The Other Ten Days of Awe

You have likely heard of the Jewish 'Ten Days of Awe' that occur from Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashana, or the Feast of Trumpets) to Tishri 10 (Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement); however, do you realize that Christians have their own 'Ten Days of Awe'? Let's first examine the Jewish ten days of awe before we delve into the Christian version.     

Israel

The Jews today have three basic calendars: a civil calendar, a religious calendar, and the Gregorian calendar. Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets, is the fifth feast of the Lord. It occurs on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri on the Jewish ecclesiastical calendar, when the new moon of autumn occurs (or shortly after). Tishri 1 marks the start of the civil New Year and is the date on which the year number advances (Jewish Anno Mundi year). Little is known about the Feast of Trumpets except that it marked the beginning of a new year, and it was the first day of the ten Days of Awe. 

I believe the first or perhaps pre-Feast of Trumpets is found in Leviticus 8 (although it is not called by that name), which took place at Mt. Sinai during the time of the Exodus. This was the day that Aaron and his sons began their consecration (as High Priest and associate priests) in front of the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting. According to Leviticus 8:33, the ordination took seven days to complete. On the eighth day, Moses and his sons made a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a peace offering (on behalf of the people) unto the LORD. The LORD accepted the offerings and then appeared to the people.

"And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces" (Leviticus 9:23-24). 

The next recorded event is a little startling. "Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord" (Leviticus 10:1-2). Nadab and Abihu died and were buried on the 8th day of consecration. The people mourned them for that day and the next (9th day), and the first Day of Atonement occurred the day after. This was the 10^th day from the beginning of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. 

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the sixth Feast of the Lord. It is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar when all Israel mourns for their sins. On the tenth day of the seventh month of Tishri, in the wilderness, the high priest Aaron sacrificed for the sins of his people. This was the first time God commanded this sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. The first Yom Kippur is described in Leviticus 16, when Aaron performed his duties as the first High Priest of Israel. 

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father's place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. He shall make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the Lord commanded Moses" (Leviticus 16:29-34).

According to Jewish tradition,

"One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that Elohim has 'books' that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter Elohim's decree. The actions that change the decree are teshuvah, tefilah, and tzedakah, otherwise known as repentance, prayer, and good deeds (usually, charity). These 'books' are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is 'May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.'

Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for shortcomings between man and G‑d. To atone for wrongs against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible." {1} Days of Awe - Judaism 101 (JewFAQ).

The Church

The 'ten days of awe' for Christians began 40 days after Christ's resurrection (on the Feast of Firstfruits), as described in Acts 1:1-3. "He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). Most scholars believe the 40th day was when Jesus ascended to heaven. Here is how Jack Kelley views these 40 days:

"The number 40 often symbolized a time of testing, such as the 40 days the Israelites were left to themselves while Moses was on the mountain, the 40 years they spent in the wilderness, the 40 days Elijah was on the run from Jezebel, and the 40 days of temptation the Lord endured. I’m of the opinion that the 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension were a final time of testing for Israel during which the Lord waited for them to heed the unmistakable sign of Jonah He had given them (Matt. 12:39-40) and accept Him as their Messiah. When they didn’t, He left, and the door was opened for the Church." {2} Where Was The Lord? – Grace thru faith.

The ascension of Jesus is mentioned in Acts 1:6-11.

"When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." 

This 'rapture' of Jesus into heaven is also captured in Revelation 12:5, "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne." The Greek word (transliteration) for 'caught up' is 'hērpasthē.' It is a form of the Greek word 'harpazó,' which is the original word for 'rapture.' Paul used another form of this word (harpagēsometha or 'shall be caught up') in 1 Thessalonians when he described the catching up of living believers into the heavens. The English word 'rapture' is derived from the Latin translation of the Greek word 'harpazo.'

Acts 1:9 states that Jesus was taken up and a cloud received Him. The two angels told the disciples that Jesus had been taken to heaven. Before Jesus' death, he had told the disciples several times that he would be killed, resurrected, and would return to the Father. "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father" (John 16:16,28). 

The Son of Man's Entry Into Heaven 

After Jesus' ascension and entry into Heaven, He is installed as the true King of the world. According to the Apostle's Creed, He "ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father." Here is a description of the Almighty Father: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him" (Daniel 7:9-10).

