During the summer, my older brother began sending me videos claiming that the rapture will take place at the time of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, on September 22–24 this year. The claim originally stemmed from a vision by an African Christian man named Joshua, who said that Jesus Himself revealed this date to him. Since then, the idea has spread into a viral phenomenon: countless other Christians are posting on YouTube about their own visions and prophecies that this will be the moment of Christ’s return for His church. The claims have gained so much attention that even prominent evangelical leaders like Jonathan Cahn, as well as the Christian news network CBN News, have addressed the topic—though from a more critical perspective.

At first, I was inclined to dismiss the matter entirely. But since my own brother seems to believe strongly in the authenticity of these prophecies, it touches me personally (even if he rarely reads my blogs). I want to state first of all that no Christian should mock their brother or sister who sincerely believes that our Lord’s return is approaching on some particular foretold date. Paul writes: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Peter also exhorts us: “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Humility includes the willingness to listen to one another without assuming that we know more about God’s mysteries than our brother or sister.

The Danger of Failed Predictions

With this introduction, I want to emphasize that my purpose is not to place myself above other believers or claim to understand God’s secrets better than anyone else. Still, I want to share a few reasons why I myself am very skeptical of such rapture expectations—and why perhaps you should be cautious as well.

I have studied prophecy long enough to know that there is nothing new about such claims. People have been setting dates for Christ’s return or the church’s rapture for two thousand years, and especially in the past hundred years, these expectations have only increased. What we are seeing now may be the first “YouTube-era prophecy,” where the claims are spread mainly through videos. Because YouTube’s algorithms recommend similar content, a viewer may quickly encounter ten different videos promoting the same idea. A Christian might then easily interpret this as God’s guidance, when in reality it may simply be AI-driven recommendations.

It is true that a prophecy can seem more credible if several people, independently of each other, report the same vision. But in our time, it is difficult to know whether a vision is truly independent or merely influenced by another prophecy. For instance, someone may watch a video claiming Jesus will return on September 23. The idea may sink into their subconscious and later surface in a dream, which they then interpret as a message from the Holy Spirit. I do not dismiss visions and prophecies, but I suggest an alternative explanation for why multiple Christians might see similar reinforcing visions even when the prophecies are false.

Scripture reminds us: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28). Paul also teaches: “Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20–21). The challenge with modern prophecies is precisely this: how do we approach them critically without rejecting everything outright? Ultimately, all prophecy must be tested against God’s Word. John warns us: “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” (1 John 4:1).

Personally, I am reluctant to label anyone a false prophet too quickly, because even sincere Christians can misinterpret their own dreams or visions as being from God, when in fact they stem from their own hopes or fears. I myself have once promoted a false prophecy in good faith. In 2022, I wrote on my blog about a vision by a believer named Manuel Johnson, who said God took him into the future and showed him that Trump would return as president by the end of that year. It did not come to pass, and in January 2023 I publicly apologized. I realized I had harmed the witness of the gospel.

For this reason, I am now very cautious about prophecies. When they fail, unbelievers have even less reason to take Christians seriously—and we have only ourselves to blame. Perhaps your faith already rests on a much stronger foundation than whether or not Jesus returns on September 23. The danger is not only that failed prophecies shake the faith of sincere Christians, but also that they drive unbelievers further away, rejecting the gospel because of false prophecies spread by Christians.

Many believers imagine reality like in the Left Behind films, urgently warning their loved ones not to be left behind in the rapture. The concern is understandable, but if the warnings are based on YouTube prophecies, the risk is that when the prophecy fails, their loved ones will only distance themselves further from the gospel. Why should an unbelieving father, mother, or brother trust anything at all if a Christian’s discernment proves so faulty in such a decisive matter?

At this point, someone might ask whether I am being hypocritical, since over the years I too have suggested possible dates for end-time events. The decisive difference is that I have never claimed the Lord’s return would happen on a specific day. All my speculations have been possibilities based on systematic biblical interpretation; I have never presented them as certain truth. I have never claimed that Jesus appeared to me in a dream or vision and revealed a specific date.

This is why Christians should examine their hearts and ask what truly motivates them to spread such prophecies. Is it a genuine longing to meet the Savior, or perhaps also an escapist desire to flee from the world’s problems? Many believers feel distressed by the darkness of our age and long for their heavenly home—a feeling I fully understand, for a Christian is always a citizen of two worlds. Yet it is worth remembering that Christians before us lived through even darker times, and they still faithfully cultivated and guarded the earth, planting seeds for future generations to harvest.

