Continually Sharpening

A theological blog by Dr. Janelle Zeeb

Blog About Me Links Resources How To Have Eternal Life

The Rapture Is Coming: Watch For The Seven-Year Covenant With 'Many' (Updated)

I've recently come across something critical regarding a major end-times Bible prophecy that might be almost ready to be fulfilled. Therefore, I felt that a post about it would be worthwhile, in order to warn about how close the world might be to the Rapture and the start of the Tribulation.

The last seven years before Jesus' second coming are called the Tribulation. Jesus said that this will be the worst period of time in the entire history of humanity (Matthew 24:21).

Therefore, Jesus' promise that he will return in the clouds at the Rapture to suddenly take all Christians to be with him in heaven sometime before the Tribulation begins is truly an encouragement, and is something for Christians to look forward to (Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, John 14:1-3).

Although Christians will not know the exact day or hour of the Rapture (Matthew 24:36), the Bible says that if we are watching for it, we should be able to see that day approaching (Hebrews 10:25, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5). I have already discussed some of the signs of the end times that we should look for in my posts here and here.

However, this post will suggest that we may now have enough information to know when the Tribulation itself will begin. What is even more important is that this information suggests the Tribulation may begin very soon.

If so, then the sudden disappearance of millions of Christians and perhaps all/most of the world's children could be only days or weeks away. Therefore, all Christians should be very excited, and we should be extra watchful during this time (Matthew 24:42-44). We should also share the gospel with others while we still can.

Conversely, if you are not a Christian, I would highly recommend that you seriously consider the gospel message now, so that you can believe in Jesus and not only gain eternal life, but also be saved from going through the Tribulation.

This is a long post (yet not as long as it seems, due to the footnotes), but I am writing it in case the scenario discussed above comes to pass, in order to possibly provide information to those who will be desperately searching for answers after the Rapture. Whenever the Rapture happens, I won't be here afterward to give further information or clarification. So although some of what follows is speculative, I felt it was better to share my thoughts on this topic now, than to write nothing.

As of September 20, 2023, I've added several new paragraphs in a few sections below that are labelled with this date, and a larger update at the bottom of this post. In these sections I evaluate what has happened so far, and look at a few more interesting possibilities in September for high-watch periods for the Rapture.

The Seven-Year Covenant Is The Start of the Tribulation

During the Tribulation, the Bible says that a man called the Antichrist will rule the world along with ten kings (Revelation 17:12). We do not yet know exactly who the Antichrist is, but there is a very significant clue that will make it possible to identify him once he appears on the world stage.

This clue comes from Daniel 9:27, which says that the Antichrist will "make a strong covenant with many for one week." In the context of this prophecy, one week means a period of seven years. If you want to know more about how we know that this prophecy of one week means seven years, check out my post here.

The revealing of the Antichrist is generally thought to be the very first judgment of the Tribulation (Revelation 6:1-2, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, Daniel 7:19-22). Yet there are many good reasons why the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation begins.

Therefore, any talk of a particular day when a seven-year covenant might be made with 'many' becomes extremely relevant for identifying the possible beginning of the Tribulation.

A Common Interpretation of the Seven-Year Covenant

A common interpretation held by many Bible prophecy experts is that this covenant in Daniel 9:27 would be a peace treaty between Israel and several other countries. This peace treaty would be designed to last for seven years.1

There is good evidence for this interpretation based on 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3:

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Birth pains are a metaphor that Jesus used for the beginning of the Tribulation (Mark 13:8, Matthew 24:8). In addition, it is possible to argue that this peace deal would give Israel the illusion of being safe, but it would actually be a deal with death/Sheol for Israel, as is suggested in Isaiah 28:15.

It has been argued that if Israel were to ever agree to a two-state solution with the Palestinians on the basis of the borders that Israel had in 1967, it would basically be signing Israel's death certificate. This is because those borders are believed to make Israel too small to humanly defend if they were attacked.2

The Bible prophesies about how Israel will fight two more major wars that have not yet occurred in Israel's history (Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38), where Israel will be saved by God's miraculous intervention (Ezekiel 39:1-8). So it seemed that the seven-year covenant the Antichrist would make with 'many' would likely be a peace deal between Israel and the countries that will be affected by these wars.

For example, if Damascus were destroyed by a nuclear bomb during one of these wars (Isaiah 17), the surrounding countries and the rest of the world would certainly be crying out for peace.

Thus, Christians who study the end times pay close attention to whether Israel is currently being threatened by any major wars, and if there are any seven-year peace treaties being proposed that might claim to solve the Israel-Palestinian tensions, especially if said treaty might force Israel back to the indefensible 1967 borders.

An alternative possibility for a similar peace deal were the Abraham Accords that were signed over the past few years between Israel and several other countries. Prophecy experts imagined that these accords would be enlarged and confirmed by whoever will be the Antichrist.

The connection to peace and safety comes from how the major stated purpose behind the Abraham Accords is to bring some sort of regional peace to the Middle East by creating an alliance against Iran.3 Saudi Arabia has hinted that they would join the Abraham Accords and normalize ties with Israel if the Israel-Palestinian issue could be solved.4 (More on this will be discussed below).

Thus, an expansion or strengthening of the Abraham Accords by adding more countries to it in order to bring peace and stability to the Middle East also appeared like it had good potential to fit some of the criteria for the seven-year covenant in Daniel 9:27.

But normally, peace treaties are designed to be permanent, not temporary. It is always possible that some new agreement could be designed to have some sort of a seven-year transitional period toward achieving full peaceful coexistence between Israel and the Palestinians, but nothing like that has been mentioned yet in relation to the Abraham Accords or the so-called 'two-state solution'.

A New Possibility for the Seven-Year Covenant

However, new information that has come out recently suggests that this common interpretation of the covenant in Daniel 9:27 may not be accurate. After all, in Daniel 9:27, it doesn't actually say that this seven year covenant will be directly related to Israel's geopolitical situation, or that it will be a peace treaty.

Therefore, any sort of agreement that the Antichrist could make between 'many' could be a candidate to fulfill this prophecy.

Furthermore, a few words in the original Hebrew language mean that the phrase in Daniel 9:27 can be translated into English as "he will strengthen/confirm [Hebrew root verb gabar] a covenant/treaty [Hebrew noun berit] with many/a multitude [Hebrew plural noun of rov] for one week/period of seven [Hebrew noun shavua]".5

It is notable that in Hebrew, the way to talk about making a new covenant is to "cut" a covenant, using the Hebrew verb karat.6 This phrase comes from when back in the Old Testament, people would sacrifice animals as a way of establishing a covenant with each other (Genesis 21:27, 15:7-21). Yet the verb karat is not used in Daniel 9:27.

So the specific words used in Daniel 9:27 hint that whatever this covenant will be, it won't be a brand new agreement, but a pre-existing one that the Antichrist somehow strengthens or confirms which will have many participants or signatories.

Prophecy experts have been very curious about why this covenant would be prophesied to last for only seven years. But finally, we might have the answer to this detail.

