For those of you who may not know, ‘rapture dreams’ have been flooding the portals of social media with increasing number over the past few months. October apparently had a sudden burst of these prophetic rapture dreams from individuals as late as October 31st with headlines beckoning people to get ready for the Lord’s return. Many purport the rapture is within days, while others say “soon”, and still others trumpet Halloween as a sure bonafide date.
Let’s unpack this.
Contents
• What is Going On?
• The Biblical Standard
• How to Test Prophetic Dreams
• What is God Saying? How Do I Know if I’ve Heard Him?
• Key Scriptural Truths About the Rapture
• What if I Don’t Have a Rapture Dream? Am I Saved?
• A Final Word
What is Going On?
I’ve taken the time to listen to many of the individuals who are sharing these dreams. Here’s what I’ve found:
• Not all of these individuals are Christians. Many of them are unbelievers who do not profess any specific faith. This is neither good nor bad; it’s merely an observation.
• Most of these individuals are incredibly sincere. However, sincerity of heart does not translate to biblical truth.
• Those who are Christians are begging — yes, begging — people to repent and follow Jesus Christ before it’s too late.
• Some of these individuals are adults, but some are children as well. The dreams received by children are the most compelling, having more biblical validity than any.
• Not all of these dreams speak specifically to the rapture event, which is the catching away of the Church at the LORD’s return. They actually speak more specifically to end time events which are synonymous with the Tribulation period such as beheadings, wars, various sufferings, and supernatural phenomenon seen in the book of Revelation such as stars falling, trumpets sounding, rocks flying through the atmosphere, the sky darkening, etc.
• Very few of these dreams profess the same thing. Everyone has seen something different. Accounts vary widely. Most (not all) of the dreams received by professing believers have more legitimacy — precisely because they have more biblical validity. Those who are not believers have had dreams that are either contrary to scripture, or they fail to validate the Gospel and Person of Jesus Christ. A few of their dreams report alien-type abductions and discs in the sky, with no specific mention of Jesus Christ and His salvation. Their dreams bring fear and confusion, offering no sure hope. These particular individuals remain incredibly disturbed. Some are in tears. They report being shaken. Others still have said they wonder if Jesus is coming back, but are not sure — and they are sadly left questioning.
• A good number of people report their dreams have many “events” in them. Their dreams are scattered with a lot of disconnected details or scenes, much like a labyrinth of convoluted happenings they cannot sort out.
• Some claim they have prayed for a rapture dream only because they wondered if they were among those to be raptured. They were insecure in their faith. Hence, they claim to have received a dream from God and then shared it (more on this below).
The Biblical Standard
What is true prophecy? True prophecy is summarized in this verse:
²False prophets have been a serious problem since the beginning of time — from the serpent who deceived Eve in Genesis to the beast and false prophet in Revelation. Satan is the author of all lies and false prophecy. Jesus Christ and His apostles warned of them prolifically. When we understand what prophecy is, we can see why God commands such penalties as death and stoning. False prophecy can do irreparable damage, leading people astray and into destruction and deceit.
The prophets of old were slain because their prophecies did not come to pass, and because they prophesied vanity, leading God’s people astray (among other reasons). Such was the Law — any prophet whose word did not come to pass was to be put to death. God left no room for error on the part of a professing prophet. His word is true, perfect, absolute, and inalterable. Any prophet whose word did not come to pass, or who spoke it upon presumption was put to ³death.
21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?
We must be careful of the sin of presumption. Prophecy is serious business with God. He does NOT play. Therefore, we must understand the standard He gives when speaking prophetically or handling prophetic utterances.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
God, who is eternal, is not limited to time constraints when revealing prophecy to anyone. Therefore, knowing how to test prophecy is of fundamental importance with respect to it coming to pass. All prophetic utterances are subject to the prophets (see 1 Corinthians 14:29-32). The problem is, true prophets are very rare, and therefore very few. Being able to submit them biblically requires a very humble handling of what God may be revealing. There are many biblical prophecies from God which we are still waiting upon — including the return of Jesus Christ.
We are still waiting.
How to Test Prophetic Dreams
I am personally convinced that many people dream about what they focus upon. With the rapture dreams taking social media by storm, and with the events surrounding us at present (which are so unsettling), I’m not surprised at all that people are having dreams of this kind.
Contrary to what people are claiming, not all of these dreams are from God. From what I can gather, most are very carnal in nature, originating from the subconscious mind during sleep — like many of the dreams we have every night. They may be vividly clear, yet they fail to make sense. Some are obviously from the enemy, causing confusion, trepidation, and fear offering no hope of the Gospel. Others I do believe are from God, however they are few. With that said, dreams from God must meet certain biblical criteria to have any validity.
