A couple of weeks ago I was asked to examine another date some people are looking to as the potential date of the Rapture: September 23, 2015. I did not know that some people were looking at that date when I was asked about it, so I was unable to provide a response until now.
I recently reviewed several websites which promote September 23, 2015 to see what kind of support its proponents use to claim that the Rapture will take place on this date.
- Today I share my thoughts on the September 23, 2015 Rapture speculation.
- Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
- Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
- Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
- Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Many people believe that Daniel’s first sixty-nine weeks have already been fulfilled: The first week began with King Artaxerxes’s edict to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and gates (Nehemiah 2:1-8) while the sixty-ninth week of Daniel was completed around the end of Christ’s First Coming.
In contrast, many people who believe that the Rapture will occur on September 23, 2015 believe that the first sixty-two weeks of Daniel apply to the First Coming of Christ while the next seven weeks of Daniel apply to Second Coming of Christ.
- The first sixty-two weeks of Daniel have already been fulfilled since Christ made His First Coming nearly two thousand years ago.
- The next seven weeks of Daniel supposedly began on the day when Israel gained control of East Jerusalem in the Six Day War: June 7, 1967, which proponents say represented the modern day call to “rebuild Jerusalem”. The seven weeks of Daniel are supposed to continue for 17,640 days (the length of seven prophetic weeks) from June 7, 1967.[1] The seven weeks of Daniel are supposed to end on September 23, 2015, which coincides with the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur.
Some proponents of the September 23, 2015 Rapture also claim that September 23, 2015 is the start of a Jubilee Year and even claim that Daniel’s seventy week prophecy also is a prophecy of seventy Jubilee Years.
The September 23, 2015 Rapture speculation has some connection to the Blood Moon Rapture speculation. I’ve read proponents of a September 23, 2015 Rapture date note the fact that 2015 is part of the upcoming tetrad of lunar eclipses as a reason to pay special attention to that year. My thoughts about the Blood Moon Rapture speculation can be found at the following links:
In this section I discuss several of the issues I found while assessing the viability of the September 23, 2015 Rapture theory. The issues I bring up today are not all the issues I have with the theory, but are enough to give you an idea of what I think about the theory.
Before I begin, I understand that some people are excited that there are precisely seven prophetic weeks between the time when Israel gained control of East Jerusalem and Yom Kippur in 2015. In addition, I understand that people are also excited that 2015 is part of the upcoming tetrad of lunar eclipses. However, we should not let these considerations affect how we assess the theory. The theory should be evaluated based on whether it is feasible given what is found in the Bible.
A Prophecy of Seventy Jubilees?
There is nothing in Daniel 9:24-27 which suggests that the prophecy of the seventy weeks is also a prophecy of seventy Jubilees.
- The Hebrew translation of the word “week” in Daniel is shâbûa‛, which actually means “seven”. “Seven” has nothing to do with Jubilee Years, which come once every fifty years (Leviticus 25:8-10).
In addition, even if Daniel’s seventy weeks also represented seventy Jubilees, September 23, 2015 would not be the start of the seventieth Jubilee year.
- Some proponents of September 23, 2015 cite Luke 4’s account of Christ reading Isaiah 61:1-2 in the temple at the start of His Ministry as the start of a Jubilee Year. If you subtract multiples of 49 years or multiples of 50 years from September 23, 2015 all the way back 2,000+ years you will not have a Jubilee Year anytime near Christ’s Ministry under a September 23, 2015 Jubilee Year scenario.
- Even if September 23, 2015 was a Jubilee Year, it would not be the seventieth Jubilee if you apply the prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27. Daniel 9:25 suggests that the first week began with the call to restore and build Jerusalem. Using the seventy Jubilees logic, the call to restore and build Jerusalem should be the first Jubilee. If you add the timeframe of sixty-nine or seventy Jubilee cycles to that time period you will get a time period near the year 3,000 A.D. That’s way too far into the future…
How do some proponents of a September 23, 2015 Rapture date know that September 23, 2015 represents the start of a Jubilee Year? The articles I read were eager to proclaim that September 2015 is the start of a Jubilee Year, but they did not provide much evidence to support that conclusion…
The Possibility of Only 62 Weeks
For sake of argument, let’s assume for a moment that only the first sixty-two weeks were fulfilled at Christ’s First Coming. Recall that Daniel 9:25 suggests that the first week began with the call to build and restore Jerusalem. Consequently, the time between the call to restore and build Jerusalem and the time when Christ was “cut off” should be sixty-two weeks or 156,240 days.[2]
For sake of argument, let’s take Friday April 1, 33 A.D. as the date when Christ was “cut off” (I know some people may disagree with this date, but I am just using this date for illustrative purposes). If we subtract 156,240 days from Friday April 1, 33 A.D., we’ll end up going back in time to June 24, 396 B.C.
