FEAST OF TABERNACLES - 2014 - LET'S COMBINE JIM BRAMLETT'S POST AND ONE OTHER...
Jim
Bramlett (21 Sep 2014)
"Rapture
this year?"
Found this on the
Internet, written in February 2013. Theory only, but could it be true?
___________________________________________________
Honestly, of everything I’ve seen
and heard, this is the most persuasive timeline I’ve seen yet. It doesn’t rely
on minute details, but big things we’ve been seeing come to pass (THIS IS A
THEORY):
1. This is the big one for me. Rosh Hashanah, September 23rd, 2017 and
Revelation 12. I and others have scoured over hundreds of different dates using
astronomy software and this is the first and only date for any year that fits
ALL FOUR CONDITIONS of the sign in Revelation 12: Woman clothed with the sun.
CHECK. Moon at her feet. CHECK. Giving birth to a single male child (the king
planet Jupiter) right between the constellation’s legs. CHECK. Crown of 12
stars. CHECK. I have seen several close dates, such as Rosh Hashanah 2011,
where 2 or 3 of the four conditions were met, but 2017 is the only date that
meets all four conditions. THIS IS HUGE. Revelation 12 is a mid-trib sign, indicating
the beginning of the last 3.5 years. Please also note: Jupiter, the king
planet, was identified as THE Star of Bethlehem
in the now famous Bethlehem
Star documentary. It is the only object in the sky that meets ALL NINE of the
conditions the Gospels mentioned of the Star of Bethlehem.
2. A LOT of external support for 2017 as a significant year: A. exactly 1
Jubilee after the 1967 re-capture of Jerusalem, which was exactly 1 Jubilee
after the Balfour declaration. B. Judah Ben Samuel. C. Judah Ben Samuel
rejected Christ, thus his “messiah” coming in 2017 is the antichrist, not THE
Christ, which further points to the mid-trib. D. The Pyramid of Giza points to 2017. E.
EXACTLY 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover 2014. F. EXACTLY 1290
days after each of the days of Rosh Hashanah 2017 is Passover, Unleavened
Bread, AND First Fruits/Easter. G. Exactly 1335 days after Rosh Hashanah 2017
is Hayom-Yom 2021, the day the world needs purification. It also happens to be
2-3 days before Pentecost 2021.
3. As mentioned in point #2, Passover 2014 happens to be 1260 days before the
sign/Rosh Hashanah in 2017. Passover 2014 also happens to be THE FIRST BLOOD
MOON in the 2014-2015 tetrad! Of the four, it is the VERY FIRST. The timing is
beyond incredible. Just think about it.
4. Here is where it starts to get even more chilling (in a good way): according
to TorahCalendar.com, Passover 2014, which is 1260 days before Rosh Hashanah
2017, happens to be MONTH 1 of JEWISH SPIRITUAL YEAR 6000. It is the first month
of the 6,000th year!!!
5. 2018, exactly 70 years from the rebirth of Israel, would thus be YEAR 6000
in the JEWISH CIVIL YEAR. TorahCalendar.com accounts for the ~230 missing years
in the Jewish calendar, most of which were lost because of Seder Olam (a
Rabbinical work in the 2nd century AD that forms the basis for the modern
Jewish calendar).
6. 2014-2015 is the last year of Jubilee 120. No wonder there are 4 blood moons
and 2 solar eclipses all falling on Jewish holy days!
This timeline places the signing of the Covenant with Many on Passover 2014,
the AOD on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur 2017, and the Second Coming flexibly on
Shabbat Parah (1260 days later), Passover or Easter (1290 days later), or
Hayom-Yom or Pentecost (1335 days later).
Note: This is for the 7 year tribulation, NOT the rapture. I do not think it is
possible for the rapture to occur and the AC to be revealed and sign the treaty
on the same day. Rather, the rapture happens shortly after or before Isaiah 17
and Psalm 83, the dust settles, the AC arises, and then days/weeks/months later
he confirms the covenant.
