The term rapture comes from the Greek word harpazo, which means "to seize, catch away, catch up, pluck, pull, take by force" (
1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Hebrew equivalent is the word natzal. It is the time when the Lord will come for His own, when Jesus will descend through the stratosphere and take those of us who have trusted in Him to be with Himself. It is imminent, it can happen at any moment; it can happen today, it can happen ten years from now. We do not know when it will be, but it could happen at any time. And so, the prophecy of the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled in the Rapture of the Church. It has not yet been fulfilled. We are still in the period between Pentecost and Trumpets in God's prophetic calendar.
However, one of the biggest misunderstandings of the Rapture I found is that it is confused with the Second coming of Christ or what I would like to call the "
2nd Rapture". This confusion usually stems from a person not fully grasping the necessary different steps in marriage and how it relates to Christ and His Bride (i.e. the church). For the 1st Rapture is the actual call to the marriage itself and the 2nd Rapture (i.e. The Second Coming) is the call to the marriage supper (See commentary in Last Half of Tribulation).
But, whatever position you hold on the Rapture, I think it is safe to assume that most of us here will all agree that the Lord's Rapture of His church is analogous to marriage in some way and that there is some kind of call announcing it.
In fact, there is a great New Testament passage that talks about marriage and a call being made. It is the parable of the Ten Virgins (
Matthew 25:1-13). A parable that is about a bridegroom putting out the call for marriage and ten virgins being properly ready for that call so that they could take part in his wedding ceremony. For these virgins did not know the hour of his call for they were surprised at midnight by it while they were asleep. They had to be ready with enough oil in their lamps in order to see and walk at night in order to reach the location of the wedding ceremony. In other words, Christians are the Brides who have to be properly prepared for the call of their Bridegroom, who is Christ. For He could come at an hour or a day that they do not know.
In addition, the Scriptures also tells us about a wedding and a call going forth within the Old Testament, too.
For According to
Genesis 41:45 and
Psalm 81:3, Joseph had blown the trumpet on the new moon during the feast day through out the land of Egypt just after receiving permission to marry Asenath.
So when Joseph went out through the land of Egypt:
•
Genesis 41:45-46 (Joseph had received Asenath to marry)
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through out all the land of Egypt.
•
Psalm 81:3-5 (Joseph had blown the trumpet on feast day within the new moon)
Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
Wow, isn't that amazing? Here we have the receiving of the bride and the blowing of the trumpet on the new moon within the feast of days. A wedding and a trumpet call both being made!
Now, is there any significance to this Feast of Days and this New Moon in relation to the Rapture?
I believe there is. In accordance with the ancient Jews:
The feast of days mentioned here in the Bible is the Jewish Feast of Trumpets.
It is also called the Yom Teruah, and it is the day that is marked on most calendars as Rosh Hashanah and is followed ten days later by the Day of Atonement. Yom Teruah means “Day of Shouting” and can refer to the shout of a trumpet or a voice. It’s a day of remembrance and shouting, or Zicharon Teruah meaning remembrance shouting.
Now, before looking further into the theological meaning of the Feast of the Trumpets, it might be well to clarify how this feast became known as Rosh Hashanah, "the beginning of the year," though it was observed on the first day of the seventh month.
The answer to this apparent contradiction is found in the fact that the Jews had both a religious and civil calendar. The religious calendar, which regulated the festivals, began in the spring, in accordance with God’s command at the time of the Exodus: "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for your" (
Exodus 12:2) (
Deuteronomy 16:1). The first month in the religious year was the month in which the Israelites left Egypt and celebrated Passover, the feast of their redemption. It was originally called Abib "the month of the ears," but after the Babylonian exile was named Nisan. It began at our new moon of our March or April.
The civil and agricultural year, as well as the sabbatical and jubilee years, began in the autumn with the seventh month, which after the Babylonian exile became known as Tishri. If it seems strange that the Jews should begin their civil year on the seventh month, it may be well to remember that even in our society the fiscal year for many organizations begins in other months than January.
However, the seasonal cycle of nature came to an end with the fall harvest, which marked also the beginning of a new agricultural cycle with the return of the early rains that softened the ground for plowing which was done in October and November. This contributed to place the beginning of the civil and agricultural year on the month of Tishri, though it was the seven month with respect to Nisan. Thus the Jews had a double reckoning, the religious year beginning with the first month and the civil year beginning with the seven month; And the beginning of this seventh month or start of the agricultural new year is celebrated with the Feast of Trumpets.
According to Jewish customs: Here are some interesting parallels of the Feast of Trumpets that can be found in the Rapture:
- Feast of Trumpets is called the Last Trump (For there are three shofarim or horns: The first trump is Pentecost, the last trump is the Feast of Trumpets, and the great trump is the Day of Atonement).