- This date is too late to represent the start of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Nehemiah began the process of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and gates several decades earlier (circa 444 B.C.).
- In contrast, viewing the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel as a time period from King Artaxerxes’s edict to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and gates to Christ’s First Coming works: Link
- Therefore, it is highly unlikely that there are only sixty-two weeks separating the call to rebuild Jerusalem and the end of Christ’s First Coming.
We should not forget that Christ said that no one knows the day and hour of His Coming. Only His Father knows…
- Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
The proponents of a September 23, 2015 Rapture date are challenging this verse in my opinion by telling you that September 23, 2015 is the date of the Rapture.
It’s Speculation
Finally, it’s worth noting that some proponents of September 23, 2015 Rapture originally used this date to conclude that the End Times would begin in 2008. There has been no seven year peace treaty agreed to yet at the time of this writing (May 13, 2011), so I highly doubt that the End Times began in 2008.
- This is an example of how September 23, 2015 theory is speculation which can be disproved with the passage of time.
I do not view the September 23, 2015 Rapture theory as a viable one because of its inability to deal with the first sixty-two weeks of Daniel adequately. In addition, I do not see any connection between Yom Kippur 2015 and a Jubilee Year. Finally, I believe the theory is a challenge to Matthew 24:36 which suggests that only the Father knows the date and the hour.
Notes
[1] 7 Prophetic Weeks x 7 (Prophetic Years/Prophetic Week) x 360 (Days/Prophetic Year) = 17,640 Days
[2] 62 Prophetic Weeks x 7 (Prophetic Years/Prophetic Week) x 360 (Days/Prophetic Year) = 156,240 Days
20 comments: (+add yours?)
This site is very informative but what I have noticed is a tendency to try and debunk other revelations that has been given by God for all of our benefit. Just remember that what God has done is to give a bit of the puzzle so to speak to various brothers and sisters and it is up to us to put these pieces together. God will never give all the pieces to one person as it will make us arrogant and proud.
Isaiah stated"...For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10).
In Genesis 1:14
And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years..."
If we fail to see these clues that has been left all over the bible and the revelations given to our brothers and sisters around the world we will surely miss what God is trying to show us.
Let us remember that the religious people of christ day completely missed the mark because the thought the new it all. The wise men of the east were the only ones that were using the heavenly signs to tell them that the time had come.
Please let us stop debunking and put the correct pieces together so we know what God is saying. This surely will help all of us.
God bless you all
I was asked to assess this issue. I did not even heard of this date until someone asked me to look at it. Same thing applied to the Blood Moon speculation. I did not even know about it until I was asked to assess it. I probably would have never discussed these issues if I was not asked about them. If people want to believe in these theories go ahead. I am only raising some issues with these theories that I found while assessing them.
I am working on trying to put the puzzles together. The Ezekiel article from earlier this week is an update on my efforts to put together several pieces of the puzzle together. This weekend I plan on working on it more.
I disagree that no one can know the time of the rapture or second coming. Jesus was angry because they didn't know the time of his first "visitation". He tells us in Rev. 3:3 that if we "watch" for the clues and signs, we can know. Nobody could possibly know until Israel became a nation again in 1948 but now we can know....and we should know. According to Matt. 24:32-34, the generation seeing Israel become a nation again...and then regaining Jerusalem, will see both the rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ. We just have to figure it out. 1948 +70 (generation in Ps.90:10) = 2018. Take away 7 years for Tribulation and look for rapture in 2011 connected to the harvests of the Feasts of God. The church will be the wheat harvest, BUT the "bride" will be the barley harvest.....we are now in the counting of the omer. It is day #29 today. Jesus was taken up in a cloud on day #40. The wheat harvest begins on Pentecost AFTER completion of the barley harvest. Why does God tell us these things if He wants us to ignore them? Figure it out!! Pentecost and Trumpets signify wedding preparations. See Matthew 25.
To clarify, I believe we can get an idea of the general timeframe (Christ gave us some indications of what we would see prior to His Coming), but not exact date or hour.
I agree totally that no man or women is going to know the day or hour of his coming as the Bible clearly states that. What really confuses me is why people can't figure out that Jesus did not say that no one will know the Year, month or week.
If someone was to say I know the week Jesus is returning then everyone would be quoting the scripture about the day and hour as if that includes week, month and year.
