Rapture Dreams: Confirmations Bias, the Subconscious and Demonic Influence

Today is the supposed rapture date. I had written an article last month on this false prediction titled, ‘Is Rapture in September? Let No Man Deceive You‘. I, therefore, won’t get into why no one knows the date of the Lord’s return since I covered it in that article. I wanted to share briefly on the danger of these predictions and why so many seem to be getting dreams of the ‘rapture.’

This is not a meaningless matter, as some think. As we have seen, most major online newspapers have already covered the story, the world is mocking, and thousands of believers believe Jesus is coming today. Some have even made life-changing decisions like selling property, writing letters to family members, and so forth.

It most likely won’t be the last time this happens, as we have seen from past rapture predictions. But with increased social media usage and the added influence of AI, deception will only increase and spread further and faster in the future through the sharing of false prophecies, dreams, and visions. Therefore, we need to be careful.

Satan is the only winner with false rapture predictions because they advance his purposes.

Satan’s goal with false rapture prophecies:

1. To get Christians to sin against God by going against what’s written in God’s word about the second coming of Jesus (including the timing).
2. To rob Christians of the true joy and blessed hope of the Lord’s actual second coming and the resurrection through disappointments and false demonic hopes.
3. To make the Lord’s return and Christianity in general look like a joke to unbelievers, so that they perish.
4. To make the Word of God and true preachers lose credibility.
5. To shipwreck the faith of many as they follow false prophets and cause them to perish.
6. To immunize Christians against false prophets and their teachings, and so to easily introduce false teachings into the Church.

Why are rapture confirmations happening?

Why is it that so many seem to have had “confirmatory” dreams and experiences of the supposed rapture today? Let me share a personal experience I had as a child.

Between 1988 and 1990, I can’t remember when for sure, I was 6-8 years old. I remember I was at my grandmother’s home, and she and some other women were discussing the rapture and saying Jesus was coming back either that day or a day close by that year. I just remember there was news going on that year about Jesus coming back. Back then there was no internet or mobile phones, but news had spread, possibly through radio or word of mouth. Not sure. Anyway, I remember being terrified as a child and so scared of being left behind. The next two nights I dreamt about Jesus coming back. Very vivid dreams.

Now, if it had been today and I had a parent on social media caught up in the rapture furore, she likely would have posted my two dreams as a confirmation. But Jesus never came then. The fear of the rapture stayed with me as a child for years. Mind you, I didn’t even know the Bible or anything, but I had dreams about it.

The subconscious, suggestion, and confirmation bias.

Dreams are often reflections of our deeply held subconscious beliefs and the activities of our mind during the day, especially when those activities or thoughts are backed up by strong emotions like fear, excitement, anxiety, and so forth. Not all dreams are from God. God does not speak in dreams as frequently as we suppose.

Most dreams are from our subconscious minds, and that’s why we should never place dreams on par with scripture. When something like rapture is being discussed virally on social media and you’re watching rapture videos all day long and immersed in that echo chamber and discussing it with family and around your kids, chances are that they or you will dream about it, and you will assume everything you see, dream, or hear to be a confirmation. It’s called confirmation bias.

Our minds are easily influenced by suggestions that are constant, emotive, and backed by our beliefs. I believe that’s what’s happening with all the rapture dreams and “confirmations.”

Demonic influence and suggestion:

There is also no doubt that demonic influence is involved since Satan is the master deceiver. He aims to get believers to sin against God and go beyond what’s written. And also rob Christians of the true joy and blessed hope of the Lord’s real second coming, and make his return and Christianity in general look like a joke to unbelievers, so that they perish.

The heart is deceptive:

What we are witnessing with this rapture frenzy is exactly why the Bible warns us not to trust our hearts. Our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9).

The only thing we can trust that is unbiased, objective, absolute, and infallible is God’s word in scripture. It stands beyond our experiences, emotions, and hype. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7 that only that man who builds his house upon the ROCK of his word (hearing and doing it) will stand when the storms and raging floods come. This rapture hype is a storm that will test the faith of many and prove what sort it is: gold or stubble.

The Word of God is the only solid rock.

We must stand with God’s word no matter what and no matter how many millions go against it. Only then can we assure our faith before God. He is watching and testing us every day. If we follow deception, he is not pleased because it means we don’t believe or trust his word and would rather follow a man with a convincing message and persona, and subjective and corruptible dreams of human beings. It matters what and whom we believe because it goes right to the heart of God’s INTEGRITY and CHARACTER. He cannot go against his word.

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27

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