The Beginning of the End: The Feast of Trumpets 2025 and the Unfolding of Daniel’s 70th Week

Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

Leviticus 23:24

The prophetic clock may finally begin its final countdown on the Feast of Trumpets in 2025, expected to fall on September 23, 2025. This feast, described in Leviticus 23:23–25, is associated with the blowing of trumpets and the call to awaken. It aligns perfectly with the start of the 7 years that were prophesied in Daniel 9:27—a final “week” of years before the return of the Messiah. This period includes tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist, persecution of the saints, and divine judgments. The climax is the long-awaited Rapture on Sunday, April 1, 2029 (approximately). It will conclude with the return of Christ on September 15, 2032.

Our calculations are based on these assumptions.

1. The Second Coming of Christ happens in 2032, as shown in the other article titled “The Mathematical Principles of God’s Salvation Plan”. The URL is: https://haksunli.com/2025/03/03/the-mathematical-principles-of-gods-salvation-plan/. We know the year but not yet the date. The date setting is the main theme of this paper.
2. As the four Spring feasts were fulfilled in the First Coming of Christ on those exact same dates, the three Fall feasts must be fulfilled in the Second Coming of Christ also on the exact same dates.
3. We match the timing of the sixth seal in Revelation with the heavenly signs, namely, the solar and lunar eclipses, happening in 2029.

The Prophetic Blueprint of the Four Spring Feasts of the Lord

The Seven Feasts of the Lord, instituted by God in Leviticus 23, form the spiritual calendar for Israel and are rich in theological meaning and prophetic significance. These feasts are divinely appointed “moedim” (appointed times) that commemorate God’s faithfulness and foreshadow redemptive events. They foreshadow the redemptive work of the Messiah. Four feasts occur in the spring and three in the fall, each tied to key events in God’s salvation plan. Although the actual Messianic events would not happen thousands of years after they were established, God asked the Israelites to celebrate them as festivals, allowing people from all generations to participate in the joy of salvation in one form or another. The four Spring Feasts are Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost. The three Fall Feasts are Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.

1. Passover (Pesach)

On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover.

Leviticus 23:5

Passover (Pesach) is one of the most important and foundational festivals in Judaism. Instituted by God in Exodus 12 and formalized in Leviticus 23:5, Passover commemorates the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. It marks the night when God executed the tenth and final plague—the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt—and “passed over” the houses of the Israelites who had obeyed His command to mark their doorposts with the blood of a spotless lamb. The horizontal and vertical doorposts foreshadow the cross of crucifixion and salvation 1525 years later.

This Exodus event occurred in 1491 BC, after over four centuries of Israelite bondage in Egypt. God raised up Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of His people. Pharaoh’s repeated refusal brought ten plagues upon Egypt, with the final plague breaking Pharaoh’s resistance. On that night, each Israelite family was instructed to sacrifice a lamb, smear its blood on the doorframes, and eat the lamb quickly, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, in readiness for sudden departure. That same night, Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave, hence the Exodus.

Passover begins on the 14th of Nisan, the first month of the biblical calendar, which usually falls in March or April on the Gregorian calendar. It is the first of the Seven Feasts of the Lord and sets the tone for the entire redemptive narrative of Scripture. The feast lasts one day but is immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, often collectively referred to as “Passover” in Jewish tradition.

The central observance of modern Passover is the Seder meal, a carefully structured ritual dinner that symbolically retells the story of the Exodus. Families gather to read the Haggadah, a text that guides the narrative and rituals. Foods on the Seder plate include matzah (unleavened bread) to symbolize haste and sinlessness, bitter herbs to remember the bitterness of slavery, charoset (a sweet mixture) to recall the mortar used in forced labor, and a shank bone to represent the Passover lamb. Participants drink four cups of wine, each representing one of God’s promises of deliverance in Exodus 6:6–7. In preparation for Passover, Jewish households thoroughly remove all leaven (chametz) from their homes as a symbol of purification. For Christians, Passover holds deep prophetic and theological meaning. It foreshadows that Jesus (Yeshua) was crucified on Passover, 3 PM on Friday, April 3rd, in the year 33 AD. At the same time, lambs were sacrificed on the other side of Jerusalem. Jesus fulfilled the Passover’s symbolism as the true Lamb of God whose blood saves from eternal death. As John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 5:7, saying, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” The Last Supper, which Jesus shared with His disciples, was a Passover meal in which He redefined the bread and wine as symbols of His body and blood, instituting the New Covenant (Luke 22:19–20).

2. Feast of Unleavened Bread

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord…

Leviticus 23:6–8

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the second of the Seven Feasts of the Lord, instituted by God in Leviticus 23:6–8. It begins immediately after Passover, on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, and lasts for seven days. In the biblical narrative, it commemorates the Israelites’ hasty departure from Egypt, during which they had no time to let their bread rise. As a result, they baked and ate unleavened bread, known as matzah, during their exodus. This event is both a historical remembrance and a spiritual symbol, illustrating the need for purity, readiness, and separation from sin.

The command to observe this feast was first given in Exodus 12, where God instructed the Israelites to eat only unleavened bread for seven days and to remove all leaven (yeast) from their homes. Leaven, much like sin, even a tiny amount, that quickly spreads through a whole batch silently, gradually, and pervasively to corrupt a person’s life or a community, is often used in Scripture as a symbol of sin, pride, and corruption (see 1 Corinthians 5:6–9, 1 Corinthians 5:6, and Galatians 5:9). Therefore, removing leaven during this feast symbolizes the call to live a holy and consecrated life before God.

In ancient Israel, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was closely associated with the barley harvest and the presentation of the firstfruits, which occurred on the day after the Sabbath within the feast week. The first and last days of the feast were treated as special Sabbaths, marked by sacred assemblies and rest from regular work.

Today, Jewish families begin preparations for the Feast of Unleavened Bread by performing a thorough search and removal of chametz (leavened products) from their homes. This process, often done with great care and even ritual, is both physical and symbolic—a cleansing of the home and the heart. During the seven days, observant Jews eat only unleavened bread and avoid all foods made with yeast, baking soda, or fermentation. Matzah, the thin, crisp bread baked without rising agents, becomes a staple food and a central symbol of the feast. For Christians, the Feast of Unleavened Bread takes on deep spiritual significance in light of the New Testament. It corresponds to the burial of Jesus Christ, whose sinless body—represented by the unleavened bread—was laid in the tomb, right after Passover on April 4th, 33 AD. As Paul explains, believers are called to “keep the feast… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8), meaning that through Christ’s sacrifice, they are cleansed from sin and made holy. The feast reminds believers that redemption is not only from external bondage, but from the internal corruption of sin.

3. Feast of Firstfruits

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

Leviticus 23:10–11

The Feast of Firstfruits is the third of the Seven Feasts of the Lord, described in Leviticus 23:9–14. It was a celebration of the beginning of the harvest season, observed on the day after the Sabbath following the Feast of Unleavened Bread—typically falling in March or April. The feast marked the offering of the very first sheaf (omer) of the barley harvest to the Lord. It was both an expression of thanksgiving and a declaration of faith that the full harvest would come.

God instructed the Israelites to bring a sheaf of the first ripe grain to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord as an offering. No one was to eat of the new harvest until this act of dedication had taken place (Leviticus 23:14). This emphasized the principle that the first and the best belong to God. The Feast of Firstfruits highlighted the truth that all provision comes from the Lord and that giving the first portion acknowledges Him as Provider and Sustainer. In the New Testament, the Feast of Firstfruits finds profound fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Jesus rose from the dead on the exact day of the Feast of Firstfruits, “on the day after the Sabbath” following Passover (Leviticus 23:11), i.e., April 5rd, 33 AD, offering Himself as the first to rise from the grave in eternal resurrection life (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1).

4. Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot)

…you shall count fifty days…

Leviticus 23:15–21

The Feast of Pentecost, also called Shavuot (שָׁבוּעוֹת, meaning “Weeks”), is the fourth of the Seven Feasts of the Lord and occurs in late spring or early summer. Biblically commanded in Leviticus 23:15–21, it is observed 50 days (seven weeks) after the Feast of Firstfruits, hence the Greek name Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth.” In ancient Israel, it was one of the three pilgrimage festivals (along with Passover and Tabernacles), when Jewish men were required to travel to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:16).

Originally, Pentecost was an agricultural festival, celebrating the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. While the earlier Feast of Firstfruits marked the beginning of the barley harvest, Pentecost marked its conclusion and the beginning of the wheat harvest. During this feast, the people were commanded to bring two leavened loaves of bread as a wave offering before the Lord, along with various sacrifices of animals (Leviticus 23:17–20). This unique inclusion of leaven is distinct from other offerings and may foreshadow the inclusion of both Jew and Gentile—flawed but accepted into God’s plan.

Over time, Shavuot also became associated with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. According to Jewish tradition, the Israelites arrived at Sinai and received the Law 50 days after the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 19:10–11). Thus, Pentecost commemorates not only the first harvest, but also the giving of God’s Word, which formed Israel into a covenant people.

In the New Testament, the Feast of Pentecost is most famously fulfilled in Acts 2, where the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in Jerusalem 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection on May 25, 33 AD. On that day, while devout Jews from every nation were gathered in Jerusalem to observe Shavuot, the sound of a rushing wind filled the house where the believers were, and tongues of fire appeared over their heads. They began to speak in other languages, proclaiming the works of God. Peter stood up and preached the Gospel, and about 3,000 people believed and were baptized—marking the birth of the Church.

This fulfillment was profound. Just as God gave the Law to Israel on Sinai, shaping them into a nation, God now gave the Spirit to believers, forming a new covenant community. The Word is God. The Law is God. The Spirit is God. The fire at Pentecost echoed the fire on Mount Sinai, and the languages reversed the confusion of tongues at Babel, uniting people from many nations in one Spirit. Pentecost revealed the power of the New Covenant—not written on stone tablets but on human hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3).

