My View
Many are wondering “what is going on”? All the key points that I am going to share I have already shared in the preceding posts in my blog (ZNP -- How the Old and New Testament books fit together), but for the sake of putting everyone at ease I will put it all together here. On September 15th in Washington D.C. Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and two Arab nations for Jerusalem to belong to Israel and so that they could rebuild the temple. According to Daniel that signifies the start of the 70th week. The age of Israel was broken into 70 weeks, at the end of the 69th week they crucified Jesus and God’s move with them ceased. That was the beginning of the age of grace, the church age. The church age ended with the signing of that treaty. (The afternoon of September 15th in Washington D.C, is September 16th in Jerusalem. That was a significant day on the Essene calendar). As a result there has been tremendous speculation among many Christians that the rapture would take place during Yom Teruah, the blowing of the trumpets. Revelation 4 begins with “after these things” referring to the church age, after the church age, a door was opened in heaven. Yom Teruah refers to the opening of the gates of heaven. Then a voice like a trumpet called to John to “come up here”. This of course is similar to the rapture, it is also a direct reference to the Lord’s word “you shall not see me again until you say ‘blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord’. On the sabbath prior to a man getting married he would be “called up” to read from the Torah. When he approached the entire congregation would say “blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord”. Yom Teruah is known as the festival where “no one knows the day nor the hour”. This festival occurs on the new moon, it requires two witnesses to carefully watch the moon and once they see the new moon to go report to the Sanhedrin who will announce the day with the blowing of trumpets. When asked about the Lord’s return he told the disciples that “no one knows the day nor the hour”. He also said “except for my Father in heaven”. That is another direct reference to the marriage of the Lamb. In the Jewish tradition the man makes a contract with a woman to get married. That is the engagement contract and he pays a price for her. Jesus paid the price for us and we have the New Testament as our engagement contract. He then goes to prepare a place for her, just as Jesus said He had gone to prepare a place for us. However, it is the Father that will determine when everything is ready. So that was a second reason that many saints became quite excited about this festival (September 19th and 20th). This festival is also referred to as “the concealed day”. A day is 24 hours but this day doesn’t begin at sundown, rather it begins when they see the new moon, so you have to give yourself a two day window for that day. Also, during this day they blow the trumpet 100 times, eleven sets of nine and then one final blast. The final blast is called “the last trump”. The rapture begins with the “trump of God” and the dead in Christ are raised first. Paul calls this “the last trump” in 1Corinthians 15. Again, signifying when the rapture would take place. So then, what is going on? Didn’t God promise?
I am giving you the account of the coronation of Solomon because it prefigures the coronation of the heavenly Jesus. King David signifies Jesus earthly ministry which has reigned right up until September 16th. The story of the cross, the death and burial of Jesus, His resurrection from the dead, and the church age. The condition of the church is foreshadowed with several pictures in this account. You have David who is ready to die, like Sardis. You have the Shunamite woman who is neither hot nor cold, like Laodicea. You have the deep things of Satan seen in Thyatira trying to usurp the throne depicted by Adonijah and those with him, setting up their own Pope. And, you have the faithful servants of the Lord, (Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah). The church in Philadelphia is typified by Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. So at Solomon’s coronation you see three groups of people. There are the faithful witnesses watching for the fulfillment of the promises, you have those who were misled to follow Adonijah, and you have those in open rebellion against the Lord. When they see that Solomon is crowned King those that were misled immediately flee, and the rebellious ask not to be judged. After Yom Teruah there are ten days of awe, during this time the books are opened and the Lord puts the people into three groups. The faithful servants, the foolish and lazy servants who were sleeping, and the wicked who belong to Satan.
So then we come to the great sign in heaven that John talks about in Revelation 12. A woman crowned with 12 stars, clothed with the sun, the moon is under her feet and she is in travail to give birth to the man child. This sign has only occurred twice in human history, the first time was 3915 BC, and is considered the sign depicting the first prophecy concerning Jesus “the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head but he will bruise His heel”. The book of Revelation reveals that Jesus is the “first and the last”, the “alpha and the omega”. This sign acts as wonderful bookends to God’s redemptive plan for man. This sign appeared on September 23rd, 2017. It was preceded by a full solar eclipse over Washington D.C. Now many Christians will scoff at this as “astrology” a vile and condemned practice. Psalm 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, The glory of God is Jesus Christ, His handiwork is His redemption. This story is placed in the 12 constellations of the ecliptic (the line gone throughout all the earth). If you look at the stars you would never be able to see those animals and creatures, God proclaimed his gospel plan in pictures in the heavens for all to see regardless of the language they spoke. Daniel understood this and told the Magi what sign they should look for, which is why they came to Jerusalem claiming to have seen Jesus star. Job refers to this extensively in his book. Balaam’s prophecy refers to a sign in the stars. In Genesis God made the stars for “signs”, not just for days, seasons and years. The two big signs are Jesus first coming and His second coming. So, let’s not scoff at God’s design, Psalm 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. If we can be warned by them so much the better. So then on September 23rd this sign was seen. In the Jewish wedding the bride circles the groom three times before the wedding begins. The earth has circled the sun three times since this sign appeared. But it wasn’t quite three times by September 20th, so what is going on? Again, the ten days of awe are called the “Jacob’s trouble” and are understood to refer to the tribulation. However, in Daniels prophecy the tribulation is only 1 week, seven days. The days of awe are also when Jesus is discerning who is who (good and faithful servant who enters into the joy of the Lord, wicked and lazy servant cast out into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and those who belong to Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet). Also, that last trump on Yom Teruah woke up the dead who are to rise first. So then if it takes three days for the first group to be selected, then that will leave three and half days to determine who is in the second group, and the last three and half years will be for that third group. So although I have not read anyone having this theory, I will still present it to you. When you read the story of the wise and foolish virgins it says the Lord comes “at the midnight hour”. At first I tried to look to see if that was the custom but common sense took over. Obviously that was not the custom. Weddings have people of every age from young babies to the very elderly. Who ever heard of a wedding feast beginning with a midnight procession? You would have to be the coolest dude in the Universe, the “Fonze” for eternity. The expositors say that “this was obviously at a time later than the virgins had expected”. So in this theory the last trump of Yom Teruah was to wake up the “sleeping” virgins (the dead) and then at the Trump of God on the 23rd, 3 days later, they will rise first.