My book Adam 2.0 or Beast 6.66? – Transhumanism in the Light of the Bible was written partly in protest against the pessimistic, negative view of the future and humanity that many spiritual movements, especially those leaning toward premillennialist eschatology, have promoted. If your entire worldview rests on the false assumption that history has moved steadily toward darker, harder, narrower times, sooner or later you will begin to believe it. And that, in turn, colors your whole perspective on the world, on civilization, and on humanity itself. If you are never reminded of the bright and constructive side of the “human story,” you will begin to see only its dark side. In the end, this also shapes how you see yourself—for you too are part of humanity. If I myself believed only in such a negative story of humanity, I would not want to be part of this world or of humankind. I would wish for God to wipe out this miserable planet immediately and create new heavens and a new earth in its place.

“No One Knows the Day…”

One of the strongest biblical reasons why many—including myself—reject precise date predictions outright is found in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)

When someone sets an exact date for Christ’s return, they are effectively claiming to know more about God’s mysteries than the angels in heaven—and even more than the Son Himself. In doing so, they are, in practice, placing themselves above God.

On the other hand, quoting this verse has sometimes led to the opposite extreme: using it to dismiss almost all eschatological reflection and prediction—whether it concerns a specific year, decade, or century. Yet it is important to note that in the very same context Jesus also said His followers should study the signs of the times and remain watchful, so that they would know on which “watch of the night” He would come. He added:

“But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Paul taught the same in 1 Thessalonians 5:1–4:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”

It is therefore unbiblical to teach that the moment of the rapture will surprise all Christians like a thief. According to both Jesus and Paul, the church that is watchful and attentive to the signs of the times will not be taken by surprise.

Some teachers, however, argue that in Matthew 24:36 Jesus was cryptically alluding to the Jewish Feast of Trumpets—Rosh Hashanah, the New Year of the Hebrew calendar. They claim that in Jesus’ time this feast was commonly known as “the day and hour no one knows.

I asked an AI about this matter, and it answered as follows:

A really good and precise question. 👇

1. What does the claim mean?
Many contemporary Bible teachers—especially Messianic Jews and dispensationalists who specialize in eschatology—have suggested that when Jesus said:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36)

He was referring to the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (Heb. Yom Teruah, later known as Rosh Hashanah). This feast begins in the fall with the new moon (the first day of the seventh month, Tishri 1). Since in ancient times the appearance of the new moon could not be calculated in advance with precision (it had to be confirmed by eyewitnesses and approved by the Sanhedrin), the beginning of the feast was sometimes described as uncertain. For this reason, some teachers have drawn a parallel between this and Jesus’ words: “no one knows the day or the hour.”

2. Historical background in Jewish tradition
– On the Torah level (Leviticus 23:23–25; Numbers 29:1–6), the feast is simply called the “Day of Trumpets” (Yom Teruah). Nothing is said about uncertainty.
– Second Temple literature (e.g., the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus) mentions the feast, but does not associate it with the saying “no one knows the day or the hour.”
– Rabbinic literature (Mishnah, Talmud) provides more detail. It does indeed discuss the fact that the sighting of the new moon depended on eyewitnesses. Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 2–3 describes how witnesses came to testify about the moon and how the beginning of the feast was confirmed. This led to the practice of celebrating the feast for two days in the diaspora (since the announcement could be delayed). However: in early sources, there is no expression that “no one knows the day or the hour.” That is a modern interpretive application that uses rabbinic background to illustrate Jesus’ words.

3. When did this interpretation arise?
– Such an eschatological link became widespread especially in the 20th century, when people began looking for “prophetic hints” in the Jewish festivals. Messianic teachers (e.g., Zola Levitt, Chuck Missler, Mark Biltz) began connecting Matthew 24:36 to the uncertainty of the new moon.
– They used rabbinic explanations (which were actually recorded later in the Talmud, 200–500 CE) to explain Jesus’ words as a “secret code.”

