Our Heavenly Father is a very orderly God. He does nothing on a random basis. While at Mount Sinai the Lord gave Moses instructions about what we call “feasts.” The Hebrew word the Lord used is not feast, but moed (mow-ed), which means an appointed time. The Lord set aside specific days for an appointed time to remember, celebrate and even feast.

I have long believed that the Day the Lord calls us up to meet Him in the air will be one of His appointed days. This is one of many reasons why I discounted Harold Camping’s prediction of the Rapture of the Church on May 21st. The same goes for October 21st.

Among those who expect the Lord to call us on one of His appointed days, there are varying opinions. One favorite is the Feast of Trumpets. This is based largely upon the idea of the trumpet call. Another possibility is the Day of Atonement. It is on this day every fifty years that a Jubilee is announced. The Day of Jubilee is when Israelites who “sold” (actually rented) their land were able to take possession of the land again. Jubilee is all about redemption. Most certainly, when the Lord calls us Home, that will be our redemption.

The Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are both fall feasts. They occur in late September or October. Many students of the Bible feel that the fall feasts pertain to the Jews. In fact, many believe that the Day when the Lord returns and sets foot on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) will be during one of the fall feasts.

Likewise, the spring feasts appear to pertain to the Church. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed the day before Passover, a spring feast. Passover was the reason why the Jews asked that the legs be broken of the men being crucified, so they would die quicker, before the Passover. (John19:31)

My personal favorite for the “call” is the Day of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. In the Book of Ruth there is a beautiful picture of a Gentile bride (representative of the Church) marrying the kinsman redeemer (representative of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus). And it all was initiated on Pentecost! To this day Jews read the Book of Ruth on Pentecost. This one works for me.

But there is another appointed day, the day when a sheaf of the grain of the early harvest is presented before the Lord. (Leviticus 23:9-11) This day is known as Firstfruits. Firstfruits is specified to be the day after the Sabbath, the Sabbath being Saturday in our terms. (In the Bible no names are given for the days of the week, with the exception of the seventh day being called the Sabbath.) The day after the Sabbath would be our Sunday. Firstfruits always follows immediately after Passover. It was on Firstfruits that Jesus was resurrected, He being the Firstfruits of those who have died. (First Corinthians 15:20)

What more appropriate day for the Lord to call His Church to meet Him in the air than the Day of Firstfruits, or Resurrection Sunday! Of course, we do not know which day we will hear the “voice like a trumpet.” It can be any one of the Lord’s appointed days, or maybe even my birthday. Come, Lord Jesus! May His name be praised always.