Theologically, Pentecost represents the harvest of souls, the beginning of the Gospel going to the nations, and the empowerment of the Church for its mission. Jesus had promised, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

It is clear that the prophetic connection between the Spring Feasts and the First Coming of Jesus is precise and powerful:

1. Passover pointed to Jesus’ death as the sacrificial Lamb. Jesus was crucified on Passover (Nisan 14) on April 4th, 33 AD.
2. Unleavened Bread pointed to His sinless burial. He was buried before sundown, beginning the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15) on April 5th, 33 AD.
3. Firstfruits pointed to His victorious resurrection, as the first of many to follow. He rose from the dead on the Sunday after Passover, April 6th, 33 AD (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1).
4. Pentecost pointed to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit freely in Jerusalem to those who believed on May 25, 33 AD.

As these four already fulfilled Spring Feasts in the Old Testament perfectly align with Jesus’ First Coming, it is only logical to conclude that the three Fall Feasts will also be fulfilled on the exact dates in His Second Coming.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

The section is almost a summary of the YouTube video by Messiah 2030 titled “The Day and Hour No One Knows? (Matthew 24:36)”. The link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emYPAKu9Rig

The video centers around the well-known statement made by Jesus in Matthew 24:36 that “no one knows the day or the hour” of His return. For centuries, people have been using this verse to argue against date settings. Truly, most of the previous date settings have been proven wrong. The video argues that this statement has been commonly misunderstood and misapplied. While many interpret it as a permanent truth that the day of the Lord’s return will always be unknowable, the video contends that Jesus spoke in the present tense, meaning that in the first century, the timing was not known—but this does not imply it would never be known in the future. The teaching draws heavily from Daniel 12, where the prophet Daniel is told that the timeline of the end—including the Great Tribulation and the resurrection—is sealed until the time of the end. At that time, knowledge will increase, and the wise will understand, while the wicked will remain ignorant.

The video explores how Jesus often used Jewish idioms in His teaching. The phrase “no one knows the day or the hour” may itself be an idiomatic reference to Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets. This feast begins on a new moon, which required direct observation before the day could be officially declared. In ancient times, people could not sit there and wait for it to happen. In other words, no one then knew the exact day or hour the feast would begin. Since Yom Teruah is prophetically tied to the blowing of trumpets, shouting, and the beginning of the Day of the Lord, the speaker argues that Jesus may have been subtly pointing to His return occurring on that day, without explicitly saying so. This ties His return to the next unfulfilled feast after Pentecost and aligns with the pattern of the Messiah fulfilling the feasts in order.

In Daniel 12, the prophet asks how long it will be until the end of the tribulation and resurrection. He is given a cryptic answer involving symbolic time periods, but not a specific date. When Daniel seeks clarification, he is told that the words are sealed until the time of the end. Notably, the chapter says that knowledge will increase, and that only the wise will understand. The wicked, who reject God’s ways, will not. This distinction—between the understanding granted to the wise versus the ignorance of the wicked—is echoed in Jesus’ teaching throughout Matthew 24.

Jesus parallels the situation to the days of Noah, when people were living life normally, unaware of the coming flood. It was the wicked who were caught off guard and destroyed, not the righteous who listened and obeyed. Just as in Noah’s time, the return of Christ will come as a surprise to the wicked, but not to the faithful who are watching. Jesus repeatedly tells His disciples to stay awake, to watch, and to be ready. The reason is not because it’s hopeless to know, but because watching leads to understanding. If they remain alert and faithful, the return of the Son of Man will not surprise them like a thief in the night.

Jesus explicitly told His followers to watch for signs of His return and the end of the age. In Matthew 24:32–33, He says: “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” In Luke 21:28, Jesus says: “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” And in Mark 13:29: “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” Jesus also warns in Luke 21:34–36: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap… But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place.”

The video argues that this contrast is found throughout the New Testament. In Revelation 3:3, Jesus warns the unfaithful church in Sardis that if they do not repent and watch, He will come upon them like a thief, and they will not know the hour of His coming. But the clear implication is that those who do repent and watch will know. Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 5 says the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night to those in darkness, but not to the faithful, who are not in darkness and therefore will not be surprised. The only way to not be surprised by a specific day is to know it in advance. Thus, those who are spiritually awake will recognize the signs and understand the timing.

The speaker suggests that biblical prophecy is like a complex puzzle. In the early centuries, only the border pieces were in place, but as knowledge has increased, more pieces have fit together, bringing clarity. Over thousands of years, as understanding has grown, the prophetic picture has become clearer. According to this teaching, we are now near enough to the end that the sealed knowledge in Daniel 12 may be unsealed, and the timeline of the Messiah’s return might finally be discernible—not to everyone, but to the wise. In conclusion, the statement that “no one knows the day or hour” must be understood in its context, both grammatical and prophetic. It was a statement of present reality for the first century, not an eternal mystery. Daniel was told the timeline was sealed until the time of the end; Jesus affirmed that only the Father knew it back then. The prediction of the Second Coming around 2032 AD happened only in the last few years, after being sealed for about two thousand years. But both Daniel and Jesus taught that the wise would eventually understand, while the wicked would not. The return of Christ will come as a thief only for those who are unrepentant and spiritually asleep. For the faithful who watch, study prophecy, and keep God’s word, the day will not come as a surprise—they will know the time, just as they were meant to.

The Prophetic Blueprint of the Three Fall Feasts of the Lord

5. Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah)

…a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.

Leviticus 23:24

The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah, is one of the most mysterious and prophetically significant of the Seven Feasts of the Lord described in the Bible. Instituted in Leviticus 23:23–25 and Numbers 29:1–6, it occurs on the first day of the seventh Hebrew month, Tishrei, usually falling in September or early October. Though its instructions are minimal compared to other feasts, the Feast of Trumpets carries rich layers of meaning in Jewish tradition, Messianic prophecy, and end-times theology.

In the Bible, the Feast of Trumpets is described simply as a memorial with the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation, and a day of rest. Unlike other feasts tied to specific historical events, Yom Teruah looks forward, making it unique among the feasts. In Jewish tradition, it later became known as Rosh Hashanah, the civil New Year, and the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe—a period of reflection and repentance leading to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

The central feature of this feast is the blowing of the shofar, the ram’s horn. Historically, the shofar was used to call people together, coronate kings, and signal divine presence. On this day, up to 100 shofar blasts are sounded, including the tekiah gedolah—a long, final blast symbolizing a climactic announcement.

Because the feast is tied to the sighting of the new moon, a time that could not be precisely predicted until recent technology—hence the idiom, “No one knows the day or the hour,” a phrase Jesus used to describe His return (Matthew 24:36).

The Feast of Trumpets is also deeply connected to ancient Jewish wedding customs. After a couple was betrothed, the groom would leave to prepare a place for his bride—often in his father’s house. He would return at an unexpected hour, often announced by the blast of a shofar. Only the father knew when the groom would return. This parallels Jesus’ words: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). The trumpet blast on Yom Teruah thus foreshadows the coming of the Bridegroom (Jesus) for His bride—the Church.

When a Jewish groom betrothed his bride, they entered into a covenant, and the groom would offer her a cup of wine. If she accepted, the marriage covenant was sealed, though the actual wedding would happen later. Jesus echoed this during the Last Supper, when He offered the cup of the New Covenant to His disciples: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). The wedding imagery woven into the Feast of Trumpets gives it deep spiritual resonance for understanding Jesus as the Bridegroom returning for His Bride—the Church. This imagery ties Passover to the marriage covenant, and the Feast of Trumpets points to the return of the Bridegroom to claim His bride.

At the groom’s coming, there would be a midnight shout and trumpet blast to awaken the bride. This moment is captured in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). The bride would be taken to the wedding chamber (chuppah) for seven days, hidden away out of public view while the wedding feast took place—a picture that some interpret as the seven-year period of tribulation, during which the Bride of Christ is in heaven, celebrating the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7–9). Many Bible scholars and believers see that the Feast of Trumpets is prophetically pointing to the Rapture—the moment when Jesus, the bridegroom, will return for His Church to claim the bride. Paul wrote, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 15:52, he says, “…at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” Therefore, assuming the hypothesis that the Rapture will occur on the day of the Feast of Trumpets is true, determining the year of the Feast of Trumpets for the Rapture will allow us to precisely determine the date of the Rapture, if we know the year.

6. Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

…on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.

Leviticus 23:27

The Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר), is the holiest and most solemn day of the Jewish calendar. Instituted by God in Leviticus 16 and formally included among the Seven Feasts of the Lord in Leviticus 23:26–32, it falls on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishrei)—just ten days after the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). Yom Kippur is a day of national repentance, fasting, and atonement, when the people of Israel seek forgiveness for their sins and reconciliation with God.

In ancient Israel, this was the only day of the year when the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies—the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple)—to make atonement for the sins of the entire nation. The high priest would first offer sacrifices to cleanse himself, and then perform the ceremony of the two goats: one goat was sacrificed as a sin offering, and the other—the scapegoat—was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and led into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:7–10, 21–22). This powerful ritual showed that atonement required the shedding of blood, and that sins could be removed and carried away.

The term kippur comes from the Hebrew root kaphar, meaning “to cover” or “to atone.” Thus, Yom Kippur was a day when sins were covered, not permanently removed, pointing forward to a more complete atonement that would be fulfilled in Christ. According to Leviticus 23:27, the people were to “afflict their souls,” which has been traditionally interpreted as a command to fast and humble oneself. Today, observant Jews fast for approximately 25 hours, abstaining from food, drink, work, and physical comforts, while spending most of the day in prayer and reflection at the synagogue.

Modern Jewish liturgy for Yom Kippur includes powerful services such as Kol Nidrei (on the eve) and Ne’ilah (the closing of the gates), where worshippers plead for God’s mercy before the symbolic closing of heaven’s doors. The prayers are filled with confession of sins, requests for forgiveness, and declarations of God’s mercy. Yom Kippur completes the Ten Days of Awe, a period of introspection that began on Rosh Hashanah.

In Christian theology, Yom Kippur finds its fulfillment in the atoning work of Jesus Christ, who is both the High Priest and the perfect sacrifice. As Hebrews 9:11–12 explains: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come… He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”

Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross accomplished what the Day of Atonement symbolized—complete and final atonement for sin. He not only covers sin but removes it entirely for those who trust in Him (Hebrews 10:4, 10–14). Unlike the temporary and repeated sacrifices under the Law, Christ’s offering was once for all.