The September 2023 UN Summit

Recently, among those who are watching for the signs of the end times, there has been a lot of attention given to a major United Nations meeting called the Sustainable Development Goals Summit which is scheduled for September 18-19, 2023.7

Several aspects of what the UN has announced they want to achieve at this meeting fit surprisingly well with the description of the covenant in Daniel 9:27.

In an article published June 13, 2023, the UN says that their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which they committed to in 2015 are at high risk of not being met by 2030. Therefore, they say:

The SDG Summit, in September 2023, must signal a genuine turning point. It must mobilize the political commitment and breakthroughs our world desperately needs. It must deliver a rescue plan for people and planet. At the center of this rescue plan, Heads of State and Government must recommit to seven years of accelerated, sustained, and transformative action, both nationally and internationally, to deliver on the promise of the SDGs. Leaders can show their resolve by adopting an ambitious and forward-looking political declaration at the SDG Summit and presenting global and national commitments for SDG transformation.8

Notice how the UN says they must "recommit" to this vision, or in other words, confirm their earlier commitment to meet a deadline that is currently only seven years away.

They say something similar elsewhere, but with a few extra details:

But the [2030] Agenda is a promise, not a guarantee. At the halftime mark [2023], the promise is in deep peril. For the first time in decades, development progress is reversing under the combined impacts of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn and lingering COVID-19 effects. The SDG Summit serves as a rallying cry to recharge momentum, for world leaders to come together, to reflect on where we stand and resolve to do more. It is a moment to recommit to a vision of the future that ensures no one is left behind. Fundamental shifts in commitment, solidarity, financing and action must put us back on track to end poverty, realize just societies and reset a balanced relationship with the natural world.9

Notice their use of the term "promise," which is an English synonym for the term covenant.10

As the UN's 17th SDG goal, they say they want to "strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development."11

So the leaders of many countries who make up the UN are going to be talking about confirming/strengthening a seven-year promise/covenant on September 18-19, 2023.

This should be enough for any Christians who are interested in the end times to perk up and pay close attention. If this turns out to be the covenant prophesied in Daniel 9:27, then the Rapture will have to happen sometime before then. I'll explain more about that near the end of this post.

Yet some further details about this upcoming Summit provide additional hints that this really might be the Daniel 9:27 covenant. If you've made it this far into my post, you might as well just keep reading.

A Global Rescue Plan

The UN is calling this upcoming summit a "rescue plan" for the world, and they list all the challenges and threats that the world supposedly needs rescuing from.12

The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:1-2 is usually interpreted as being the Antichrist. In our culture, someone who is being portrayed as a savior or rescuer often comes riding in on a white horse. This may have come from how in the Bible, Jesus will show up on a white horse at the end of the Tribulation to save the world from the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11-13).

Jesus warns that in the end times, many people will come and falsely claim to be the Christ/Messiah, and they will deceive many people (Matthew 24:4-5).

So I can't help but wonder if the Antichrist might portray himself to be the 'savior' or 'rescuer' of the world by having answers to all these apparent problems that the UN is concerned about. This portrayal would make sense, because I believe the Antichrist will want to impersonate Jesus.

No One Left Behind

A mildly humorous detail (at least, to those who study Bible prophecy) is how the UN says that they want countries to "recommit to a vision of the future that ensures no one is left behind".13

Christians who believe in the pretribulation Rapture often talk about how the people who aren't taken to heaven at the Rapture will be "left behind" on Earth to go through the Tribulation. The best-selling fictional book series about what life on Earth might be like after the Rapture is even titled Left Behind.

It could just be a coincidence that whoever wrote this above paragraph for the UN's summit used those words, but it is still interesting given the other details discussed above.

More menacingly, leaving no one behind could imply that no one will be able to opt out from participating in the UN's 2030 goals.

If you look at the UN's Sustainable Development Goals at the bottom of the webpage cited here,14 you may notice that these goals touch on almost all aspects of our daily lives.

Although the goals sound positive, the concern is that in order to achieve these goals, governments all around the world will have to have strong enforcement mechanisms in place to ensure that everyone acts in accordance with these goals, because after all, that's the only way to 'save the planet.'

During the Tribulation, the Antichrist will be given total power over the entire world (Revelation 13:7-8). Those who refuse to obey the Antichrist by worshiping his idol/image that will be able to speak, or by taking his Mark of the Beast in/on their right hands or foreheads will be denied the ability to buy or sell (Revelation 13:15-18). Eventually, if these refusers are caught, they will be beheaded (Revelation 20:4).

So people will be able to opt out of the Antichrist's system, but not without severe consequences.

Thus, any sort of global agreement that requires everyone to participate is important to pay attention to, because even if the goals sound positive, it could quickly turn negative if absolute power is given to the authorities to enforce it.

A New Global Financial System

It turns out that the UN has also said that at their upcoming summit,

At the global level, a once-in-a-generation commitment is needed to overhaul the international financial and economic system so that it responds to today’s challenges, not those of the 1940s.15

In 2022, Pope Francis had also called for changes to the world's economy.16 In June 2023, Emmanuel Macron (the president of France) also said the world needs to re-imagine its financial system in order to address poverty and climate change.17

The fact that the UN and several influential world leaders are currently focused on transforming the world's economy is extremely relevant to Bible prophecy, given that, as mentioned earlier, during the Tribulation, the Mark of the Beast will be implemented to control all buying and selling (Revelation 13:16-18).

Such a system would require the elimination of physical cash, because cash cannot be centrally controlled. Cash would have to be replaced by a purely digital form of money, and some computer would need to track and specify exactly how this money can be used by every individual person. Interestingly, these very things are now being proposed at the highest levels of global government and finance.

The UN wants to create "a digital identification system linked to banking and mobile payment platforms".18 They say that such a system of digital ID would help reach people who currently fall through the cracks in terms of social services, or who lack access to the "digital economy".19

The World Health Organization also wants a global digital ID system as part of its 2024 Pandemic Treaty.20

Around the world, many countries are already working on their own version of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). Some have already begun using them.21 A few private companies are also attempting to build a system that could support global digital ID and a digital currency system.22

Of course, for a truly global system, these different national or private CBDCs would have to be exchangeable with one another. Thus, it's not surprising that "the IMF wants central banks to agree on a common regulatory framework for digital currencies that will allow global interoperability".23

Yet, once banking is fully digital and your bank account is linked to your personal digital ID number—which may also be used to limit your ability to travel or your access to certain locations and services like vaccine passports did—it would be very easy for a totalitarian government to control people by threatening to turn off individuals' ability to use this system if these people do not obey all the government's rules.24

If this scenario seems outlandish, the ability and willingness of a democratic Western government to freeze the bank accounts of certain individuals was already demonstrated during major protests in Canada during the Covid pandemic.25

So we are not that far away from having the technology and global systems that could be easily turned into the Mark of the Beast system, since major institutions around the world are working hard at developing and implementing these systems right now.

Technically, the Mark of the Beast only needs to be fully operational by the mid-point of the Tribulation. Therefore, after the Tribulation begins, there would be some period of time where the Antichrist, False Prophet, and ten kings would be able to refine and finalize this global digital financial system.