We are looking for the rapture
anytime over the next year. 14 months from about now would be about the
latest the rapture could occur if this scenario is correct.
LIFT UP YOUR HEADS
Lisa Taylor (4 Oct 2011)
"Rapture on
the Feast of Tabernacles (Revised)"
Dear Doves,
For those of us who look for the
Rapture during the Jewish feast days, I encourage you to stay on alert through
to the end of each festival cycle.
(The following is a repost, with some
additions, of a study I compiled on why I consider the Feast of Tabernacles to
be a candidate for the Rapture. My
apologies: the additions make this piece long and windy – or longer and windier
:)
The Feast of Tabernacles is a weeklong feast with an eighth day
tacked onto the end. It memorializes the time that the Israelites
lived in the wilderness after they were brought out of Egypt. During the first 7 days, the celebrants are
to live in booths or tabernacles. See
Leviticus 23:42. The first and
eighth days are to be observed with a sacred assembly.
Here are a few possible Rapture
connections to the Feast of Tabernacles:
The Last Trump & Tabernacles
There is no scripture that expressly
links the Last Trump of 1 Corinthians 15:52 to the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh
Hashanah. That position is based upon a
rabbinical or traditional convention. In
fact, trumpets are blown on other Biblical feasts and festivals: “Also at your times of rejoicing – your appointed feasts and
New Moon festivals – you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings
and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your
God. I am the Lord your God.” Numbers 10:10.
So, if the Last Trump is not sounded
on the Feast of Trumpets, when else could it sounded? The answer may be simpler that you
think. Since the cycle of the 7 Feasts
of the Lord (Leviticus 23) is observed during a course of 7 months, beginning
with Passover and ending with Tabernacles, why couldn’t the Last Trump be a
trumpet blown during the last feast in the cycle?
Scripture seems to back up this
possibility. Check out Psalm 81:3-4: “Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is
full, on the day of our Feast; this is a decree for Israel, an
ordinance of the God of Jacob.” (NIV)
This verse refers to the Feast of Trumpets, which is a new moon
festival, and to the Feast of Tabernacles, which is a full moon festival. Throughout the Bible, the Feast of
Tabernacles is referred to as the feast or festival. (See 1 Kings 8:2, 65 and 12:32; 2 Chronicles
5:3 and 7:8; Nehemiah 8:14, 18; and Ezekiel 45:25.) Furthermore, blowing the shofar on the Feast
of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles is not a suggestion, but a
decree from God. He clearly wants a
(first and last?) trumpet to be blown on these two feasts.
(*Note: The KJV reads differently for
Psalm 81:3. “Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our
solemn feast day.” But if you look at
the Hebrew, which you can check for yourselves at http://www.blueletterbible.org/, the
word for “in the time appointed” (“kece”) means “full moon.” And the Hebrew
word for “on our solemn feast” (“chag”) also refers to the Feast of Tabernacles
in the Talmud, 2 Chronicles 5:3 and 1 Kings 8:2.)
Sign of Jonah
A fellow dove, Pastor Daniel
Lizarraga, posted a great study a few years ago about the sign of Jonah and its
relationship to the Church Age. You may
remember that the unbelieving Pharisees asked Jesus for a miraculous sign and
he replied: “A wicked and adulterous generation asks
for a miraculous sign! But none will be
given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge
fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with
this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,
and now one greater than Jonah is here.”
Matthew 12:30-41.
In a nutshell, Pastor Lizarraga
noticed that the sign of Jonah consisted of three feasts, not just one. He sees Passover in the three days and three
nights. (Note: Passover tends to be a
catchall for all 3 spring feasts. Technically,
however, Christ died on Passover, was buried for 3 days and nights during
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and was resurrected on Firstfruits.) He sees Pentecost in the 120,000 Ninevites
who repented, because the number is a multiple of the 120 Christian believers
who were in the upper room at Pentecost.