The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) not only looks backward to the sacrificial system under the Law and its fulfillment in Christ’s First Coming—it also points forward to a future prophetic event: the national repentance of Israel and the Second Coming of the Messiah in power and glory.

Scripture indicates that in the last days, the nation of Israel—collectively and spiritually—will recognize Jesus (Yeshua) as their true Messiah and mourn for having rejected Him. This moment of national brokenness and repentance is vividly described in the prophet Zechariah: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” (Zechariah 12:10) This passage points to a time when spiritual blindness will be lifted, and the Jewish people will see Jesus for who He truly is—the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Lamb who was slain. Paul the Apostle affirms this in the New Testament: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery… that a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:25–26) Paul envisioned a future moment when Israel, as a people, will turn to God in repentance, receiving the atonement provided by Jesus—fulfilling the ultimate purpose of Yom Kippur. Therefore, if we can determine the Day of Atonement in the year 2032 AD, then we can precisely calculate the date of the Second Coming of Jesus.

7. Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

…on the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles…

Leviticus 23:34

The Feast of Tabernacles, called Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) in Hebrew, is the seventh and final feast in the biblical calendar of the Seven Feasts of the Lord outlined in Leviticus 23:33–43. It begins on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (usually late September or early October) and lasts for seven days, followed by an additional sacred assembly on the eighth day, known as Shemini Atzeret. Sukkot is a joyful harvest festival, celebrating God’s provision, protection, and presence during Israel’s 40-year journey through the wilderness.

In ancient times, Sukkot was primarily an agricultural festival, marking the end of the harvest season and thanking God for His abundant provision. But its deeper meaning comes from the command God gave to the Israelites: “You shall dwell in booths for seven days… that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 23:42–43)

To obey this command, Jewish families build and dwell in temporary shelters called sukkot (singular: sukkah)—simple structures with leafy roofs that allow them to see the sky. These booths are reminders of the fragile tents in which the Israelites lived after their exodus from Egypt and symbolize dependence on God’s protection rather than on human security. For seven days, people eat their meals, study, and even sleep in these booths, experiencing firsthand the humility and simplicity of life in the wilderness.

Another important element of Sukkot is the waving of the Four Species (Arba Minim): Etrog (a citron fruit), Lulav (a palm branch), Hadas (myrtle), and Aravah (willow). These are waved in six directions—north, south, east, west, up, and down—symbolizing God’s presence everywhere and acknowledging Him as the source of all blessings.

Sukkot is often referred to in Scripture as “the Season of Our Joy”, because it is a time of celebration, thanksgiving, and communal gathering. It is also one of the three pilgrimage feasts (alongside Passover and Pentecost), during which all Jewish males were required to go up to Jerusalem and appear before the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:16). In ancient Israel, the temple courtyards during Sukkot were filled with worship, singing, music, processions, and the pouring of water, which came to symbolize prayers for rain and spiritual renewal.

The Feast of Tabernacles carries deep prophetic meaning. While Passover foreshadowed Jesus’ death, and Pentecost foretold the giving of the Holy Spirit, Tabernacles points forward to the future Messianic Kingdom, when God will once again “tabernacle” (dwell) with humanity. John’s Gospel uses this very language when describing the incarnation: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14) (The Greek word translated “dwelt” is σκηνόω — meaning “to tabernacle” or “pitch a tent.”)

Zechariah 14:16–19 describes a future time after the return of Christ when all nations will go up to Jerusalem annually to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be during the Millennial Kingdom, when Jesus rules the world from Jerusalem. This prophetic passage shows that Sukkot will continue to be observed in the Messianic Age, symbolizing worldwide worship, peace, and unity under God’s reign.

For Christians, the Feast of Tabernacles is a beautiful picture of the coming Kingdom of God, when Jesus will reign and God will dwell with His people once again—permanently and gloriously. It reminds believers of the temporary nature of this present life, the joy of God’s provision, and the hope of eternal fellowship with Him. Revelation echoes the imagery of Sukkot in its final vision: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people…” (Revelation 21:3) This final “tabernacling” is the ultimate fulfillment of what Sukkot anticipates: not just booths in the wilderness, but a new heaven and new earth, where God and redeemed humanity will live together forever.

The following is a summary of the Spring Feasts fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming.

1. Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Fulfilled by Jesus’ crucifixion as the Lamb of God (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).
2. Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Jesus’ sinless body was buried (leaven represents sin; Hebrews 4:15).
3. Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10–11) – Fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection as the ‘firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Corinthians 15:20).
4. Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) (Leviticus 23:15–22) – Fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Church (Acts 2).

The following is a summary of the Fall Feasts to be fulfilled in Jesus’ Second Coming.

• Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23–25) – Signals a divine announcement, judgment, and the awakening of the Church and Israel. Likely corresponds with the Rapture and the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Matthew 24:31).
• Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26–32) – Foreshadows Israel’s national repentance (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26) and Christ’s return in judgment.
• Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33–43) – Symbolizes the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom where God dwells (tabernacles) with His people (Zechariah 14:16; Revelation 21:3).

Day of Atonement: The End of Daniel’s 70^th Week

In the article titled “The Mathematical Principles of God’s Salvation Plan”. We have established that the Second Coming of Christ will most likely happen in 2032. If we have to pick a day in 2032, we will estimate that Jesus will return for the second time between sundown on Tuesday, 14 September 2032, and the nightfall on Wednesday, 15 September 2032, probably during the daytime on 15 September 2032, Jerusalem time. This is the Day of Atonement in the 6,000th year since Adam and Eve sinned and the 2,000th year since Jesus’ crucifixion/resurrection.

The Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yom Kippur, stands as the most solemn and spiritually significant day on the biblical calendar. Instituted in Leviticus 16 and Leviticus 23:26–32, Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of the seventh month (Tishrei) and centers on themes of national repentance, sacrificial atonement, and divine judgment. While it originally commemorated the annual cleansing of Israel and its sanctuary, many scholars and students of biblical prophecy have recognized that Yom Kippur also foreshadows a climactic future event: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. When viewed through the lens of prophetic fulfillment and biblical typology, the Day of Atonement emerges as the feast most naturally aligned with the return of Christ in power and glory.

In its original context, Yom Kippur was the only day of the year when the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the entire nation. The rituals included the blood of a sin offering, the sending away of a scapegoat, and the cleansing of the sanctuary. It was a day of deep humility, when the people of Israel were to “afflict their souls” and abstain from all labor. The purpose was not merely personal reflection but national purification. The gravity and sacredness of this day distinguish it from all other feasts in Israel’s calendar, and this solemnity mirrors the awe-inspiring nature of Christ’s Second Coming.

Just as Jesus fulfilled the Spring Feasts in His First Coming—dying on Passover, being buried during Unleavened Bread, rising on Firstfruits, and sending the Holy Spirit on Pentecost—it is only logical to follow that He will fulfill the Fall Feasts in His Second Coming. In this prophetic framework, the Feast of Trumpets represents the alert or the beginning of something new, Yom Kippur represents the Second Coming, and the Feast of Tabernacles represents the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom, when God “dwells” among His people (Exodus 29:46).

There are multiple prophetic themes within Yom Kippur that align directly with the return of Christ. First, the day is characterized by national repentance, which is a key event associated with the Second Coming. In Zechariah 12:10, the prophet writes, “They will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.” This mourning is not individual, but corporate—a collective realization by the house of Israel that Jesus, whom they rejected, is indeed the promised Messiah. Revelation 1:7 reinforces, “Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him,” which resonates with the purpose of Yom Kippur. This is also echoed in Romans 11:26, where Paul declares, “And so all Israel will be saved.” Such language parallels the spirit of Yom Kippur, when the entire nation of Israel would gather to seek forgiveness and be reconciled with God, after exactly 2000 years. Hosea writes, “After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.” (Hosea 6:2)

Second, Yom Kippur was the day when the high priest would reappear from the Holy of Holies to bless the people after making atonement. This mirrors the heavenly High Priest, Jesus, who, as Hebrews 9:28 says, “…will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Just as the high priest emerged once a year in glory after completing his work, Jesus will emerge from heaven, having finished the work of redemption, to judge the world and save the faithful.

Third, the Book of Revelation describes the Second Coming in language that resonates strongly with the Day of Atonement. In Revelation 19, Christ returns on a white horse, executing judgment and defeating the beast and the false prophet. This is the moment when the wicked are destroyed, the Antichrist’s reign ends, and the nations are judged—corresponding to the severest and most final judgment themes of Yom Kippur, where anyone not “afflicting their soul” would be cut off from among the people (Leviticus 23:29). Fourth, Jewish tradition holds that the Book of Life is sealed on Yom Kippur, finalizing the destinies of individuals for the coming year. This idea strongly parallels Revelation 20:12, where at the Great White Throne judgment, “books were opened… and the dead were judged according to what they had done.” In both Jewish liturgy and Christian prophecy, Yom Kippur is a time when destinies are finalized and righteousness is rewarded.

Feast of Trumpets 2025: The Start of Daniel’s 70^th Week

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.

Daniel 7:25

And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Daniel 12:11

Now that we have identified the date for the Second Coming of the Lord as 15 September 2032, it is easy to figure out when Daniel’s last week or the last 7 years start. Daniel tells us exactly how to count. Daniel 9:27 tells us that the last week lasts for seven prophetic years. Using the same understanding of one prophetic year as 360 days as in the paper titled “The Mathematical Principles of God’s Salvation Plan”, we compute that the last seven years amount to 360×7 = 2,520 calendar days. To arrive at the start day of the Great Tribulation, we could simply count 2,520 days backward from 15 September 2032. It is October 23, 2025. However, this date has no prophetic significance. We would expect the beginning of the Great Tribulation to start on one of those seven feasts, just as in the First Coming.

If the mid of this period is when the Anti-Christ will put an end to sacrifice and offering, we will consider adding 30 days before the second half of the Great Tribulation. Daniel 12:11 clearly states that “from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.” That is, there is a gap of 30 days between the first half and the second half of Daniel’s last week, just like there is a gap of 2000 years between Daniel’s sixtieth week and the seventieth week. Daniel’s seventy weeks are not continuous. There are gaps between the splits, namely, the seven “sevens,” sixty-two “sevens,” one “seven,” and the middle of the “seven.” To my knowledge, this paper is the first one to propose this middle gap theory to reconcile Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 12:11.