However, some preliminary version of this system could be rolled out during the earlier parts of the Tribulation.

For example, issuing a brand new global digital ID might be a good way for governments to figure out exactly who was raptured, and who was left behind.

Linking this ID to a bank account that offers a new form of money, or to direct access to government benefits and subsidies, might then also be a way for leaders to respond to how food prices will skyrocket due to famine and/or hyperinflation relatively early on during the Tribulation (Revelation 6:5-6).

Recap Number 1

So thus far, at the UN's upcoming SDG Summit this September 2023, many leaders of countries will strengthen/confirm their promise/covenant to meet the SDG goals in seven years. Therefore, it seems that such an international agreement could perfectly fit the requirements of the covenant in Daniel 9:27.

Some details of the UN's goals also foreshadow a global digital financial system that will be a prerequisite for controlling all buying and selling for all people, as the Bible predicts the Antichrist will do via the Mark of the Beast.

Therefore, if this upcoming UN agreement actually is the prophesied Daniel 9:27 covenant, then it will be the start of the Tribulation, and the main individual who leads the world's leaders to confirm it will be the Antichrist.

Why 2030?

However, we might ask why the UN is so focused on meeting their 2030 deadline.

Since they admit that they are currently not on track to meet their own deadline, the easiest thing to do would be to simply change the deadline, right? Yet they say, "giving up on the SDGs or extending the deadline to meet them is not an option."26

But why not?

Even if climate change is actually happening, it is a gradual natural process, not one that cares about political deadlines. For example, the world is not going to suddenly end the second that King Charles' climate clock runs out.27

Today, even with the help of radar and computerized global weather simulations, meteorologists often can't get their predictions right. More than once, I've looked at the weather app on my phone, and found that it doesn't even accurately tell me what the current weather is! And unlike speculative models about the future climate, the current weather is something that can be actually measured in real-time.

So I wonder if there is actually some other reason why 2030 is such an important deadline for the world's leaders.

There is a Bible prophecy that says:

After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (Hosea 6:2)

This is referring to the people of Israel during Jesus' Millennial Kingdom. During this period of a thousand years after the Tribulation, the survivors in Israel will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-14, 13:8-9, Matthew 23:39), and Israel will finally possess all the land that God originally promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-20).

When this prophecy in Hosea 6:2 is combined with the biblical idea that to God, one 'day' can be as long as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8), it suggests that Jesus will return after about two thousand years to set up his Millennial Kingdom.

Most Bible scholars believe that Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection occurred at Passover on one of the years between 30-33 AD. Two thousand years later would thus be 2030-2033, which could hint that Jesus' second coming might occur sometime during these years.

A recent documentary titled Messiah 2030 presents many interesting hints from Scripture that this interpretation may be correct, and the documentary's creators opt for the earlier 2030 date.28 Alternatively, the next most likely year is 2033.29

2030 would be more mathematically satisfying, considering that Israel's second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, which would be exactly 40 years after Jesus' death, if Jesus died in 30 AD.

God previously used a period of 40 years as judgment for Israel when they rejected his offer to enter the promised land (Numbers 14:34). So, another forty-year period to give Israel a chance to change their mind about Jesus before God allowed the Romans to besiege Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and scatter the Jewish people out of their land as a punishment for rejecting Jesus would perhaps make sense (e.g., Matthew 27:22-25, 24:1-2, 23:37-39).

The Messiah 2030 documentary supports its choice of 2030 by citing some Jewish sources which claim that during the 40 years from 30 to 70 AD, there were several unusual supernatural signs that may have indicated that God was no longer pleased with the Jewish sacrificial system. I will look at this evidence in more detail in the Appendix at the bottom of this blog post.

But if this documentary's analysis is correct, then it is extremely interesting that the UN is pushing for 2030 as the non-negotiable year by which they are determined to achieve their global sustainability goals.

Satan is currently the ruler of this world, and he has the power to give all authority in the world to whoever he wants, such as those who promise to worship him (Luke 4:5-8).

Satan was obviously around at the time when Jesus was crucified (Luke 22:3), so he would know the exact year that Jesus died. Satan also knows there will be no way for him to delay Jesus' second coming, because Satan is far less powerful than God is. So, given all this, it seems Satan could find ways to ensure that certain powerful world leaders also prioritize this same year, even if they do not appear to do so for the same reason.

Because it is prophesied that the Antichrist will confirm a seven-year covenant with many at the start of the Tribulation, and the Antichrist is defeated by Jesus at his second coming at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 19:19-20), then if Jesus' second coming will be in 2030, there really isn't much time left in 2023 before the Antichrist must be revealed in order to confirm the seven-year covenant.

Does September have any prophetic significance?

Another interesting detail is how the UN's upcoming SDG summit is planned to occur on September 18-19. This year, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) occurs on September 15th to 17th.

This is especially interesting because Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection fulfilled three Old Testament spring feasts to the exact day during his first coming (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits).30 You can see all these feasts described in Leviticus chapter 23.

The Holy Spirit was also given in a special way to Jesus' followers on the exact day of the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Because of these precedents, it is often expected that Jesus will also fulfill the three remaining autumn feasts to the exact day with events that will be related to his second coming.

In particular, prophecy experts sometimes believe that the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) may be related to the Rapture.

The Feast of Trumpets is the celebration of the Jewish new year. As the name suggests, the ceremony involved blowing several trumpets. Two major descriptions of the Rapture say it will occur along with the sounding of the "trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) which may also be called the "last trumpet" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

In the Old Testament, trumpets were blown to announce a call for people to assemble together, a command for people to move out from their current position, a call to go to war, for people to prepare to hear an announcement, to warn people about judgment, or to call people to come celebrate and worship God.31

Several of these meanings could correspond well with how the Rapture will be a call for Christians to come assemble together with Jesus in the clouds, to move out from this world, and to announce the celebration and worship that will occur in heaven afterward. To those left behind, it would be a warning of the coming Tribulation judgment, and also God's declaration of war against Satan and his demons (Revelation 12:7-8).

Jesus also mentioned that no one would know the day or the hour of his next coming (Matthew 24:36), which will come at a time when life is generally going on like normal.

So when Jesus said no one will know the day or hour, Jesus must have been referring to the Rapture, because once the seven-year covenant is agreed to, it should be possible to calculate the exact day of Jesus' second coming. The Tribulation is exactly 2520 days long, split into two halves of 1260 days each (Revelation 11:3, 12:6), and it ends with Jesus' second coming (Revelation 19:11-21).

Some commentators also think Jesus was indirectly alluding to the Feast of Trumpets when he said no one would know the day or hour of his coming.

Supposedly, the Feast of Trumpets would only start once the bright sliver at the edge of a new moon was spotted in Israel by two witnesses who would report it to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. The official start of the feast would then be announced by blowing a trumpet. So the exact day and hour that the Feast of Trumpets began depended on the weather (since clouds would keep witnesses from seeing the moon), and a few other unpredictable factors.