It is clear and I think all wise bible students will agree that the last days cannot start until the first seal is opened by Jesus and the antichrist rise and brings peace for 3 1/2 years. This first seal will start the last Seven years mentioned in Daniel and confirmed in Revelation.
Anything outside of this does not signify very much.
So until this happens all the speculation that is going on do not mean anything.
What we must realise is this - why did Jesus die? You will get many answers to this question and most will be true to some extent but the answer that ties in with God's plan is the one that will help us to answer when he is coming back.
Jesus had to die because of God's unchanging words. Once God has spoken, is word remains unchangeable. Therefore the breaking of his commandments will always bring the curse of death. Jesus cancelled the curse by dying an innocent man because the commandments were not broken by him.
What does this have to do with his second comming? It means that whatsoever has been spoken by God must take place, so it is no use speculating about anything. Let's just stick to the original words of the Bible and watch as the events unfold.
It is clear something is going to happen soon but we can't be sure until something specific happens according to God's word.
Thanks for the well thought out comment
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
The day that no man knows, Jesus is speaking about the feast of Trumpets and only my father only “knows” is also a Jewish idiom of which a Jewish groom would say when asked when is he going to get married ? When asked when are you getting married, the Jewish groom response back would be “only my father knows” So Jesus is speaking about the wedding feast of the Lamb of God and this will occur on the feast of Trumpets, shortly after which He will return to claim the body of Christ as His bride.
The Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh HaShanah, is also known as the feast that "no man knows the day or hour." This is a Jewish idiom describing this feast because it occurs on a " new moon ".
Interesting thought...
Perfect explanation!!! We are told to "watch" for something, and the Feast days are "shadows of things to come" in Col.2:17. The next Feast of Trumpets comes up on September 28/29 of this year. It's not difficult to watch for one time every year. Matthew 25:6 says that at "midnight" the "bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Perhaps it will be then. If not this year, we can always "hope" for next year at the midnight time. This time is called "the blessed hope" in Titus 2:13.
Many have claimed that it could happen at any moment....but, to me, it's difficult to live that way. Revelation 3:3 says that if we "watch" we will know when He is coming. According to Revelation 4, we will be with our Lord Jesus before the first seal is opened in Revelation 6. Those around the throne have crowns on their heads. I understand those to be the crowns given during the judgement of the believers who have been raptured.
Revelation 4 does not say that we will be with the Lord before the seals are open. It says that John (and only John) is called up to heaven to view the proceedings so that he can record them for the book of Revelation. There is no precedent or reason for making the assumption that John represents the church in this passage. If he represents the church there, then he would have to represent the church everywhere else in Scripture, which would mean that we are to accept Mary as our mother, (Mariolotry) as Jesus specifically assigned that job to John. Also, John was told that the events of Matthew 24 could apply to him, namely that he should expect to possibly endure the tribulation. Pre-tribulationism says that the Olivet Discourse is aimed solely at the Jews because Jesus was speaking to the disciples (who were actually the first Christians when you think about it), and it does not apply to the Church, but applies to unbelieving Jews (which the disciples were not in that category so that doesn't work), but then they make one of the very Jews that it is supposedly aimed at represent the church when it is convenient for their theories. (Not to mention that Jesus did have Gentile disciples, so it was not merely aimed at the Jews.) You can't have it both ways. Either he does represent the church or he doesn't. And the crowns on those elders do have alternative explanations. In Revelation 11 we are told that the time for the saints to be judged and rewarded comes after the two witnesses are martyred and resurrected. That is at the time of the last trump or 7th trumpet judgment according to Scripture, not before the first seal is opened, so those crowns could not come from the rewards at the judgment of believers.
Much confusion comes from not "rightly dividing the word of truth"...II Tim.2:15. All scripture is given for our reading and understanding. I never said that John represents the church. Believers are the church. The crowns are given at the judgment of believers before the Tribulation begins....see I Cor. 3:10-17.
The Tribulation is known as the "time of Jacob's Trouble...Jeremiah 30:7....it is judgment of the unbelieving world (Jews and Gentiles). The church consists of believers and will be removed prior to this judgment...at least the "bride" will.
So, if the crowns do not represent rewards for believers, then you tell me what they represent. There are many crowns given as rewards to believers, and you should know what they are if you expect to earn one.
There is much difference between the "last trump" in I Cor. 15:52, the "trump of God" in I Thess. 4:16, and the last of the 7 trumpet judgments in Revelation. There are different purposes for the different trumpets. See Numbers 10.
