He Shall Come Unto Us As The Rain

In 33 AD, Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and then ascended to heaven. It was the 4000th year from creation (approximately 3968 BC), which is four days for the Lord, as a day for the LORD is as 1000 years for man (per Psalm 90:4 & 2 Peter 3:8). See The Hepta Week Cycle For Six Millennia of Mankind :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready.

Jesus ascended to heavenforty days after his resurrection, per Acts 1:3. Ten days later, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus' disciples on the day of Shavuot (otherwise known as Pentecost). 

Hosea 6:2 says this about the LORD's return, "After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight." So, the question is, "from when do the 'two days' (2000 years) begin?" The answer is found in the preceding verses. Hosea 5:15 says, "I will go and return to my place, until they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early." Where did the Lord Jesus go after His death and return to his place?  He went back to heaven from whence He came. What is the affliction He is referring to in this verse? It is the Tribulation (Jacob's trouble or Daniel's 70th week). When will Jesus return (Second Coming)? He will return aftertwo days for the LORD or 2000 years. 2000 years from 33 AD is 2033 AD. Just saying!

How long does Daniel's 70th week last? It lasts for 'a week' (per Daniel 9:27) or seven years. If the Rapture doesn't happen this year in 2025, then the pre-tribulation Rapture must occur in 2026, that is, if Jesus returns to the Earth in 2033. According to my linked article above, in 2033 AD, it will have been 6000 years (or six days for the LORD) since creation. The ministry of the Holy Spirit (regarding restraining evil) is about finished, and when the fullness of the 'Gentiles' (or nations) has come in per Romans 11:25, Jesus will return to the sky above the Earth and fulfill Paul's prophecies of the Rapture as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. 

2 Thessalonians 2:7 says, “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.” I believe the restrainer in this verse is the Holy Spirit working through the New Testament church. The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell the followers/believers of Jesus Christ on the day of Shavuot/Pentecost, thus starting His Church. Is it possible that the Holy Spirit will be removed (from his restraining work), as the Church is physically removed from the Earth, on the day of Shavuot/Pentecost (the fourth Feast of the Lord) at the Rapture? If so, the Church's beginning and end will have occurred on a Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost.  

In many ways, the number 33 represents Jesus, as I wrote about in The Number 33, Jesus, and Pi. The word “firstfruits” is mentioned 33 times in the Bible (NKJV and ESV), 26 times in the O.T. and 7 times in the N.T. It would be mentioned 33 times in the KJV except that the word "first ripe" is used instead of "first fruits" in Hosea 9:10. If you add God's perfect number 7 to 26 (the Hebrew gematria for Yahweh or LORD), the sum is 33.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23 says, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming." 

Jesus ultimately fulfilled the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread (the Feasts of the Lord are first mentioned in Leviticus 23:4-8) at the time of his crucifixion and burial. See Ancient Calendars, Feast Days, & Daniel 12:11 - Part 2 :: By Randy Nettles. Jesus then fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits, as described in Leviticus 23:9-14, when he was resurrected from the dead and became the 'firstfruits' of those who have died (In Christ). 

THE WAVE OFFERING OF THE BARLEY SHEAF

At the time of the early spring harvest of barley, the first task was to bring a small barley sample or 'first fruits' into the house of the Lord. The priest was to wave a sheaf of barley grain unto the Lord during the day of the Feast of Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:10-14), in effect thanking the Lord for his bounty and asking for the Lord’s blessing upon the coming harvest. 

During the remaining days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, after the waving of the barley sheaf, the barley bread that was to be consumed was to be made without leaven. In the Torah, leaven represents sin. Exodus 12:15 says the Israelites were to 'put away' leaven out of their houses for the seven days of Unleavened Bread. The unleavened bread represents Jesus’ body, which was without sin. This is why the Feast of First Fruits must be within the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Jesus told the Jews he was the true bread from heaven (manna). He said, "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33).

Also on the Feast of Firstfruits, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, was to be offered as a burnt offering, along with a grain offering and a drink offering of wine. Of course, the 'male lamb without blemish' represents Jesus, and the grain and wine represent the  'Last Supper,' which we commemorate when we observe communion.

The very name 'first fruits' implies that there is more to come after the first is given. This tradition of the waving of the first fruit barley sheaf was incorporated into this Feast to be a statute forever throughout the Israelites’ generations in all their dwellings. The waving of the barley sheaf was a symbolic representation of Jesus, the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18, Revelation 1:5).

At the time the priest waved the sheaf of barley grain in the Temple at Jerusalem, God was 'waving' the resurrected and glorified Jesus in heaven, signifying the bountiful harvest of souls to come at the second harvest known as the Rapture. Jesus was the first fruits of the first crop of the dead (in Christ) that was brought into the house of the Lord.