There may also be some connection between Jesus' phrase in Matthew 24:36 and a Jewish wedding, which would only occur when the groom's father gave the approval to go ahead with the celebration. Therefore, no one besides him could be 100% sure when it would start.32

However, although the Feast of Trumpets may seem to be connected to both the Rapture and the start of the Tribulation, some prophecy experts do not think the Rapture has to literally occur on this day. Instead, the Rapture could happen anytime, and it would still fulfill the biblical symbolism of this feast.

Yet if the Rapture were to happen on the exact day of an Old-Testament feast, the Feast of Trumpets would be a good candidate.

So the fact that the UN's summit occurs just after the Feast of Trumpets this upcoming September is very interesting, because it could correspond to the official start of the Tribulation.

However, the timing of this summit might not prove anything regarding the day of the Rapture, other than the Rapture would have to happen sometime before the seven-year covenant is officially confirmed by the Antichrist and 'many'.

Alternative Potential 'Rapture' Days Are Coming Very Soon

As an alternative potential 'rapture' day to the Feast of Trumpets, I have recently come across persuasive arguments made by a few end-times watchers who say the Feast of Pentecost did not occur fifty days after Passover, as Christians traditionally believe it does.

Instead, these end-times watchers argue that Pentecost happened later, at the Feast of New Wine. This feast supposedly occurred in midsummer, at the time when the wheat harvest was over and the first grapes were available to produce said 'new wine'.33

This claim seems to have biblical support because of how a bystander at Pentecost accused the early Christians of being drunk on "new wine," which would have only been available around that time of year (Acts 2:13-15). This new wine was also supposedly not to be consumed by the general public until the high priest had performed a drink offering in the Temple, interestingly, at the exact same hour as when the Holy Spirit descended on the early church: the third hour of the day—9:00 AM (Acts 2:15).

Also, using biblical typology, the Book of Ruth tells the story of Ruth (a gentile woman, representing the mostly non-Jewish Church) who married Boaz (a man representing Israel's redeemer—Jesus). Supposedly, their wedding took place shortly after this Feast of New Wine (e.g. Ruth 2:23, Ephesians 5:25-33).

If this alternative perspective is correct, then this year, the Feast of Pentecost would actually be on July 26, 2023, and it is immediately followed by the 9th of Av on July 27.

The 9th of Av is the infamously tragic day of the Hebrew calendar on which both of Israel's temples were destroyed, despite these events occurring several hundred years apart. A number of other tragedies have occurred in relation to the Jewish people also on this same calendar day (just Google it).

Yet the Church, made of all true Christians, is now the true Temple of God because of how the Holy Spirit comes to live inside each Christian the moment we first believe in Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, Acts 2:1-4, 2:14-21).

So if the Church were to be raptured on the 9th of Av (this year, July 27), it would fit perfectly with the historical precedent for the 9th of Av as being a day when God previously removed the physical dwelling place of his Holy Spirit from this world.

The Rapture would certainly be a tragedy for Israel. Evangelical Christians are often strong supporters of Israel, and the USA (which has many Christians in it and is a strong military ally of Israel) would likely be one of the most crippled countries after the Rapture. Thus, after the Rapture, it may be difficult or even impossible for the USA to come to Israel's aid, if, for example, Israel suddenly found themselves fighting the Psalm 83 war.

So as we have seen in this section, the biblical symbolism and historical precedents could suggest that the Rapture could also occur around one of these upcoming dates (July 26 or 27, 2023), which would leave a gap of several weeks before the Feast of Trumpets in September. This possibility will be analyzed more later on in this post.

But What About Peace and Security?

However, how would this upcoming UN summit fit with how the Bible says,

While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

As discussed at the start of this post, this verse is believed to be talking about the start of the Tribulation period.

So isn't it interesting that the UN's International Day of Peace is being held this upcoming September 21, 2023. This is just a day or two after the UN's SDG summit. The close scheduling means that the UN even says that "the 2023 observance of the International Day of Peace coincides with the SDG summit (18-19 September)".34

The UN says that the International Day of Peace

is a call to action that recognizes our individual and collective responsibility to foster peace. Fostering peace contributes to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals will create a culture of peace for all.35

Furthermore,

Peace is needed today more than ever. War and conflict are unleashing devastation, poverty, and hunger, and driving tens of millions of people from their homes. Climate chaos is all around. And even peaceful countries are gripped by gaping inequalities and political polarization.36

So the UN's International Day of Peace does seem to qualify as a time when people will be calling for "peace and safety." So what would be the "sudden destruction" that is supposed to happen right after this?

After the Antichrist has been revealed (Revelation 6:1-2), the very next divine judgment is an outbreak of worldwide violence (Revelation 6:3-4). This in line with how Jesus warned that after the false Christ appears there will be many wars and rumors of wars involving conflicts between kingdoms/nations, and also between various ethnic people groups (Matthew 24:6-7).

Given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, some Russian officials are warning that it could turn into World War III.37Alternatively, there are several other hot spots around the world that could also turn into World War III.38 That list doesn't even include the tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas that could turn into the Psalm 83 war practically anytime.

How ironic would it be if World War III or the Psalm 83 war were to begin on a day when the world is calling for international peace?

Recap Number 2

Thus, within the span of only a few days during this upcoming September, we will have the biblical Feast of Trumpets which might signify the start of the Tribulation, and then a covenant will likely be confirmed by many world leaders for a period of seven years (Daniel 9:27).

The world will then proceed to call for "peace and safety," even as there is a risk that some significant war could suddenly begin almost anytime (1 Thessalonians 5:3, Revelation 6:3-4).

If this is what will happen in September, it all fits amazingly well with Bible prophecy — perhaps a little too well for it to all be dismissed as just a coincidence. If the Rapture happens sometime between now and September 18-19, it would pretty much guarantee that these other end-times Bible prophecies are about to be fulfilled.

But What About Israel?

For those who are concerned that Israel is not involved enough in all of the things being discussed so far (despite Israel being on board with the UN's SDG goals,39) do not worry: Israel is still a major concern for many world leaders.

Earlier this year, the UN Secretary General gave a speech in which he talked about the SDG goals. Yet he also

outlined core elements of the proposed New Agenda for Peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and human rights, with prevention at the heart. He said "[w]e must work harder for peace everywhere" — in Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, the Sahel, and other parts of the world where two billion people are affected by conflict and humanitarian crises.40

So peace between Israel and the Palestinians is still one of the UN's goals.

Some UN experts noted earlier this year that it has been 75 years since Israel became a nation and supposedly caused a tragedy that displaced the Palestinian people. These experts criticize Israel for how they have treated the Palestinian people all this time.41

In July 2023, both the UN Secretary General and Pope Francis called on Israel to return to negotiating a two-state solution with the Palestinians.42 Even China is unhappy with Israel's 'encroachment' on Palestinian land, and supports the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.43

So although the Daniel 9:27 covenant with 'many' does not specify it will be a peace treaty that involves Israel, there is certainly a lot of pressure being put on Israel by the UN and other world leaders to make peace with the Palestinians. Who knows how this may escalate after the Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 wars, and what the Antichrist might do about it once he comes to power?

Regardless, the basic conditions for the prophecies of Daniel 9:27 and 1 Thessalonians 5:3 do not necessarily require a direct connection to Israel. Given that both of these prophecies could be fulfilled within the same few days in September is extremely interesting.

September 20, 2023 Update

Over the last few weeks, the interest in achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians has increased significantly.

Just last week, it was announced that Saudi Arabia would be hosting an event on September 18, 2023 on the sidelines of the UN SDG Summit to discuss Israel-Palestinian peace.44

The outcome of that meeting is that the EU and and Saudi Arabia have committed to jump-starting the Israel-Palestinian peace process by planning a series of meetings over the next year about what sort of 'incentives' that Israel and the Palestinians must be given in order to convince them to agree to a Palestinian state. They insist that "there is not a viable other solution" to the Israel-Palestinian tensions than creating an official Palestinian state.45

I wonder if perhaps offering Israel the chance to rebuild its temple on the Temple Mount might be part of such a package that could convince Israel to sign a treaty that is otherwise not in its favor?

Also at this UN SDG summit, the United States announced they want to work toward normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and creating a Palestinian state.46

So all of this is extremely interesting given that it is occurring right at the same time as the UN's SDG summit.

But there is yet another detail about Bible prophecy that could be fulfilled shortly before this upcoming UN SDG summit that could add further support for the possibility of September 2023 being the start of the Tribulation.

A New (And Potentially Better) Group of Ten Kings

The Bible prophesies that during the Tribulation, the last major empire that will dominate the world will be composed of ten "kings" (Daniel 7:23-24). These ten kings will only come to power for a short time along with the Antichrist (Revelation 17:12).

But the exact relationship between these kings and the Antichrist is complicated.

Daniel also says that near the beginning of the Antichrist's career, when the Antichrist is represented as just a 'little' horn, this man will take the place of three of these ten kings (Daniel 7:24-27). Yet it seems the three leaders will not be completely gone, as later on in the Tribulation, all ten kings will give their power to the Antichrist (Revelation 17:12-13).

Because of these prophecies, end-times watchers have been paying close attention to any international alliances of countries that could become powerful enough to dominate the whole world, and which would involve exactly ten members.

The EU received a lot of attention in the past for being a potential candidate to fulfill these criteria. This is because the Antichrist will come from the same people who destroyed the second Jewish temple in 70 AD, who were the Romans (Daniel 9:26-27). The Roman Empire was based primarily in Europe, although it included the areas now found in Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and North Africa.

However, it wasn't clear to prophecy experts how the EU would end up with only ten members during the Tribulation, if the EU was supposed to fulfill the prophecy of the ten kings.

The D-10 is a group of the world's ten leading democracies who also seemed to have some potential to fulfill the prophecy of the ten kings.47

However, there is now potentially a new group of ten countries that is worth paying close attention to.

In August 2023, the group of countries known by the acronym BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are planning their own summit in which there are rumors they will admit up to five new countries into their alliance, to make ten countries total.48 There are many countries that want to join BRICS, and so the leaders of BRICS simply have to choose who they want to accept.49

The BRICS countries have also been talking about launching their own currency, which could threaten the strength and value of the US dollar for international trade.50

This final world empire with ten kings is also prophesied to be like trying to mix iron and clay (Daniel 2:40-45). That is, it will be partly strong and partly fragile, and it won't bind together very well.

This description had appeared to be true for the EU over the last decade or so as it underwent Brexit, and also faced various internal tensions between major members on a number of important issues. Yet several foreign policy analysts note that the BRICS group of countries also fit such a description:

Analysts in the Western press largely described the [BRICS] outfit as nonsensical and predicted its imminent demise. In 2011, the Financial Times’ Philip Stevens announced it was "time to bid farewell" to the "BRICS without mortar." A year later, another columnist at the paper, Martin Wolf, asserted that BRICS was "not a group" and that its members had "nothing in common whatsoever." BRICS has also been described as a "motley crew," "odd grouping," "random bunch," and "disparate quartet"... BRICS member countries have numerous differences and disagreements... And yet, despite their differences, not one BRICS leader has ever missed the group’s annual summits.51

The fact that the EU currently has more than ten members and there are no rumors of them cutting it down to ten anytime soon, while the BRICS might just be on the verge of adding five more to make a total of ten countries, all just a month or so before the UN's SDG summit, is very interesting.

It might mean that this group of ten BRICS+ countries will be the ones to dominate the world during the Tribulation, in a sort of an alternative 'New World Order' to Western countries,52 even if the Antichrist is still prophesied to have connections to Europe.

Such a scenario might make a lot of sense.

Since it is clear that the Rapture will happen before the Tribulation (see my post here), many Western countries who have larger numbers of Christians will likely lose a larger percentage of their adult populations at the Rapture than the countries who make up the BRICS+ will. This might naturally give the BRICS+ a sudden boost of political and economic influence during the Tribulation, and make them a desirable partner for the Antichrist.

And if you're wondering, in just the past few days, the BRICS have "called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital".53 So that's still very relevant for Bible prophecy, as discussed earlier in this post.

September 20, 2023 Update

The BRICS had their summit in August, and they made offers to six additional countries to join their group. These countries were Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. If their leaders accept this offer, these countries would officially join BRICS on January 1, 2024.54

However, there have been news stories that say that Argentina's current president is not interested in joining BRICS,55 and neither are any of the other presidential candidates.56

So it is possible that if Argentina declines the invitation, there will be five new members officially added to BRICS this upcoming January, to make a total of ten BRICS members who may fit perfectly with the ten kings in Revelation 17:12 and Daniel 7:23-24.

Implications for the Rapture: Two Possibilities

So given all the very interesting potential correspondences between upcoming events and end-times Bible prophecy as discussed above, there are two possibilities we must consider:

Possibility 1: This Is NOT The Covenant With Many

Let us imagine that it turns out that the UN's upcoming summit to confirm their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is not the prophesied covenant of Daniel 9:27. The day comes and goes without the Rapture happening, and life continues on like normal.

Given how well the UN's 2030 agreement matches the description of the Daniel 9:27 covenant, goes along with a global call for international peace (1 Thessalonians 5:3), and may come just after the formation of a new ten-country alliance that doesn't bind together very well (Daniel 2:40-45, 7:24-27, Revelation 17:12-13), then all these interesting correlations with Bible prophecy would have to be an amazing coincidence.

However, all the other signs of the end times are currently present and are increasing like birth pains, even while society somehow continues to hang on the very edge of 'normal', despite several looming issues that could disrupt this 'normal' in the near future, and while rapid progress is being made toward the systems that would be necessary to create the Mark of the Beast.

What are the chances that all of this is lining up just as the Bible said it would, exactly seven years before what might be Jesus' second coming, and it has absolutely nothing to do with Bible prophecy?

Due to all of this, we must seriously consider the second possibility:

Possibility 2: This IS The Covenant With Many

Let us imagine that The UN's upcoming reconfirmation of their 2030 Sustainable Development Goals is the prophesied covenant of Daniel 9:27.

