Summer is Near!

 

Saints, I truly believe we are still within a very high watch period, even though many high watch days have passed. There are many verses in Scripture that allude to a rapture (harvest) at or near summer.  

Check out the Ancient Hebrew Harvest Chart below and you can see that June is still considered a part of the wheat harvest.  In several other posts, I have contended that the bride is either barley or wheat. Both of which are still currently being harvested.  

 Ancient Hebrew Agricultural Harvest Chart (Approximate Gregorian Months-Hebrew Months) 

September – October Tishrei Ingathering / Fruit Harvest: The major grape vintage concludes and olive harvesting begins. Pomegranates, dates, and figs are also harvested.

November – December Cheshvan/Kislev Sowing: With the early "former rains" (yoreh) softening the ground, the planting of winter wheat and barley begins.

January – February Tevet/Shevat Late Planting & Pruning: Almond trees begin to blossom. Sowing continues, and farmers begin pruning vineyards and fig trees.

March – April Adar/Nisan Flax Harvest & Early Spring: Flax is pulled, and early ripening barley begins to turn light yellow (aviv).

May – June Iyyar/Sivan Major Cereal Harvest: The barley harvest takes place first (presented as firstfruits at Passover), followed closely by the wheat harvest (Shavuot).

July – August Tammuz/Av Summer Fruit Picking: Summer crops—such as melons, cucumbers, and summer figs—are picked. Vineyards are pruned for a second time. 

Astronomical summer starts at the summer solstice, when the Sun
reaches its highest point in the sky (maximum northern declination) and
daylight is at its longest. In 2026, this occurs on June 21, 2026, at 4:24 a.m

Before we begin looking at Scriptures, here's an interesting analysis of the word "Summer" in Hebrew. 

 

Summer is kayitz (קַיִץ).

The end is ketz (קֵץ).

 

While they are spelled and pronounced differently, these two concepts share deep linguistic and traditional ties:

 

In Biblical Hebrew, kayitz (summer) and ketz (the end) sound very similar, leading to prophetic wordplays (like in the Book of Amos, where a basket of summer fruit symbolizes the "end" of Israel, see below).

 

The End of the Year: Historically, summer was seen as the end of the agricultural year and harvest cycle. In the Jewish calendar, the year also concludes at the end of the summer season, right before the High Holidays in the fall.

 

Etymology: Some linguists suggest kayitz may derive from an ancient root related to cutting or gathering (as crops and figs are harvested at the end of the growing season). 

Cool, eh?

Now, let's examine some Scriptures that deal with Summer tied to the rapture 

The Shulammite replied, I went down into the nut orchard one day to look at the green plants of the valley, to see whether the grapevine had budded and the pomegranates were in flower.  Before I was aware of what was happening, my desire had brought me into the area of the princes of my people, the king’s retinue. Song of Solomon 6:11-12

The Shulammite here or The Bride goes down into the garden to see if the grapevine has budded. When does the grapevine in Israel bud? Usually May June.. and then they are harvested in the Fall. The pomegranates also flower around June as well. Then all of a sudden, Her desire brings her into the king's retinue!  Who is her "desire"?  Jesus is referred to as the "desire" of all nations in Haggai 2, among other passages.

Let's look at the next verse because it's super interesting

 I began to flee, but they called to me Return, return, O Shulammite; return, return, that we may look upon you! I replied What is there for you to see in the poor little Shulammite? And they answered As upon a dance before two armies or a dance of Mahanaim.

The Jewish women who have been part of the story in the Song of Solomon are calling after the Bride, asking her to come back!  I believe this symbolizes some of the Jewish people who realized that they were wrong about Jesus and they missed the rapture. The Bible says that the Church will make the Jewish nation jealous when they realize what has occurred.  Notice the reference to Mahanaim. Mahanaim is a place in Israel. Let's look at what happened there in the verse below.

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 2 Samuel 2:8-10

Mahanaim is a place in Israel where a rebellion occurred against the true King of Israel (David at the time) and a false king was put in place. Sounds a lot to me like the Antichrist taking his throne.

More Scriptures!

Most of you know the story of Ruth and Boaz, the perfect foreshadow of Jesus our Kinsman redeemer and the gentile bride. 

 

Ruth 2:23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law

Now, In Amos

 

Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.  And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence. Amos 8:1-3

 

And 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. Micah 7:1-3

 

The rest of the chapter above goes on to describe what cannot be argued is the Tribulation

Then, the entire chapter of Jeremiah 8 is about God's judgement on faithless Israel. Here are the final verses

 

“The harvest is past,
The summer is ended,
And we are not saved!” 
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt.
I am mourning; Astonishment has taken hold of me.

Jeremiah 8:20-21

And of course this last famous verse when Jesus spoke about  

 

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. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 

 Matthew 24:32-35

 

MaryLu, are you saying the rapture must happen before or during summer? No. I'm merely pointing to Scripture that seems to indicate that harvest time in summer has a direct connection to the Tribulation as well as in some cases, the removal of the bride.

 

I hope this encourages you as we head toward the beginning of summer. Keep your heads up, your oil lamps full, and be about your Father's business. What is His business? Fishing. Fishing for lost souls. In what ever way He can use you!  Just make yourself available to Him.