4. Assessment: Is there historical evidence?
– Strong evidence: The Jewish practice was that the beginning of the new month could not be precisely known until the moon was sighted. This is verified in rabbinic sources.
– Weak evidence: There is no documented Second Temple-era idiom in which Yom Teruah was known as “the feast of which no one knows the day or the hour.” This appears to be a modern Christian/Messianic interpretation that builds on rabbinic practice.
– Conclusion: Historically, Jesus’ words can be read as a general statement—that the timing of His coming is hidden. Linking it to the Feast of Trumpets is a homiletical and typological explanation, not direct evidence of the text’s original meaning.

👉 Summary:
The interpretation is based on the fact that Yom Teruah begins with the sighting of the new moon, which made its timing uncertain. In historical sources (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah), this practice is indeed described, but there is no early Jewish textual evidence that the feast was known by the phrase “no one knows the day or the hour.” It is a later interpretation (popularized in the 20th century) that uses Jewish background to enrich eschatological teaching.

Would you like me to find you the direct quotations from the Mishnah that describe this uncertainty about confirming the new moon, so you can see for yourself how much (or how little) it supports that interpretation?

The typological grounds for placing the rapture or the moment of the Second Coming at the time of the Jewish autumn feasts are perhaps stronger, because the most important events of Jesus’ first coming—such as the crucifixion, the resurrection, and Pentecost—took place during the Hebrew spring festivals, which served as foreshadowings of Israel’s future Savior.

Continuation of ChatGPT’s answer:

Exactly – you’ve grasped the distinction well.

1. Spring and autumn feasts as typology
– The spring feasts (Pesach → Shavuot/Pentecost) are often seen in Christian tradition as fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming:

Passover – the lamb is slain → Christ’s death.
Feast of Unleavened Bread – symbol of sinlessness → Christ’s burial.
Feast of Firstfruits – the first sheaf offered → Christ’s resurrection.
Feast of Weeks/Pentecost – the giving of the Law at Sinai → the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

– The autumn feasts (Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles) are, according to many theologians, “prophetically empty” and thus await their fulfillment at Jesus’ second coming:

Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah) → the trumpet sign of Christ’s return.
Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) → the national repentance of Israel and turning to the Messiah (Romans 11).
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) → God dwelling among His people, the millennial kingdom / the new heavens and new earth.

2. Why is this model stronger than a single idiom?
– Because the overall structure of the feasts creates a typological arc: the spring feasts correspond to the first coming, and the autumn feasts logically to the second.
– The New Testament itself supports this framework:

1 Thess. 4:16 speaks of “the trumpet of God.”
1 Cor. 15:52 mentions “the last trumpet.”
John 1:14 says “he dwelt (Greek eskenōsen, ‘pitched his tabernacle’) among us,” connecting Christ’s incarnation and His future dwelling with humanity to the theme of the Tabernacles feast.

3. Limitations
– Nowhere does Scripture explicitly state that Jesus’ second coming will occur on a specific feast day.
– Typology is not a predictive calendar but a theological framework: just as the spring feasts were fulfilled in Christ’s first coming, so it is consistent to expect the autumn feasts to be fulfilled at His second coming.
– Therefore, modern claims such as “no one knows the day or the hour → Yom Teruah” are hermeneutically weaker than this broader typological structure of the feasts.

👉 In other words: even if the idiom itself is shaky, the typological arc of the autumn feasts provides a much stronger basis for connecting Jesus’ second coming with the fall festivals.

Would you like me to prepare a summary from the early Church Fathers—such as Irenaeus or Origen—on whether they already recognized this spring–autumn typology, or whether this is mainly a later (Reformation/dispensationalist) development?

Although I also believe that the New Testament should be read in light of its Hebrew background and tradition, this kind of approach can sometimes slip into a kind of esoteric hermeneutics. Clear biblical statements then get twisted into something quite different by appealing to Hebrew tradition.

The ordinary Finnish reader will understand Jesus’ words to mean simply that no one knows the day. By contrast, the “Hebrew roots” mystic claims that Jesus meant the opposite: that the day can be known if one only follows the Jewish calendar. To me, this kind of hermeneutic is questionable eisegesis—reading our own interpretations and expectations into the biblical text.

Date-Setting and Spiritual Hysteria

I would like to think that Jesus meant exactly what He said—before I start looking for hidden or esoteric meanings inside the text. I also believe that God’s wisdom lies behind His decision not to reveal that day to us in advance.