If so, whoever leads the world in confirming this covenant will be the Antichrist, and the Rapture will occur sometime before this covenant is officially confirmed by the Antichrist and 'many'.

In this case, there are two possible timelines for when Bible prophecy might be fulfilled, depending on whether Jesus was crucified in 30 AD or 33 AD.

I have read several different articles that go in depth using the Hebrew calendar, solar/lunar eclipses, and other historical details to try to argue for usually one of these two years. However, I don't want to assume the authors are doing their math correctly, nor do I want to spend the time to verify their methodology and historical research.

So let's just consider both timelines and see how they could each potentially fit with end-times Bible prophecy.

Timeline 1: Jesus' Second Coming Is In 2030

Let us imagine that the 30 AD date for Jesus' crucifixion is correct, and this upcoming UN summit will confirm the seven-year covenant in Daniel 9:27.

If so, then despite the chaos the Rapture will cause, the UN Summit will go ahead as planned on September 18-19, and the world's leaders will recommit to meeting their 2015 SDG goals by 2030.

Whoever it is that leads the world in this global re-commitment will be the Antichrist. This summit will come just shortly after the Feast of Trumpets warns the world of the coming Tribulation, and the confirming of this covenant will coincide with the world calling for international peace, but experiencing sudden destruction (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Then the Tribulation will begin, and it will last for 2520 days until Jesus' second coming in 2030, likely on either the Feast of Trumpets or the next feast (the Day of Atonement) that happens ten days later.

In this scenario, there may be only a gap of several weeks at most between the Rapture and the start of the Tribulation. Depending on how many people are raptured, and what else happens shortly after the Rapture, this short period of time may be enough for North American society to become mostly functional again, just in time for New York to host the UN's summit.

Yet there would still likely be much sorting-out left for the world to do during the early stages of the Tribulation. This may include issuing a global digital ID to verify who has been left behind on Earth, and creating a global digital currency to prepare the way for the roll-out of the Mark of the Beast.

The benefit of this timeline is that the 30 AD date for Jesus' crucifixion lines up better with the 70 AD destruction of the second Temple that happened 40 years later, and could explain the strange things that started happening in the Temple around 30 AD (see Appendix). Plus, it would truly be a seven-year covenant, from 2023 to 2030, without the UN having to revise or extend their target deadline.

There would also be a relatively short gap between the Rapture and the Tribulation, more in line with how the removal of the Restrainer at the Rapture (i.e., the Holy Spirit who lives inside every true Christian as per Ephesians 1:13-14) is what allows the Antichrist to publicly appear on the world stage (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).

A short gap would also fit better with the idea that the Rapture is a rescue mission to remove Christians right before God's wrath falls on the rest of the world (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9, Revelation 3:10). This divine rescue would be in line with how Noah entered the ark only seven days before God sent the worldwide flood (Genesis 7:1-5), and the angels got Lot and his family out of the sinful city of Sodom just barely before God destroyed it (Genesis 19:12-26).

It should be noted that this timeline does not mean that the current Secretary General of the UN is the Antichrist. The Antichrist is also not necessarily a current leader of any country, even if he is likely to be involved in politics somewhere in Europe. Yet in the chaos that will happen between the Rapture and the signing of the seven-year covenant, the Antichrist will somehow gain enough influence to be the one to lead the world into confirming their 2030 covenant.

Thus, if the seven-year covenant of Daniel 9:27 is what will be agreed to at the upcoming UN summit, then it seems likely that the Rapture will also happen far enough ahead of this summit that there would be enough time for this change of leadership to occur. Whereas if the Rapture happened on the Feast of Trumpets that is only a day or two before the summit, it seems less likely that there would be enough time for this leadership change to occur.

Therefore, the sooner the Rapture happens, the more time there would be for the Antichrist to rise up to power in time to confirm the covenant with 'many' in September. The upcoming August BRICS meeting might produce the ten kings who will rule for a short time along with the Antichrist (Revelation 17:12-13), and at some point early on his career, the Antichrist will take the place of three of these leaders/kings (Daniel 7:24-27).

Based on some interesting astronomical evidence that is presented in the documentary The Star of Bethlehem, Jesus was probably born in 3-2 BC.57 That means Jesus would have been about 31-32 if he were crucified in 30 AD (remember, there was no year 0).

Jesus is usually thought to have had at least a three year ministry (3 Feasts of Passover are recorded in the Book of John: John 2:13, 6:4, 11:55), and we are told that Jesus began his ministry when he was around age 30 (Luke 3:23). But this timeline is still possible if his ministry began when he was 28 or 29.

So if this timeline is correct, although it seems to be only a short time from now, it fits together remarkably well. The Rapture could happen anytime between now and September 18-19, but potentially as soon as July 26-27. Yet let us now consider the alternative timeline.

Timeline 2: Jesus' Second Coming Is In 2033

Let us now presume the 33 AD date for Jesus' crucifixion is correct. If so, something dramatic would have to happen in order to force the UN to delay the confirming of their 2030 SDG goals until the fall of 2026 (seven years before 2033), likely also near the Feast of Trumpets.

A good candidate for the reason that the UN would delay such an important meeting would be because of the chaos that the Rapture will cause, as well as potentially the start of the Psalm 83 war between Israel and several surrounding countries.

Yet there is the possibility that it could be something else besides the Rapture that would cause the UN to delay their SDG summit.

But something that could cause the UN to cancel a huge meeting that has taken months to plan would have to be something very important, like the declaration of World War III, or perhaps the Psalm 83 war and the destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17). Yet none of these things could happen while the world is saying that things are going on normally, just like they always have (2 Peter 3:3-4).

So I will assume that the only event that could happen between now and then which would be big enough to delay this upcoming UN SDG summit until 2026 would be the Rapture. Maybe I'm wrong, but let's run with that idea for now.

In this scenario, there would be a gap of several years between the Rapture that would happen sometime before September 2023, and the start of the Tribulation sometime in 2026.

However, such a long gap seems out of place if part of the purpose of the Rapture is for God to save Christians (and possibly all children under a certain age or level of maturity) from experiencing God's wrath during the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9, Revelation 3:10).

If there were a long gap between the Rapture and the Tribulation, it would be a time when many people might become Christians and many more children would be born, but they would all be doomed to go through the Tribulation period. That doesn't seem like something a loving God would do if he truly doesn't want anyone to perish.

After all, Peter says, "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Furthermore, the Bible often uses the metaphor of a thief breaking into someone's house at night to describe how the world will be shocked and unprepared for the beginning of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:43, Luke 12:39, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 3:3, 16:15).

But if the Rapture happened three whole years before the Tribulation, the world would not likely be shocked by the beginning of the Tribulation, because they would have had such a long time to see it coming, and the Rapture would have confirmed to many left-behind people that Bible prophecy is true.

