When Will the Rapture Happen? Clues Hidden in the Biblical Feasts
To bless and strengthen our hope for Jesus’ return, let’s consider the calendar of feasts, which shows us something important about the timing of the Rapture.
Why are the feasts indicative of Rapture timing? First, Jesus has flawlessly fulfilled every single feast. Second, feasts are dress rehearsals. Most weddings and plays have dress rehearsals, so everyone knows their positions, cues, and lines. God also gives us rehearsals for what’s ahead.
The first Bible feast is the Passover, a major event even today on the Jewish calendar. It was instituted by God to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and saving of the firstborn from the destroyer (Exodus 12, 13, 23, 34). A lamb without blemish was killed—both as a sacrifice and a symbol of Jesus the Lamb of God at Calvary on Passover. As the blood was applied to Israeli doorposts, the death angel literally passed over those homes. Jesus is the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world and was sacrificed for us on Passover.
The next feast was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Israelites took three pieces of bread and folded the middle piece, pierced it, and broke it. This is symbolic of Jesus the Bread of Life born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means home of the bread. Isn’t it cool? The Feast of the First Fruits followed to celebrate the first fruits of harvest.
Normally, a crucifixion takes longer than when Jesus was on the cross. Criminals were hung on the cross and a slow death was part of the spectacle—a sort of crime deterrent. But Jesus had a feast to keep! Jesus hung on the cross, taking our sin, poverty, and sickness upon Himself and then died quickly on Passover. He was buried at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and He rose again on the Feast of First Fruits.
Jesus met the timing of each feast flawlessly, which had been prophesied. When you talk to a Jewish person about this, it freaks them out because it proves Jesus is the Messiah.
The next feast is Pentecost where the Holy Ghost was poured out. Is there another feast that has not yet been fulfilled? Yes, the Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah or Feast of Gatherings. The word Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew literally means “head of the year.” The biblical name is Yom Teruah or literally “day of shouting or blasting.” I believe the Rapture of the Church will take place on the Feast of Trumpets.
Somebody might say, “If you know that, then you would know when the Rapture will be.” Yes, that is exactly right. I know exactly when the Feast of Trumpets starts in Israel and when it’s finished, and the whole time each year I’m on high alert. I’ve said to the Lord, “Hmm, this is a perfect time for You to come.” There are several things about Feast of Trumpets that make sense for the Rapture to occur during that time.
Of course, I don’t know the specific year the Lord is coming back. I would never preach that! That’s crazy! But I can tell you with great confidence that whatever year Jesus chooses to return, it will probably be during the Feast of Trumpets. If I am wrong, you can correct me as we are on our way up in the air. We can sit down and talk it over in heaven.
Let me explain why I think this way. Number one, the Feast of Trumpets represents the beginning of a coronation of a king. In any coronation, there is always a private ceremony for the family and a public ceremony for everyone else. When we are raptured, we will attend a private ceremony where Jesus will be coronated King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At the Second Coming, Jesus will be presented to the whole earth in a public ceremony as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The next event is the start of Seven Days of Awe before the Day of Atonement. That’s a picture of the seven years of Tribulation. In other words, the Church is raptured, and there are seven days of awe for the rest of the world. That’s a perfect correlation to seven years of Tribulation.
The Feast of Trumpets always falls 29.5 days after the last new moon, but they never knew exactly which day it would be. They didn’t know whether it would fall on the 29th or the 30th of the month because it was so many days from the previous one. The Sanhedrin, a tribunal assembly in every ancient city of Israel with religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction, would go out with two witnesses to determine when the new moon was and announce it. That’s why Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour. He was talking about the Feast of Trumpets.
The Sanhedrin would go outside, look up in the sky together, and then complain, “Not yet! It’s not today!” Then one day, they would look in the sky and say, “This is it! It’s today!” So when Jesus said, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself” (Matt. 24:36 NLT), they all knew that Jesus was referring to the Feast of Trumpets. Jesus was trying to give the Church a clue that you will be raptured on the Feast of Trumpets.
