about 'new wine' on
that day. He said the people were not drunk because
the wine was new. He could have said this because 'new
wine' is a firstfruit to be presented to the Lord by the
priests on this day - then the people can drink of the new
wine later. (Dr. Awe talks about this.) Or he could
have been referring to the little fermentation that has
occurred in 'new wine'. Either way, the grapes were
newly picked and packaged. This was not old wine.
The Greek word used in Acts 2:13 is
"gleukous" which is 'sweet wine or new wine'. It
'refers to unfermented or partially fermented juice of the
grape."
"In the cultural context of the
time,'gleukos' referred to the freshly pressed juice of
grapes, which was sweet and had not yet undergone the full
fermentation process to become strong wine. This
new wine was known for its sweetness and was often
consumed soon after the grape harvest. While it
could have a mild intoxicating effect if consumed in large
quantities, it was not as potent as fully fermented wine."
Throughout the Old Testament the
Lord tells the people about His firstfruit tithes he expects
from the people...each of these presentations had a set
ceremony performed by the priests. Deuteronomy 18:4,
Numbers 18:12, 2 Chronicles 31:5, Nehemiah 10:37, Hosea 2:9,
... IF this day of Acts Pentecost is Feast of New Wine -
large crowds of people would show up for this
festival. The grape harvest and wine production was
very important to the people at that time.
Was
this day more 'popular' in Jesus' day than Feast of Weeks?
This is not one of the seven Feasts
of the Lord in Leviticus 23. Is it hidden from the
Jews because it will be fulfilled for the
Gentiles?
If the Rapture occurs on this day,
few people are even aware of a Feast of Firstfruits or the
'new way' to count to Pentecost. However, if 9 Av is
the day - that would really get the attention of the Jewish
people. And anyone who knows Jewish history.
Also, a Rapture at this time fits
better timewise with Micah 7. It appears that the
grape harvest has just occurred. The vineyard has been
gleaned and the early figs are gone. The goodmen of
the Earth have been snatched away/have vanished...no
'upright person remains' - the 'day of your watchmen has
come'/'the alarm has sounded'. Confusion is rampant.
Rapture? The harvests of grapes and figs points to
late June, then July, August...
Jesus and New Wine and the Cana
Wedding:
Is there more to support a Feast
of New Wine/Pentecost/Rapture day?
I was reminded of these two
stories with our Lord -
In Matthew 26:29 Jesus tells the
apostles at The Last Supper: "From now on I am not
going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine
with you in my Father's kingdom."
Is this a 'hint' to the timing of
the Rapture? It may occur during the Feast of New
Wine?
This Greek word for 'new' is
'kainous' - meaning 'new or fresh'. It's the same
Greek word used for the new wineskins (and putting new
wine in them - new is the Greek word "neon").
When Jesus turned the water into
wine - this was on the "third day" John
2:1. John knew what month this was and he knew
Jewish readers knew what month this was. The authors
(Essenes?) of the Dead Sea Scrolls noted the Festival of
the First Fruits of New Wine was on 3 Av, the fifth
month. The "third day".
Possible Dates for Feast of
New Wine/Acts Pentecost:
Feast of New Wine, the Essenes on
3 Av. The Dead Sea Calendar has Feast of Fruits of
New Wine on July 20, 3rd of Av.
Dr. Awe has calculated to 9th of
Av: August 2/3.
On the chabad.org calendar, 9 Av
is on August 3.
The Creator's calendar has 9 Av on
August 17.
The Dead Sea Scroll calendar has 9
Av on July 26.
Third Group:
These are those who are in the
First Group and when Feast of Weeks passes with no Rapture,
move on to the Second Group. :) This is the group I'm
in. Probably many of us are in this group.
Is the Grape Harvest The
Clue to the Timing of Pentecost?:
There is pretty much no ripened
grapes in late May/early June for Feast of
Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost. There would be plenty of
grape harvesting in late July/early August for the Feast
of New Wine/Acts Pentecost.
"The grape harvesting season in
Israel typically begins in late July or early August and
lasts until October or November, depending on the variety
of grape and the location of the vineyard."
When
Are Grapes Harvested in Israel? | Luxwisp
Which Calendar Is Correct
and When Do We Number 1 Nisan?
That's the catch. As you can
see from the above various calendars - the dates are all
over the place. BUT they are between end of May and
mid-August. That does narrow it down.
Is 2025 The Year of Our Blessed Hope?;
IF 2025 is the correct year for the
Rapture - and much is pointing towards this (see John Tng's
many recent letters, plus those who believe Jesus was
crucified in 32 A.D. - add 2,000 years and we come to 2032
then minus 7 years brings us to 2025. Very
compelling. And it looks like Joshua entering the
Promised Land to 2025 is 70 Jubilees. So there were 50
Jubilees before Joshua. For 120 Jubilees total.
And Israel is 77 years old this year. 7 is the number
of completion....
*1406 BC plus (49 x 50) = 1406 plus
2450 = 3856. Or 1406 plus 2500 if one sees a Jubilee
as 50 years and not 49 = 3906 Actually 3856 isn't far
off from when "creation happened in 3761 BC."
Understanding
the Jewish Calendar | dummies
IF we have the year right,
hopefully! - then two good appointed dates for the Rapture
are in our near future. Both look good to me!
Keeping an eye on Israel -
Netanyahu's government may strike Iran..this could really
get things rolling.
Keep looking up! We are very
close IF 2025 is THE year~
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance