A Spring Pentecost Rapture

Spring is in the air; and it’s always a wonderful time of year, especially in Paris (at least that’s what I hear).  There’s something about the winter season passing, the snow melting, and the flowers blooming that resets the emotion of folks who are still struggling with a cold winter funk. It’s good to enjoy some sunshine and the hope that comes with a spring sunrise and the pollen that comes with it.  When we think of springtime, we think of love and new beginnings, depending on your point of view.  However, there are a lot of lonely people out there who don’t have anyone to love or be loved by; this is a sad reality for too many folks, and many of them are believers.  We do have the church, the local body of Christ, which is always a plus, but there’s something about that interpersonal touch that makes life a little nicer in the rain, or snow, or whatever season of duress that may come your way. When I greet people in my church, especially older folks, I am fully aware that the hug that I give them may be the only time they are appropriately touched by another person in their week.  Being loved by a spouse, a sibling, close friend, or even a brother or sister in the Lord can go a long way for believers in the body of Christ, and all potential believers.  However, being loved by Jesus is the best kind of love a person can experience.

Solomon gives us a glimpse of this kind of love,

“My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. ¹¹ For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. ¹² The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. ¹³ The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! ¹⁴ “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”       – Song of Solomon 2:10-14

• Here we see a picture of the masculine reaching out to the feminine in a loving embrace.  The season is clearly spring in this passage and the reference to ‘rising up, my love, and come away with me,’ is mentioned twice.  I believe this to be a type and shadow of the Rapture, that is, the Lord Himself, as the Masculine, reaching out to His bride, the Church, the feminine, in a loving embrace; raising her (us) up and taking her (us) to His home.  

While some may see types and shadows as a far stretch, I say, just ask the lonely, I am sure they will have another perspective; especially the watchers.  Some people are more excited about the Lord’s return than others, I believe this has everything to do with their place in this life, where they are at, who they are with, and what their current disposition is.  It would seem that the lonely believers out there have a greater longing to be loved by the Master than those who are being loved by a close and intimate spouse.  Why we try not to judge where another person may be at emotionally, we do need to care about them just the same; because not caring only isolates the lonely even more.  This is why some brothers and sisters in church tend to talk about themselves and their experiences more than others; even to the point of being socially awkward, invasive, or obtrusive.  They have too many unused words in them, and they just want someone to listen and care.

Solomon continues,

“I went down to the garden of nuts to see the verdure of the valley, to see whether the vine had budded, and the pomegranates had bloomed. ¹² Before I was even aware, my soul (Desired One) had made me as the chariots of my noble people.”                                                                                                      – Song of Solomon 6:11,12

• Reading into this passage a bit more we can clearly see that the season is definitely spring with identifiers like ‘the garden of nuts, the vine had budded, and the pomegranates had bloomed.’  The feminine, represented by the Shulamite woman, is caught unaware that her Desired One, who is represented by the Lord Himself, has snatched her away as in a chariot; this is a definite Rapture type. As we read in the next verse, we see the response to those who were not caught up.

“Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon you! What would you see in the Shulamite—As it were, the dance of the two camps (Mahanaim)?”                                                                    –(vs.13)

• People who are left behind after the Rapture are going to sorely miss us when we’re gone.  The Church globally is the restraining body that holds back unprecedented evil though the power of the Holy Spirit, living within us.  The world may hate us now, but it’s because they don’t know and believe in Jesus like we do.  Many of them will come to faith after the Rapture, but they will have to pay a high price for their delayed response. Horrific things will happen to the people of the post-Rapture world; better to get saved now.  However, for the Shunammite woman, a type of the Church, we see a better fate.

Solomon continues,

“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. ¹³ The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved.”       – Song of Solomon 7:12,13

• Here we can see that the season is still spring, and the location is at the vineyard gates, where the masculine is wooing the feminine with ‘all manner of pleasant fruits that have been laid up’ for her.  The words of Solomon depict the love the Lord has for His believing people, both the Jews and the Gentiles.  When we say, ‘Jesus loves you,’ it’s an understatement.

Too many folks miss the strategic importance of understanding a spring Rapture; however, not knowing Jesus when He does return for His people only fortifies their dismay in missing out on their ‘Desired One’ as Solomon portrays here.  Don’t believe me?  Just ask everyone who dies without Jesus.  Their flawed understanding of life and their perceived view of the eternal is radically challenged with the harsh truth of God’s Word and the permanency of His judgments. The Lord went through a lot of effort to see to it that we would be spiritually sound (saved) and tactically ready (aware) for His return.  Question: Are you ready?!

In 2 Kings 8 we see how the prophet Elisha restores the Shunammite’s land.

“Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.” ² So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³ It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land. ⁴ Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.”

⁵ Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” ⁶ And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”                                                                                                    – 2 Kings 8:1-6

• Here in this passage we see how the Shunammite woman, and her family, are spared from a seven-year famine. When the famine is over, she returns to her land where it is restored to her by order of the king.  The type and shadow of this exchange deals with God’s love for this woman and her family in a time of famine. He provides for her by removing her from the land of famine for the duration of that famine, in this case, it’s seven-years.  Notice how the famine is not stopped, but that the woman is removed from it.  Her house and land remain and are later restored to her. 

We may lose many things in this life, but it’s all very temporary. What God gives us is eternal.  When the tribulation does occur, what we own today will be gone baby!   However, after the tribulation, the Lord will return with His Church to retake and restore this planet to Himself and us in His millennial reign.  Right now I am seeing some ominous signs regarding a water crisis in the western part of this nation. It’s as if the Lord is telling us, ‘the bridge is out!’  I see these people in a place of desperation and concern over the lack of moisture in the air, the ground, and at their household taps.  The famine is coming, a seven-year famine, and the Lord has given us ample signs.  Are we watching?  Like the Shunammite woman, if we are in Christ, we will be spared from this famine (aka drought), and God will restore to us what He has for us on the other side.

‘He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep gaining what he cannot lose.’

– Missionary Jim Elliot

The book of Estrus is not part of the canon of scripture, but like a lot of non-canonical books, they possess information that is support by the canon; they are just not recognized as inspired.  This is why many pastors don’t teach from them, and for good reason, especially in evangelical settings.  However, when studying God’s Word, it’s always good to find relevant documentation that supports what we read in the Bible.  In this case, I have included three passages from Estrus that depict an order and sequence to the coming tribulation and certain people’s response to it.

Estrus

‘Behold, famine, plague, tribulation, and anguish are sent as a scourge for the correction of men.  Yet for all this, they will not turn from their iniquity, nor always be mindful of the scourge.  Behold provisions will be so cheap upon the earth that men will imagine that peace is assured for them; then calamity shall spring upon the earth and sword and famine and great confusion.’

• Here we can see how the coming tribulation and the season prior to it, are given in part, ‘for the correction of men.’  Even as such, they will not repent, that is, many of them.  Part of the deception is that things will seemingly get better, most likely during the first part of the tribulation.  Gas will be cheaper, food will be accessible in some parts of the world, commerce will seem to pick up, but under the dictatorship of the antichrist and his beast system of economics. Then an immediate change, ‘calamity shall spring upon the earth with sword, famine, and great confusion.’  While this speaks to the coming tribulation, it also gives us a glimpse of what’s to come prior to it.

‘Behold, the word of the Lord, receive it do not disbelieve what the Lord says, behold the calamity draws near and is not delayed. Surely, He knows your imagination and what you think in your heart.  Whoa to those who sin and want to hide their sin, because the Lord will strictly examine all their works and will make public spectacle of all of you. And when your sins are come up before men, you will be put to shame, and your own iniquity shall stand as your accuser in that day. What will you do, or how will you hide your sins before God and His angels? Behold God is the judge, fear Him, cease from your sins forget your iniquity never to commit them again so God will lead you forth and deliver you from all tribulation.”

• This final passage is an appeal from the Lord for men to repent before the tribulation.  God’s desire is to deliver His people from this tribulation.  While Estrus is not canonical, we do have some perspective as to the principle alignment of repenting of sin and coming to faith in Christ before the tribulation.     

If the Lord does return for His Church in the spring, the next high watch will be at Pentecost, which is June 5^th this year; which happens before the summer solstice, which is always on June 21^st.   A spring Pentecost Rapture would be on or around June 5^th; yet another high watch.  If not, than the next high watch would be June 15^th, still before the summer solstice.  This particular theory is proposed by brother George from Return of the King YouTube channel.     This brother references the story of the 153 fish incident ^{(John 21:11)} as a relevant source. I don’t have the time to go over that with you in this blog, but a quick visit to his channel will address your questions.  He ties the 153 fish scenario from John 21 with the signs in the heavenlies.  For more information on this theory, please go to his YouTube channel and check out what he has to say. His scenario is still in the springtime window for this year, so here’s hoping.

Then we have the infamous Parable of the Fig Tree,

“Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. ³¹ So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”        – Luke 21:29-33

• In this passage we see Jesus telling us to ‘look at the fig free (singular – Israel) and all the trees’ (plural – the Gentile nations).  It’s a simple, relevant phrase that identifies the target nations of this parable.  The phrase, ‘when they are already budding’ is an identifier to the season, in this case, Spring. 

Jesus says that ‘you can know for yourselves that summer is near,’ but not quite yet. This could literally mean closer (nearer) to the summer solstice, which is always June 21^st. Jesus further states that ‘when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.’ The phrase, ‘these things’ are the things Jesus was discussing previously in this chapter, Luke 21. 