The breakdown of the Great Tribulation is therefore: 1,260 days + 30 days + 1,260 days = 2,250 days. The first 1,260 days are the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week. The 30 days is counting from when the daily sacrifice is taken away. The last 1,260 days are the second half of Daniel’s seventieth week. This also corresponds to God’s judgment on mankind and His final wrath. The Great Wrath period is always 3.5 years, or equivalently, 1,260 days (Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5). If we count back 2,250 days from the Day of Atonement in 2032, we find something exciting.

From the Feast of Trumpet in 2025, i.e., September 23, 2025, to the Day of Atonement in 2032, i.e., September 15, 2032, there are exactly 2,250 days, inclusive of both dates! This cannot be a coincidence. In fact, dunamis333 on YouTube, calculates that (2025, 2032) is the only begin-end pair such that there are exactly 2,250 days between the Feast of Trumpet and the Day of Atonement for the next 100 years. We can therefore construct the following timeline.

The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) is celebrated on the first day of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. This feast marks the beginning of the Fall Feasts and is characterized by the blowing of trumpets, a symbol rich with meaning in both Jewish tradition and biblical prophecy. While the Bible does not explicitly state the exact starting day of the final seven years described in Daniel 9:27—commonly known as Daniel’s 70th week—many biblical scholars and students of prophecy have compellingly argued that the Feast of Trumpets is a highly fitting and likely candidate. We shall explore the theological, thematic, and prophetic reasons that support the idea that the last seven years of this age may begin on a future Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets is unique among the biblical feasts. Unlike Passover or Pentecost, which commemorate specific historical events, Trumpets is forward-looking by nature. It is described briefly in Leviticus 23:23–25 as a “memorial of blowing of trumpets,” yet no explanation is given for the purpose of the trumpet blasts. This lack of historical context has led many to believe that its primary function is prophetic. In Jewish tradition, the trumpet (or shofar) was used for several purposes: to call people to assembly, to signal alarm or war, to announce the arrival of a king, or to proclaim a time of repentance. All of these themes converge powerfully with the onset of the final seven-year tribulation period described in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

One of the strongest arguments for associating the Feast of Trumpets with the beginning of the last seven years is the nature of the trumpet itself as a signal of transition. Throughout Scripture, trumpets are used to mark significant shifts in God’s dealings with His people. For example, in Exodus 19, God descends on Mount Sinai with the sound of a trumpet. In 1 Kings 1:34, trumpets are blown to proclaim Solomon as king. In Joel 2, trumpets warn of coming judgment and call for national repentance. Similarly, the book of Revelation opens with a series of trumpet judgments that announce God’s wrath upon the earth. Given this biblical precedent, the blowing of trumpets on Yom Teruah prophetically signals the beginning of divine intervention, making it a fitting starting point for the most climactic seven-year period in human history.

Another important consideration is the sequence of the feasts themselves, which serve as a prophetic timeline of God’s redemptive plan. In His first coming, Jesus fulfilled the Spring Feasts with remarkable precision: He was crucified on Passover, buried during Unleavened Bread, rose from the dead on Firstfruits, and sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. This historical fulfillment of the first four feasts provides a strong precedent for the prophetic fulfillment of the Fall Feasts at His second coming. Accordingly, if the Feast of Trumpets signals the beginning of Daniel’s final seven years, then the Feast of Atonement, ten days later, would align with Christ’s visible return, and the Feast of Tabernacles would correspond to the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom.

The Feast of Trumpets is also known in Jewish tradition as “the day and hour no one knows,” because it begins at the new moon, which had to be confirmed by two witnesses. Until that confirmation, the exact start of the feast was uncertain. This tradition echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36, when He said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” While possibly associated with the Rapture, this phrase also reinforces the notion that significant prophetic events—perhaps even the start of Daniel’s 70th week—could begin on a day whose timing is divinely concealed. Thus, the uncertain but expected, the unknown but knowable, nature of Trumpets supports its placement at the beginning of the final countdown.

Furthermore, the Feast of Trumpets initiates a ten-day period of reflection and repentance known as the Ten Days of Awe, which culminates in the Day of Atonement. This period is traditionally viewed as a time when heaven’s books are opened and destinies are decided. If the final seven years begin on Trumpets, it would symbolically mirror the opening of the prophetic scrolls and judgments in Revelation, and initiate a period of warning, repentance, and preparation for the final judgment at Christ’s return. Finally, the trumpet also heralds kingship. In ancient Israel, kings were announced with the sound of the trumpet. The beginning of the final seven years likely coincides with the emergence of a global leader, often identified as the Antichrist, who “confirms a covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27). This political covenant may mark the formal start of the 70th week. Yet, from heaven’s perspective, it may also signal the approaching arrival of the true King, Jesus Christ, whose rule will be established at the end of the period.

Day of Atonement in 2033?

I realize that from Easter, April 5, AD 33 (or Ascension Day, May 14, AD 33, or Pentecost, May 24, AD 33) to September 15, 2032, there are about 5 months short of 2,000 years or 2 prophetic days. One may consider using the Day of Atonement in 2033 as the date for the Second Coming of Jesus. That would be a few months more than the 2,000 years expected, and would still be within the “third” prophetic days. (The same would also be true for any year in the next 1,000 years.) However, that would not nicely fit the duration of 2,250 days from the Feast of Trumpet 7 years before the Day of Atonement. There is no such pair for the next 100 years. Therefore, I think that the Day of Atonement in 2032 is more likely, and I write this paper based on this date.

Rising of the Anti-Christ 2029: The Mid of Daniel’s 70^th Week

Daniel prophesies that there are 1,260 days from the beginning of the 7 years till the Anti-Christ shows up in God’s temple (Daniel 12:11), and then 30 days, and then 1,260 days for God’s Great Wrath (Daniel 7:25). The start of the Great Wrath period is counting 1,290 days forward from September 23, 2025, inclusive, or 1,260 days backward from September 15, 2032, inclusive. (Again, only 2025 and 2032 satisfy the requirement of a total of 1260+30+1260=2550 days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement for the next 100 years.) Let’s summarize the dates.

Day 1: September 23, 2025, Feast of Trumpets

Day 1,260: March 5, 2029, not a prophetic day

Day 1,290: April 4, 2029, in the middle of Passover week

Day 2,550: September 23, 2025, Day of Atonement

March 5, 2029, marks the end of the first half of the Great Tribulation, where the Anti-Christ is busy making peace treaties. April 4, 2029, is the day that God’s final judgment and wrath will begin. We also note that Easter Sunday in 2029 falls on Sunday, April 1, 2029. We can imagine an interesting hypothesis/story/fiction that the long-awaited Rapture will happen on April 1, 2029.

On April 1, 2029, which is both Easter Sunday and the first day of the week of Unleavened Bread, the world experiences a shocking and unprecedented event: the Rapture. In the twinkling of an eye, millions of believers vanish from the earth. The resurrection of the dead in Christ and the catching away of the living saints, as foretold in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, takes place during the very season that commemorates Christ’s own resurrection.

The world reels in chaos. News headlines scramble to explain the disappearances—aliens, quantum anomalies, mass psychosis—but those who knew the Word of God recognize what has happened. The age of grace has ended. The fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). The restraining influence of the Holy Spirit through the Church has been removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7), and now nothing holds back the rise of the man of sin, who will have claimed himself as God just a month ago.

On April 4, 2029, in the middle of the 2029 Passover between sundown Friday, March 30, 2029 and nightfall Friday, April 6, 2029, a dramatic and horrifying moment occurs. Anti-Christ, the lawless one foretold in Daniel and Revelation, enters the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declares himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4) This event is known as the Abomination of Desolation, described in Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11, and directly referenced by Jesus in Matthew 24:15. It marks a turning point in the Tribulation period. The Antichrist, having previously presented himself as a peacemaker and global savior, now unrestrained, removes the mask and reveals his true nature as a blasphemer, deceiver, and persecutor of God’s people, capitalizing on the unprecedented world chaos just three days after the Rapture.

The Anti-Christ breaks the covenant he has confirmed with Israel (Daniel 9:27), stops the daily sacrifices, and desecrates the Temple with his self-exaltation. This is also the time many Jews will realize they have been deceived, and a remnant will begin to flee into the wilderness, just as Jesus warned: “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains… For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Matthew 24:16, 21)

It is fitting that this takes place during Passover, a time of remembrance of Israel’s deliverance from bondage. In 2029, that ancient theme of deliverance becomes prophetic reality: the Rapture has delivered the faithful, but now Israel enters a time of tribulation and testing, a second exodus of sorts, as God prepares the remnant for ultimate redemption. God’s Great Wrath—the final 1,260 days—now begins (Revelation 12:6, 13:5). We can add these two events to our timeline.

The Sixth Seal: Mapping the Timeline in Revelation

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

Revelation 6:12

Having established the framework for the last 7 years, we can now align key events from the Book of Revelation with this timeline, allowing us to better calculate the dates of certain occurrences. Two such events are especially significant: the opening of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12) and the rise of the False Prophet (Revelation 13:11-12).

The sixth seal starts with a darkened sun and a blood moon. Other relevant verses include Joel 2:31, Acts 2:20, and Matthew 24:29, all of which mention the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. We can use these celestial signs to determine the timing of the sixth seal. In terms of modern language, the sixth seal will be marked by a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse.

First of all, solar and lunar eclipses are not rare phenomena. A solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about 2 to 5 times each year, but that’s counting all types — total, partial, and annular. A lunar eclipse is more common than a solar eclipse, and happens somewhere on Earth about 2 to 5 times per year — but not all are the dramatic total “blood moon” type. A blood moon — meaning a total lunar eclipse where the Moon turns reddish — happens somewhere on Earth about once every 2 to 3 years for a given location, and roughly twice every 3 years globally.

We do not know when or where Joel saw the vision. Ideally, we would like these signs to occur in the first half of the 7 years before April 2029 (as the sixth seal is in the early stage of the period before the trumpets and bowls) and after September 23, 2025 (the Feast of Trumpet 2025), and be in Jerusalem.

