Dear Doves,
Raul D. said he expects the Rapture in the month of July.
Many expect the pretrib Rapture on Pentecost (whichever year), like myself.
I would just like to say that according to the Lunar Sabbath theory (see Creation Calendar website, at www.creationcalendar.com), the correct Pentecost date would fall on the 28th or the 29th day of the 4th Hebrew month (nowadays called “Tammuz”), depending on how you count (28th if you use inclusive reckoning or 29th in normal counting of the 50 days after the 7th Sabbath complete).
This year (2011) these dates will fall respectively on July 30th and July 31st.
C.J., on those dates I believe there will be no visible moon in the sky, because they are the last days of the Hebrew month.
I believe the 70th Week starts some time after the Rapture (probably on Tishri 1st) and that the Two Witnessess start their ministry only then. I think there is an interval between the Rapture and the beginning of the 70th Week.
We must remember that the two loaves of leavened bread had to be lifted up and waved by the High Priest to the Father, on Pentecost, just like the firstfruit sheaf was lifted up to the Father on Firstfruits (Nisan 16th). If the fulfillment of the Feast of Firstfruits was the Rapture of the Firstfruits (when they presented themselves to the Father in Heaven on that day), the final fulfillment of Pentecost will be the presentation of a pair of something UP to the Father, accordingly. So I’m not talking about the Father sending a pair of something (the Two Witnessess) DOWN to Earth, but there being a pair something being offered to the Father UP in Heaven. I don’t know if that pair would be the dead in Christ + the living believers (after being transformed and Raptured), or a representation of believing Jews + believing Gentiles, or even a combination of those two ideas. What I do think is that it’s important that we take into consideration that in the Old Testament (the Torah), the High Priest lifted two loaves of leavened bread UP to the Father, which in my opinion corresponds to the idea of a Rapture of believers (the idea of us being presented in Heaven).
Of course the Two Witnesses could be sent to Earth on that very same day (which could make a lot of sense because the body of one of them has to be risen from the dead first), and then their ministry would start on the following Feast of Trumpets probably.
By the way, I think that they are Elijah and John the Apostle – not Moses. In Revelation 11:1, “John is told to RISE, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein”. I believe that the verb to RISE there is talking about John’s own resurrection, and not about someone that was sitting down and would then rise to walk and do some trivial task. What task would John have to perform? In Revelation 10:11, John had been told that he “must prophesy AGAIN before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings”, a very important task, that he would be assigned to do after his resurrection. So both verses give us the idea that John is a possible Witness together with Elijah. Although we remember John as the beloved disciple, John was also called by Jesus Himself as the Son of Thunder (as his brother). Not to mention that fact that there were all those comments by the other apostles that Jesus had supposedly said that John wouldn’t die. Part of that could be true; Jesus might be giving a hint that John would indeed be risen in the endtimes to play an important role as one of the Two Witnesses. Just a speculation.
I know that many people here don’t agree with the Lunar Sabbath theory. But for those who would like to consider the Lunar Sabbath Pentecost (the 28th or 29th day of the 4th Hebrew month, which in 2011 lands on July 30th or 31st [a Sunday] depending on how one counts) as one of the possibilities for Pentecost, here is my reminder that that date is included (whichever year) in our “high alert rapture dates”, even if we have many possible dates for Pentecost, as there are so many interpretations as how it must be counted.
Also please note that for the three previous in a row (2008, 2009 and 2010) there have been total solar eclipses on that very same day (the 29th of the 4th Hebrew month), on August 1st 2008, July 22nd 2009 and July 11th 2010. Would that be a signal pointing to that same date (the 29th of the 4th Hebrew month) in 2011? I don’t know. Let’s be ready always, as we don’t know if anything is going to happen this year.
Love and Shalom from YSIC,
Eliane
P.S.: by the way, the appearing of the 2 Witnesses in the scene would certainly be a loud Bridegroom’s cry! (as if we needed anything louder than the world news already happening these days…)