RAPTURE Cut-Off Time

Book of Joel and The Day of the Lord

As I sought Him I was led to go deeper into the Book of Joel; and, thanks to many of my fellow watchmen pointing out a number of prophetic nuggets, I began to make connections with the Fall Feasts of the Lord and the last days timeline in the Book of Joel.

Joel is a short little book (only three chapters, 73 verses) devoted almost entirely to the most climactic period in all Scripture: "The Day of the Lord," the final climax that we are all looking forward to. . . khouse.org

No prophet of the Old Testament has a more important revelation of the end times than Joel . . . The Day of the Lord is a period of time from the Tribulation to the passing away of the heavens and earth (2 Pet 3:10). The Books of Joel and Amos p 18

The Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah) is the first of the autumn feasts with The Day of Atonement coming ten days later. We identify these festivals as occurring in our fall season; however, according to Israel’s two seasons, many times they occur in summer and are associated with judgment.

The Cut-Off

According to Hebraic understanding, Rosh HaShanah or The Feast of Trumpets is the cut-off date before The Tribulation days of Jacob’sTrouble:

The average person has until Yom Kippur till his fate is sealed forever. In other words, the average person will have until the end of the seven-year tribulation to repent and turn to G-d. The average person on Rosh HaShanah is judged by G-d and is neither written in the book of life or the book of the wicked. His fate is yet to be decided. The average person and the wicked have to go through the "Awesome Days," the tribulation, until they reach Yom Kippur (the end of the tribulation when their fate is sealed forever)." Seven Festivals of the Messiah/Chapter 7

Notice the “cutting off” mentioned in Joel 1:5:

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. - Joel 1:5 KJV

The “new wine” is cut off. New wine is associated with the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the Church Age of Grace, so could Joel be prophesying here of the end of that Age? I believe so, because in verse 15 Joel proclaims the day of the Lord is “at hand” or near--it has not begun yet!

Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD [is] at hand [qarowb], and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. - Joel 1:15 KJV

The Day of the Lord Timeline

Joel Chapter 1 sets forth a last days’ timeline that is then repeated in Joel 2 but with added details. Joel 1 “sets the stage” of a time in Israel when the “new wine” is cut off (1:5) causing wailing and mourning (1:11-13); so there is a call for a solemn assembly (1:14) for the day of the Lord is near or at hand (1:15)!

The primary theme in the book of Joel is The Day of the Lord. It's an important book because it records Israel's place in God's program: from Babylon all the way through to the Millennium. Joel also has a lot to say about the Gentile nations and their collision course to Armageddon. Joel's second chapter reads like news camera footage of modern combat helicopters and troops in action! Except the cosmic effects are most terrifying:

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. -Joel 2:10, 31

Peter also recognized that the astonishing events of Pentecost in Acts Chapter 2 were ushering in the preparation for the end times, and he quoted from Joel to make his point.¹ (However, the sun did not darken; the moon did not turn to blood; and the Lord didn't appear with wrath against the nations.) Peter knew well that the Day of the Lord had not come yet: he says so in 2 Pet 3:10. Pentecost was a fulfillment in miniature: Joel saw the end point of the whole process; Peter focused on the onset. This was a guarantee that God would complete the entirety. . . khouse.org

Joel 2:15 = Yom Kippur = Jacob’s Trouble Begins?

Now I want to admit that my understanding could be incorrect, but it appears Joel 2:15 marks where The Day of the Lord--Jacob’s Trouble--The Tribulation begins for it describes a solemn assembly:

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: - Joel 2:15 KJV

Both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are announced with the blowing of the trumpet. Both moedim or appointed times are associated with judgment (as noted above); however, it is the time of Yom Kippur when fasting is called for along with a solemn assembly:

"The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a fire offering to the LORD. - Leviticus 23:27 CSB

There were many reasons for blowing trumpets in ancient Israel and I would not connect a particular feast with the trumpets of the Book of Joel except for the fact that the primary subject of this book is The Day of the Lord which will call for the fulfilling of God’s appointed times.

Assuming that Joel 2:15’s trumpet is announcing Yom Kippur, then both Joel 2:15 and Joel 1:13 point to the start of Jacob’s Trouble.

Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. - Joel 1:13 KJV

Compare this verse with Jeremiah’s prophecy:

Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? - Jeremiah 30:6 KJV

Alas! for that day [is] great, so that none [is] like it: it [is] even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. - Jeremiah 30:7 KJV

Trumpets and Feasts

At this point in my study of Joel I began noticing the verses that mention trumpets.

Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for [it is] nigh at hand; - Joel 2:1 KJV

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: - Joel 2:15 KJV

The Great Shofar

. . . There are three primary shofarim (trumpets) to the Jewish people and these three trumpets are associated with specific days in the year. These three trumpets are:

(a) "The First Trump," blown and associated with Shavuot (Pentecost);
(b) "The Last Trump," blown and associated with Rosh HaShanah;
(c) "The Great Trump," blown and associated with Yom Kippur.

The Seven Festivals of the Messiah/Chapter 8

Joel 2:1 = Feast of Trumpets = Rapture?

Based on the following Hebraic understanding of the feasts, the alarm of the Joel 2:1 trumpet (Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm) could be proclaiming the start of The Feast of Trumpets while Joel 2:15’s trumpet is proclaiming Yom Kippur:

Rosh HaShanah and The Season of Teshuvah

A special season known as Teshuvah, which in Hebrew means "to return or repent," begins on the first day of the month of Elul and continues 40 days, ending with Yom Kippur. Thirty days into Teshuvah, on Tishrei l, comes Rosh HaShanah. This begins a final ten-day period beginning on Rosh HaShanah and ending on Yom Kippur. These are known as the High Holy Days and as the Awesome Days (Yamim Nora'im, the days of awe).

. . . Each morning during the 30 days of the month of Elul, the trumpet (shofar) or ram's horn is blown to warn the people to repent and return to G-d.

The message from Elul 1 to Rosh HaShanah is clear: Repent before Rosh HaShanah. Don't wait until after Rosh HaShanah, or you will find yourself in the Days of Awe. The Seven Festivals of the Messiah/Chapter 7

Both of these moedim occur near the end of summer at the time of the wine and olive festivals.

According to the Mishna, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates the unmarried girls of Jerusalem dressed in white garments, and went out to dance in the vineyards. Wikipedia

While Tu B’Av (which begins tonight and ends at sunset August 5) seems the perfect choice for a 2020 Rapture appointment, I am coming full circle back to the Feast of Trumpets as the most probable time for the Resurrection/Rapture of the Bride of Christ if our Heavenly Father is indicating these feasts in the Book of Joel, and if only for the reason that our God seems to grant mercy up to the very last minute. According to the Hebraic understanding, the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah IS the very last minute! This would flow with the idea that the “new wine” was “cut off” because Rosh Hashanah falls in between Tu B’Av (which marks the beginning of the grape harvest) and Yom Kippur (which marks the end of the grape harvest)! [This seems to give credence to a Feast of Trumpets Rapture, however, this is not necessarily the case. Please read this related article: Will the Rapture Fulfill Pentecost?]

Summer and Harvest

Joel 1:5 speaks of the new wine which is made at the grape harvest. Peter associates new wine with the end of the age when he quotes Joel's prophesy about the coming Day of the Lord in Acts 2.

In Song of Solomon 2:11-13 notice that tender grapes are the final agricultural sign mentioned before the shepherd, a type of Christ, says, “Arise, my love...and come away,” thus signaling a possible late summer Resurrection/Rapture.

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines [with] the tender grape give a [good] smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. - Song of Songs 2:10, 13 KJV

Now let’s look at the major crops after Pentecost. Grapes were the first major crop to ripen . . .

The importance of grapes and olives is illustrated by the fact that the Essenes had wine and oil firstfruits festivals similar to the biblical firstfruits offering for grain. These festivals also indicate the relative timing of these crops. The new wine festival came 50 days or seven weeks after Pentecost. Until new wine was offered, no one could drink any of the new juice (Temple Scroll, columns 19-21). Harvest Seasons of Ancient Israel

Both grapes and olives are harvested near the end of Summer (see gci.org). As noted by T. W. Tramm, “Biblically, summer begins at the vernal equinox in March and ends at the autumnal equinox in September.” In 2020 the autumn equinox will be on September 22.

Autumn Equinox 2020 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 9:30 AM on

Tuesday, September 22

All times are in Eastern Time.

Joel foretells that both the “fig tree” and the “olive oil” languish--they look sick or appear to be in mourning:

The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth ['amal]. - Joel 1:10 KJV

The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth ['amal]; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, [even] all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. - Joel 1:12 KJV

Both the fig tree and olive are symbols of Israel so that Joel is giving us a picture of the people of Israel NOT escaping but having to endure Jacob’s Trouble.