Jesus also resurrected others from death during this time. “The graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew 27:52-53). I believe these are the Messianic Jews who died during the time of Jesus’ ministry. After the resurrection, when Jesus returned to the Father, He took these believers with Him to heaven. They are awaiting their eternal spiritual bodies like all the rest of the 'dead in Christ.'     

By resurrecting many saints on this Feast of First Fruits, Christ proved that His power over death was not limited to Himself alone. Many ancient Christian writers refer to this miraculous resurrection of the dead. This event, together with more than five hundred eyewitnesses to the risen Christ, as per 1 Corinthians 15:4-6, assisted in the rapid spread of the Christian faith. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the Feast of First Fruits.

Although there have been several resurrections of dead people before Jesus, they all died again. Jesus is the only one who has been raised from the dead and is living now in heaven with a resurrected body that is made for eternity. He is the first of His kind in this regard, with many more to follow Him in the near future. The next resurrection of the “dead in Christ” (and living believers as well) with a translated eternal body will be at the Rapture.

THE WAVE OFFERING OF THE TWO LOAVES OF WHEAT BREAD

The fourth Feast of the Lord, Shavuot (Feast of Weeks/Feast of Harvest), is celebrated 50 days from the Feast of First Fruits (inclusive reckoning) in late spring or early summer. Seven Sabbaths must be observed before Shavuot begins the next day on the first day of the week (Sunday). Shavuot, or Pentecost to the Greek-speaking Gentiles, celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. The name Pentecost comes from the Greek word “penta,” meaning 50.

“And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete. Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new grain offering unto the Lord. You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord" (Leviticus 23:15-17).

"Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest” (Leviticus 23:19-20).

Since the Feast of First Fruits always occurs on a Sunday, so must Shavuot. It is another day-of-the-week-specific Feast and can occur on different dates in the Hebrew calendar. Originally, Shavuot was celebrated because it was the beginning of the summer harvest. But in A.D. 135, after the final defeat of the Jewish nation (under the leadership of Simon ben Kosiba, popularly known as Bar Kokhba) by Roman legions, the Sanhedrin changed the focus of Shavuot from the summer harvest to the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. The Bible does not mention the giving of the Law as occurring on Shavuot. 

They did this because Shavuot was one of the three Feasts in which all male Jews were required to observe and gather together, and the defeated and dispersed nation of Israel would no longer have any national harvests to celebrate. From that time on, the Jewish leaders decided that Shavuot would occur 50 days after the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), instead of the Feast of Firstfruits. So now, in their eyes, Shavuot can come any day of the week and takes place on the 6th day (or within a few days) of the third Hebrew month of Sivan. This dating method for Shavuot is not biblically correct.

I believe the 'Day of Pentecost' mentioned in Acts 2 was the very same Feast of the Lord, known as Shavuot, and not some other minor festival. The Greek word for Pentecost, 'Pentekoste,' means 'fiftieth,' in reference to the fiftieth day after the waving of the Omer. It is only used three times in the N.T. This was the same day the Holy Spirit 'sat upon' the disciples (per Acts 2:3) and empowered them to speak in foreign languages, enabling them to communicate with all the Jews from different countries who spoke in various languages.

After Peter’s speech to the multitudes, the Jews asked Peter what they should do. Peter told them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39). On this fourth Feast of the Lord, on the four thousandth year since creation, the Church of Jesus Christ was born. Keep in mind, that the Feasts of the Lord of Israel are but “a shadow of things to come, but the substance (body) is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). They are called Feasts of the LORD (or Feasts of Yahweh) and not Feasts of the Jews. In Leviticus 23:1-2, the LORD told Moses, "these are My Feasts."

In the first few centuries after the death of Christ, the early Church began to distance itself from the Jews regarding Passover and the Resurrection. The Jewish Passover had no meaning for the Gentile Christians except through reflection on Jesus’ death on the cross, and likewise His resurrection, which they viewed as occurring on the Sunday after His death. In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea set the dating method for when to observe Easter (resurrection Sunday). Easter, in turn, sets the timing for “Good Friday” (supposedly the day of the week of Christ’s death) and also the day of Pentecost, which is the day Christians celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church.

This act by the Council of Nicaea officially separated Shavuot from Pentecost, and they became two different holidays or festivals. What a shame! Shavuot remained a Feast of the Lord day for the Jews, with no connection to the Church’s birth, and Pentecost became a Christian holiday with no connection to the agricultural Feast of Shavuot. They rarely occur on the same date, as the starting date for counting the 50 days of the Omer usually begins earlier than the countdown from Easter to Pentecost.