The first idea we would have is to look for when a total eclipse and a blood moon appear in Jerusalem in time proximity—either within the same year or within a short span of each other. However, it won’t happen in the next few hundred years. There is no total solar eclipse visible from Jerusalem until at least August 8, 2241 (based on known records). The next solar eclipse visible from Jerusalem will be partial, not total, and is on August 2, 2027. As for blood moons, we have these candidates:

There is only one pair that stands out: (solar, lunar) = (August 2, 2027, December 31, 2028), in terms of time proximity. But they are still too far apart, almost 17 months apart.

Let’s expand our search to include the whole earth. Perhaps Joel is seeing them not from Jerusalem. The next global solar eclipses are:

The next global blood moons are:

If we relax the geographic constraint (remove Jerusalem as a necessary condition), then we have a number of candidates.

(lunar, partial solar) = (September 7, 2025, September 21, 2025), but this pair is before the 2025 Feast of Trumpet

(lunar, total solar) = (March 2, 2026, August 12, 2026), seem too early in the 7-year period

(total solar, lunar) = (July 22, 2028, Dec 31, 2028), ✓

(lunar, partial solar) = (Dec 31, 2028, multiple occurrences in 2029), ✓

(the largest lunar eclipse of the century, partial solar) = (June 25–26, 2029, June 12, 2029, July 11, 2029), ✓

(lunar, partial solar) = (June 25–26, 2029, multiple occurrences in 2029), maybe a bit late for the middle of the 7-year period

(lunar, partial solar) = (December 20–21, 2029, multiple occurrences in 2029), maybe too late for the middle of the 7-year period

Looking at this list. These three pairs seem most likely to match our timing.

(total solar, lunar) = (July 22, 2028, Dec 31, 2028), ✓

(lunar, partial solar) = (Dec 31, 2028, multiple occurrences in 2029), ✓

(the largest lunar eclipse of the century, partial solar) = (June 25–26, 2029, June 12, 2029, July 11, 2029), ✓

If I had to pick only one, I would prefer this pair.

(total solar, lunar) = (July 22, 2028, Dec 31, 2028), ✓

Because this solar eclipse is a total eclipse, which is rare, and Joel and the Book of Revelation always say first the sun turning into darkness and then the moon into blood (Joel 2:31). This is the only pair that matches. We only need to assume that Joel sees them not just from Jerusalem, but worldwide. It is a reasonable assumption. Therefore, we can align the sixth seal to be between July and December 2028, just before the middle of the first year of the 7-year Great Tribulation.

We allow the timing to extend into June/July 2029, where there is the largest lunar eclipse of the century and multiple partial solar eclipses everywhere. Also, June/July is after our Rapture time in April, which is consistent with the Mid-Tribulation theory that the Rapture (assumed to be Revelation 7:9-14) will happen shortly before God pours His judgment and wrath, Trumpets, and Bowls. We add this to our timeline.

I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, …… The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. …… he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

Revelation 13:1-7

Revelation 13:1-7 is almost a direct translation of Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:36-37. For 3.5 years or forty-two months (Revelation 13:5) or in the latter half of the week (Daniel 9:27), the beast or the Anti-Christ will blaspheme against God (Revelation 13:5) and bring an end to sacrifice and offering (Daniel 9:27) and exalt himself above them all (Daniel 11:37). The first beast or the Anti-Christ is described as rising from the sea, which often symbolizes the Gentile nations in biblical imagery. I would guess that this person is, therefore, a Jewish leader in a Gentile country. The forty-two months are a crucial key to align this event with our timeline. This is exactly 3.5 years in the latter half of the Great Tribulation. We can therefore map Revelation 13:1-7 to the middle of the Great Tribulation, April 4, 2029.

In the prophetic vision recorded in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John is shown a scroll in the right hand of God, sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5). This scroll appears to represent the title deed to the earth—God’s plan to reclaim creation from the dominion of sin and Satan. Only the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is found worthy to open it, and the breaking of its seals initiates a series of judgments that unfold across the rest of the book. These judgments come in three escalating sequences: the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls.

The beginning of the seven years of the Great Tribulation

The seals form the first phase of these judgments. Found in Revelation 6 and 8:1–5, they unleash a combination of human and divine actions—wars, famine, pestilence, persecution, and cosmic disturbances. The first four seals are the famous “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” bringing conquest, conflict, economic collapse, and death. The fifth reveals the souls of martyrs crying out for justice, while the sixth shakes heaven and earth with cosmic signs. The seventh seal brings a solemn silence in heaven before transitioning into the trumpet judgments. These events parallel Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24 about “the beginning of birth pains,” signaling that the end is approaching but not yet at its climax.

The three-and-a-half years of the first half of the Great Tribulation

The trumpet judgments, found in Revelation 8:6–11:19, mark a dramatic intensification of God’s actions. Unlike the seals, which largely allow human sin and natural disaster to run their course, the trumpets are overtly supernatural. Each trumpet blast brings targeted destruction, often affecting a third of a given domain: a third of the earth’s vegetation burns, a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the fresh water becomes poisoned, and a third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. The fifth trumpet unleashes demonic torment on humanity for five months, and the sixth brings a death toll of one-third of the population. The seventh trumpet proclaims the coming kingdom of Christ and introduces the final judgments. The partial nature of these trumpet disasters serves as a merciful warning, calling humanity to repent before it is too late.

The beginning of the three-and-a-half years of the Great Wrath

The bowl judgments in Revelation 16 are the culmination of divine wrath, poured out without restraint or delay. Whereas the trumpets affected one-third, the bowls bring total devastation to their targets. Painful sores afflict those who bear the mark of the beast, all the seas turn to blood, fresh water supplies are destroyed, scorching heat burns the inhabitants of the earth, darkness covers the beast’s kingdom, the Euphrates River dries up to prepare the way for the armies of Armageddon, and a final, global earthquake levels cities and brings a hailstorm of unprecedented magnitude. At this stage, the time for repentance has ended, and the judgments serve solely to execute justice and prepare the earth for the return of Christ in glory.

There is a clear escalation across these three series of judgments. The seals initiate the prophetic timeline, allowing humanity to reap the consequences of its rebellion. The trumpets are direct divine interventions, unmistakable in their supernatural origin, yet still partial in scope to give space for repentance. The bowls are the final, complete outpouring of God’s wrath, clearing the way for the restoration of His kingdom. Just as labor pains grow in frequency and intensity before birth, the judgments of Revelation increase in severity and rapidity until they reach their climactic conclusion in the second coming of Jesus Christ. Assuming that the major events, i.e., the seals, the trumpets, the beasts, the bowls of wrath, are in chronological order. We can make a few inferences.

Seals (September 23, 2025–June/July 2029): The First Five Seals and Real-World Fulfillments

The sixth chapter of the book of Revelation describes the dramatic unsealing of a scroll by the Lamb of God, with each seal unleashing a new phase of judgment or upheaval upon the earth. These events parallel the warnings of Jesus in Matthew 24, which He described as “the beginning of birth pains.” If the seals are to take place before or in the early years of the Great Tribulation, they may serve as a prophetic prelude—a global wake-up call that intensifies until the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week. If the sixth seal happens in August 2026, we can logically conclude that the first five seals happen before then. Some might have already been brewing or happening. We can match some real-world past and ongoing developments with those six seals. The six seals are as follows.

The first seal reveals a rider on a white horse, holding a bow and given a crown, who goes out “conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1–2). Many interpreters identify this figure as the Antichrist, who initially rises to power not through open warfare, but through diplomacy, deception, and global influence. In a modern setting before August 2026, this could manifest as the emergence of a charismatic world leader who offers solutions to ongoing crises—possibly brokering a groundbreaking Middle East peace treaty or spearheading a sweeping international agreement. Such a leader would gain trust and authority during a period of instability, laying the groundwork for later domination. This may coincide with Daniel’s prophecy about the Anti-Christ making peace treaties in the first half of the last week (Daniel 9:27).

The second seal brings forth a fiery red horse, whose rider is granted the power to take peace from the earth, inciting people to kill one another (Revelation 6:3–4). This signifies widespread conflict. In present-day terms, this could correspond to a major regional or even global war breaking out after a short-lived peace. Potential flashpoints include an escalation between Russia and NATO, a Middle East war involving Israel and Iran, or a confrontation between mainland China and Taiwan. Such a conflict could quickly engulf multiple nations, shattering any sense of security established under the first seal.

The third seal unveils a black horse whose rider carries a pair of scales, symbolizing economic imbalance (Revelation 6:5–6). A voice declares inflated prices for basic foodstuffs—“a quart of wheat for a denarius”—indicating that essentials will cost a full day’s wages, while luxury goods (“oil and wine”) remain untouched. This could take the form of a global food crisis caused by war, climate disasters, and disrupted supply chains. Grain exports from key producers could be halted, leading to severe shortages, especially in poorer nations. Inflation could spiral, pushing millions toward starvation while the wealthy maintain their standard of living.

The pale (ashen) horse bears the ominous name “Death,” and Hades follows with him (Revelation 6:7–8). This judgment brings death to a quarter of the earth’s population through sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. This could mean an explosive convergence of crises: lingering pandemic waves or new infectious diseases, famine in multiple continents, mass casualties from armed conflict, and societal breakdown leading to increased danger from animals or outbreaks originating from them. If taken literally, the “quarter of the earth” represents an unprecedented loss of life—possibly billions—shaking civilization to its core.

Under the fifth seal, John sees the souls of martyrs who were slain “for the word of God and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9–11). These believers cry out for God’s justice, and are told to rest “a little while longer.” This could correspond to an intensified wave of persecution against Christians worldwide. Authoritarian governments could outlaw biblical preaching or censor the Bible. Believers in hostile nations may be imprisoned, tortured, or executed for their faith.

