Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come, (Matthew 24:42).
“You better watch out…you better not cry…you better not pout, I’m telling you why…Santa Claus is coming to town.” These were words that terrified my as a child. Apparently I was such a problem child that when my parents went to visit friends they were asked not to bring me. So when Christmas was on the horizon, and I heard the words of this song, I really tried to be a “good boy”. (It never worked!)
I only bring this up because there has been some stirring in the Christian community about the possibility that Jesus is coming again on September 13 (September 14 in Israel). I received emails wondering why more pastors were not warning their congregations about this possibility (expressed as certainty in the email). What’s this all about?
September 14 is the day Jews in Israel celebrate the Feast of Trumpets. Because of time differences, this falls on September 13 here in the States. The thinking about how this relates to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ has to do with how Jesus tended to do things that connected him to the major Jewish feasts.
Jesus went to the Cross and became “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” during the Feast of Passover. He sent the Holy Spirit (what the New Testament calls the “first fruits” of the Spirit) at the time of Pentecost, a celebration of the first fruits of the Harvest. The third major feast observed by the Jews was Tabernacles (Sukkoth). This was the feast of the harvest or “ingathering”. Many have suggested that perhaps Jesus will return at the time of this festival.
Tabernacles takes place from September 27 through October 4 this year. So why September 13? If you believe that believers are going to be taken out of the world prior to the return of Christ, and that this event (called the Rapture) is connected to the sound of the trumpet (see I Thessalonians 4), then why not warn believers that September 13 is the day?
I actually have brought these theories to the attention of my congregation on an annual basis. Jokingly, I always tell them to be extra good during the end of September and the beginning of October. You don’t want to be embarrassed or ashamed when Jesus returns!
Is Jesus returning of September 13? Or between September 27 and October 4? Possibly! (The whole blood red moons thing plays into this also). Of course, he might come on September 12 just to fool everyone. Or he might come before you finish reading these musings (wouldn’t that be great!). The key words in the larger discussion of the Second Coming are “Possibly”, “Probably”, and “Definitely”. Is Jesus coming next week? “Possibly”. Is Jesus returning in our lifetime? I’d have to go with “Probably”. Is Jesus coming again? “Definitely!”
So “keep watch” during the coming days. And “be ready” – always! And “stay faithful”. These are the three instructions Jesus gave his disciples when they asked when he would fulfill the prophecies of his return. And if he does return on the 13th – you’ve been warned!