Watching Pentecost Sunday June 16th--Some Very Interesting Perspective

I have come across a couple of folks who make the case, and a credible one imho, for Pentecost actually falling on next Sunday, June 16th. My pastor texted me the following last night. I know he got it from somewhere other than himself, but I cannot give proper credit because I don't know the actual source. With that disclaimer, I will claim fair use for education and discussion. LOL. (Wait: real time update. TW Tramm on Facebook is the original author. I thought I recognized the style and sure enough when I checked his site just now, the exact post that my pastor forwarded me was there. Mystery solved.)

In addition to offering some compelling reasoning for landing on 6/16 for Pentecost this year, the author also ties in some previously unrecognized (at least by me) significance to the fact that it falls on a full moon this year. And then I will throw in the fact that it's Father's Day, a day I am actually sort of dreading this year due to the painful and surprisingly poor quality of my relationship with my daughter despite my best efforts and what I thought was a really great childhood for her. How spectacular would it be to be spend Father's Day at Abba's house?! Maranatha!!! I will throw in a Steve Monnette Youtube video on the same theme at the end. Here is the copy and paste I received from my pastor:

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An interesting question to ponder is, which phase will the moon be in when the Rapture occurs? Will it be a new moon as at the beginning of the biblical month? Will it be a full moon as at the middle of the month? Will it be somewhere in-between, i.e. the waxing or waning phase?

Since "no one knows the day", it's impossible to say for sure (Matt. 24:23-44).
Searching the Scriptures for possible clues, however, we find an intriguing passage in the Book of Proverbs:

"The goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He has taken a bag of money with him; He will come home at the full moon" (Prov. 7:19, 20).

The picture of the goodman of the house being away on a long journey reminds us of the New-Testament parables in which Jesus is the householder and the time of return or reckoning represents the end of the age (Matt. 20; 25: 14).

It seems Theologian John Gill (1697-1771) was thinking along these same lines when he interpreted Proverbs 7:20 to be an allusion to the Lord coming to judge the world at the appointed time of the full moon.

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible: Proverbs 7:20

"He hath taken a bag of money with him". for his journey, since it was not a few pieces of money he put in his pocket to defray expenses, but a bag of it he carried in his hand, it shows that he should be out a considerable time; [and] will come home at the day appointed; and not before". it is to be understood of the full moon, as Aquila and the Vulgate Latin version render it; when it is light all night, and so a proper time for travelling home again. Gersom takes it to mean the beginning of the year, when the holy blessed God, parabolically speaking, sits upon a throne to judge the world in righteousness: the Targum calls it the day of the congregation; some fixed festival day, when the congregation meets together; and at such a festival, or appointed time, this good man had fixed for his return, and when, and not before, he would. This she says to remove all fears from the young man of being surprised and caught by her husband. There is an appointed time for Christ's second coming, when he will certainly come, and not before; and which is supposed to be at a great distance of time: and therefore wicked men and seducers, and such as the apostate church of Rome make use of to encourage themselves in their wickedness, in hopes of impunity, put the evil day far away from them; but in the appointed time Christ will come, and call his servants to an account, good and bad."

The notion of Jesus, the goodman, showing up when the moon is full makes sense in view of the biblical calendar which has the harvest festivals associated with the First and Second Coming???Passover and Tabernacles???occurring always on the full moon.

In contrast, the harvest festival associated with the Church is Feast of weeks, or Pentecost.
It does not correspond to any particular phase of the moon. This is because the timing of Pentecost relies on the counting of seven weeks from the weekly Sabbath following Passover (Lev. 23:15, 16). Since the date of the Sabbath following Passover varies from year to year, so does the date of Pentecost.

What is interesting is that due to the way Passover and the subsequent Sabbath fall out this year, Pentecost does happen to land on a full moon. Counting the seven weeks from the Sabbath following Passover as prescribed in Leviticus, the festival celebrating the wheat harvest corresponds to the full moon of June.

Thus, in 2019, all three of the Bible's harvest festivals, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, coincide with a full moon, the lunar-phase by which the goodman is scheduled to return in Proverbs 7.

Given that the moon is thought to symbolize the Church or congregation of God, it makes sense for the lunar disc to be fully lit, denoting fullness or completion, at the time of "harvest."

Is this to suggest the Rapture must occur on a full moon or at a harvest festival? It is not.

Regardless of how logical a scenario may seem, we understand that on this side of eternity we see the Lord's plans only in part, as through a "dark piece of glass," and that our thoughts are not His thoughts (1 Cor. 13:12; Isa. 55:8, 9). Besides, Jesus says to keep watch "at all times," not just at full moons or feast days (Luke 21:36).

The above is simply to point out how biblical typologies make a full-moon rapture plausible, and how in 2019 every harvest festival occurs on a full moon.

Considering different scenarios in light of facts and Scripture is a vital part of encouraging one another as we watch and wait for the Lord's return (Heb. 10:25; Matt. 24:45, 46). Just as one assembling a puzzle earnestly searches for corresponding pieces to complete the picture, those anticipating the harvest of the Church earnestly search the Scriptures, looking for correlations that may shed light on the timing. We do this with the understanding that only when the day comes will we know if the pieces we have paired truly match.

This is to say, only God knows which phase the moon will be in when the trumpet sounds.

So keep watch!

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NOTES:

1. Proverbs 7:20:

Translations
https://biblehub.com/proverbs/7-20.htm

Full John Gill commentary
https://www.studylight.org/commentary/proverbs/7-20.html

Other commentaries
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/proverbs-7-20.html

2. The correct reckoning of Pentecost has long been a matter of debate. The reckoning method that best corresponds to Scripture in this researcher's opinion is that the seven-weeks should be counted from the day after the regular weekly Sabbath following Passover. The first (Saturday) Sabbath following Passover in 2019 is April 27. Counting seven weeks from this date we arrive at Sunday June 16.
https://www.nehemiaswall.com/truth-shavuot
https://www.nehemiaswall.com/counting-omer

3. The moon as a symbol of the Church: In Song of Solomon the Gentile/Shulammite maid, symbolic of the Church, is compared to the moon: "Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon .... Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee" (Song 6:10, 13). The spiritual parallel between the Church and the moon is that the full moon, as bright and beautiful as it is, has no brilliance of its own. It relies entirely upon the sun, which is a picture of Christ (Ps. 84:11; 19:4, 5), for its light. Without the sun, the moon has no light. Likewise, man has no light of his own. We were created in the image of God to reflect His brilliance and glory (Gen. 1:27). When we turn to face the majesty of God, when we surrender to Him and seek Him with all our hearts, we reflect His glory (Matt. 5:14). The Moon Bride: http://www.theopenscroll.com/when_cometh/moon_bride.htm

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