The sixth seal unleashes a dramatic chain of celestial and geological events: a great earthquake, the sun darkened, the moon turning blood-red, stars falling from the sky, and the heavens rolling back “like a scroll” (Revelation 6:12–17). These phenomena terrify the world’s leaders and populace alike, who cry for the mountains to fall on them to hide from “the wrath of the Lamb.” This might take the form of a catastrophic megaquake, volcanic eruptions, a meteor storm, or a near-Earth asteroid event. The resulting panic would be global, marking a turning point in human history. These events may unfold between September 2025 and August 2026 as the beginning of the birth pains (Matthew 24:8). Jesus predicts these signs before His return and the end of the age. These “birth pains” are not the end in themselves, but rather the initial, intensifying stages leading up to a greater event. They may not be in sequence and happen in parallel.

Trumpets (April 2029–September 2032): The First Half of the Seven Years

The six trumpets are after the sixth seal in August 2026 and before the rise of the Anti-Christ on April 4, 2029. The seven Trumpets in the Book of Revelation (chapters 8-11) signify a series of apocalyptic events that follow the opening of the seven seals. Each trumpet blast brings a distinct judgment upon the earth, and they are often interpreted as symbolic of divine judgment, environmental catastrophes, and spiritual upheaval during the Great Tribulation. Here’s a brief description of each trumpet and what they may represent:

1. First Trumpet – Hail and Fire Mixed with Blood. A third of the earth was burned up (Revelation 8:7). It may represent a devastating global environmental disaster, such as massive wildfires or volcanic eruptions, destroying the earth, trees, and green grass.
2. Second Trumpet – A Great Mountain Burning with Fire. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed (Revelation 8:8-9). It may represent a cataclysmic impact event (such as asteroids or water volcanoes), crashing into the sea, causing a massive tsunami or ecological disaster. It could symbolize the collapse of trade, commerce, or major global economies.
3. Third Trumpet – A Star Called Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died (Revelation 8:10-11). It may represent a falling star or asteroid, which poisons the waters, making them undrinkable. This may represent widespread pollution, a nuclear disaster, or radiation affecting large bodies of water.
4. Fourth Trumpet – A Third of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Struck. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night (Revelation 8:12). It may represent an atmospheric blockage of natural light, from fires or ash, a solar event, or an astrophysical disturbance, leading to a period of darkness or despair on earth.
5. Fifth Trumpet – Locusts from the Abyss (Revelation 9:1–11). Locust-like creatures torment humanity for five months.
6. Sixth Trumpet – World War III. A third of humanity is killed (Revelation 9:13–19). It is the largest-scale military conflict ever seen on a global scale. It will possibly extend well into the Great Wrath period, turning into the final Armageddon.

These events may unfold between late 2026 and mid-2029 as global warning judgments. They may not be in sequence and happen in parallel.

The Great Wrath (April 2029–September 2032): The Second Half of the Seven Years

The Great Wrath likely starts after the Rapture when the church is taken up and away and the world has definitively rejected God on April 4, 2029 (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 7:13-14; Revelation 11:15).

The Great Wrath is in the latter half of the 7-year Great Tribulation for 3.5 years. Daniel 11:36 says that the Anti-Christ will be successful until the time of wrath is completed. We know that the beast or the Anti-Christ will reign for 42 months or 3.5 years (Revelation 13:5) from the time that he claims to be God (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15). The Bible, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5, Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7, consistently uses the time span of 3.5 years (or 42 months or 1,260 days) to refer to the period of the Great Wrath during the end times. This is the time when the Antichrist will reign with great power and persecute the faithful, leading to the eventual return of Christ. Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that the bowls of wrath will last for 42 months or in the latter 3.5 years.

In the latter chapters of Revelation, after the seals and trumpets have run their course, John is shown the most intense and final phase of God’s end-time judgments: the pouring out of the seven bowls of His wrath. These events, recorded in Revelation 16, occur after humanity has decisively rejected every call to repentance. Unlike the seals, which are mixed with human activity, and the trumpets, which affect only a third of their targets (Revelation 8–11). They are designed to call humanity to repentance (Revelation 9:20–21). God’s mercy is still extended, and people are given time to turn from their sins.  In contrast, the bowls are total in scope and represent God’s full wrath and divine judgment of mankind’s 6000 years of sin and their final rejection of God (Revelation 15:1; 16:1). The bowls are the “Day of the Lord,” the final stage before the return of Christ to establish His kingdom.

The first bowl brings “loathsome and malignant sores” upon all those who bear the mark of the beast and worship his image. This affliction is targeted; it does not fall on the faithful (namely, those who repent after the Church’s grace period is over) but on those who have aligned themselves with the Antichrist’s system. The imagery recalls the boils of the sixth plague in Egypt (Exodus 9:8–12), a sign of God’s direct intervention against hardened rebellion.

The second bowl turns the entire sea into blood, killing every living creature in it. This judgment escalates the second trumpet, which affected only a third of the waters. Now the devastation is complete, rendering maritime life and trade impossible. It mirrors the first plague in Egypt, when the Nile was turned to blood, but here the scope is global.

The third bowl extends this plague to the rivers and springs of fresh water, turning them to blood as well. An angel declares that this is a just retribution: those who shed the blood of God’s people now have blood to drink. This is the first explicit statement in the bowls that God’s judgments are proportionate and morally justified.

The fourth bowl strikes the sun, causing it to scorch people with intense heat. Instead of repenting, the people curse God, revealing the depth of human rebellion. This plague demonstrates that even overwhelming suffering cannot soften a heart set against the Lord without the transforming work of His Spirit.

The fifth bowl plunges the kingdom of the beast into total darkness. This darkness is tangible and oppressive, reminiscent of the ninth plague in Egypt (Exodus 10:21–23). In their agony, people gnaw their tongues yet still curse God, refusing to turn from their deeds.

The sixth bowl dries up the great river Euphrates, preparing the way for the kings of the East to march toward the final battle at Armageddon. Demonic spirits emerge from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, performing signs and gathering the kings of the whole world for war against God. This is the stage-setting judgment, drawing the rebellious powers together for their final confrontation with Christ.

The seventh bowl is poured into the air, and a loud voice from the temple declares, “It is done!” What follows is the most severe earthquake in human history, splitting cities and collapsing mountains and islands. Great hailstones, each weighing about a talent (roughly 75–100 pounds), fall from heaven, crushing whatever remains. The great city, Babylon, is remembered before God and given the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. This final act shatters the world system entirely, clearing the way for the reign of the Lamb.

These events may unfold between April 4, 2029, and September 15, 2032. They may not be in sequence and happen in parallel.

The Second Coming of Christ and the Millennial Kingdom (September 15, 2032)

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war… And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Revelation 19:11–16

The sixth bowl is particularly pivotal, as it dries up the river Euphrates to “prepare the way for the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). Demonic spirits then go out “to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for battle on the great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14). This gathering takes place at a location symbolically called Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), where the armies of the Antichrist assemble to defy the returning King of kings. The defiance here is absolute—humanity, under satanic deception, dares to marshal its military power against the Creator Himself.

It is at this point that the seventh bowl is poured out “into the air” and a voice from the throne declares, “It is done!” (Revelation 16:17). What follows is the greatest earthquake in history, the collapse of cities, the toppling of mountains, and the hailstones of judgment. This final bowl shatters the infrastructure of the world system—political, economic, and religious—removing every human stronghold before the appearance of Christ.

The 7-year Great Tribulation finally concludes on the Day of Atonement on September 15, 2032 with the Second Coming of Christ. Zechariah 14:4–9 and Revelation 19–20 describe Christ’s return, the defeat of the Beast, and the start of the Millennial Kingdom: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war… And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” Here, Jesus returns in power and glory, not as the suffering Servant but as the conquering King. With “the sword that proceeds from His mouth” (Revelation 19:15), He strikes down the gathered armies at Armageddon. The beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet are seized and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). The rebellion of the nations is crushed in a single act of divine power.

Following His victory, Christ turns to the one who has been behind all deception and rebellion: Satan. In Revelation 20:1–3, John describes how an angel descends from heaven, binds the dragon, and casts him into the abyss for a thousand years, “so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.” This binding removes the tempter from human affairs, allowing the reign of Christ to proceed without satanic interference.

This ushers in the Millennial Kingdom—a thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. Revelation 20:4 says: “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” In this kingdom, the promises of the Old Testament prophets find their fulfillment. The curse upon creation is lifted in part; the earth experiences unprecedented peace and productivity. Isaiah foresaw this age, declaring: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). The reign of Christ during this time is marked by justice and righteousness. Isaiah writes: “With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth” (Isaiah 11:4). Even the natural order will be transformed: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat… They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6–9). In the Millennial Kingdom, Jerusalem becomes the center of worship and governance. Zechariah foretells that “it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations… shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16). This indicates a restored and unified global worship of Christ. The progression from the bowls to the Millennial Kingdom is one of judgment leading to restoration. The bowls finalize God’s righteous wrath, purging the earth of rebellion. The return of Christ decisively ends the era of human and satanic dominion. The binding of Satan removes the deceiver from the world stage. And the Millennial Kingdom inaugurates a time of peace, justice, and flourishing unlike any in history. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise:

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14

The Rapture vs. The Second Coming

I think that the timing and dates argued in this paper are largely correct, except for one event: the Rapture—the moment when believers in Christ are caught up to meet Him in the air, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17. Its timing is, probably, the most debated topic in Christian eschatology. This event is closely tied to the coming Tribulation, a future seven-year period prophesied in Daniel 9:27 and expanded in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6–19. The Tribulation will be a time of unprecedented global turmoil, marked by the rise of the Antichrist, widespread deception, persecution, and the outpouring of God’s judgments upon the earth. I place the Rapture date before the Great Wrath of God, or the Day of the Lord. This coincides with the mid-Tribulation theory. This, however, is not the only possibility. The Tribulation is often divided into two halves. The first 3½ years will bring the rise of the Antichrist, an apparent peace, and the unfolding of the Seal and Trumpet judgments. The second half, known as the Great Wrath (Matthew 24:21), will be characterized by intense persecution, the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15), and the pouring out of the most severe judgments described in the Bowls of Revelation. Within this prophetic framework, three primary interpretations have emerged concerning when the Rapture will take place in relation to the Tribulation: Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation, and Post-Tribulation. The date for the Rapture depends on which theory you choose to believe. The main differences are 1) whether the Rapture and the Second Coming are the same event; and 2) if not, will Christians be taken away before the Great Wrath or the entire Great Tribulation? Here we briefly summarize the three theories.