Another problem with this timeline is that it would require the UN to change their SDG deadline to 2033 in order to have a seven-year covenant, which they claim they will not do. They can't just shorten the covenant to four years to try to meet the old 2030 deadline, or else the confirmation of the covenant with 'many' wouldn't be for a period of seven years (Daniel 9:27).

So let us presume that in this timeline, the UN extends their SDG deadline to 2033.

The Bible tells us the Antichrist will declare himself to be God in the rebuilt Temple halfway through the Tribulation (2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15-24), perhaps after almost miraculously surviving what should have been a deadly wound to his head (Revelation 13:3-4, 13:11-14).

He will also miraculously kill the two witnesses who will have been prophesying in the streets of Jerusalem without anyone being able to harm them for the first 1260 days of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-13). The world will celebrate his victory over these two 'nuisances' (Revelation 11:9-10).

In this timeline, that means these events would happen sometime around 2030.

After these dramatic events, the Antichrist might receive the full authority of all ten kings (Revelation 17:12-13) in order for him to force the world to meet the UN's SDG goals at all costs, because the world has "run out of time," and so "tough love" is needed to save the world from its own undoing.

That means the Antichrist must have absolute power, and so everyone who resists going along with his orders and/or refuses to take his Mark of the Beast would be portrayed as being enemies of humanity who deserve execution (Revelation 13:7-10, 13:15-18, 20:4). Many people might approve of the Antichrist's drastic dictatorial actions simply out of fear.

One slight benefit of this timeline is that the 33 AD date for Jesus' crucifixion may line up better with a lunar eclipse that occurred on the night after the potential day when Jesus was crucified.58

Another slight benefit is that if Jesus was born in 3-2 BC and was crucified in 33 AD, he would have been 34-35 when he died, which would have made him about 31-32 when he began his ministry. This would have been a respectable age for a Rabbi to begin teaching. Church tradition says Jesus was 33 when he was crucified, which doesn't match either of these timelines, however, tradition is not always correct.

My Preference for Jesus To Return In 2030

Personally, I think the 2030 timeline for Jesus' second coming would be more ideal and less complicated than the 2033 timeline.

The 2030 timeline fits all the events together perfectly without extra-large gaps between the Rapture and the Tribulation, and without requiring some other equally world-changing event to happen before this September in order to throw off the UN SDG summit until 2026.

Of course, I would also like the Rapture to happen so that I could go be with Jesus as soon as possible, so perhaps my judgment is biased. Yet I hope yours is too, because if you are also hoping that Jesus will soon return at the Rapture, then you will receive an eternal heavenly crown as a reward (2 Timothy 4:8).

Conclusion

Of course, all of this is somewhat speculative, even if it seems right now like it could all fit perfectly with Bible prophecy.

It would fit especially well if Jesus' second coming will be in 2030, and if so, the Rapture will happen sometime in 2023, likely before the UN's upcoming SDG summit on September 18-19. Alternatively, perhaps something else will interrupt this summit from being held, and the seven-year covenant the Antichrist will sign with 'many' will actually be a different agreement.

However, because of how all the evidence suggests that this UN summit really might be the fulfillment of the Daniel 9:27 prophecy, I believe that Christians should be extra, extra ready for Jesus to appear in the clouds for the Rapture during the next few months (e.g., Matthew 24:44-50).

We really might be seeing all these things beginning to happen (Luke 21:28), just like the Bible tells us we will if we're paying attention (Hebrews 10:25, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5). If this analysis is accurate, we could even begin literally counting down the days to the start of the Tribulation, even if the Rapture could still happen anytime before then.

Thus, since we won't know for sure the day or the hour of the Rapture (Matthew 24:36), I would highly recommend that Christians should get your Rapture letters written and put them where someone might find them after the Rapture. Also, tell your unbelieving friends/family about the Rapture ahead of time to warn them, and share the gospel with them as often as you can, even if it risks making them annoyed with you, or if you worry they will think you're crazy.

It's worth it to be ready so that we're caught serving Jesus when he returns (Matthew 24:42-51), rather than scoffing and saying the Rapture definitely won't happen in the next few weeks (2 Peter 3:3-4).

But if the Rapture hasn't happened before the UN's upcoming SDG summit finishes, and they do go ahead and reconfirm these 2030 SDG goals, then we'll know that it was not the covenant in Daniel 9:27, despite this agreement having some strikingly similar features. We will know this because a mid-wrath or post-Tribulation Rapture are not biblical options, because of how the Bible says life will be going on like normal at the Rapture. Life will certainly not be normal either during or after the Tribulation.

Furthermore, Jesus promises that Christians will be kept safe from the entire time of the Tribulation (Revelation 3:10). The revealing of the Antichrist occurs at the start of the Tribulation (Revelation 6:1-2), and the key identifier that will reveal the Antichrist will be how he confirms the seven-year covenant in Daniel 9:27.

Therefore, people who are Christians now and people who become Christians before the start of the Tribulation absolutely cannot still be here on Earth after the Antichrist confirms the real seven-year covenant.

Remember: just because the Rapture hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it will never happen. One of these days, it will happen. Some particular day will be the last day of 'normal' before the Rapture. Some particular week will be the very last week before the Tribulation begins. It's only a question of time.

It's very possible that the next few days, weeks, or months will be a very good time for the Rapture. Christians should get excited, do what we can to spread the gospel, warn others about being left behind after the Rapture to face the Tribulation, and spiritually prepare ourselves to meet Jesus face to face.

If you have never before trusted in Jesus as your savior, now is possibly your very last chance to do so in order to not miss the Rapture.

Accepting the gospel message is completely free, and you can do it right now, simply by praying to Jesus in your thoughts or out loud, and saying you believe in him and accept his death on the cross for your sins, so that you can have eternal life (John 3:16).

September 20, 2023 Update

Apparently, already on September 18th, the UN has officially adopted a declaration to accelerate their pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals over the next seven years.59

So it seems that since the Rapture hasn't happened, this was not (or is not yet) the seven-year covenant with "many" that is prophesied in Daniel 9:27, despite how promising it appeared to be.

There has also not been any particularly interesting individual who has recently popped up on the international stage who seems like a good candidate for the Antichrist.

Therefore, because the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation, which begins with the Antichrist confirming a seven-year covenant with 'many', we know that the Tribulation has not begun. However, there are still good reasons to stay watching closely for the Rapture throughout the rest of September 2023.

The 'Revelation 12' sign that several end-times watchers on Youtube were paying close attention to over the last month or so has a ton of interesting detail that all points to the union of Christ with his Church at the Rapture. There is too much to go into here, but you can find several videos about some of the things going on in this astronomical sign on the Youtube channel God A Minute.60

Now, I don't find every single detail of this analysis to be convincing, but all together, the sheer number of interesting things going on in the constellation Virgo right around September 19 seems like too much to just be a coincidence. Many end-times watchers believe this sign indicates the Rapture is about to happen. However, even though the ideal alignment of this sign on September 19 has passed, the full series of interesting celestial events won't be over until September 23 or even a few days later.