I do not believe that an end-times expectation tied to precise dates has ever led, in the history of Christianity, to healthy spirituality. On the contrary, it has often fueled hysteria and fanaticism more than peace, patience, gentleness, and faithfulness—the very things that should be visible in our lives as the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

It is precisely this psychological side of end-times expectation that particularly interests me. That is why I also asked AI about it:

1. Watchfulness vs. Date-Setting
The New Testament describes the Christian life as watchfulness:

• it is a continuous, everyday faithfulness (Matt. 24:42; 25:13; 1 Thess. 5:6).
• watchfulness is not a moment of panic but a long-term posture: “Be always ready.”

When this turns into date-setting, a transformation occurs:

• the Christian life becomes a project with a deadline.
• “There’s no point in planting an apple tree now, since tomorrow everything ends.”
• continuity and endurance are replaced with temporary zeal.

2. Psychological Impact
The human mind cannot endure endless tension. When all energy is focused on a single day:

• hysteria arises: selling possessions, abandoning work or studies, even breaking family ties. History has many such examples.
• others react in the opposite way—with indifference. If everything is expected to be resolved in one moment, long-term effort, building, or personal growth may feel pointless.

3. The Cycle of Disappointment
When the day passes:

• paralysis follows: “Everything I was waiting for was in vain.”
• for many this leads to a crisis of faith: if the date’s promise was false, can the whole faith be true?
• some continue by moving the boundary to a new date (and the disappointments repeat), while others abandon faith altogether.

4. The Spiritual Dynamic
Scripture describes the kingdom of God as a seed, as growth, as yeast working through dough (Matt. 13). These are images of ongoing, long-term, everyday work. Date-setting is the opposite: the logic of a single sudden event.

• It narrows the scope of the kingdom of God to just that moment, whereas the New Testament emphasizes that the kingdom is already among us and growing.

5. What Is the Healthy Alternative?
The healthy spiritual rhythm is found in knowing that Jesus could return at any moment—but therefore every day must be lived faithfully, as if it were the last.

• No hysteria → no need to abandon normal life.
• No indifference → every act, even the planting of an apple tree, is meaningful before God.

👉 Summary:
Precise dates turn the Christian life into a short-term “project” that inevitably ends in disappointment. It fuels either hysteria (overreaction) or indifference (underreaction). Continuous watchfulness, on the other hand, supports a sustainable and healthy spirituality that does not collapse when one date passes.

But What If After All?

Nothing I have said above should be taken to mean that Jesus could not gather His church during September 22–24—or even today. To be precise, we would not even know the exact day or hour if the event were to occur within that three-day span.

I have written in my blog about the eschatological significance of this year since as early as 2016. That was when I first discovered that the year 2025 marks the 70th Jubilee since the Israelites entered the land of Canaan in 1406 BC (according to the widely respected chronology of Edwin R. Thiele). The Jubilee year can also be understood typologically as a foreshadowing of the rapture, for: “In the Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property.” (Leviticus 25:13).

I also see no obstacle to the rapture in light of Paul’s teaching, since he says that the Day of the Lord (which in this context refers to the same event as the church’s being caught up, cf. 1 Thess. 5:2) “will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”

The apostasy of Christendom and its denominations from the Word of God has been evident for decades. The “man of lawlessness” may also have already appeared or been revealed (as the KJV and the original Greek indicate), as I have argued in my blog and books for over ten years. Yet I emphasize the word possibly, since I do not make dogmatic claims either about the exact timing of Jesus’ return or the identity of the Antichrist.

It is often taught that the rapture can happen at any moment without prior signs. However, this is not entirely accurate according to Scripture, since in Matthew 24 Jesus lists many end-time signs that must precede His coming. Paul likewise attaches conditions: the falling away of the church and the revealing of the man of lawlessness. This does not, however, argue against a pre-tribulation rapture, for the man of lawlessness may be revealed to the church decades before the beginning of the seven-year tribulation, and he may begin to act visibly in the world long before that time of tribulation itself.

In addition, Paul adds one more crucial criterion and prerequisite in 1 Thess. 5:3:

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.”

The Day of the Lord—that is, the catching up of the church, which Paul had spoken of in the previous chapter—will come like a thief in the night: suddenly and unexpectedly. Yet it will also happen within a certain historical context: “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety’…” At precisely that time, when the people of this world and the unwatchful believers are soothing one another with a false sense of peace, Jesus will come to gather His church. Then for those left behind the time of wrath begins—“and they will not escape.”