(See Acts 1:15.) And he sees
Tabernacles in the fact that Jonah made a booth to watch the outcome of the
city. (See Jonah 4:5.) Finally, he sees all of this as an
illustration of the Church Age.
I believe that his insight is
confirmed by Scripture. The 3 feasts
that make up the sign of Jonah are the same 3 feasts that make up the
Pilgrimage Festivals. “Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord
your God in the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the
Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles.”
Deuteronomy 16:16. (See
also Exodus 23:14-17.) This is no
coincidence. God has highlighted three
out of the seven Levitical feasts for a reason.
At the time Jesus pointed the Jews to sign of Jonah, he was making a
specific point about Gentile believers coming to the faith. In addition to the Ninevites, he mentioned
the Queen of Sheba who came to the faith during the time of King Solomon. (See Matthew 12: 42.) Jesus was showing the Jews that the
conversion of Gentiles would be a sign to them and that the 3 Pilgrimage
Festivals would be connected to this sign.
In book of Jonah, the Jewish prophet
is sent to Nineveh,
a Gentile city, to warn the people of its destruction after a period of 40
days. The Ninevites believe his message
and repent to the God of the Israelites, who preserves them from judgment. We thus have an illustration of Gentiles who
come to a saving faith in God within a framework of events that point to the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of
Tabernacles. This is the sign of Jonah.
And it is being fulfilled by the Church, a predominantly Gentile body, who has
accepted the resurrected Christ (i.e. Unleavened Bread) as her Savior.
The Apostle Paul observed that our
current age would be characterized by Israel’s unbelief, but that it
would not be lasting. “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?
Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the
Gentiles to make Israel
envious …. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that
you may not be conceited: Israel
has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has
come in. And so all Israel will be
saved ….” Romans 11:11, 25-26. It is the role of the Church to make Israel
envious. We are an illustration – a sign
of God's mercy to all of mankind. Like
Jonah, the Jews will watch God save a group of Gentiles from destruction.
The Church, had its beginning on
Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks.
It was at that time that the Holy Spirit began to indwell
believers. In a spiritual sense, Pentecost
has never ended. Believers continue to
be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In fact,
Paul referred to our present age as Today.
“But encourage one another daily, as long as
it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s
deceitfulness. We have come to share in
Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. As has just been said: ‘Today, if you hear
his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.’” Hebrews 3:13-15. Someday, however, “Today” will end.
If the Church Age is connected to the
3 Pilgrimage Festivals, then the next event on God’s prophetic calendar is the
Feast of Tabernacles. The Ninevites were
spared judgment as Jonah watched from a tabernacle. Likewise, the Church will be spared the
judgment of the Tribulation through the Rapture. Will Jews also be sitting in tabernacles at
the time?
It is interesting to note that the one
of the Haftarah synagogue readings on Yom Kippur, which is five days before the
Feast of Tabernacles, is the entire book of Jonah. So, Jonah will be fresh on the minds of the
Jews. ("Haftara refers to the
Book of Prophets reading that follows the Torah reading on Sabbaths and
holidays ." Quote from about.com.)
Lastly, the name “Jonah” literally
means “dove.” Isn’t it interesting that
there is a book of the Bible entitled “Dove,” the sign of the Holy Spirit,
which is about a bunch of reprobate Gentiles who are spared from judgment? Talk about an illustration for the Church
Age.
Harvest Pattern
The Feast of Tabernacles is the last
of the 3 harvest festivals – which are Firstfruits, Pentecost, and Tabernacles,
respectively. Jesus may have established
a pattern by being resurrected on a harvest festival – the Feast of
Firstfruits. Future resurrection events,
therefore – including the Rapture – could occur on one of these festivals. Since the Church had its start at Pentecost,
which celebrates the firstfruits of the crops, it would be fitting for the Church to be
“harvested” at the end of the harvest season.
See Exodus 23:16-16 and Exodus 34:22-23.