I believe Jesus' return to the heavenly Father is recorded in the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14. "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Here is a description of this 'Son of man' (Jesus Christ) in His glorified form: "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Revelation 1:13-16).

The description of the Son is remarkably similar to the Father. This shouldn't be too surprising, for Jesus himself said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus said to Philip, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?” (John 14:9).

The Tenth Day After The Ascension

Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven (and 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits) was the day of Shavuot (aka Pentecost). This was the day Jesus prophesied about earlier in Acts 1:8, in which He said the disciples would receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon them. The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Acts 2:1-6, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language." 

On the 7th day of the 3rd month of Sivan on the Hebrew calendar, in A.D. 33, the Holy Spirit was manifested, and the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in other languages, other languages, as the Spirit gave them the wisdom to communicate in this way. On this Hebrew date, we see the significance of God's perfect numbers: 7 (representing spiritual perfection, including the seven-fold Holy Spirit) and 3 (representing divine perfection, including the Holy Trinity). As I have mentioned several times, the number 33 is associated with Jesus. 73 is the gematria of the Hebrew word 'chokmah' (the ordinal value is 37), which is translated as 'wisdom.' Proverbs 1:23 says, "Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you."

During Peter's sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2, Peter quotes from the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-29), when he says, "And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:18,21). Peter then said, "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:32-33).

In Acts 2:38,41, we see the results of Peter's spirit-filled sermon: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

The renowned Bible scholar Grant Jeffrey articulated on the remarkable growth of the early Church following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

“Those ordinary people, His disciples, were transformed on that day into men of extraordinary spiritual power who would challenge their world of abject paganism with a dynamic Christian movement that not even the might of Rome could stop. Within a few days, over three thousand Jews became believers. Reliable reports suggest that despite horrible persecutions, tortures, and massive executions, within 70 years, over 10 million believers had joined the underground Christian Church throughout the Roman Empire. Jesus fulfilled his prophecy to his disciples, and God baptized them with his Holy Spirit. The feast of Pentecost began the Dispensation of Grace, and the Church was born. It consisted of Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of mankind.” {3} “Appointment with Destiny – Armageddon” by Grant R. Jeffrey

The Convergence Of First And Twenty-First Century Calendars

Jesus ascended into heaven on Thursday, Iyyar 27 on the Jewish calendar, forty days after Resurrection Sunday, which occurred on Nisan 17 that year. The date on the Julian calendar (the calendar in use by the Romans at this time) was Thursday, May 14, 33 AD. The Julian calendar for 33 AD appears almost identical to the 2026 Gregorian calendar, with the new and full moon conjunctions (which determine the 1st and 15th days of the Jewish months) aligning very closely as well.  The date on the Julian calendar (the calendar in use by the Romans at this time) was Thursday, May 14, 33 AD.

The date for Resurrection Sunday (renamed Easter by the Catholic Church) in 2026 is April 5, which corresponds to Nisan 17 on the (Biblical) Jewish calendar. See The Calculated Jewish Calendar vs. the Biblical Jewish Calendar. Ascension Day occurs 40 days later on Thursday, May 14, 2026, or Iyyar 27 on the Jewish calendar. Of course, we recognize May 14, 1948, as Israel's Independence Day on the Gregorian calendar (the Jewish date was Iyyar 5 in 1948).

The following day, Friday, May 15, 2026 (Iyyar 28), the Jews will celebrate Jerusalem Day. Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 1967 (on Iyyar 28). 

May 2026 is a busy and perhaps prophetic year for Israel and the world. May 20, 2026, is Sivan 3 on the Jewish calendar. I believe that Sivan 3, 1446 BC, is the date on the Jewish calendar when Yahweh came down Mt. Sinai (with the trumpet of God sounding) as recorded in Exodus 19. "On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people." (Exodus 19:1, 11 - ESV). See The First and Last Trumpet Call of God.

In 2026, the Jewish Feast of Shavuot begins on the evening of Thursday, May 21st, and ends at sundown on Saturday, May 23 (Shavuot usually begins on Sivan 6 on the calculated Jewish calendar). The Church's commemoration of Pentecost occurs on Sunday, May 24, 2026, which corresponds to the biblical Jewish calendar date of Sivan 7. These Jewish and Gregorian dates for Pentecost in 2026 align with the calendar dates for Shavuot/Pentecost in 33 AD, which also occurred on Sivan 7 and May 24 (Julian calendar). The ten days of awe (for Christians) in 2026 (and 33 AD) occur from May 15 to May 24. These are high watch days for the Rapture (IMO). See Shavuot, Pentecost, and the Rapture.