If, for example, President Trump’s administration were to succeed in bringing about peace between Ukraine and Russia or between Israel and Hamas by September 22, then these rapture visions would gain additional weight.

But if the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Gaza are still ongoing by September 22–24, I would not set very high expectations for the rapture taking place at that time. I also have several other biblical reasons to believe that the rapture will not occur this month—and perhaps not even in this decade.

Next, we will examine these reasons.

The Timing of the Rapture in Revelation

The chronology of Revelation and the rapture that appears within it is a broad topic, one that I have already addressed in detail in several of my other writings. For example, in January 2024 I published an article with illustrations in response to my Facebook friend Sami Lahti’s blog series, titled My Assessment of Sami Lahti’s Proposed Chronology of Revelation: Are We Already Living in the Time of the First Seal?

In short, my view is this: the catching up of the church appears in Revelation only after the opening of the first six seals and just before the opening of the seventh. The risen and glorified church is portrayed in Revelation 7 in the great multitude, dressed in white, from every nation and tongue. This multitude is not a church rescued from the seven years of tribulation or from the persecution of the Antichrist—as is often mistakenly interpreted in pre-, mid-, or post-tribulational schools. The seven-year period of wrath does not begin until after the opening of the six seals, and the events of chapter 7 occur right at the very beginning of that age.

The Antichrist makes the seven-year covenant with Israel, predicted in Daniel 9, only after the opening of the sixth seal. Soon after this, when the nations are saying, “Peace and safety,” the church is caught up into the New Jerusalem. I will not go deeper here into the details of this interpretation, as I have covered them in other writings. I will only note that this interpretation, in my view, best fits both Revelation’s own internal context and the broader prophetic picture. (Of course, every school of thought claims the same about their own view, but I know their arguments well, and none have convinced me as this one has.)

I could make a case that the first and second seals of Revelation may already have been opened—if the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are interpreted as the “red horse of war.” It is, however, much harder to argue that the world has already entered the upheavals of the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth seals. Revelation’s own context shows quite clearly that the church should still be on earth during the time of the first six seals:

John to the seven churches in Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ… who has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. – Rev. 1:4–6

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. – Rev. 5:6

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb… And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” – Rev. 5:8–10

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” – Rev. 7:9–12

From these four passages, Revelation’s own context regarding the church’s role becomes clear.

In chapter 1, John identifies the church with the “seven spirits” (the Holy Spirit) before God’s throne. In chapter 5, the Spirit is still at work through these seven churches on earth, “sent out into all the earth.” In the same context, John describes the church as the people God has made into a kingdom and priests for His Father. John includes himself in this group with the words: “You have made us.”

Chapter 5 also describes the twenty-four elders praising the Lamb for having “purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation” and having “made them to be a kingdom and priests… and they will reign on the earth.” This shows that the church cannot at that point already be in heaven—as, for example, the Scofield Reference Bible interprets—but must still be carrying out mission work on earth.

Chapter 7 confirms the same idea: the great white-robed multitude from all nations and tongues arrives in heaven simultaneously, and it is not said that they got there through martyrdom. The martyrs slain by the Antichrist are mentioned only later, in Revelation 15.

These and many other points show me that the church will not be caught up to the Lamb until after the opening of the first six seals. Nor do I see that the current world events indicate history has advanced to that moment yet.

To many, discussions of Revelation’s chronology may sound overly meticulous or even pointless hair-splitting. But to me they are central questions, because if we are to test various rapture visions by Scripture, then we must also understand the sequence of events in Revelation and the church’s place within it.

What About the Mathematical Proofs?

The videos my brother sent me also present so-called “mathematical proofs” that are said to confirm the authenticity of these prophecies. One example is a calculation where, starting from September 22 (Rosh Hashanah), one counts forward 2,550 days (1,260 + 1,290, as mentioned in Daniel and Revelation). The result falls on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Hebrew calendar, in the year 2032. It is also claimed that such a coincidence has occurred exactly seven times since the rebirth of the state of Israel, and that it will not occur again this century. In addition, the year 32 AD is assigned to Jesus’ crucifixion so that the year 2032 would appear to be exactly 2,000 years after His death. The reasoning is stretched further by claiming that Jesus was crucified exactly 4,000 years after creation, making the year 2032 the beginning of the seventh millennium—the great millennial Sabbath rest when God establishes His kingdom on earth, as taught by the early Church Fathers and even the Talmud.