The Pre-Tribulation View

The Pre-Tribulation position holds that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins. According to this perspective, the Church will be taken out of the world before the onset of God’s judgments, sparing believers from the entirety of the Tribulation period. Proponents often cite 1 Thessalonians 5:9, which declares that “God did not appoint us to suffer wrath,” and Revelation 3:10, in which Christ promises to keep His faithful “from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world.”

In the book of Genesis, we read of the moment when Isaac first meets his bride, Rebekah: “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. She said to the servant, ‘Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?’ And the servant said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took her veil and covered herself.” (Genesis 24:63–65) This meeting was no coincidence. Abraham, a type of God the Father, had sent his servant, a type of the Holy Spirit, to find a bride for his son. After a long journey, the servant returns with Rebekah. Isaac does not wait at his father’s house for her arrival, nor does he travel to her homeland. Instead, he goes out into the field—a place between his home and hers—and there meets her for the first time.

This detail holds prophetic significance. The field represents a neutral meeting place, neither the bride’s home nor the groom’s. In the same way, the apostle Paul tells us that at the Rapture, Christ will not set foot upon the earth, nor will we ascend to Heaven unaided. Instead, “the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven… and we will be caught up together… in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17). The meeting “in the air” is the New Testament counterpart to Isaac meeting Rebekah in the field—an appointed encounter before the bride is brought into the groom’s home.

Moreover, we consider the ancient Jewish wedding customs, which God designed as a living prophecy of Christ and His Church. First came the betrothal (kiddushin), when the groom paid the bride price and the covenant was sealed. Christ has already done this for His Church, purchasing her “with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). After betrothal, the groom departed to his father’s house to prepare a place for his bride, just as Jesus promised in John 14:2–3: “I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” When the preparations were complete, the groom would come at an unexpected time—often announced by the shout of the best man and the sound of the trumpet, hence the Feast of Trumpets—to take his bride away. She would be led to the father’s house and placed in the bridal chamber (chuppah), where she was hidden for seven days while the wedding feast and celebrations continued.

During those seven days, the bride was not seen in public life. Likewise, the prophetic picture points to the Church being hidden with Christ for seven years while the judgments of the Tribulation unfold upon the earth (cf. Isaiah 26:20–21: “Come, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.”).

This pattern—the bride taken before the seven days—mirrors the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view. Just as Rebekah met Isaac in the field before entering his father’s house, so too will the Church meet Christ in the air before entering the heavenly home prepared for her. And just as the Jewish bride was hidden for seven days, the Church will be hidden with Christ for the seven years of Daniel’s seventieth week while wrath falls on the world.

This interpretation fits not only the typology of Genesis 24 and the wedding tradition but also God’s consistent pattern throughout Scripture. Enoch was taken up to heaven right before the flood (Genesis 5:24); Lot was removed before Sodom’s destruction; Israel was protected in Goshen while Egypt suffered plagues. In every case, God removed or shielded His own before unleashing judgment. In this view, the Rapture is distinct from the Second Coming. The Rapture is seen as a sudden, sign-less event, whereas the Second Coming is Christ returning to the earth with His saints at the conclusion of the Tribulation. The Pre-Tribulation perspective emphasizes the doctrine of imminency, the belief that Christ could return at any moment, any time before September 15, 2032. John Nelson Darby of the Plymouth Brethren developed the idea of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture in the 1830s.

The Mid-Tribulation View

The Mid-Tribulation view asserts that the Rapture will occur halfway through the seven-year Tribulation, after the first 3½ years but before the onset of the most intense judgments. Advocates point to the “last trumpet” in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and connect it to the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15, which occurs at the midpoint of the Tribulation. (However, I don’t think this argument is valid, because Paul wrote 1 Corinthians before John wrote the Book of Revelation. Paul did not know about the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15.) The middle of the seven years is also marked by the Abomination of Desolation (Daniel 9:27), when the Antichrist breaks his covenant and demands worship, signaling the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Supporters of this view believe the Church will endure the initial judgments but be spared from the full outpouring of God’s wrath in the final 3½ years. This interpretation maintains a degree of imminency while acknowledging that certain prophetic signs must precede the Rapture. It also narrows the definition of “God’s wrath” to refer only to the judgments of the latter half of the Tribulation.

The Post-Tribulation View

The Post-Tribulation position teaches that the Rapture will take place after the entire seven years of Tribulation. In this understanding, the Rapture and the Second Coming are one single event: Christ returns, the dead in Christ rise, the living believers are caught up to meet Him in the air, and together they descend to the earth to begin His reign. This view is supported by Matthew 24:29–31, where Jesus says that “immediately after the tribulation” He will come with great glory and gather His elect, and by 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3, which states that the coming of the Lord and our gathering to Him will not occur until after the man of lawlessness is revealed.

Post-Tribulation contends that believers have always been called to endure suffering and persecution (John 16:33), and that the Church will likewise face the trials of the Tribulation. They also distinguish between the tribulation caused by the world and Satan’s fury, and the final outpouring of God’s wrath, suggesting that the latter will be directed specifically at the wicked.

The Post-Tribulation view is the oldest and most historically widespread position within Christian eschatology. It teaches that the Rapture and the return of Christ occur as one single, climactic event: believers are caught up to meet the Lord as He descends in glory to judge the nations and establish His kingdom. This perspective has deep roots in the earliest centuries of the Church and has maintained a strong presence throughout Christian history, even though its popularity has shifted in modern times.

In the first three centuries of Christianity, the post-tribulation expectation was the clear consensus. Early believers lived in a world of persecution under the Roman Empire, and the idea of enduring trials until Christ’s return fit naturally with their lived experience. The Didache (late first or early second century), an early Christian teaching manual, presents a straightforward anticipation of the Church facing the final deception of the Antichrist before the return of the Lord. Writings from church fathers such as Irenaeus (Against Heresies, c. 180 AD), Hippolytus of Rome (c. 200–235), and Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250) describe believers persevering through end-time persecution before being delivered by Christ at His coming. In their reading of Scripture, passages like Matthew 24:29–31—“Immediately after the tribulation… He will send His angels to gather His elect”—referred to a single, visible event at the end of the age.

As Christianity became the state religion under Constantine in the fourth century, the persecution that shaped early eschatology largely subsided in the Roman world. This led to new interpretive approaches, most notably the amillennialism of Augustine (City of God), which spiritualized much of Revelation and saw the millennium as symbolic of the Church age. While many Christians adopted symbolic interpretations, those who continued to read prophecy literally—such as certain medieval sects—generally maintained a post-tribulation framework.

During the Protestant Reformation, leaders such as Luther and Calvin focused their energies on reforming doctrine and resisting corruption in the Church, but when they addressed eschatology, they likewise expected the Church to face opposition before Christ’s return. Some Reformers identified the Papacy as the Antichrist and saw the Church as already enduring tribulation, yet still awaited a final climactic persecution before the end.

The nineteenth century marked a turning point with the emergence of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view. Darby’s teaching—that Christ would secretly take the Church before the seven-year Tribulation—spread widely through prophecy conferences and was given a major boost in the United States by the Scofield Reference Bible (1909). Throughout the twentieth century, Pre-Tribulation grew to dominate much of American evangelicalism, especially within dispensationalist denominations, partly because it emphasized the imminent return of Christ and offered the promise of escape from the trials of the Tribulation.

Today, the post-tribulation position remains globally significant, particularly outside North America. It is the prevailing view among Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and many Reformed traditions, as well as numerous Pentecostal and Charismatic movements around the world. In these traditions, the expectation is that the Church will face the trials of the last days, holding fast until Christ comes in glory to vindicate His people. However, in much of American evangelicalism—especially in churches influenced by dispensational teaching—the Pre-Tribulation Rapture continues to dominate. Mid-tribulation and pre-wrath positions have emerged as minority alternatives. Still, Post-Tribulation has retained a strong following among believers who read Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2 as describing the Church enduring the Antichrist’s reign before the Lord’s return.

Comparing the Three Views

We summarize the comparisons of the three views in a table.

I personally believe that the Post-Tribulation view is the least likely, as Scripture describes the Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ as happening at two different times. The Rapture, in which Christ gathers His Church, occurs during a relatively peaceful period. In contrast, the Second Coming happens at the darkest moment in history, when Christ descends in power to judge the world and reign on the earth.

The Rapture, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, is the moment when the dead in Christ are raised and the living believers are “caught up” (Greek: harpazō) to meet the Lord in the air. In this event, Christ does not set foot on the earth; rather, believers are taken from the earth to be with Him. The emphasis in these passages is on comfort, encouragement, and readiness—“Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18).

The descriptions of the Rapture suggest a time of relative normalcy. In Matthew 24:37–39, Jesus likens it to the days of Noah, when people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage”—ordinary life continuing until sudden removal occurs. The peaceful backdrop aligns with Luke 17:26–30, where Jesus compares it to the days of Lot: normal activities abruptly interrupted by divine intervention. This tone of sudden, unexpected deliverance points to a period before the cataclysmic judgments of Revelation have reached their peak.

The Second Coming, in contrast, is depicted as occurring at the darkest hour in human history. Revelation 19:11–16 presents Christ as the Rider on the white horse, descending from heaven with the armies of heaven to strike the nations, destroy the Antichrist, and bind Satan. This event follows the full outpouring of the Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl judgments—a period of global war, cosmic upheaval, famine, and unparalleled suffering (Matthew 24:21–22).

Unlike the Rapture, the Second Coming involves Jesus physically setting foot on the earth. Zechariah 14:4 declares, “On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives,” echoing the promise of Acts 1:11 that the same Jesus who ascended will return “in the same way” the disciples saw Him go. At this point, Christ will not depart again; He will establish His kingdom, rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15), and reign for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4).

The distinctions between the Rapture and the Second Coming are too pronounced to be reconciled as a single moment. At the Rapture, believers are taken up from the earth to meet Christ in the air; at the Second Coming, Christ descends to the earth and believers accompany Him from heaven (Revelation 19:14). The tone of the Rapture is one of rescue and reunion; the tone of the Second Coming is one of war and judgment. The Rapture interrupts normal life unexpectedly, while the Second Coming concludes a time of unprecedented chaos and destruction.

