RAPTURE: Is Date Setting Scriptural?

While all Christians agree that the Lord shall return, there is divergent opinion on whether it was right for anyone, either by revelation, or calculation, to provide a date for his coming. Because of the objection to “date setting”, many Christians are dismissing the call to prepare for the coming of the Lord which some announce would be in September 2025. Bearing in mind the eternal consequences associated with this matter, one is compelled to seek additional insight that may help the saints to make the right decision.

DATE SETTING
This controversy started with the testimony of Bro. Joshua from South Africa who said the Lord appeared to him and told him that there would be no World Cup in 2026 because He would return in 2025 to take His people home. Since sharing this revelation, more people have come out to corroborate what Bro. Joshua said. One brother rightly cautioned that just because many people are saying the same thing does not mean it is correct. That is true.
Conversely, the word of God says in 2 Cor. 13:1 In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
So, while trying to avoid mob psychology, we should also seek to heed the word of God.

THE OBJECTIONS
Many of the brethren point out Matt. 24:36 in which the Lord says, But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Therefore, for most Christians, any prediction about His coming and any mention of a date is a violation of the Scriptures.
The second valid objection is that many people have provided dates in the past about the coming of the Lord and all of them turned out to be a hoax. This present call is equally considered a hoax.
Both concerns are valid.

WOULD GOD CONTRADICT HIMSELF?
Since the Lord said “nobody knows the day or the hour”, how could some people claim that Jesus appeared to them and gave them two dates, 23rd and 24th September 2025 as the date of His return? Was it Jesus who appeared to them, or were they deceived? The Lord warned us, And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. Luke 21:8.
We must be careful that we are not deceived. Therefore, we should be diligent to check the Scriptures to confirm the truth.

NOBODY KNOWS THE DAY OR THE HOUR
Bible scholars now tell us that the phrase “nobody knows the day or the hour” is an idiomatic expression referring to the Feast of Trumpets in Israel. This is one feast which no one knows whose exact day or hour because it is dependent on the sighting of the moon. The appearance of the moon is narrowed to two days and two people are sent to confirm if they have sighted it. Once the confirmation is received, the trumpet shall be blown, and the feast shall commence. To the supporters of a date for the rapture, “nobody knows the day or the hour” is the Lord’s way of telling His disciples that He will return at the Feast of Trumpets. In other words, the season of the return of the Lord was hidden in plain sight. The Jews He was talking to understand the idiomatic expression. That Feast of Trumpets in 2025 is 23rd/24th September.

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
I Thes. 5:1-4 provides us another clue to consider on this matter.
v. 2 - yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night This verse is speaking directly to Christians.
v. 3 - For when THEY shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon THEM, - The “they” and “them” are the unbelievers who reject Jesus as Lord.
v. 4 But YE, brethren, are NOT in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
From this verse, the Christians are supposed to know the time the Lord will return. It will not be hidden from Christians. It is the world that will not know the date of the return of the Lord, the believers are supposed to know.
v.5 goes further, Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Christians are not expected to be ignorant about “the day of the Lord.” A parallel is found in 2 Kings 2 where Elijah, Elisha, and the sons of the prophets knew the exact day Elijah would be taken to heaven.

MANY PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS HAVE FAILED
That is correct. Therefore, it is wise to be careful before embracing any date. Those who object to date setting based on caution are correct. We must be careful that we are not deceived.

A SEA OF COINCIDENCES
There is however a peculiarity about the current date that should not be ignored. Certain coincidences were not associated with previous dates of the rapture. Those coincidences should be carefully considered. We shall enumerate a few of them below. (They are more than what is listed below.)

1. The River Euphrates has reportedly dried up according to Rev. 16:12. This is a major sign of the end times. In the previous predictions about rapture dates, did the River Euphrates dry up?

2. NASA reported that an asteroid which it named “Apophis”, after the Egyptian God of chaos, death, and destruction, will contact Earth on Friday 13th April 2029. NASA earlier reported that the asteroid, which weighs 20 million tons and is moving at 28,000 miles per hour (45,061 km per hour) will make impact on the Earth with the force of 65,000 Hiroshima bombs exploding at once. NASA later changed its report to say that Apophis will orbit the Earth and narrowly miss it.
Did NASA make such a discovery when the previous predictions of rapture were made?

3. Pastor Tom Horn wrote a book entitled THE WORMWOOD PROPHECY based on a vision he had about Apophis. He insists that Apophis is the wormwood of Rev. 8:10-11 and the date NASA gave is the mid-point of the seven-year Great Tribulation.
Did any of the people who previously predicted the rapture receive a similar vision that tallies with the book of Revelation?

4. The Essenes of Qumran, the Jewish scholars associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls lived around 200 BCE and they accurately predicted the birth and death of Jesus. The Essenes predicted that the age of man would come to an end in 2032. Since the last seven years of this age will be the Great Tribulation, counting seven years backwards from 2032 would land one in 2025.
Did the previous predictions have such confirmation from a credible source like the Essenes? In case someone wanted to contest the credibility of the Essenes, it should be remembered that the Dead Sea Scrolls are regarded by Bible scholars as authentic manuscripts upon which our Bible is based.

5. By some sheer coincidence, the United Nations scheduled 23rd September 2025 to sign a 7-year Peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians. 1 Thes. 5:3 says, When they shall say Peace and safety sudden destruction shall come upon them. Could this be another coincidence? Was such a coincidence associated with earlier predictions of the rapture?

6. There are many video reports of children, some of them as young as four years, including an autistic boy who communicates by writing, consistently saying Jesus took them to heaven and informed them that he is coming now. Some of the children said the Lord told them it would be September. Did earlier predictions come with such testimony of children that fulfil Joel 2:28-29?

7. Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. On 7th September 2025 there was a blood moon to be followed 14 days later with a solar eclipse on 21st September before 23/24 September 2025. Did the earlier fake predictions report such Biblical signs around the dates of the rapture they announced?

8. If someone takes the date NASA announced for the arrival of Apophis on 13th April 2029 and works three and a half years back in the Jewish calendar, he will arrive at September 2025. Did any previous prediction have such a coincidence?

9. Nations of the world are reporting an outbreak of revival in the past few days. The video clips are available online. Countries that have such reports include the USA, Britain, Brazil, South Korea, France, Germany, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sweden, Mexico, and Italy. What else will happen in the next few days?

COULD ALL THESE BE MERE COINCIDENCES?
Kindly consider the information that has been set forth above and come to your own conclusion. Did the previous announcements of rapture come with all these signs that transcend the Church?
The signs, or “coincidences”, are more than what is shared in this short article. We are all encouraged to fact-check these issues and conduct more research on them.

WHAT ARE WE SAYING?
Simply put, the people of God should PREPARE. People, get READY to meet the Lord. It is better to err on the side of caution.
If by 25th September 2025 we were all still here, let us sustain the Christlikeness. For now, it may not be wise to ignore what the word of God says, and all the signs breaking out around us confirming Bible prophecies.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Your brother in Christ,
Bosun
16th September 2025