The Church of Jesus Christ was born on the day of Shavuot/Pentecost after seven sevens (weeks) had passed from His resurrection. On this annual Jewish Feast day, the Jews were required to bring a new grain (wheat) offering to the LORD, which consisted of two loaves of bread made from fine flour and baked with leaven. “They are the first fruits unto the LORD” (Leviticus 23:17). This is quite different from the Feast of Firstfruits, where it was required to bring a sheaf of barley, and the worshipers were to eat only unleavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

We have seen the typology of the Feast of First Fruits in that Jesus was the first fruits of the dead to be resurrected. Jesus led a sinless life. Leaven, which represents sin, was not allowed in the barley bread to be eaten during that Holy week. However, after seven sevens (49 days), on the following day of Shavuot, the two wheat loaves that were to be waved before the Lord were baked with leaven. This is the only Feast of the Lord where leaven is allowed. Why?

I believe the two leavened loaves of wheat bread are a typology of the Church that was born on that “Pentecost” day on Sivan 7, 33 AD.

Both Jews and Gentiles were baptized on that day and became members of Jesus’ congregation (Church) that started the spiritual kingdom of God on earth. All were sinners. However, these new believers were filled with the Holy Spirit of God and became a new creation, from mere grain to baked loaves, from Jews and Gentiles to Christians. 

BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO WITNESSES

There have been two 'raptures' of living believers according to the Bible. Enoch's rapture is mentioned in Genesis 5:24, and Elijah's is mentioned in 2 Kings 2:11. According to Jewish tradition, Enoch was born on the day that would become Pentecost, just like the church, and his name means 'dedicated' or 'consecrated.' Elijah means 'Yahweh is God,' a declaration that summarizes the prophet’s life-work of calling Israel back to exclusive covenant loyalty. The antediluvian, Enoch, lived before the people were divided into nations (at the Tower of Babel), so he is considered a Gentile (a non-Jew). Elijah, of course, was a Jew. Hence, a Gentile and a Jew (two loaves of leavened bread) were raptured because they pleased God. 

Enoch's rapture more resembles the Church's Rapture than Elijah's. There were no witnesses to Enoch's rapture (as far as we know), as there were with Elijah's. Enoch was 'taken' because he pleased God. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5).

Elijah was taken by a whirlwind unto heaven (2 Kings 2:11), whereas Enoch simply vanished (as far as we know), or as Genesis 5:24 says, "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

The Bible doesn't say why Elijah was raptured. Jack Kelley speculated on this, "I think Elijah, being the only other one raptured into heaven, serves primarily as the fulfillment of the 'two witnesses' principle where a thing is established by the testimony of two witnesses (Deut. 19:15). Enoch and Elijah give witness to the fact that it’s possible to be taken alive into Heaven." {1} Enoch, Elijah, And The Rapture – Grace thru faith.

THE LATTER AND FORMER RAIN

Hosea 6:1-3 says, ”Come and let us return unto the Lord: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 

Jesus came the first time as the 'latter rain.' The latter rain comes to Israel during the early spring season (during the time of the first three Feasts of the Lord), and the 'former rain' comes during the fall season. The reason for this is that Israel has two calendars, the ecclesiastical and civil calendars. Regarding the former rain, Hosea is referring to the civil calendar, which begins in the fall (Tishri 1).

Jesus will return to the Earth (Second Coming) during the former rains that occur during the last three fall Feasts of the Lord.

Shavuot or Pentecost comes between the early spring and fall seasons, just as the Rapture comes between the First and Second Comings. Jesus will fulfill all seven Feasts of the Lord. Most scholars believe Jesus fulfilled Pentecost by sending the Holy Spirit, but did He, or was Pentecost fulfilled by the Holy Spirit Himself?

Both Jesus and the Father are described as sending the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7, Jesus says, “But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” This verse (along with John 15:26) suggests that Jesus sends the Holy Spirit.

However, in John 14:26, it is written, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” This implies that the Father sends the Holy Spirit. So, it can be concluded that both Jesus and the Father have roles in sending the Holy Spirit at Shavuot/Pentecost. This makes sense, after all, Jesus said He and the Father are one (John 10:30).

We know that the Father sent the Son (John 5:37 and 1 John 4:14) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) to save the world from sin and to convict them of their sins. Basically, the Father is the sender, and the Son and Holy Spirit are the ones being sent. It is my belief that the Holy Spirit is the One who fulfilled the Feast of Shavuot/Pentecost. If this is true, Jesus will fulfill Shavuot (or Pentecost) at the Rapture and the fall Feasts of the Lord (Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles) at the Second Coming. Jesus must fulfill all seven Feasts of Yahweh.