Jesus also referred to the period of 4
months between Pentecost and Tabernacles. “Do you not
say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest?’ I tell you, open your eyes and look at the
fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now
he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be
glad together.” John 4:35-36. Our job has been to participate in
this on-going harvest. Someday, however,
our work will end and there will be a final harvest of the Church.
Booths & Heavenly Chambers
There is a lovely passage in Isaiah
that talks about the people of God entering chambers during a time of
judgment. It is viewed as an Old
Testament reference to the Rapture: “But your dead will
live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for
joy. Your dew is like the dew of the
morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.
Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide
yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.” Isaiah 27:19-21. Note that the people are told to hide
themselves, but for a short period of time.
It is interesting to note that the Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated by
the entering of temporary structures or booths for a period of 7 days. Could this point to the Church entering
chambers in heaven ahead of the 7 year Tribulation?
Jesus said, “In
my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told
you. I am going there to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where
I am.” John 14:2-3.
Pattern from the Transfiguration
The Transfiguration is discussed in
three out of the four Gospels: Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-3; Luke 9:28-36. The accounts are all similar: Jesus, Peter,
James and John go up a high mountain where Jesus is transfigured before
them. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appear
in “glorious splendor.” (Luke 9:31.) A
cloud envelopes all of them and they hear the voice of God.
Peter also says something that may
connect the Transfiguration to the Feast of Tabernacles; he asks if they should
build 3 shelters or booths. "Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be
here. If you wish, I will put up three
shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." Matthew 17:4. This statement may also give us insight into
the timing of the Rapture, because there seems to be a parallel between the
Transfiguration and the Rapture passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“For
the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will
rise first. After that, we who are still
alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever.”
Similarly, at the Transfiguration,
Moses represents the dead in Christ because he experienced death. Elijah represents those who are alive at the
time of the Rapture because he never experienced death. They, the dead and the alive, join Jesus and
are transformed. Also, Old Testament
saints and New Testament saints are together during this event as represented
by Moses, Elijah, and the three disciples.
Although they are not in the air, they are on a “high mountain.”
(Matthew 17:1.) A cloud envelopes them
and they are with the Lord in the clouds.
Lastly, the voice of God is heard, and we know from other scripture that
the voice of God is like the sound of a trumpet. (See Revelation 1:10 and 4:1.)
The Transfiguration appears to be a
rehearsal for the Rapture. Perhaps it is
also an indicator for its timing.
In Secret
There is a passage in the book of John
that expressly links Jesus Christ to the Feast of Tabernacles. It is during a time where the Lord’s brothers
mock him for not having a more public ministry.
“Therefore Jesus told them, ‘The right
time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me
because I testify that what it does is evil.
You go to the Feast. I am not yet
going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.’ Having said this, he stayed in Galilee. However,
after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but
in secret. Now at the Feast the Jews
were watching for him and asking, ‘Where is that man?’ …. Not until halfway
through the Feast did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to
teach.” John 7:6-14.
It is interesting that Jesus initially
attends the Feast of Tabernacles in secret.
The people and religious leaders are actually looking for Him, but He
came when they were not expecting Him.
People often criticize us for
believing in a “secret” Rapture.
Wouldn’t it be something if this passage is a hint for when and how
Christ will come for us? Since the Feast
of Tabernacles is a multi-day festival, no one would know the day or hour that
He would come.
Jesus also makes an intriguing
statement during the Feast. "Jesus said, 'I am with you for only a short time, and
then I go to the one who sent me. You
will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot
come.'" John 7:33-34.
This is exactly what will happen after
the Rapture – people will look for us, but not find us.
A Bride Catching Festival
Judges 21:19-25 deals with the time
that the Tribe of the Benjamin was permitted to seize wives as they are dancing
at "the annual festival of the Lord in Shiloh." (Shiloh is
the place where the Tabernacle of Moses was set up in Joshua 18:1. It was still there when the narrative in
Judges takes place.)