Once again someone might say, “Well, if you know that, then you know when the Lord is coming back.” Yes, that’s right! Just like you knew when your wedding was, you know when the Groom is coming for His Bride, the Church, and you know when you will be raptured. I know that freaks people out, but it’s true just the same. Recently, I made that statement and a lady blinked at me like a frog in a west Texas hailstorm, as Brother Hagin used to say. People are so shocked on all these topics because the Church either has not been taught or has been taught incorrectly about Jesus’ return and the timing of it all.
The next feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, which in Jewish history recognized God’s salvation, shelter, provision, and faithfulness. I believe the Second Coming will happen during the timing of the Feast of Tabernacles when Jesus returns and bodily tabernacles with men.
But listen to me! The Rapture is signless, but for the Second Coming, there is sign after sign after sign. It is so wonderful that we have all these things coming to pass in our lifetime. Think about it. You never have to die.
Bible Precedent of Raptures
The Christian world has come up with so many weird doctrines about the Rapture because it is unusual. Then again, just because it’s unusual does not mean it is unscriptural. Enoch was raptured. Elijah was raptured. And the Church will be raptured. In fact, let’s look at some Bible examples of rapture.
Elisha and the sons of the prophets knew the very day Elijah would be raptured. Second Kings 2:1 says, “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal” (NLT).
Notice this conversation between Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2:9-12 (NLT):
When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit and become your successor.” “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah replied. “If you see me when I am taken from you, then you will get your request. But if not, then you won’t.” As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men, separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” And as they disappeared from sight, Elisha tore his clothes in distress.
The Bible says Enoch walked by faith and was a spokesman for God, making him a perfect type or symbol of the Church. He also had a son named Methuselah, but Enoch departed right before the flood came. Genesis 5:24 says, “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Notice what Hebrews says below.
It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God (Hebrews 11:5 NLT).
How would you like to have job prophesying about the Second Coming of the Lord before Jesus even came the first time? Talk about awkward! Imagine telling people that Jesus will come back with 10,000 saints while people are asking, “Who’s coming back? What saints? We don’t know any saints.” Enoch had to preach like that, and then he was taken to heaven without dying, caught up because the wickedness of the day was so bad that God took him off the earth.
After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him (Genesis 5:22-24 NLT).
Enoch was taken off the earth. Elijah was taken off the earth. These two aren’t the only raptures in the Bible. The New Testament tells how Jesus and His disciples sang together—“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matt. 26:30 NKJV), where Jesus left for heaven. Jesus Himself was raptured.
Acts 1:1-3 (NLT) says:
In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
Then Acts 1:8-11 (NLT) says:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Jesus compared the Second Coming to the days of Lot and the days of Noah. Notice what the angel told Lot.
Genesis 19:15-24 (NLT)
At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.” “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”) Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon. Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angel told Lot that he could not do anything until the righteous departed, and Noah rode the flood of sin, corruption, and torrential rains like the righteous who endure. Both are perfect pictures of the Church leaving and Israel riding through the Tribulation period for seven years. God is so cool to give us clues!
The Bible talks about more raptures during the Tribulation. The two witnesses will be caught up to heaven (Rev. 11) so there is ample biblical precedent that people on earth, all of a sudden, leave earth and depart to heaven.
The Greek word for rapture is actually harpazo,1 which means “snatched up or caught up.” Interestingly enough, however, the word rapture is not in the literal Greek, but in the Latin the word rapture means “to be caught up or snatched.” Think about it—walking with God and then shooo! Think of all the Invasion of the Body Snatchers-type movies. I’m sure folks will come up with a bunch of New Age explanations for why people have disappeared after the Rapture. But no matter what you call it, how wonderful that God will evacuate you because of what’s getting ready to happen on the earth.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).
Verse 11 drives home the point once again that we are to comfort and edify fellow Christians with this news. The teaching of the Rapture was always to bring comfort—never fear. Yet today, there is a religious mentality that has crept into the Church where so many people are afraid of the coming of the Lord. People often come up to me in meetings and say, “I was afraid to come. I thought it was going to be bad news.” But, again, there is no bad news for the Christian!