Jesus told his disciples he had to go away in order for the Holy Spirit to come (John 16:7). Jesus' ministry ended ten days before the Feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit's ministry began on Pentecost and will continue until His ministry (one of many) of restraining evil will end at the Rapture. During their time on Earth, Jesus glorified the Father, and the Holy Spirit glorified the Son. 

The Tribulation is Daniel's 70th Week or Jacob's Trouble. It is the continuation of the last seven years of the Mosaic Law. It was interrupted by the time of the Gentiles, known as the Church Age (the age of grace). Long ago, God told Moses (regarding the Jews and Gentiles), "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation" (Deuteronomy 32:21). That foolish 'nation' (Gentiles or people) is the Church. 

THE THREE GATHERINGS UNTO THE LORD

There were three times a year that the Israelites were to gather together to keep the Feasts of the Lord. "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles" (Deuteronomy 16:16). 

These Feasts of the Lord were appointed to coincide with the harvest seasons of Israel. The Feast of Unleavened Bread takes place during the barley harvest season. The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, takes place during the wheat harvest season. The Feast of Tabernacles takes place during the olive and fruit harvest season.

Jesus was the 'firstfruits' to be raised from the dead with a translated heavenly body. This occurred within the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (on the Feast of Firstfruits). The second 'firstfruits' to be raised from the dead will occur at the Rapture, perhaps on Shavuot/ Pentecost (?), if the typology holds. The third 'firstfruits to be raised from the dead will occur after the Second Coming, when the Tribulation and Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead. This should coincide with the Feast of Tabernacles (at the end of Daniel's 70th week), when the autumn harvest of fruit and olives typically occurs.

"The Book of Ruth is a beautiful analogy of the relationship between Naomi, a model of Israel, Ruth, a model of the Church, and Boaz, the Kinsman-Redeemer. It’s read in the synagogues on Shavuot. “The modeling here is dramatic, with Naomi in the role of Israel, destitute and alone, Ruth as the Church, the gentile bride, Boaz as the Messiah, and the story itself as a prediction of the relationship that would involve all three of them. In the process of redeeming Israel, the Messiah takes a Gentile bride. In doing so, He saves both from their destitute condition and restores Israel’s Land. The identification of the Church with Pentecost began in the prophecies of Ruth.” {2} The Feast Of Pentecost – Grace thru faith.

Regarding the Rapture, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Many prefer the Feast of Trumpets (especially the one on 9/23/2025) for the Rapture because it occurs on Tishri 1 during the time when the new moon of fall occurs, and no one knows exactly what day or hour the crescent moon will appear (or be seen). However, this occurs at the start of every Jewish month and is not restricted to Tishri 1.

However, all the Feasts of the Lord have Hebrew calendar dates, except for Firstfruits and Shavuot, as specified in Leviticus 23. The 'day and hour' (the calendar date), for a particular year, which no one knows in advance, is Shavuot/Pentecost, as it is dependent on when the Feast of Firstfruits occurs, and Firstfruits doesn't have a date until Nisan 1 is determined. Nisan 1 can be delayed by a month (when an intercalary month was added) if the crops aren’t in a state of ripeness. 

The spiritual wheat crop has been maturing for nearly two millennia now, and soon, it will be ready to harvest. The date for Shavuot/Pentecost in 33 AD was Sunday, Sivan 7 on the Jewish calendar, corresponding to 5/24/33  on the Julian calendar. Interestingly, the date for Pentecost in 2026 is also Sunday, Sivan 7 on the Jewish calendar, corresponding to 5/24/2026, on the Gregorian calendar. 

Scripture says, 'no one knows the day or the hour,' of the Rapture (some say the Second Coming). The only way someone can know the exact timing (day and hour) of the Rapture is if God reveals it to them. If God didn't reveal the timing of the Rapture to His Son, Jesus (during his first advent), or His angels, then He certainly isn't going to reveal it to anybody else. So, that leaves only typologies and speculation (hopefully, speculation based on Scripture) for reckoning the date of the Rapture.

I believe, like the late great Bible teacher, Jack Kelley, that the Rapture doesn't have to occur on a Feast of the Lord day, but if it does, the best choice would be Shavuot/Pentecost; although I certainly wouldn't mind being wrong, and the Rapture occurring on Trumpets, 9/23-24/2025. We'll see soon enough, I suppose. Ironically, or not, the Feast of Trumpets occurs on practically the same date in 2033 as it does in 2025, which is 9/24/2033. 

Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Randy Nettles

9/18/2025

rgeanie55@gmail.com