The Tribulation to Begin When Summer Ends?

I believe  the Books of Joel and Jeremiah AND Amos foretell of trouble coming to Israel at the end of the Summer:

And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. - Amos 8:2 KJV

“The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20).

T. W. Tramm offers even more confirmation regarding the significance of summer:

When Will the Harvest Be Reaped?

T. W. Tramm

. . . The fact is that the Lord has been sending the Holy Spirit to indwell new believers every day for the past 2,000 years. It could therefore be said that Pentecost is experiencing an extended, or long-range, fulfillment: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 33 AD marked merely the beginning of a harvest of believers that will conclude when the full number of souls have been indwelt by the Spirit and God calls His Church home at the Rapture.

And so instead of “Pentecost fulfilled” (period, end of story), it’s more like:

Pentecost fulfilled . . .

Accepting this scenario, the question that remains is: WHEN will this extended period of “harvest” conclude, thereby completely fulfilling Pentecost?

One could reason it will NOT be on Pentecost.

The logic is that Pentecost, as a celebration of the “firstfruits” of the wheat harvest, marks the time, agriculturally, when the harvest begins.

If one is looking for the culminating event of the wheat harvest (Rapture), it makes more sense to seek it around the time the actual harvest concludes, which can be late summer or early fall. It is around this time that the wheat harvest finally wraps up and the gathering of the grapes and other fruits begins. With the above in mind, it’s interesting to note that there is no feast, or appointed time, on God’s calendar marking the conclusion of the wheat harvest—it simply ends when it ends, on a “day and hour” no one can predict.

Summer in Bible Prophecy

By T.W. Tramm

WITH summer in full swing and biblical signs manifesting all around, it’s a fitting time to review some of the scriptures linking the season of sunshine and warm temperatures to the end of the age. . .

Biblically, summer begins at the vernal equinox in March and ends at the autumnal equinox in September. Winter runs the opposite, beginning in September and ending in March. Therefore, to be precise, spring is not a distinct season but, rather, merely the first part of the summer. Likewise, autumn is not a distinct season but, rather, the first part of winter. . .

Having defined the biblical boundaries of summer, let’s consider some scriptures that point to this season being a pivotal time in Bible prophecy.

SUMMER AND THE CHURCH

In Matthew, Jesus uses summer as a metaphor for the end of the age:*

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near” (Matt. 24:32).

Considering God’s propensity to fulfill His word to the letter, even the metaphors, a reasonable expectation is that the event marking the end of the Church Age will occur in the summer.

In the Book of Ruth, summer is the backdrop for the redemption of a Gentile bride via marriage to a Jewish redeemer—a picture of the wedding of the Church to Messiah. Interestingly, some speculate that Ruth’s wedding may have occurred on or around the Jewish holiday Tu B’Av in the July-August timeframe. . .

The gathering and storing of summer crops foreshadows the harvest and gathering of the Church into heaven at the end of the age.

. . . Notice in Leviticus the fields are reaped before the first festival of the seventh month, Yom Teruah, arrives:

“When you reap the harvest of your land [in summer], do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest …. [Later] on the first day of the seventh month, you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts” (Lev. 23:22, 23). . .

SUMMER AND ISRAEL

While summer in general is associated with the Church, the end of the season—the time when figs and olives are harvested—bears significance for Israel. For instance, in Amos, a basket of fruit that has ripened over the summer is a symbol of Israel being ripe for judgment:

“This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of summer fruit … Then the LORD said to me, ‘The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer’” (Amos 8:1, 2).

In Jeremiah, the Jews lament the passing of the summer harvest:

“The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved” (Jer. 8:20).

While the context of the verse is an ancient judgment, Jeremiah may also be alluding to a future time when Israel sees the Church rescued via the Rapture and comes to the painful realization that they are not saved.

In Micah, summer is when the upright people have been swept from the land:

“What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. Everyone lies in wait to shed blood; they hunt each other with nets” (Mic. 7:1-2). . .