These speculations are often tied to the Essenes, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the late Tom Horn’s research, and his claim that NASA has concealed the true trajectory of the asteroid Apophis. This asteroid will pass by Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029, at only a few Earth radii away, and its name ominously refers to the “god of chaos.” According to Horn, it could later strike Earth, fulfilling Revelation’s prophecy of a burning mountain falling into the sea. At this point, many people may find themselves breathless, but I personally react quite calmly to such claims, since I have wrestled with various prophetic calculations all my life. For me, it is natural to assess—without hysteria—whether these “mathematical proofs” are credible or not. Ordinary Christians often lack the tools for this, since they have not studied prophetic timelines in depth.

I do not say this with academic superiority—for I am not academically trained—but I do try to consult the work of scholars before drawing my conclusions. For instance, I have examined all the proposed dates for Jesus’ crucifixion in light of the Gospels, history, and NASA’s astronomical charts. Year 32 fits the least well, while year 33 fits the best. The article by Colin Humphreys and W. G. Waddington, The Jewish Calendar, a Lunar Eclipse and the Date of Christ’s Crucifixion (1992), provides strong evidence that the crucifixion took place on Friday, April 3, AD 33. In year 32, Nisan 14—the eve of Passover—fell on a Sunday, whereas only in years 30 and 33 did it fall on a Friday.

All four Gospels testify that Jesus was crucified on Friday, the 14th of Nisan, and rose again on Sunday. Many “Hebrew Roots” movements have attempted to challenge this tradition by trying to align Jesus’ words about “three days and three nights” with calendar peculiarities in which the Sabbath might fall midweek. The problem with that interpretation is that this mention occurs in only one passage (Matt. 12:40), whereas the statement that the resurrection happened “on the third day” appears in many New Testament passages. Luke 24:1 and 21 confirms that the resurrection took place on Sunday—the third day after Jesus’ Friday crucifixion—and this is eyewitness testimony, not a vague prophecy.

I have criticized the Hebrew Roots movements before. There is much good in them, but often their teachings are motivated more by a desire to rebel against mainstream churches and traditions—even when those very traditions are rooted in Jewish heritage.

If, then, the entire theory rests on the assumption that Jesus was crucified in AD 32, but this does not align with biblical and historical facts, why should we trust any of its other claims? For example, the idea that 2032 marks the completion of 6,000 years relies entirely on oversimplified assumptions. Such carelessness troubles me, because I have been trying to calculate biblical chronology carefully since I was twelve years old. Only last year did I reach the same conclusion as the Reformer Martin Luther 500 years ago—the year 2040. The basis for this can be found in my article Why Did Our Reformer Martin Luther Believe the ‘End of the World’ Would Come in 2040? And How Did He Probably Get It Right? I also translated the article into English and received positive feedback from Professor Ramón Núñez, emeritus professor of mathematics and physics, with whom I exchanged a fruitful correspondence on the subject. He even sent me his own book, Revelation – The Second Coming of the Messiah: A Scientific Demonstration Based on Two Conjectures and Corroborated by Astronomical Events, in which he defends the same year from completely different perspectives.

Am I therefore claiming that Jesus will return in September 2040 and that the rapture might take place around 2033? No, I claim nothing. I only present interesting and reasoned calculations, from which each reader may draw their own conclusions. For an INTP researcher like myself, the study of prophecy and history is fascinating precisely because I do not claim to know everything definitively. Perhaps in 2040 I will still be here, having abandoned all my previous views, because the bigger picture has become clearer.

Yet I must admit: often in my own flesh I have wished that the Lord would return ahead of time. And perhaps He will, for He will not come according to my calculations—no matter how fascinating they are—but according to His own timetable. If He truly comes to take us just a few weeks from now, let us pray that we are ready, our lamps full of oil. Let us also pray for those who do not yet know Him, and let us tirelessly proclaim the gospel.

Still, I would not recommend selling your house or making decisions you might regret later. My eschatological counsel to the end-time church is the same as Martin Luther’s: “If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree today.” Let us therefore live not as if it were our last day, but as if it were our first. Let us be not only messengers of judgment, but also of salvation and of a new dawn. Let us not tear down the ruins of the old world, but build the foundations of the new. Let us proclaim the good news not only of heavenly salvation, but also of earthly redemption, for Jesus became human to bring salvation to this world—and He will one day reign from Jerusalem as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.