Furthermore, the purposes differ. The Rapture removes the Church from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10), while the Second Coming brings wrath upon the rebellious nations (Revelation 19:15). The Rapture fulfills Christ’s promise in John 14:2–3 to take His disciples to the Father’s house, whereas the Second Coming fulfills the Old Testament promises of a Messianic reign on earth (Isaiah 2:2–4; Zechariah 14:9).

Understanding these two events as separate provides a coherent timeline. The Rapture occurs first, during a period when life appears stable, signaling the removal of the Church before or during the initial stages of the Tribulation. The world then descends into chaos under the Antichrist’s rule, culminating in the darkest period of human history. At its climax, when all hope seems lost and the nations gather against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 16:14–16), Christ returns in glory at His Second Coming to overthrow His enemies, restore creation, and reign as King.

The prophetic imagery of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture often draws from Jewish wedding foreshadowing. This tradition offers a compelling picture of the Rapture occurring before the Tribulation—a removal of the Bride of Christ to be hidden with her Bridegroom before the day of judgment falls on the world. In this tradition, those seven days of seclusion parallel the seven years of the Tribulation in prophecy. Just as the bride is hidden from public view during those seven days, the Church—the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–27; Revelation 19:7–8)—will be hidden in the presence of the Lord during the seven years of global judgment.

Scripture presents the Rapture as coming during a time of relative normalcy, not during the chaos of war, famine, and cosmic upheaval described in Revelation. Jesus said in Matthew 24:37–39 that His coming would be “as the days of Noah,” when people were eating, drinking, and marrying until sudden judgment came. Similarly, Luke 17:28–30 compares it to the days of Lot — everyday life proceeding until divine judgment fell in a single day.

The first seal in Revelation 6:1–2 depicts a rider on a white horse, symbolizing the Antichrist’s initial rise to power under the guise of peace. If the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation begins, it fits this description: a sudden removal of the Church during a deceptively peaceful time, before the escalation of judgments that follow.

However, a strong objection to the Pre-Tribulation view is that if the Rapture closes the “Church age” and the door of grace is shut, then there should be no further opportunity for repentance—yet Scripture describes people turning to God during the Tribulation, especially in the first 3½ years. The ministry of the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:3–6) and the proclamation of the everlasting gospel by an angel (Revelation 14:6–7) both occur during this time, and many come to faith, even under persecution (Revelation 7:9–14).

One possible resolution lies in distinguishing between the Church age and salvation itself. The Rapture ends the era in which the Holy Spirit indwells the collective Body of Christ on earth and believers are part of the “Bride” being prepared for the wedding. After the Rapture, God still extends mercy — as He always has — to those who repent. The focus of God’s work shifts back to Israel and to the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:24–27), but salvation remains possible for those who turn to Him. In this way, the Rapture does not “end grace” but ends the Church’s mission on earth, making way for a different phase of God’s redemptive plan.

The Mid-Tribulation view is an alternative, such that the Church age ends only after the final decisive rejection of God by mankind, before the final judgment and wrath of God. The Church is removed not at the very beginning of Daniel’s 70th week, but in the middle, after the first 3½ years have passed. This timing is rooted in the belief that the Church age does not conclude until the world has reached a decisive point of rejection of God—a spiritual turning point in which humanity collectively chooses to follow the Antichrist rather than the truth of the gospel. Only after this point, Mid-Tribulationists argue, does God’s final judgment and wrath begin.

According to the Mid-Tribulation perspective, the first 3½ years of the Tribulation are a time of warning, evangelism, and initial judgments, but not yet the full outpouring of God’s wrath. The rise of the Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2) begins subtly, often seen as a period of deceptive peace. This is accompanied by prophetic witnesses and divine appeals for repentance, such as: 1) the ministry of the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:3–6) for 1,260 days, 2) the global proclamation of the gospel by the Church, continuing until the rapture itself, 3) judgments in the Seal openings that shake the world but are not yet the “great and terrible” day of the Lord’s wrath in full measure. During this period, humanity still has a clear opportunity to turn to God. The Church’s presence serves as a restraining force against full-blown lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:6–7), and the Spirit-empowered witness of believers plays a central role in calling people to repentance.

Mid-Tribulationists point to the midpoint of the seven years — specifically the Abomination of Desolation described in Daniel 9:27 and cited by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 — as the decisive spiritual rejection of God by the world. At this moment, the Antichrist breaks his covenant, desecrates the Temple, and openly demands worship (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4; Revelation 13:4–8).

This act represents the final global choice: allegiance to the Antichrist and his kingdom, or allegiance to the true God. For Mid-Tribulation proponents, it is this overt and public rejection of God’s rightful rule — on a worldwide scale — that marks the end of the Church’s mission on earth. With the gospel already proclaimed and the world’s rebellion solidified, the Bride of Christ is raptured and taken to be with the Lord.

After this midpoint, the judgments of God intensify dramatically. The Bowl judgments unfold in rapid succession, bringing devastating plagues, cosmic disturbances, and direct punishments on those who bear the mark of the beast (Revelation 16:1–2). At this stage, God’s wrath is no longer mixed with the patience and extended mercy characteristic of the Church age. Instead, it is the execution of justice on a world that has fully and knowingly chosen to oppose Him.

From the Mid-Tribulation perspective, removing the Church at this point protects the Bride from God’s final wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9), while also preserving the biblical narrative that God gives humanity every opportunity to repent before judgment is poured out in full measure. The Church’s departure thus comes after the decisive rejection, but before the climactic wrath.

This interpretation resolves two tensions in the end-times debate. It preserves the idea that the Church will not experience God’s wrath, while acknowledging that believers have historically endured Satan’s wrath and the world’s persecution. It maintains that God’s grace is extended as far as possible before the Church age closes—not at a time of relative peace, but at the moment when humanity, having seen clear evidence of God’s power and witness, still chooses to reject Him.

I would say the probability for Pre-Tribulation vs. Mid-Tribulation is 50-50. I am not sure which is correct. If Pre-Tribulation is correct, the Rapture will most likely happen on September 23, 2025. We modify our timeline as follows.

The date for the Second Coming of Christ is certain: September 15, 2032. For the Rapture, depending on your view, we list out three most likely dates in descending order of likelihood: September 23, 2025, April 4, 2029, and September 15, 2032.

Can I Be Wrong?

Absolutely.

In the Scriptures, numbers are never random. They carry weight, meaning, and often convey theological truths alongside prophetic patterns. The Bible’s use of numbers such as 40—a period of testing or preparation—and 7—a symbol of completeness—is deliberate. Forty years Israel wandered in the wilderness, forty days Moses fasted on Mount Sinai, and forty days Jesus fasted in the desert. Similarly, “two days” and “the third day” often speak of death, restoration, and divine intervention, as in Hosea’s prophecy, “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us” (Hosea 6:2). These numbers are not arbitrary. They form part of the language God uses to reveal His plan for human history.

It is therefore natural for many students of prophecy to assume that biblical numbers can be used to calculate precise timelines for end-time events. If the Bible gives exact spans—seventy years of exile, seventy weeks of years in Daniel, 1,260 days of Great Tribulation—then surely these durations can be plotted onto our calendars. Yet history is filled with failed date-setting predictions, even when those predictions are based on biblical numbers. This does not mean the numbers are wrong or meaningless; rather, the problem lies in human interpretation.

One of the most common causes of error is misidentifying the starting point of a prophetic countdown. Daniel’s prophecy of seventy weeks begins “from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25), but history records several possible decrees by different rulers. Choosing the wrong one shifts the entire calculation. The same problem arises if a prophecy’s end point is misunderstood or assumed rather than clearly defined by Scripture.

A second difficulty is confusing literal and symbolic usage. While some numbers are intended to be precise chronological measures—such as the 1,260 days, 42 months, or “time, times, and half a time” in Daniel and Revelation—others are symbolic patterns that may not translate directly into modern calendar dates. For instance, Peter’s statement that “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8) is a theological truth about God’s relationship to time, not necessarily a formula to be applied to every prophecy. When symbolic numbers are treated as strict chronologies, errors arise.

Prophecies can also be conditional. The forty days Jonah proclaimed over Nineveh were delayed because the city repented (Jonah 3:4–10). God’s patience can extend prophetic timelines, as Peter explains: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise… but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Peter 3:9). If God delays judgment for the sake of mercy, calculations based on fixed assumptions can be thrown off.

Another source of error is overlooking gaps in prophecy. Biblical visions sometimes compress events separated by long intervals. Isaiah 61:1–2 proclaims both the Messiah’s first coming and the day of God’s vengeance in one breath, yet Jesus, in Luke 4:18–21, stopped reading before the vengeance part because it awaited a future fulfillment. Similarly, Daniel’s seventy weeks contain a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week — the present Church age — which was unforeseen in the Old Testament. Predictions that fail to account for such gaps inevitably miss the mark.

There is also the matter of divine concealment. Jesus Himself said, “No one knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36), and Daniel was told that some visions were “sealed until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9). God reveals enough to keep His people watchful but withholds enough to prevent presumption. Even if the numerical values are exact, without God’s own timing key, human attempts to unlock them can be premature.

Finally, biblical numbers may be theological first, chronological second. They reveal God’s character, covenant faithfulness, and sovereignty more than they function as a codebook for human date prediction. The meaning of “forty” as testing, “seven” as completeness, or “three” as resurrection truth remains solid, but their application may not be a rigid formula for calculating the precise day of Christ’s return.

The conclusion is not that biblical numbers are vague or unreliable—far from it. They are precise within God’s plan and are rich with meaning. The problem arises when interpreters, driven by the desire to know the exact moment, misapply or overextend them beyond the purpose for which God revealed them. The numbers are real, the meanings are solid, but the ultimate timing belongs to the Lord, who has chosen to keep certain elements of His plan hidden until the moment comes. As Jesus said, the call is not to set dates, but to “keep watch” (Matthew 24:42), knowing that God’s appointed times will come exactly as He has determined.

If the numbers in the Bible convey anything, this is the best reading of the Scripture we can have, hence the dates in this paper.