Rapture Connections to Pentecost!

If you follow my blog, you know I have a keen interest in the Jewish Appointment days that are described in Leviticus 23. These feasts and festivals are special appointments with God called holy convocations. Feasts: In Hebrew the word is pronounced “moedim.” It is Strong’s Dictionary #4150 and it means: an appointment (a fixed time or season), an appointed time, an assembly (of a congregation), a place of meeting, a signal (as appointed beforehand).

Convocations: In Hebrew the word is pronounced “mikra.” It is Strong’s Dictionary #4744 and it means something called out, i.e. a public meeting (the act, the persons or the place); also a rehearsal - an assembly, calling, convocation, reading.

God never told Israel to stop celebrating these feasts. Yes, they should not be offering sacrifices anymore for sins because Jesus has already paid that sacrifice for ALL sin. However, the church has not replaced Israel, rather we are graciously grafted into the vine that is Israel. Hence, it is my personal conviction that these feast days are equally important to us because each one has huge prophetic implications.

In Colossians 2:16-17 Paul tells us that these feasts days are "shadows of things to come"

I don't intend to go into each feast day here because I want to focus on Pentecost. However, by way of review, there are 7 holy feast days. 

Pentecost (or Shavout) is the 4th Spring Feast and the middle of the Menorah

 

 
Jesus fulfilled the first 3 Spring Feasts on the EXACT day with His Crucifixion, Burial, and Resurrection. The Holy Spirit was given to believers on Pentecost, signifying the beginning of the Church. But does it mean that Pentecost was fulfilled already? Perhaps in part. As you'll see below Pentecost (even for the Jews) is all about a marriage.

Since the first four "appointments" were fulfilled in their exact time, it is reasonable to believe that the last 4 Feasts will be fulfilled by major events in the future.

Let's look at the next feast to be fulfilled. Pentecost

Aside from Jesus's resurrection and His 2nd coming after the Tribulation, the rapture of the Church is the most incredible and magnificent event that will soon occur. Though it certainly doesn't have to happen on one of these feast days, I believe that it is important enough on God's calendar that it is highly likely. If so, which one? 

Here are some reasons for the timing of a rapture around Pentecost

The Festival without a date
Since the Second Century A.D., the commemoration of Pentecost has been given two days, accommodating the natural fluidity of the calendar which, when counted from the lunar cycle, has no fixed date. In fact, Jews refer to its commemoration as “the festival without a date,” giving it an aura of deep mystery. 

Pentecost is the only one of the 7 feasts that has a direct relationship to the church
The Church began or "was born" on Pentecost.

Pentecost has a direct connection to a wedding
 Today’s Jews celebrate it annually, in a ceremony called, “decorating the bride" in which they stay up all night and read the Torah. (to the Jews, this feast day is called Shavuot) It represents the ceremony of the marriage between God and Israel. Passover (which precedes Pentecost by seven weeks) becomes the period of God’s courtship of His wife Israel.

God's marriage covenant was preformed at Mount Sinai (50 days after the Jews left Egypt after Passover) when Israel agreed to follow God and His laws. Never heard that God married Israel? Well, He also divorced her. (And no, that does NOT mean He is done with her!)

Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also Jeremiah 3:8

Lifting of the Bread and FirstFruits
Pentecost is represented by two loaves of leavened bread, held aloft by the High Priest as the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. I've always thought that these two loaves might represent Gentile believers and Jewish believers. Also, remember this is a harvest, which I've spoken about in prior posts where I've connected harvests to raptures!

In the Feast of Firstfruits, the Priests waved a sheaf of grain which was the first of the harvest. Jesus rose from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits and went to Heaven to present Himself as the First Fruits from the dead to His Father.  

In 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Jesus is described as the Firstfruits, and each of us in our own turn after Him.  Hence the loafs of bread being lifted up could represent the followers of Jesus going up in the rapture, made with grain that was harvested, ground, and baked representing our struggle here on earth!