Personally, I (Randy) believe the clamor for the Rapture (On the Feast of Trumpets) in 2025 was a little premature. Most adherents to this view believed that 2032 would have been the 2000th year (two days for the Lord) since they believed Jesus was crucified in 32 AD. When you deduct the seven-year Tribulation from 2032, you get 2025. However, Jesus couldn't have been crucified in 32 AD, as the Nisan 14 Passover was on a Sunday or Monday that year. Christ was crucified on a Thursday Passover (Nisan 14). See Solving the Three Day Three Night Mystery – Grace thru faith. 

Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven in 33 AD. The years 30 and 33 AD are the only two acceptable years (as reckoned from Luke 3:1) that Jesus could have been crucified on a Thursday. In The Season of the Lord’s Return, I think it was reasonably well proven that it couldn't have occurred in 30 AD, which leaves 33 AD for the year of the crucifixion.  So, when you reckon in Hosea 6:2 prophecy of two days for the Lord (or 2000 years per Psalm 90:4 & 2 Peter 3:8) to 33 AD, the math adds up to 2033, minus the seven-year Tribulation, giving you the year 2026. 

Of course, you have that little (but contextually huge) word 'as' in 2 Peter 3:8, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." This begs the million-dollar question, "Is one day with the Lord a thousand years exactly, or is it a thousand years approximately (say 1001 years)?"

All we really know for sure is that we are in the season of the Lord's return. We have shown the convergence of the calendar dates for the Feasts of the Lord and significant historical events related to the Jewish nation. We know that the year (Tishri to Tishri) 2025-2026 is the 3430th (7 x 7 x 7 x 10) year from 1406-1405 BC, when the Israelites entered the Promised Land. 

3430 years is the equivalent of 490 Sabbath (or Shemitah) cycles (3430 ÷ 7 = 490). If the Shemitah (and Jubilee) cycle/s began in (Tishri to Tishri) 1406-1405 BC, and is reckoned continuously regardless of the Jews leaving re-entering the land, and if the 50th year is also the first year of the following Shemitah week, then 2025-2026 AD is the 70th Jubilee year for the Jews. 

Additionally, if 3968 BC marks the beginning of human creation, as I discussed in The Hepta Week Cycle For Six Millennia of Mankind, then 2033 AD would be the 6000th year of creation.

The Second Coming Of Christ In Two-Part Harmony

Acts 1:10-11 states, "And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Could these two 'men' be the same angels mentioned in Genesis 19:1 and Daniel 12:5, who often accompany the pre-incarnate Jesus?

Many scholars believe the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is in view in Acts 1:11, but is that accurate? The Second Coming is described in Revelation 19:11-21.

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Revelation 19:11-15). 

Does this description of Jesus' return to the Earth match what the angels said to the disciples regarding Jesus "shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven?" Jesus did not ascend to heaven in his glorious form, nor did he ascend with the armies of heaven. I believe the two angels were referring to the Rapture as described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Jesus ascended to heaven ten days before the Holy Spirit came down. 10 is the number for ordinal perfection. During these ten days of awe, Jesus went up, and the Holy Spirit came down. When Jesus returns (in like manner as when He left) at the Rapture, He will descend, and the Holy Spirit will go up (with Holy Spirit-filled believers). Will Jesus' return for His bride occur sometime within the Christian Ten Days of Awe? One can only speculate. After all, no one knows the day or the hour. 