The ‘kingdom of God’ is the rule of God, in this case, God’s end time plan unfolding before our eyes.  For the Jews, it will be the tribulation; for the Church, it will be the Rapture.  We don’t know specifically when it happens, but we do know when it’s close; how close? Like danger ‘near’ close.  This generation, the fig tree generation, ‘will by no means pass away till all these things take place.’  This is a direct reference to the young people, the children, who were alive when Israel became a nation (May 14, 1948).  Anyone born before 5/14/48 and is still living today is part of the fig tree generation!  They will all be older now, but they were alive when Israel became a nation, and they are still living today. This defines exactly who this very special generation is in relation to biblical prophecy; they are the fig tree generation. We who have been born after 5/14/48 are also included with that generation, but the ones who were there in May 1948 are that generation.  They will not all pass away before ‘all these things are fulfilled.’   It should be noted that Jesus included His Second Coming when He said, ‘all these things.’  This should be obvious to believers living today that we are really that close.

It should bring an excitement and a little fear in how close we are.  This understanding may be too much to comprehend for many Christians who believe that we still have many years to go.  The reality is that eventually the clock will run out and God will step into history once again and intervene on behalf of His people.  We are just about there.

This same parable is recorded in Matthew’s gospel this way,

“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. ³³ So you also, when you see all these things, know that it (He) is near—at the doors!” – Matthew 24:32,33

• We see a similar write to Luke’s account here, but with the caveat of, ‘when you see all these things, know that it (He) is near – at the doors.’  Jesus wants us to know when He is near, when His kingdom is near, when the Rapture is soon to occur. 

The Holy Spirit will confirm in your spirit that what Christ said in His Word is about to take place; like possibly in the next few weeks or even days!  Israel celebrated their 74^th anniversary (birthday) on /14/15/2022!  They will turn 81 on 5/14/15/2029, which means that if Psalm 90:10 (the true length of a generation) is accurate, the expiration date on this fig tree generation cannot exceed 5/14/29. 

“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”                                                           – Psalm 90:10

• The phrase ‘we fly away’ is a reference to the Rapture/Resurrection, depending on if a believer was saved when they died or is saved at the time of the Rapture; they will fly from Paradise or the earth.

So, to recap, after 70 years of Israel becoming a nation again, that same month America recognized Jerusalem as her capitol and moved its embassy there.  Four years later, relating to the four years of the fig tree parable, we find ourselves days after Israel’s 74^th birthday.  If you add the 7 years of the tribulation, this places us somewhere between May 2028 and May 2029 for Jesus’ Second Coming to the earth, with His bride.  Israel turns 81 years old on May 14, 2029, which would extend beyond the Psalm 90:10 maximum time limit on a biblical generation. Many scholars believe that Jesus will return on a future Day of Atonement.  If this is true, than the actual tribulation (Daniel’s 70^th week) must begin around Rosh Hashanah, seven years prior, for those dates to line up.  If this scenario is true, then the tribulation must begin this Rosh Hashanah! Some may look at this passage and claim that we still have another 7 years to go; however, I want to remind the press that Jesus included His Second Coming in these Fig tree Generation passages. This means we have to subtract those 7 years from a maximum of 80 years which places us in May 2022! 

Something ominous is about to happen, stand by one NASA!  I like to call it ‘the bump.’  A ‘bump’ is an event or a series of events that the Lord allows to happen to wake His people up. Some say this has already happened with the C-19 hoopla, wars and rumors of wars, and the looming water crisis on our land; not to mention all of the other stuff that is currently happening in our pre-tribulation world.  Regardless of what you might believe about the season of the Lord’s return, we should be advised that the Rapture could very well happen around this springtime Pentecost season timeframe.  Too many people believe that we still have a ways to go and that there is still plenty of time.  If only more folks could see how close we really are.  My challenge to you is simple, call upon the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you personally where we really are at in all of this.  God is faithful, He will reveal it to you if you ask Him; mainly because the Lord wants you to know what he is doing in the earth right now ^{(Amos 3:7).}  Jesus has called us to ‘occupy until He comes.’  This means that for the Christian, we need to be running our best race now.   I feel like I am in a sort of sprint, running toward the finish line.  In my younger years, when I had more hair and less weight, I was a long distance runner.  When I would near the end of a race, I would run faster because I knew my race was about over and I wanted to improve my time.  I feel like I am doing this right now, I am running a bit faster now, living my best witness now, serving the Lord with my whole heart now, and loving those people entrusted to my care in a manner that is well-pleasing to the Lord.  It’s springtime folks, and the Lord is revealing to us His heart for us. We need to respond in like. 

Maranatha!

Encouragemen is a blog written by Pastor Rob Lee, recently relocated to Northwest Missouri.  He lives with his wife of 32-years, near their three adult children, their spouses, and children (their grandchildren).  Pastor Rob is an Ordained Assemblies of God minister, a former Lead Pastor (25 years), police chaplain, and community advocate.  He continues to serve, consult, and disciple men of God, including those who are in the ministry.