Should Christians Who Set Rapture Dates be Disfellowshipped?

Again and again, people are setting dates for the rapture and thus, setting a date for Jesus’ return, so should we disfellowship those who set dates?

Setting Dates

^[1]Again and again, people are setting dates for the rapture and thus, setting a date for Jesus’ return, so should we disfellowship those who set dates? If they are setting dates, are they not violating Scripture because Jesus said that no one would know the day or the hour (Matt 24:36). One man who used to be rock-solid in the Bible has now posted over and over again, dates for the rapture and again and again, they have failed to come to pass. So I ask him, “Jesus said no one will know the day or the hour, so the Father bypassed Jesus and told you?” By setting dates he is violating Jesus words and Scripture. This is a serious matter. One teacher on his Facebook page said, “Maybe Jesus didn’t mean it literally.” Really!? What else did Jesus say that was not literal? That He died for sinners and came to save the lost. Maybe that’s a metaphor, as far as he is reasoning. Jesus says what He means and He means what He says! That should settle it, but to dispute Jesus’ own words is about a serious as it can get. They call it apostasy.

Message to a Date-Setter

Below is a message to a brother that I have tried again and again to bring back to the truth and stop setting dates. Here’s my message to him:

I don’t mind the end time stuff and such but you can warn them about the coming of Jesus, but then if you warn them only to escape God’s wrath then these are mere fox hole conversions. It is “Law to the Proud and Grace to the Humble,” not prophecy to all. Look at John MacArthur’s feeds or website and articles…Charles Stanley, Adrian Rogers…and other rock-solid pastors. What is their content? They all have a variety of things like teaching on holiness, sanctification, our daily walk, evangelizing, the command to love (john 13:34-35), etc. Jesus told us to go into all the world to teach them the same things He taught His disciples….not to understand all prophecies and set dates that would eventually fail. ^[2]

Most troubling is the date setting like the lady teacher (you must like them as you listen to many women teachers) she set the date for the rapture at Sept 25 and then said on her video where Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour and her response was, “Well, maybe He didn’t mean it literally…and there are secret messages in the Bible.” No there are not secret messages because a young child can easily understand and be saved and yet debaters drown in its theology and get it wrong. Paul urges us to know nothing but Jesus and Him crucified? Where is the gospel in your posts? All you have is news about the temple, red heifers…etc.…this doesn’t help a lost person. Neither does it help us grow in the grace and knowledge of God that we are commanded to do. All they are now are prophecy hounds, always chasing their tails but never catching it.

Since other pastors and teachers are not 100% focused on the end times and prophecies, why aren’t you? Look at Reformed Theology, R C Sproul’s main articles, etc.…To say I guess you don’t think the Book of Revelation is not important or doesn’t matter is unfair thing to say to me. That’s why I’m stepping away from fellowship with you.  You are not my enemy.  I still love you and will continue to pray you repent and return to biblical truth. There’s simply too much sensationalism and not enough truth from Scripture on what really matters (1 Cor 15:1-5).

Questions

Where will they come from?

Acts 20:30 “and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

How can we know if they are teaching biblical truth?

First John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

Should we continue fellowship with those we know who are false teachers?

Second Thessalonians 3:6, 14 “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us… If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.”

Should we receive them into our homes?

Second John 1011 “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting… for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

Second Timothy 3:5 “having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Disfellowshipped

^[3]This man was eventually disfellowshipped and it is because he was (and still is) teaching things contrary to sound doctrine (1 Tim 1:10). Why? Here should be our focus: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). How will it help lost sinners come to Christ talking about a new temple, red heifers be prepared for sacrifices and who the anti-Christ is? Paul emphasized his focus of the Gospel, saying, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The Gospel is this: Nothing more and nothing less that Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

History of Failures

Did you realize that 100% of people who have set a date for Jesus’ return and the rapture have been wrong!? Here is a sample of what some churches or people have written and about in the past about the rapture date or Jesus’ coming: And by the way, they have all having failed:

“88 Reasons Jesus Is Coming Back in 1988!”
“October 21, 2011, is the end of the world!”
“December 21, 2012, is the end of the world!”
“Jesus is going to return during the year of Jubilee!”
“Jesus is going to return during the next blood-red moon!”

One pastor of a mega church in Africa convinced his church that on September 25th of 2025, the rapture would occur. So thousands in that church sold all their possessions, gave their money away and abandoned their homes and left their jobs. After the date passed, many became bitter about God and in the process, this pastor ship-wrecked the faith of hundreds and thousands of people who were following him. That’s the problem! They were following him and not Christ and the Bible. ^[4]

Conclusion

I pray you have put your trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If that has not happened yet, my friend, you are in real danger of hell fire. And I mean, in immediate danger. You’re one breath, one heartbeat…one accident away from eternity when it will be too late to repent. Today is the best day to believe (2 Cor 6:2) since tomorrow is no guarantee. If Jesus Christ came today, here is your fate (Matt 7:21-23). This is why I plead with you as you read this, repent today…and I mean right now. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. If you do not, you will face God’s judgment after death guaranteed (Heb 9:27) or at Jesus Christ’s appearance (Rev 20:12-15), which could happen at any moment.

Here is some related reading for you: Church Discipline: How the Church Should Discipline Members ^[5]

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.