Rapture Facts: Truth Over Hype

Every September, the TV or internet seems to buzz with Rapture predictions. Some link the event to UN meetings, blood moons, or coded prophecies unveiled to only certain teachers who purport to hear directly from the Lord. One YouTuber dared to say, “The Lord told me…” and then advised that the rapture will happen September 23-24 this year. This hype gets attention, clicks, and followers, but also tremendously damages the Church's witness.  

I am concerned when I see Christians who believe and share this false information. Date setting brings reproach to biblical eschatology and the Body of Christ. What we need today, more than ever (especially as we see that time is drawing close), is biblical clarity and sound biblical voices. If the Church refuses to teach clearly and regularly on end times prophecies, then heretics will take the stage.  

So let’s review the doctrine of the Rapture:

1. What Is the Rapture? 

The rapture is a biblical event that will soon take place, physically removing the believer in Jesus Christ from the Earth. The Bible repeatedly promises the believer will be delivered from God’s wrath—not just eternal punishment but a time and season when God’s wrath is poured out upon the world (known as the seven-year tribulation).  

It is the moment when Jesus Christ calls His Church out of the world suddenly, supernaturally, and gloriously. Paul describes believers being “caught up” (harpazō, 1 Thessalonians 4:17) to meet the Lord in the air. In a split second, the dead in Christ will rise, and the living will be transformed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). This isn’t symbolic but a real, promised event that inaugurates the believer’s eternal presence with Christ. The rapture is critical for believers to understand because on the Cross, God’s wrath was poured out on His Son instead of what was due to us.  

We are living in a time of grace. God’s wrath is being withheld from a world that is rocketing away from godliness and biblical values. We are moving toward the time of tribulation. It is called The Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), Day of the Lord (Isaiah 2:12), The Time of the End (Daniel 12:9), and The End of this World (Matthew 13:40, 49). Many know it as the Seven-Year Tribulation. Whatever you call it, it is a specific time of the outpouring of God’s wrath over all of the world.  

God’s deliverance of the Church from this wrath is biblical certainty thanks to the work done on the cross by Messiah Jesus (1 Thessalonians 1:10).  

2. Is the Rapture Scriptural? 

The Rapture of the Church is a scriptural certainty, not the product of an 18th-century theologian, as some try to assert. The Bible does not whisper about the rapture; it shouts it: 

• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: The dead in Christ rise first, then the living are caught up. 

• 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: A mystery revealed: we will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye. 

• John 14:2-3: Jesus promised to come again and take us to Himself. 

These are promises, not allegories. They provide the believer with tremendous hope and help the church remain focused on the imminency of Christ’s return and the Great Commission. 

3. Did the Apostles and Early Church Teach About the Rapture? 

Yes. Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the rapture as the hope of believers (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The early Church Fathers (like Irenaeus, Cyprian, and Ephraim the Syrian) wrote about being delivered from the coming Tribulation and meeting the Lord. The idea of Christ removing His bride before wrath wasn’t invented in the 19th century; it was embedded in the hope of the early church. 

4. What About the John Darby Argument? 

Critics often say John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) “invented” the rapture. They try to paint him as a heretic or false theologian. This is not accurate. Darby helped systematize dispensational theology clearly for modern understanding. Darby took clear and unmistakable truths from Scripture and helped readers better understand it. The Scriptures teach the rapture, and early church writings support the doctrine long before Darby. Claiming Darby invented the rapture is like saying Martin Luther invented the gospel during the Reformation. In reality, both men just rediscovered and preached a clear message that was always in the Bible. 

5. The Dangers of Date Setting 

Sadly, even with all the scriptures and warnings about date setting, some try to exploit the coming rapture with “special revelation” of a specific date. This trend is growing on YouTube, and other media influencers are taking advantage of a modern church ignorant of Scripture.

The doctrine of imminence, which is paired closely with the doctrine of the Rapture, is the understanding that Jesus' return will come suddenly (Mark 13:32-33, Luke 12:40, Revelation 22:10).  

While we see many signs of the times around us and converge in ways never seen before, we do not know the day or time of the rapture. Jesus said plainly: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Let me repeat this scriptural information: No one knows- not the angels, not the Son, but only the Father.  

Every year, new predictions pop up, and every year, they fail. The result is broken faith, ruined reputations, mockery from unbelievers, and disillusioned Christians. Sensationalism may get clicks, but it doesn’t build faith. Instead, it breeds cynicism and distracts from true watchfulness.  

6. The Believer’s Perspective of the Rapture

So how should we live as believers? With urgency, hope, and balance: 

• Urgency – Because Christ could come at any moment (imminence), we must walk in holiness, not complacency (1 John 3:3). 

• Hope – The rapture isn’t an escape hatch; it’s the blessed hope (Titus 2:13). It reminds us that this broken world is not our final home. 

• Balance – We are not to set dates but to discern the times.  

The stage is being set for the Tribulation, and the trumpet could sound at any moment. That should drive us to share the Gospel, comfort one another, and stand firm in truth. I pray that you stay awake as Jesus commands, and turn away from those who claim some special revelation (one not even given to the Son or the angels). Instead, remain steadfast and immovable in your faith, busy in the Great Commission, and encouraging to other believers. The rapture appears imminent, but even if the Lord should tarry, we are still blessed.