Rapture Panic: A Manufactured Crisis Fueled by Fear and Lies

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, thousands of people held their breath, bracing for the end of the world. TikTok streams, YouTube “prophets,” and fringe pastors claimed the Rapture would arrive that day. Some sold their possessions. Others quit jobs or withdrew from family. Social feeds filled with frantic videos, countdown clocks, and “rapture checklists.”

I’m a pastor. And even I knew this was a lie.

Weaponizing Fear for Clicks and Control

This wasn’t prophecy. This was a coordinated wave of fear-mongering and disinformation. Right-wing media figures, fringe churches, and conspiracy influencers blended scripture with pseudoscience, then blasted it across platforms to rack up clicks, shares, and donations.

The formula is familiar:

• Take one charismatic voice claiming a “vision.”

• Sprinkle in biblical verses ripped out of context.

• Wrap it in political paranoia about a collapsing society.

• Push it into algorithms hungry for outrage and fear.

The result? Ordinary people terrorized. Families fractured. Viewers trapped in a cycle of doom-scrolling apocalyptic lies.

Scripture Misused as a Weapon

Let’s be clear: the Bible itself rejects this game. “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).

Yet disinformation networks thrive on the opposite — claiming certainty where God gives none. They turn scripture into a blunt instrument, not to inspire hope but to keep believers anxious, dependent, and politically pliable.

The Human Cost of Disinformation

This isn’t harmless internet theater. Date-setting has real consequences:

• People sell homes or empty savings.

• Workers abandon jobs.

• Children absorb terror their parents can’t shake.

• Mental health crises spike.

Each time a prophecy fizzles, it leaves spiritual wreckage — disillusioned believers who either abandon faith altogether or double down even harder in search of the next “sign.”

And who benefits? The influencers, pastors, and pundits who monetize fear. The political operatives who keep their base in a constant state of panic.

Faith Is Not a Fear Campaign

Faith is not supposed to be about panic. It’s about care — for neighbors, for justice, for creation itself. Fear-driven prophecy is not faith. It’s propaganda.

The church’s role should be to calm storms, not whip them up. Pastors should comfort the anxious, not terrify them. Any leader who exploits the longing for hope by selling fear is not shepherding — they’re manipulating.

The Bigger Picture

We need to recognize this pattern for what it is: a disinformation campaign disguised as theology. The same machinery that fuels conspiracy theories and political lies is at work here. The rapture panic of Sept. 23 was not just a quirky TikTok trend — it was a weaponized narrative, designed to keep people scared, distracted, and easier to control.

Final Word From the Pulpit

I believe in Christ’s return. But I also believe in truth. Fear-mongering prophets and their political allies are not preparing us for heaven — they’re robbing us of peace on earth.

If you spent Sept. 23rd - 24th in fear, you were a victim of a lie. Don’t carry their terror into tomorrow. Carry courage instead.