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When will the rapture happen?

26 September 2020 by Brent

19th September 2068 is my best calculation.

Now that I’ve shocked you by committing the unpardonable sin of date-setting ;-), I’ll explain.  I’m 99% certain this is wrong, but there’s a lot to be learned from how I’ve calculated this; to provide balance with teaching that the rapture is imminent.  It is critical that we plan to live out our lives teaching the next generation to serve Christ, while being prepared for him to take us at any time – whether by the sound of golden trumpets or the frantic honking of a speeding truck.  While we hope in Jesus coming soon, we can also hope in a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in spite of the rebellious society we live in.  This is what our ancestors have experienced many times in the past as they have endured the tribulations of life.  When Jesus comes, he should find us going about the work he has commissioned us to do:

Matthew 28:19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you. 

No one knows when Jesus will return

Before we start, it’s important to put things in perspective.

Acts 1:7 Jesus said to them, “It’s not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has kept under his authority. 

However, there’s great riches to be gained from seeking to understand what God has hidden, and it guards us from false teaching, which may distract us from our great commission.

Proverbs 25:2 It’s the glory of God to hide something.  It’s the glory of kings to search them out.

7,000 years

According to Dr Ken Johnson, some ancient Church fathers taught that Jesus would return 6,000 years after creation.  I believe that the seven days of creation are a prophecy of seven thousand years of this universe.  Almost 6,000 years have passed where people have governed the Earth; and we expect that Jesus will soon return to govern the Earth for 1,000 years of peaceful rest.

2 Peter 3:8 My loved ones, don’t be ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

This idea aligns with Enoch 93’s 10 weeks of centuries.  The Book of Enoch is quoted by Jude and referenced by Peter.  It was preserved by the Essenes among the Dead Sea Scrolls and was included in the Ethiopian Bible’s apocrypha.

The Essenes were the true (Zadok) priests who lived in communes away from the corruption of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  These other groups dominated Jewish politics since the Maccabees until the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70AD, and form the roots of modern Judaism, which continues to reject their Messiah.  John the Baptist was an Essene, and therefore his disciples Peter and Andrew were of that persuasion – they became Jesus’ disciples.  While the Pharisees and Sadducees taught that prophecies only happened back in biblical times to establish scriptures, and did not occur in everyday life, Josephus records that the Essenes were renown for the accuracy of their prophecies, and they lived twice as long as average.  The Essenes faithfully preserved the ancient writings handed down since Adam.  Since 1948, we’ve been rediscovering these, which are known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The modern Jewish calendar is based on the corrupted Pharisaic calendar.  They reckon this is the year 5781, whereas the Essene year is 5945.  The Pharisaic corruption can be observed in the Seder Olam, which is a rabbinical chronology compiled around 160AD.  Ken Johnson’s translation and commentary document this in chapter 28, covering Daniel’s prophecy.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an alternate English source for verification.  Concerning Daniel’s prophecy, the Seder Olam states:

Rabbi Yose also said: It was 70 years between the destruction of the First Temple to the dedication of the Second Temple. Add to that 410 [420] years and we come to the 490 years of the prophecy which ended at the destruction of the Second Temple.

This is quite contrary to Daniel 9’s prophecy that the Messiah would be cut off 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem – not the temple.  This decree was given by Artaxerxes in his 20th year (445BC), although this is widely disputed.

The calculation

According to the Essene calendar, the year 6,000 after creation begins on the 20th of March 2075.  I believe this would be when Jesus defeats the Antichrist and the Earth is reshaped by the greatest earthquake at the end of the Tribulation.  This implies that the Tribulation starts seven years earlier when the world-peace treaty is enforced by the Antichrist on the 21st March 2068.  Many believe that Matthew 24:36 refers to the feast of trumpets; and leads into the tribulation.

Matthew 24:36 But no one knows when that day and hour will be, not even the angels of Heaven, but only my Father.

According to the pharisees, the Feast of Trumpets starts when the new moon after the autumn equinox is first witnessed by two independent watchmen.  Therefore “no one knows the day or the hour” when this feast begins.  This would be on the 27th of September 2068.  However, the Essenes start the Feast of Trumpets on the 19th.  Apparently, rabbis associate the Feast of Trumpets with the coming of the Messiah.

Summary

While many teach that the rapture is imminent, my best calculation guesses this to occur in 48 years’ time.  I expect this is just as wrong as every other calculation.  I only state this to balance the discussion on imminence with some investigative reasoning.  Sir Isaac Newton said:

The time times & half time do not end before 2060. …. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail

There are many prophecies, which must be fulfilled before the Tribulation.  This includes the Russian invasion of Ezekiel 38-39; and the ensuing revival of a 10-kingdom Roman Empire, including the three kingdoms of Egypt, Libya and Sudan, which the Antichrist will overthrow.  50 years is a reasonable time frame for these events to unfold.

While we patiently hope for Jesus’ soon return, we delight in the present outpouring of his Holy Spirit, and making disciples of people from every nation, tribe, and language.

– Brent

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Brent Clark

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About Brent

As the son of life-long pastors of the Salvation Army, I grew up surrounded by God and solid Bible teaching. Although a professional software engineer, I’ve always been a church musician and am preoccupied with contemplating God and understanding and defending the integrity of the Bible. Brent presents an unusual, provocative perspective.

I hope to leave you with more questions than answers and a desire to seek God.

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