NOTES:

*Some propose that Matthew 24 is addressed solely to Israel and, therefore, has no bearing on the Church Age or Rapture. It’s important to understand, however, that even though Jesus’ immediate audience in Matthew 24 was Jewish (disciples), they were also the founding members of the Church. Granted, the Church Age had not yet technically begun (Acts 2), but the Church’s existence had been revealed prior (Matt. 16:18). . . Jesus knew, by way of the Holy Spirit guiding Him, that His appearing was to be a dual event (Rapture/Second Coming). In order to give a proper answer to the disciples’ question concerning His return without revealing the mystery of the Rapture, He spoke in terms that address both the Rapture and the Second Coming. This is what we’re seeing in Matthew 24: a picture of the Church Age and its conclusion after a 2,000-year period of “tribulation” (Rev. 1:9) and also a picture of the time of Jacob’s Trouble, i.e. “great” Tribulation, and its conclusion (Matt. 24:21). theseasonofreturn.com/tw tramm

As noted earlier, Biblically, summer ends at the autumnal equinox in September. In 2020 the autumnal equinox occurs September 22, Tuesday. Therefore, technically Rosh Hashanah or The Feast of Trumpets will occur this year just prior to the end of Summer at sunset on September 18!

War, Asteroids & Summer 2020

“Seventy-five years after the second war will come the final and greatest war that will make the second seem even smaller,” prophetic rabbi Chofetz Chaim said according to an article in breakingisraelinews.com. The armistice was signed on August 14, 1945, but the Japanese surrendered two weeks later on September 2, five days before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

According to the precise understanding of Chofetz Chaim, the third war is prophesied to begin in the Summer of 2020. (Summer ends in 2020 four days after Rosh Hashanah).

Also, let’s not forget that the asteroid debris will be evident in September 2020. At about the 27:50-minute mark, in Bob Barber’s video, Government Hidden Preparations For 2020 Asteroid Impacts! Steven Ben Nun tells Adam from Marfoogle News:

“My FEMA source said the reason for the lockdown that is coming is because they know the disasters are coming, but she also said at the same time they will be using tactical nukes on our nation while these asteroids are hitting in order to cover up what is going on there. . .The disaster in America will be so massive. . . that the Chinese are ready . . . to come in the guise of bringing humanitarian aid. . . in order to take over the nation for its natural resources.”

So, Brethren, “when they come down, we go up”! Many brethren have been shown this by the Spirit of the Lord. What is coming down has been revealed as: missiles, asteroids/meteorites, and fallen angels. This leads me to believe there will be a Great Convergence on the Day of The Rapture of fiery meteorites falling along with earthly and heavenly war. The Revelation 12 Dragon and The Rapture

Let us not be terrified about what is coming at the end of summer, but let us rejoice for what Jesus will do through us in these last days and remember what He said:

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. - John 16:21 KJV

As the Overcoming Man Child, we will be born OUT OF the world and into Heaven where we will have no more sorrow or crying! The dropping of HIS shoe--2 Visions

May we know as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12) this September!

8/18/20--Unsealed posted 2020 Rapture Theory: The Third-Day Birthday written by Jeff who has done a phenomenal job defining four paradigms associated with the timing of our gathering unto the Lord. The fourth paradigm or "The Third-Day Birthday" factor strengthens and aligns with the previous three and explains further the cut-off time I outlined from the Book of Joel in my above article.

Jeff writes, “As we hope to demonstrate, there is ample evidence from Scripture to expect a momentous "resurrection event" as we approach three full years since the "starting gun" of the Ten Years of Awe back in September of 2017.”

 “To further define the Third-Day Birthday in relation to the Ten Years of Awe timeline, we are anticipating the fulfillment of Revelation 12:5, the "Birthday" of the Body of Christ—i.e. the resurrection of the dead and the transformation/rapture of the living—to occur during or upon the completion of the Third Year of Awe (the deadline is September 2020; specifically, a brief window from 9/17 to 9/23). According to the Ten Years of Awe pattern, if we go beyond the Fall Equinox (9/22-23), this theory falls apart and we'll have to recalibrate. However, if this pattern holds true, well...you know...”

11/11/20 So Jeff at Unsealed saw the 3-year marker as shared in his article 2020 Rapture Theory: The Third-Day Birthday ; however, both he and I (and I’m sure others as well) thought the Scriptures were indicating an end of September 2020 Rapture Cut-Off Time. This proved not to be the case, so Bob Barber may be correct that the full gestation of the Revelation 12 Man Child ended September 2020 and that crowning will soon occur; however, there must be time allowed for labor pains before crowning can occur!

Updated 10/15/22