I cannot find a consensus as to the
identity and timing of this festival.
Some commentators say it was just a local festival, others say that it
celebrates the beginning of the grape harvest which is traditionally celebrated
on the Fifteenth of Av, and others believe it is the Feast of Tabernacles which
celebrates the end of the grape harvest.
The text tells us that the girls are dancing in a vineyard, so the
festival is likely to be connected to either the beginning or end of the grape
harvest.
Furthermore, since the men of Israel were required to go to Shiloh
to observe the Pilgrimage Festivals while the Tabernacle was there, it is quite
possible that festival was the Feast of Tabernacles. (Later, when the Temple
was built in Jerusalem, Jewish males were
required to go to Jerusalem.)
There may also be a hidden pattern in
the narrative. According to the Bible,
the Tribe of Benjamin had offended the Israelites by their unwillingness to
surrender fellow Benjamites who had committed a heinous crime. A conflict ensued between the two sides resulting
in the deaths of the entire Tribe of Benjamin, with the exception of 600
fighting men. According to Judges 20:47:
"But six hundred men turned and fled into the
desert to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months."
Now, the Israelites had made an oath not to give their daughters in
marriage to any Benjamite. Consequently,
they realized that the tribe of all men was bound to die out. Regretting their vow, but unable to break it,
they devised a plan to get wives for the remaining 600 Benjamites. First, they determined that no one from the
camp of Jabesh Gilead had assisted them in the war. So they put that entire camp to death, except
for 400 virgin girls. Then they took the
girls to Shiloh and sent an offer of peace to
the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon, who accepted the women as wives. Then they told the remaining 200 men to go to
an annual festival of the Lord at Shiloh. "So they
instructed the Benjamites, saying, 'Go and hide in the vineyards and
watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out
to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a
wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. When their fathers or brothers complain to
us, we will say to them, 'Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not
get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give
your daughters to them.' So that is what
the Benjamites did. While the girls were
dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife." Judges 21:20-23.
Please notice that the 600 Benjamites
obtained wives in increments of 400 and 200.
First through killing, and second through a bride snatch. If you add an extra zero to 600, 400, and
200, you can see the timeline of 6000 years of human history. During the initial 4000 years, God obtained a
wife through killing or the sacrificial system.
After the final 2000 years, Christ will obtain His wife through a bride
snatch – the Rapture. The name Benjamin
translates to "son of the right hand." Jesus Christ is the ultimate Son of God's
right hand. "Jesus
replied, 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
heaven.'" Matthew 26:64. The 600 Benjamites initially fled to the
"rock of Rimmon." Rimmon is
Hebrew for "pomegranates." The
fruit is connected to only the High Priest.
Jesus is not only our High Priest, but He is also our Rock. The Benjamites stay at Rimmon for four months
before they seize their wives at Shiloh where
the Tabernacle is located. (Shiloh is also a name used for the Messiah in Genesis
49:10.) Finally, there are four months
between the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Perhaps this strange story about the
snatching of brides is prophetic.
Perhaps its timing, during the grape harvest, gives us a clue to the
timing of the Rapture. Judges 21:23 uses
an interesting Hebrew word for "took" – it is "nasa." It means "to lift up." It is the same word used in Genesis 7:17 to
describe the lifting of Noah's Ark
during the Flood.
"And the children of Benjamin did
so, and took them wives, according
to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and
returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in
them." Judges 21:23.
"For forty days the flood kept
coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth." Genesis 7:17.
The Great Multitude and Tabernacles
We know that in eternity, God will
tabernacle with men – which will be the ultimate fulfillment of the Feast of
Tabernacles. "And
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God
himself shall be with them, and be their God." Revelation 21:3. But there may be another observance of the
feast earlier in the book of Revelation.
In Revelation 7:9-10, we see a Great
Multitude in heaven right after the global earthquake of the Sixth Seal in
Revelation 6:12-17:
“After
this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could
count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and in front of the Lamb.
