Throughout church history, numerous individuals have predicted that Christ would return, that the saints would be caught up (the rapture), or that the end of the age would occur during their own generation.
One important distinction, especially when studying this from a historical and theological standpoint, is that
predicting Christ's Second Coming is not necessarily the same thing as predicting a pretribulation rapture. The modern doctrine of a separate, secret, pretribulational rapture has a much more specific history.
Here is a chronological look at some of the more notable figures.
1. Early church and medieval period
| Person or group | Prediction | What they expected |
|---|
| Montanus | AD 156–172 | Expected the New Jerusalem to descend near Pepuza in Phrygia. |
| Hippolytus of Rome | Around AD 500 | Associated the end of the age with chronological calculations based on Scripture. |
| Beatus of Liébana | Around AD 800 | Associated the millennium with the fulfillment of biblical chronology. |
| Various medieval Christians | AD 1000 | Expected Christ's millennial reign or the end of the age. |
| Spiritual Franciscans | Around 1260 | Expected a new age associated with Joachim of Fiore's prophetic chronology. |
| Taborites | Around 1420 | Expected apocalyptic judgment and the establishment of Christ's kingdom. |
These were generally predictions concerning the end of the age, judgment, or Christ's return—not necessarily a modern pretribulation rapture.
Modern Reformation+1
2. The 1800s: The development of modern rapture expectations
This is particularly interesting because the nineteenth century saw the development of the modern dispensational understanding of the rapture.
Margaret MacDonald (1830)
Lady Mariota Stuart
- A young Scottish woman who reportedly experienced a prophetic vision in 1830.
- Her vision included ideas about believers being taken before a time of tribulation.
- Whether her vision influenced the development of John Nelson Darby's theology remains disputed.
Edward Irving and his associates (1832)
EDWARD IRVING Scottish clergy Our beautiful Wall Art and Photo Gifts include Framed Prints, Photo Prints, Poster Prints, Canvas Prints, Jigsaw Puzzles, Metal Prints and so much more
- Irving and prophetic associates became involved in predictions concerning Christ's return.
- January 14, 1832, was reportedly identified as the date the Church would be caught up.
- The prediction failed.
John Nelson Darby (1800–1882)
John Nelson Darby - Father of the Rapture Theory
- Developed and systematized modern dispensational premillennialism.
- Taught a pretribulation rapture.
- Importantly, Darby did not establish a definite date for the rapture.
William Miller (1843–1844)
William Miller: Reviving the Hope of the Second Coming - AskAnAdventistFriend.com
- Initially expected Christ to return between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.
- His followers subsequently settled on October 22, 1844.
- When Christ did not return, the movement experienced what became known as the Great Disappointment.
CPRC+3
3. The 1900s: Rapture predictions become increasingly popular
| Person | Predicted date | Details |
|---|
| Charles Taze Russell | 1874, 1881, 1914 | Expected Christ's return; later interpreted 1874 as an invisible return. |
| Chuck Smith | 1981 | Suggested Christ would probably return by 1981. |
| Edgar C. Whisenant | 1988 | Published 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. |
| Edgar C. Whisenant | 1989 | Revised his prediction after 1988 passed. |
| Harold Camping | 1994 | Predicted September 6, 1994, as the date of the rapture. |
Modern Reformation+1
4. The 2000s and beyond
Harold Camping, Controversial End Times Predictor, Dies at Age 92 | Church & Ministries
David Meade Speaker Agent | Hire Keynote Speaker
Preachers Predict Rapture in September 2025 – Bushbuckridge News
| Person | Predicted date | Details |
|---|
| Harold Camping | May 21, 2011 | Predicted the rapture and judgment day. |
| Harold Camping | October 21, 2011 | Revised his prediction to this date. |
| David Meade | September 23, 2017 | Predicted an apocalyptic event associated with Planet X and biblical prophecy. |
| Joshua Mhlakela | September 23–24, 2025 | Claimed Jesus had revealed that the rapture would occur on those dates. |
Wikipedia+1
An important historical observation
There is a major difference between these two developments:
- The expectation of Christ's return: Christians have anticipated Christ's return throughout church history.
- The modern pretribulation rapture: The teaching that Christ will secretly remove the Church before a future seven-year tribulation became systematized in the nineteenth century, particularly through Darby.
The history of that development is discussed in the
Encyclopedia of Christianity and scholarly treatments of millennialism.
St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology+2
Some useful historical reading
Given your interest in biblical eschatology, one particularly interesting study would be comparing the failed predictions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with the development of dispensationalism.
Create image