 The Trumpet Blast
Jews celebrate Pentecost as the day Moses received the Law on Mt Sinai 50 days after the Exodus. God sounded a trumpet blast, and they heard the actual voice of God.  We are told that in the rapture, we will hear a trumpet and a voice calling us home. Mount Sinai is the only place where we find a heavenly trumpet recorded in the Old Testament.

Ruth and Boaz Rapture Connection
In synagogues, the Book of Ruth is read on Pentecost. The story of Ruth has been called “The Romance of Redemption.”  With Naomi in the role of Israel, destitute and alone, Ruth as the Church, the gentile bride, Boaz as the Messiah, and the story itself as a prediction of the relationship that would involve all three of them.  In the process of redeeming Israel, the Messiah takes a gentile bride. In doing so, He saves both from their destitute condition and restores Israel’s Land.  The story of Ruth takes place during the harvest at Pentecost

Enoch
Tradition states that Enoch, who was taken live (raptured) into Heaven before the Great Flood, was both born and raptured on the day later to be known as Pentecost. This is written in the book of Enoch. What's fascinating about it is Enoch was taken to heaven BEFORE God's judgement in the form of the flood. AND he was both born (like the church) and raptured on Pentecost!

The Song of Solomon
(The Song of Solomon is a prophetic book about the bride of Christ and the rapture)

My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Song of Solomon 2:10-13
Notice how this depicts the rapture happening in the Spring!

The Early Summer Harvest
Throughout Scripture, Jesus compared the saints to wheat and the taking away of the saints to harvest time. Biblically, the harvest of early summer is often seen to typify the “harvest” or catching-away of the church, the season when grain and fruit crops come to maturity. Fruit is judged and stored. Wheat is now safe in the graineries of the land.

Judgement of the Fruit Trees

Traditional Jewish belief holds that Pentecost is the day when the fruit of trees is judged in heaven. Christians throughout the Church Age have believed that the fruit of one’s life will be judged following the rapture. The judgment Seat of Christ. (II Corinthians 5:10).

Micah
“ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first ripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net” (Mic. 7:1, 2).

The Hebrew word for "gathered",  asaph, means “to remove, or take away", literally “to be gathered to one’s fathers at death.” “Perish” comes from the Hebrew verb avad, meaning, “to cause to vanish!” Describing the conditions that will prevail when righteous saints of this age are instantly transported from the earth at the rapture

Jubilee
Pentecost means 50 in Greek. The counting of fifty days (here seen as 49 + 1) from Firstfruits to Pentecost is typical of redemption in general. 50 is the year of Jubilee and always signifies deliverance and rest. It's possible that the Church age will end on the day it began, both beginning and closing the Age of Grace.

Pentecost this year in 2025 occurs on or around the first week of June. I say around because in all honesty, the calendars are so messed up, it's hard to know which one to follow. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there is another rapture theory floating around brought to my attention by my friend Judi. This has to do with the Feast of New Wine which some believe could have been the actual time of the Holy Spirit outpouring we find in Acts 2 and the true date of Pentecost, requiring an additional 50 days after Passover. Here are a list of articles and books and websites with more information on that if you're interested. I've browsed through it and I definitely see some merit here. If this theory is correct, we wouldn't have much longer to wait...for the Feast of New Wine occurs in late July. 

 Here's a recent blog post of mine about the rapture-harvests Three Harvests, Three Raptures

And here's a great article on a Pentecost Rapture
Pentecost: The Feast that Ties Everything Together for the Church - UNSEALED - World News | Christian News | Prophecy Updates

As you can see, there are some great reasons for hope as we approach Pentecost. Whether or not the rapture occurs at this time, I have no idea, but I surely hope so!!  Time will tell.  I do still believe this is the year. 

In light of this, what should you do? Get closer to Jesus than you've ever been. Spend time with Him, in prayer, in worship, and in His Word. And pray and fast for the lost. Tell whomever the Lord leads you to tell about His great salvation and His soon return.  And rest in Him. No matter what you see around you, you are not appointed to wrath!