Furthermore, very important meetings at the UN will continue until September 26th, which is the day after the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

Some end-times watchers have argued that if 2023 is a Jubilee year, then the Feast of Trumpets is actually celebrated at the same time as the Day of Atonement, which this year is September 24-25. So if the Rapture will occur on the Feast of Trumpets, there is possibly a second opportunity for the prophetic significance of that feast to be fulfilled on the exact day it occurs in 2023.

Yet whenever I've looked into it, I've found that it's very difficult to determine which year is a Jubilee year, or even which year is a Sabbatical year (Leviticus 25). Many end-times watchers disagree about these things, and so I can't say for sure if the claim that 2023 is a Jubilee year is correct. There is also no Bible verse about the Feast of Trumpets moving to the Day of Atonement in a Jubilee year.

But if it is true that 2023 is a Jubilee year, it could explain why the Rapture has not yet happened although the usual date for the Feast of Trumpets, the SDG summit, the International Day of Peace, the Saudi-EU peace discussion about Israel-Palestinian peace, and the Revelation 12 sign that all appeared to fit together so nicely have passed.

Another possibility is that the Rapture could occur on the Day of Atonement, and Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets again later at his second coming. Some end-times watchers have even argued that we could look at the last fall feast, the Feast of Booths, as a potential Rapture high-watch time, but this is a less-popular opinion.

Others have looked at the upcoming full moon on September 29 as perhaps having some significance, although to me, that seems less relevant than some of these previous options.

So although as of the posting of this update, September 19 and the UN's SDG summit is officially over, there are still several more interesting days to look for in September, so I believe it's still a high-watch time for the Rapture.

Yet regardless of what happens, none of the signs of the end-times that Jesus said to watch for before his return have disappeared, and they will continue to increase in frequency and intensity just like he said they would (Mark 13:8, compare with Isaiah 66:9).

Until the Rapture happens, the Holy Spirit who is at work through the Church will continue to restrain the appearance of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). Things will remain generally 'normal' like in the days of Noah and Lot when people were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, and selling (Matthew 24:37-38, Luke 17:28-30) until the Rapture occurs and the sudden destruction of the Tribulation begins when they are saying "peace and safety" (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3).

So there is no reason for anyone who was particularly excited by this high-watch time to be disappointed. Nothing has really changed, and it's likely that the Revelation 12 sign meant something in relation to the end times and the Rapture, even if we don't know for sure what that is. Some have thought it is a seven-day 'warning sign' before the Rapture on the Feast of Atonement, but again, we would have to wait to see if that is true.

Hold on to your hope in Jesus' soon return at the Rapture, so that you don't lose the Crown of Righteousness that is promised to everyone who loves watching for Jesus' return (2 Timothy 4:8, Revelation 3:10-11).

Jesus is still coming back very soon, and it is still very important to tell others about him and how they can be saved by believing in him so they can have eternal life, and also, be ready for the Rapture whenever it does happen.

Appendix: Evidence for Jesus' Crucifixion in 30 AD

As mentioned earlier, scholars seem to be divided on what year Jesus was crucified, whether it was 30 AD, or 33 AD. This is relevant to end-times Bible prophecy if Jesus will return exactly two thousand years from the year he died, came back to life, and ascended to heaven.

The recent Messiah 2030 documentary presents some fascinating evidence from the Jews' own sources that may confirm that Jesus died in 30 AD, exactly 40 years before the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.61

The Bible says when Jesus died, the thick curtain that separated the rest of the Temple from the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwelled suddenly tore in half, right from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38). So it would not be out of place for other supernatural signs to have also begun occurring in the Temple in 30 AD.

Supposedly, in the Jerusalem Talmud, it says,

Forty years before the destruction of the temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the [high priest's] left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open (Jacob Neunser, The Yerushalmi p.156-157).

The Babylonian Talmud supposedly agrees:

Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the lot ['for the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).

Some of these details (the 'lot' and the crimson thread/strap) refer to details of two animal sacrifices that occurred every year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).

The lot for the sacrificial goat coming up in the high priest's left hand every year for 40 years is statistically extremely unlikely. The color change of the sacrificial goat's thread/strap should have signified that God had accepted the high priest's sacrifice and forgiven the people's sins for another year. The western light/lamp was supposedly used to re-light the rest of the temple's lamps the next day, and so the western lamp was given an extra-large reservoir of oil so that it should have been able to burn all night long.

To me, this is all extremely interesting, because it likely provides strong confirmation that Jesus did die in 30 C.E.

Since Jesus provided the single sacrifice that takes away all sin forever (Hebrews 7:27, 10:12-14, 1 John 2:2), there was no longer any need for the Jewish sacrificial system to allow people to have a right relationship with God. Now, everyone who believes in Jesus as their savior has all their sins forgiven once and for all (Acts 10:43).62

Theologically, the evidence mentioned about the scarlet thread/strap turning white fits well with the above Christian interpretation, just like Isaiah 1:18 and Daniel 12:10 imply.

The color scarlet is the color of blood, and without blood there is no forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Yet God's perfect righteousness is often symbolized by the color of pure white (e.g., Daniel 7:9, 11:35, Matthew 17:2, Luke 9:29, Revelation 1:14, 7:14). 2 Corinthians 5:21 says "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus is also described as our perfect, final high priest (Hebrews 7:23-28).

So the scarlet thread/strap turning white after a sacrifice for sin was made by Israel's high priest would have strong theological significance, as would the scarlet thread/strap no longer turning white after Jesus had made the final perfect sacrifice for sin in 30 AD.

In fact, the author of the Book of Hebrews warned the early Jewish Christians that if any of them returned to the system of animal sacrifices after believing in Jesus, it would be like they were rejecting Jesus as their Messiah, in a similar way to how Jesus had been rejected by the Jewish leaders before he was crucified (Hebrews 6:4-6, John 19:14-16, Mark 15:9-15).

Of course, currently, Jews who do not believe that Jesus was their Messiah reject this interpretation and have alternative explanations for such events. They also criticize this interpretation that is given by Christians.63

This criticism isn't surprising to Christians, since Paul said Israel became partly blinded/hardened to the fact that Jesus truly was their prophesied Messiah (e.g. see Isaiah 53:1-12) while the gospel goes out to the rest of the world (Romans 11:25, Acts 13:45-47).

Yet during the Tribulation, 144,000 Jews will come to faith in Jesus (Revelation 7:1-8), perhaps due to the preaching of the two witnesses during the first 1260 days of the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3).

By the end of the Tribulation, the surviving one-third of Israel will finally recognize that Jesus is their Messiah who is the promised descendant of David (Zechariah 12:10–14, Isaiah 9:6–7, Luke 1:31–32, Acts 2:22–36), and they will call out for him to save them from the Antichrist's armies that have gathered against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:7–9, 13:8–9, 14:3-5, 14:12-15, Revelation 16:14-16).

This is the moment that Jesus promised his second coming would occur (Matthew 23:39, Luke 13:35).

Footnotes:

Tags: eschatology
Older: Read This When Millions of People Suddenly Disappear
Newer: Why God Lets People Reject Him

Other Posts

Tags

Feeds

Articles by Month