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
Testing dreams by the Word of God is essential prior to placing faith and trust in any dream, vision, or prophetic utterance/revelation (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21). However, it is not so easily done — especially if you are not biblically literate, or if you do not understand scripture or more specifically in this case: ¹eschatology. There is a lot of fallacy in these many dreams being broadcast. Testing dreams from God takes time, patience, humility, a proper fear of God and understanding of His Word (rightly dividing His truth), a proper stewardship of scripture, accountability to spiritual leadership, and sometimes even fasting and prayer.
What we can know is that anything invalidating scripture or the Person of Jesus Christ is to be absolutely rejected. Dreams that are legitimately from God many times do indeed bring about a proper godly fear, even as they did for many of the prophets of old. Therefore, godly reverence or fear in itself, is not a means for properly testing a dream. Emotion is not a biblical criteria for testing anything. The bottom line is this: dreams from God will not ever transgress scripture, and they will always glorify God and His Son Jesus Christ. One more thing: they will be proven and come to pass.
It’s very important to remember that many of the prophecies given to the true prophets of old came in parables, rhymes, and spiritual riddles that only the Holy Spirit could reveal with further fasting and prayer. Some were never revealed to the prophet and remain a mystery until this day. God, over time, has only unveiled them at their appointed time when they finally came to pass — which is sometimes hundreds or thousands of years later. In fact, we are still waiting for many of the biblical prophecies to unfold and come to fruition — including the return of Jesus Christ.
The individuals who have received these dreams are absolutely certain they’ve heard from God — no holds barred — and that the LORD is indeed coming soon. That is the central message being trumpeted (no pun intended). In their own right they are 100% convinced they’ve heard from God. Being sure or convinced in one’s own right does not equate with truth. So we need to understand, convincing someone they have not heard from God is very difficult when emotions run high and there are such prolific accounts conveying the same central message. It can be very reassuring to someone who hears that hundreds of people, like themselves, all over the globe are having these ‘rapture dreams’. This only serves to further validate their experience.
However, it would be spiritually irresponsible, and even foolish, to put trust in any dream that is not tested and tried against scripture. That is part of being a mature, seasoned, and biblically literate believer. We are to always be Berean in our approach to anything prophetically revealed. We must be scripturally sound in our faith. We cannot, should not, and do not have the liberty to follow after everything we hear or see merely because it has a Christian label. No such permissions are given by the LORD. To err on the side of caution with godly reverence and fear is an error God will respect — and it’s one He can also reprove with further clarity should we be too cautious and miss His message. He understands our reticence, especially when we are acting out of reverence for Him and His word. There will never be any fault for staying true to scripture.
If a dream is truly from Him, He will confirm it as such — as He cannot deny Himself, and He cannot lie.
What is God Saying? How Do I Know if I’ve Heard Him?
It is not God’s will that anyone perish, but that all come to repentance and be saved. I do believe the LORD is speaking in this hour to individuals all over the world — believers and unbelievers alike. He is giving clear indications of the time in which we are living, and of the urgency for mankind to repent and be saved. That is clear and without contest. He is well able to do that, and I have no doubt that is occurring.
I do believe we are in a season of transition that is bringing us closer to the time of Tribulation. This season is known as the time of “Sorrows” when anguish, evil, suffering, and wickedness increase. We need to be awake, repent, and be found faithful in Him, ready at His appearing — whenever that may be.
In the words of Jesus Christ I remind you,
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
Please be careful to what and to whom you readily give ear. And please understand, false Christ’s can appear in dreams. False prophets can come by deceiving spirits. When in doubt, it’s best to stick to scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to teach you. Never be ashamed of doing that, and never be afraid of doing it either. Those are very safe spiritual boundaries which God teaches us to abide within. If you are not learned or biblically literate, or if you feel you are not capable of properly testing prophetic utterances — then you should not do so. If you are a new believer, it is wise to continue onward with the pure milk of God’s word while carefully learning how to test and approve all things with proper discipleship.
If you believe you have received a dream from God, please be careful before sharing it with others. Steward it wisely and biblically. Knowing how to test, prove, and try the dream (word or vision) is of critical biblical importance. Please ask for sound spiritual help in that attempt and remain biblically accountable to fellow believers and spiritual leadership.
Key Scriptural Truths About the Rapture
♦ The rapture occurs synonymously with the second coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. These are not separate events.
♦ No one knows the day or the hour of Christ’s coming, but we can know the season. Only the Father knows the day and hour when the return of His Son will occur (more on this in our next section).
♦ It absolutely cannot happen until the abomination of desolation takes place, which is the rise of the antichrist.
16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
♦ It will happen at the sound of the seventh (final) trumpet.
♦ The dead in Christ will rise first. Then those who are alive in Christ will follow after. We will meet the LORD in the air.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words,” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, KJV).
♦ Christ clearly states it occurs after the tribulation, which is why He gave us clear instruction to stand firm to the end.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:” (Matthew 24:29, KJV).