There are those in the church who will not go through the time of earth's trial....see Revelation 3:10. However, there will also be those in the church who probably will...see Revelation 3:20 (they will be at the marriage supper, however)
I only understand the way the bible reads to me with the help of the Holy Spirit. Luke 21:36 assures those who are "watching" that they will escape these things that are coming during the Tribulation. Those that will be here will be scared to death at the things that will happen during this time on earth...Luke 21:26. I do not believe that Jesus would call out His "bride" and then scare her half to death before He comes for her. That makes no sense at all. That time will be horrible beyond imagination.
This time of "grace" will end at the rapture before the Tribulation begins. During the Tribulation, it will again be salvation by faith plus works as described in the Epistle of James (to the 12 tribes, which is not the church). Again, we should "rightly divide the word of truth."
I agree with should rightly divide the word of truth, which is precisely why I do not believe in a pre-trib rapture. It simply is not in Scripture. But you are certainly entitled to interpret Scripture any way you want. Christ promised us that we should expect to suffer, and I see nothing in Scripture that contradicts that. In fact I see this last generation being Laodicean and apostate, which is just one more reason that they do not merit escaping Satan's worst persecution of God's people ever. They need to be purged and refined and made white.
I have found from much experience that lengthy explanations are not worth the effort when debating with people who are pre-trib in particular, so I won't spend the time doing so here as it would only lead to more of the same arguments and it most certainly would not alter your beliefs. Just so that you do not spend fruitless time doing the same, I will tell you that I was brought up pre-trib and know every defense, argument, verse, etc. that is used to defend it. I am versed in all the viewpoints, as I have spent decades studying them and tearing them apart as I subjected them to the test of "does it line up with ALL the Scriptures". I know now what I believe, and can reconcile all the Scriptures to that belief without having to stretch them out of context, alter their order, or make unwarranted assumptions, so I am content with that. If you are content with yours, there is no need for further dialogue on this.
It is said in the book of Daniel to seal up these words until the times of the end. Basically what he is saying is no one will understand the prophesies until the times of the end. WE ARE LIVING IN THE END TIMES. No one will know the day or hour because according to Jewish Feast of Trumpets A.K.A Rosh Hashanah no one knows what day the NEW MOON will rise thus starting the feast of trumpets celebration. The Jewish will watch for the new moon over a period of three days. It could be the first day or the second or third. They don't know until it rises. This is what Christ was talking about when he said no man will know the day or hour. Nowhere in the Bible does it say we will not know the week month year or even a couple of days before. God said there would be signs in the Heavens and Mathew 24 describes in vivid detail of what to expect in the last days. Christs words exactly. I can assure you He is coming quickly. Repent and be right with God and do it now before it is too late. God Bless you all.
Thanks for commenting
"The proponents of a September 23, 2015 Rapture date are challenging this verse in my opinion by telling you that September 23, 2015 is the date of the Rapture."Not so. This Holiday begins at the sighting of the crescent moon of which allows for a 48hr. period of time. No one knows the day nor hour. Also, the rapture occurs sometime "after" the revealing of the man of sin. If the 70th week begins before the end of April 2012 then the rapture could occur after the revealing of the man of sin mid-week in 2015.
I think the 70th week is most likely going to start in the fall period of a given year and I do not believe in a Mid-Trib Rapture, so I'll have to disagree with you.
What does Sept. 13, 2015 look like as a rapture date if 1/2 of the 70th Week was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus, the abomination of desolation is a past event because the Dome of the Rock is the abomination standing in(or on) the Holy Place, there is no "peace treaty" because Christ was the One that confirmed the covenant (He died to save us) and there are only 3 1/2 years left of a "great tribulation" period that has been going on since Jesus died?
That all seems like a big stretch to me. We can't change the interpretation of Bible prophecy just to fit things with a certain date.
Maybe The Sept 2015 Date Has To do With The Following:
The Harbinger By Jonathan Cahn
The Harbinger:
the Ancient Mystery that holds the secret of America's Future.
The Harbinger with Jonathan Cahn Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nl74s4OwQ0
The Harbinger with Jonathan Cahn Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ-sn08ca_I&feature=relmfu
1 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part 1 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLZcTGBXHx0
1 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part 2 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrRRJIABxik&feature=relmfu
1 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part 3 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke4ngGdPD-c&feature=relmfu
1 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part 4 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR8vLhmfNfo&feature=relmfu
2 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part.1 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OrPQVURiYE&feature=relmfu
2 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part.2 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaGUyqBrlQo&feature=relmfu
2 The Isaiah 9 10 Judgment - Part.3 Jonathan Cahn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWMrq1eQll0&feature=relmfu
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