Calendar / Event	Hebrew	Julian	Gregorian	Significance
Passover (Crucifixion, Nisan 14)	Nisan 14, 33 AD	Thurs, April 2, 33 AD	N/A	Jesus crucified; only 30 & 33 AD fit the Thursday crucifixion.
Resurrection Sunday, Feast of Firstfruits	Nisan 17, 33 AD	Sunday, April 5, 33 AD	Sunday, April 5, 2026	Both calendars align: Resurrection = Nisan 17.
Ascension Day (40 days later)	Iyyar 27, 33 AD	Thursday, May 14, 33 AD	Thursday, May 14, 2026	Alignment is exact: Iyyar 27 on both timelines. Also, Israel’s Independence Day (May 14, 1948 = Iyyar 5).
Jerusalem Day (modern)	Iyyar 28	Friday, May 15, 33 AD	Friday, May 15, 2026	Jewish national holiday commemorating 1967
Exodus 19 – Mt Sinai	Sivan 3 (1446 BC)	N/A	Wednesday, May 20, 2026	First “Trumpet of God” event; prophetic foreshadow
*Shavout/ Pentecost (Church)	Sivan 7	Sunday, May 24, 33 AD	Sunday, May 24, 2026	Both years align on Sivan 7/May 24. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the conception of the Church.
10 Days of Awe (for Church)	Iyyar 28 → Sivan 7	May 15 – May 24, 33 AD	May 15 – May 24, 2026	Period between Ascension & Pentecost.
Shemitah/Jubilee Cycle	N/A	N/A	2025–2026 = 3430th year since entering the Promised Land	Equals 490th Shemitah cycle and 70th Jubilee year
Tish b'Av	Av 9, 33 AD / 2026	Friday, July 24, 33 AD	Thursday, July 23, 2026	National day of communal mourning

*Shavuot and Pentecost were eventually split up into two different holidays. Pentecost for the Church and Shavuot for the Jews. They usually occur on different dates on both the Jewish and Gregorian calendars. Shavuot occurs on May 22-23 (Sivan 5-6) in 2026.

The Days of Awe and Av

Now, you know I (Pete) favor a rapture event on Tish B'Av for reasons I've listed out here in this article, but as a refresher, just note the events on the following dates:

• 586 BC: The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians' third siege on the city (597 and 587BC). The Jewish population of the Kingdom of Judah was subsequently sent into exile.

• 70AD: The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. This event marked the beginning of a prolonged exile for the Jewish people.

• 135: The Bar Kokhba revolt against Roman rule ended with the massacre of Jews at the city of Betar.

• 136: The Romans plowed over the Temple Mount and rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city. 

• 1290: King Edward I of England issued an edict to expel all Jews from the country.

• 1492: The Alhambra Decree was signed by Ferdinand and Isabella, expelling the Jews from Spain. The final deadline for expulsion coincided with Tisha B'Av.

• 1648–1649: The Chmielnicki massacres resulted in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Jews in Ukraine.

• 1914: Germany declared war on Russia on Tisha B'Av, an event considered to have initiated the First World War and its aftermath, which set the stage for the Holocaust.

• 1942: The Nazis began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp on the ninth of Av. 

• 1994: The deadly bombing of the AMIA (Jewish Community) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killed 86 and wounded some 300 others.

• 2005: "On the Jewish calendar, the so-called disengagement was carried out the day after Tisha B’Av (August 13-14, 2005) on August 15, 2005. For Israel’s pro-settler faction, the fact that the event landed so close to the Jewish day of mourning lent it a mythic quality. It was, they argue, the sixth and most recent calamity to befall the Jewish people on or around the 9th of Av, after the destruction of the First and Second Temples."

Again, not saying the Rapture has to occur on that day, but in my mind, it makes sense that Israel might get the 'mother of all red flags' should the Rapture occur then. Just think about the way things are today. The world has, in recent years (even within the Church), increasingly turned hostile to Jews, Israel, and Zionism. This is causing a major bout of desperation within Israel to strengthen its allies and alliances. The last true 'pro-zionists' are mostly dispensational Christians who recognize the prophetic significance of Israel in God's future plans. And should these Christians all of a sudden disappear, on or near Tish B'Av? Well, it would/should be a massive wake-up call for those Jews paying attention.

In closing, if Jesus is going to come in 'like manner': in the air (not to the earth), not on a feast date, and between the spring and fall feasts, it seems that the summer of 2026 is a time I personally will be even more excited than I am most every day. I realize that imminence is the prerequisite for the Rapture of the Church. But since we are watching the infrastructure for the Beast-kingdom being built by exponential leaps and bounds, it's hard not to see this summer as a non-event (prophetically speaking), given how close we are to the end. I don't know what role 2033 plays as the actual years of the two-thousandth anniversary, but I am convinced (personally) that this year plays some role inside the confines of the 70th Week.

That said, my caveat remains in that summer could come and go, and we are still here; Randy and I are just drawing your attention to the interesting things that are increasingly lining up. Given the increasing signs in the heavens, the distress of nations with perplexity, the growing global lawlessness and satanic Antisemitism, all we can do is note what Jesus said regarding that time:

 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28 (my emphasis)