They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches
in their hands. And they cried out in a
loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb.’”
Now, take a look at the passage in
Leviticus that concerns the Feast of Tabernacles:
“‘So
beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered
the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the
first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. On the first day you are to take choice fruit
from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars, and
rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.” Leviticus 23:39-40.
The timing
of the Great Multitude may be connected to an observance of the Feast of
Tabernacles because of the reference to holding palm branches, and to the fact
that the group will reside in the tent or tabernacle of God:
“And he said, ‘These are
they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night
in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.” Revelation 7:14-15.
(The
King James Version uses the phrase "he that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among them" in Revelation 7:15.
The Greek word for "dwell" can be translated "to fix
one's tabernacle" or "to live in a tabernacle or tent.")
We also see the Great Multitude
standing before the Lamb. Apparently,
they have been accounted worthy to escape the time of distress that is to come
upon the world. "Be
always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about
to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36.
There
may be another connection between something that Jesus said at a celebration of
the Feast of Tabernacles and something that is said about the Great
Multitude. John 7:37-39 states:
“On the last and greatest
day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty,
let him come to me and drink. Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams
of living water will flow from within him.’
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later
to receive. Up to that time the Spirit
had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
And
Revelation 7:17 states:
“For the Lamb at the
center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their
eyes.”
Finally,
the description of the Great Multitude resembles the make-up of the Church –
"from every nation, tribe, people
and language." Since we see them
after the global earthquake of the Sixth Seal, there could be a connection
between that earthquake and the Rapture.
(Earthquakes are connected to the resurrection events of Jesus Christ
and some Old Testament saints in Matthew 27:51-53 and Matthew 28:2-7, and the
Two Witness in Revelation 11:11-13.)
Blood Red Moon & the Church Age
On the day of Pentecost, Jews from
every nation heard Spirit-filled believers speaking in languages that they
understood. Peter addressed the crowd,
specifically applying this event to a prophecy from Joel 2:28-32:
"Fellow
Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem,
let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No,
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out
my Spirit on all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will
dream dreams. Even on my servants, both
men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will
prophesy. I will show wonders in the
heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of
smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the
coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.'" Acts 2:14-21.
It is significant that Peter applied
this specific prophecy to the Church, because it shows us that the Blood Red
Moon is a sign that is connected to the Church Age. The Apostle Paul also quotes from the same
passage in connection with his description of the Church Age – a time where
both Jews and Gentiles will come to Christ.
“For there is no difference between Jew and
Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved.’” Romans
10:12-13.
To this day, people continue to be
filled with the Holy Spirit when they become believers in Jesus Christ. They prophesy, see visions, and dream
dreams. But there are certain parts of
Joel's prophecy – signs in the heavens and on earth – that have yet to
occur. It is possible that when these
signs do occur, they will mark the end of the Church Age.
The Blood Red Moon is only referenced
in Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, and Revelation 6:12.
"I
watched as he opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of
goat hair, the whole moon turned
blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop
from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island
was removed from its place."
Revelation 6:12-14.
So, a great earthquake is also
connected to the Blood Red Moon.
Perhaps not coincidentally, during the
Feast of Tabernacles (on Tishri 21), the prophet Haggai gave the following
prophecy about the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem:
“This
is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake
the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and
the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with the
glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Haggai
2:6-7.
The writer of Hebrews quotes from this
passage in Haggai in connection with the sound of a trumpet blast and the voice
of God at Mount Sinai:
"At
that time his voice shook the earth,
but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth but also
the heavens.'" Hebrews 12:26.
Author David Lowe, in his book Then
His Voice Shook the Earth, believes that this shaking will occur at the
sounding of the Last Trump (see 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16),
which is the actual voice of God.
"When the people saw the thunder
and lightning and heard the trumpet
and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses,
'Speak to us yourself and we will listen.
But do not have God speak to
us or we will die." Exodus
20:18-19.