♦ We will receive the redemption of our body, which is a perfect glorified body.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
♦ This is not merely a spiritual experience; it is a physical one.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
♦ Every eye will see Him. Jesus says not to believe everyone who says, “There He is!” His appearing will be witnessed in the heavens with the holy angels and great glory.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
♦ The generation who sees the signs of His return will not pass away before He is revealed at His coming. A biblical generation (depending upon context) is 35 to 100 years (source).
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
What If I Don’t Have a Rapture Dream? Am I Saved?
As referenced in the beginning of this post, several people who shared their dreams confessed to having asked God for a rapture dream with the clear intent of making the certainty of their salvation known. Let’s talk about why that is a spiritually foolish thing to do, and why God frowns upon such requests and neglects to grant them. You may wonder about all those who asked and then had a subsequent dream. I have absolutely no doubt these professing individuals had a dream. No doubt at all. But I doubt their dream was from God. The enemy is very crafty in (1) initiating that temptation to ask which is usually prompted by fear, confusion, or insecurity and then (2) fulfilling their request. That is precisely how he works, and how deception creeps into people’s lives, and the enemy is more than happy to deliver.
Firstly, the security of our salvation in Jesus Christ is not to be measured by whether or not we have a rapture dream. The security of our salvation is solely by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. A rapture dream, or any other prophetic utterance, is not the means by which we validate our salvation or become assured of it (see Romans 8:9-11).
Secondly, If you are insecure in your faith, and have been asking God for a rapture dream — please stop. I beg you to stop. This kind of naive request can open you up to the dangers of demonic deception. You do not need a rapture dream. You need faith! If your faith is weak and you’re not certain of your salvation, then it’s vitally important that you know what to do. In such cases, the LORD does not tell us to pray for a rapture dream. He tells us to test and prove ourselves to see if we are in the faith, to repent of our sin, and seek His face. (See 2 Corinthians 13:5 and Hebrews 10:38-39 and 11:1).
Thirdly, Salvation comes by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8-9). The work of Jesus Christ was absolutely perfect and complete. He declared it was “finished” on the cross (see John 19:30). When He rose again and ascended into heaven He more than proved Himself faithful to conquer not only death, but to grant eternal life to those who believe. As Paul said, if Christ did not rise from the dead, then we are among all men most miserable. Our faith is in vain (see 1 Corinthians 15:16-19). Therefore, if you are a believer, your full redemption in Him is promised and sure.
Finally, What you need is true faith in Jesus Christ — not faith in a dream. When we seek signs and wonders we do not honor God with our faith — we insult Him with the lack of it. Christ called those who did such things, “an adulterous generation” (see Matthew 16:4, Matthew 12:39, and Mark 8:12). Why? Because they put more faith in the sign and wonder than in God alone. That is spiritual adultery. They elevated something above Him to validate their faith in Him. Anything exalted above God is an affront to Him. They required Him to prove Himself. We are not to test or tempt God (see Deuteronomy 6:13-19) — that is a sin. Christ said that to those who ask such things, only the sign of the prophet Jonah would be granted to them. Trust me, that is not a sign you want to receive. So, if you’ve been asking God for a rapture dream — please stop and repent.
If you are spiritually insecure, or you are questioning your salvation, we need to address that straight away, right now. If you’re not saved, you can be saved right now by visiting our “Jesus” page. Or you may contact us directly. We would be honored to lead you in receiving Christ’s salvation and being born again by His Spirit.
A Final Word
Please be cautious. This sudden dream phenomenon mirrors the warnings Christ gave in His Word of how deception can so easily creep in among His elect. That is not to disregard or dismiss any dreams that are truly from Him. But we must be very careful. Do not be quick to immediately believe any dream. Give yourself the time to test and approve all things as the Bible instructs us to do. That is being a spiritually mature and responsible Christian.
As believers God calls us to be wise stewards of His Word and to walk by faith in Him. He calls us to believe. If you are struggling in your walk with God, or feel insecure in your relationship with Christ, that can be remedied very easily right now:
#1. Humble your heart before Him (see 1 Peter 5:6-10).
#2. Confess your fear and insecurity (see 1 John 1:9).
#3. Repent of your sin (including any fear and insecurity)(see Matthew 9:13).
#4. Ask Him to forgive you, cleanse you, and make you new (2 Corinthians 3:15-18).
#5. Commit to following and obeying Him, abide in Him, and walk in His Spirit (see John 15:1-17).
#6. Seek His face with all your heart, and He will be found by you (see Jeremiah 29:13).
#7. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you (see James 4:6-10).
The Lord is able to lead and guide you into all truth. We all eagerly await His appearing. Until then, stand firm to the end — and let no man deceive you.
FOOTNOTES:
¹ Eschatology is the study of end times, apocalyptic events, and the return of Christ as it pertains to the Holy Bible, with a focus on prophetic texts or books and their respective interpretation.
² Recommended reading, 100 Scriptures on False Prophets by OpenBible.info
³ Recommended reading, Death Penalty for Old Testament Prophets by Ad Dei Gloriam Ministries
Cheers & Shalom,
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