"On the Lord's Day I was in the
Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud
voice like a trumpet …."
Revelation 1:10.
This may support the contention that
an earthquake will occur at the time of the Rapture. Perhaps as a result of the voice of God.
Finally, the Blood Red Moon may also be a full
moon. Since the Feast of Tabernacles
is a full moon festival, it could confirm the timing of the Blood Red
Moon. (Note: there is a disagreement as
to whether the word "moon" should be translated full or whole
moon. According to a note in the New
King James version for Revelation 6:12,
only the "
NU-Text and M-Text read the whole moon.")
The Birthday of Jesus Christ
Many scholars believe that Jesus was
born in the fall. It is possible, then,
that His birth is prophetically connected to one of the three fall feasts. I am a fan of the Feast of Tabernacles as
being best choice. If Jesus was born on
the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, His birth and circumcision would
coincide with the exact days that people were required to assemble for that
Feast. See Leviticus 23:35-36.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph literally lived
outside in a temporary structure, a place for animals, during the time of His
birth. "She
wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for
them in the inn." Luke 2:7. We find out in Genesis 33:17 that Jacob made
booths or shelters for his cattle; the Hebrew word used for those booths is the
same word used for the Feast of Tabernacles – "succoth." Think about that! Jesus actually complied with the mandate to
live in a tabernacle at His birth. So, whenever
you see a nativity scene in someone's yard at Christmastime, remember that you
are seeing a Jewish family living outside in a temporary structure. Which is exactly what happens every fall
during the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus also took on a mortal body – a
temporary structure – when He dwelt with us.
"The Word became flesh and made his
dwelling among us. We have seen his
glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace
and truth." John 1:14. Please note that the Greek word used for
"dwelling" literally means to abide in a tabernacle or tent. So, in a larger sense, Jesus fulfilled the
Feast of Tabernacles by His very presence here on earth.
Is it possible that we will receive
immortal bodies during the same feast that Jesus was born in a mortal body?
“Now we know
that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God,
an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan,
longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed,
we will not be found naked. For while we
are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be
unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal
may be swallowed up by life. Now it is
God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a
deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
2 Corinthians 5:1-5.
Philadelphia
Two significant things happened to
Jesus Christ on His eighth day:
“On
the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the
name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” Luke 2:21.
He received His name Jesus and He was
circumcised.
Circumcision is the sign of the
Abrahamic Covenant that God made with the Jews:
“Every
male among you shall be circumcised. You
are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me
and you …. My covenant in your flesh
is to be an everlasting covenant.”
Genesis 17:10-13.
There may be a connection between this
and the Church of
Philadelphia of
Revelation 3:7-13.
Philadelphia
is the church that God promises to keep “from the hour of trial that is going
to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” Revelation 3:10. Its members are associated with those who
will participate in the Rapture. Philadelphia is told the
following:
“Him
who overcomes I will make a pillar in
the temple of my God. Never
again will he leave it. I will write on
him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,
which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.” Revelation 3:12.
Every overcomer will have the name of
God, the New Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus Christ written on them. Will the new name of Jesus, written on our
flesh, be a sign of the New Covenant?
And will we receive this name and sign on the eighth day of Tabernacles?
Finally, we are told that Philadelphia will be made a pillar in the temple of God.
At the time of the Rapture, the members of the Church, each living
stones, will be assembled together as the Temple of God:
“As
you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and
precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a
spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:4-5.
"Consequently,
you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people
and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined
together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." Ephesians 2:19-22.
It
should be noted that the dedication of
Solomon's Temple
occurred on the Feast of Tabernacles.
See 1 Kings 8:65 and 2 Chronicles 7:8.
Perhaps the Church, the Living
Temple, will be assembled
and dedicated on some future Feast of Tabernacles.
Conclusion
Please do not get discouraged as we
wait for the Lord's return. Whether He
comes this year or not, we can know for a fact that He will come at the right
time.
Maranatha!
– Lisa
Taylor