False Trumpets: The Doomsdays That Never Were

Introduction

Across history, people have been fascinated with the end times – drawn to predictions of apocalyptic doom or Christ’s return. From early Christian centuries to the modern day, charismatic figures have repeatedly set dates for the Rapture or Second Coming, only for those dates to pass uneventfully. Each failure often leaves followers disillusioned and outsiders scoffing, yet the pattern persists. These false alarms serve as stark warnings about spiritual deception and the vulnerability of believers when faith is not firmly grounded in sound biblical doctrine. In the cases that follow – spanning the 2nd century to the 21st – we observe common threads: overconfidence in private revelations, emotional fervor unchecked by Scripture, and the tragic consequences of misplaced hope. Each case study offers not only a history lesson but a caution for discernment, especially as we consider the ultimate end-times deception yet to come.

Montanism

Origins & Beliefs: In the mid-2nd century AD, a man named Montanus ignited one of the earliest apocalyptic movements in the church. A recent convert from paganism, Montanus claimed to be a prophet through whom the Holy Spirit gave new revelations beyond what Scripture taught. He, along with two prophetess colleagues (Priscilla and Maximilla), preached in Phrygia (Asia Minor) that Jesus would soon return and establish the New Jerusalem in their region. Montanus’ pronouncements came in ecstatic trances – he would fall into frenzies and speak in strange utterances, which many early Christians found alarming. Yet to Montanus’ followers, these wild prophecies were the voice of the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) Himself, and Montanus even claimed to embody the Holy Spirit’s presence sent by Jesus.

Mass Migration: Convinced by “the Three” prophets, Montanist believers flocked to Pepuza in Phrygia – the site Montanus declared to be the coming holy city. They left homes and livelihoods to gather where they believed Christ’s millennial kingdom would soon descend. Early records describe Montanus “naming Pepuza… Jerusalem” and urging people to “gather there from everywhere”. This mass migration demonstrates the intense emotional pull such prophecies exerted: devotees were willing to uproot their lives based on Montanus’ oracles.

Outcome: Montanism spread rapidly, troubling the wider church. By around AD 177, church synods condemned the movement for its divisive new revelations and fanatical behavior. Montanus and his prophetesses refused to relent, maintaining that their visions were genuine. Over time, the movement splintered and faded (though pockets survived for centuries). Montanus himself reportedly died in disgrace (some accounts even say he resorted to suicide), and the “New Jerusalem” in Pepuza never materialized.

Application: Montanism illustrates the danger of elevating emotionalism and subjective revelation above Scripture. Swayed by ecstatic experiences, Montanist followers accepted bizarre prophecies that had no biblical basis, and they dismissed the correction of sound teachers. In Montanism’s aftermath, the early church was reminded why Jesus warned about false prophets (see Matthew 7:15) and why true prophecy must align with God’s Word, not contradict it. This case warns us that chasing spiritual hype – “frenzies and convulsions” mistaken for the Holy Spirit – opens the door to deception. Any movement that claims new truth equal to or above Scripture’s authority is on perilous ground. Emotional zeal, unmoored from the Bible’s sober guidance, led sincere people into error and disappointment.

Millerism

Failed Date-Setting: One of the most famous end-time misadventures was Millerism in the 19th century. William Miller, a Baptist farmer-preacher in New England, became obsessed with calculating the date of Christ’s Second Coming. After years of poring over Daniel and Revelation, Miller announced that Jesus would return “about the year 1843.” Based on his study of Daniel 8:14 (the “2,300 days” prophecy), Miller initially predicted Christ’s advent sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. His teachings spread like wildfire during the Second Great Awakening. As the window of 1843–44 approached, tens of thousands heeded Miller’s apocalyptic message. By some estimates, 50,000–100,000 people accepted Miller’s calculations, and many were so convinced that they quit their jobs, sold their possessions, and prepared to meet the Lord. This feverish expectation built toward what should have been a joyous climax – except the date came and went without incident.

The Great Disappointment: When nothing happened by March 1844, Millerites were stunned. After regrouping, Miller and his colleagues seized on a slight reinterpretation (a “tarrying time” in Habakkuk 2:3) and picked a new, precise date: October 22, 1844. As that day approached, many believers donned simple “ascension robes” and gathered on hilltops or church rooftops, hoping to literally rise to meet Christ in the air. Unfortunately, October 22, 1844 also passed with no Second Coming – a devastating blow that entered history as “the Great Disappointment.” In the aftermath, believers wept bitterly. A great many felt betrayed and foolish, having staked their livelihoods and reputations on a false certainty. Miller himself confessed his shock and sorrow at the failure. Most of his followers abandoned the movement immediately, and Miller retired from public prophecy soon after. One Millerite wrote of the ensuing grief: “Our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted, and such a spirit of weeping came over us as I never experienced before… We wept, and wept, till the day dawn.” The calamity was so profound that a Millerite church in New York actually split apart when the clock struck midnight on October 22 and Jesus had not come – some believers collapsed, others wailed in public, and a few angry mobs even assaulted Millerite leaders in frustration.

Aftermath: A small core of Miller’s followers refused to give up. Rather than concede error, they searched for alternate explanations. Within a year, this “remnant” concluded that October 22, 1844 was significant after all – not the day of Christ’s visible return, but the start of His final work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary (a doctrine known as the “Investigative Judgment”). This interpretation gave birth to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which endures today, while other Adventist factions also emerged. However, for most onlookers, Millerism’s failure underscored Jesus’ own admonition: “But of that day and hour no one knows… but My Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Indeed, Miller’s mistake was ignoring clear Scripture – Christ expressly taught that we cannot calculate the date of His return.

Application: The Millerite saga stands as a classic lesson on the folly of date-setting and human calculation in divine matters. Sincere believers were misled by a charismatic but prideful confidence in math and chronology – as if God’s plans could be decoded like a puzzle. Miller’s method seemed scholarly, but it led people to trust a man’s interpretation over plain biblical teaching. The emotional high of “sure knowledge” gave way to crushing disappointment, even a crisis of faith for some. This warns us that misplaced hope in human predictions can both devastate believers and make a mockery of our message in the eyes of skeptics. Ever since 1844, critics have pointed to the Millerites to scoff, “Where is the promise of His coming?” – just as Peter said “scoffers will come in the last days” (2 Peter 3:3–4). To avoid such shame, Christians must exercise patience and humility, remembering that God’s timetable is known only to Him. Our task is to live expectantly every day, not chase secret dates.

True Way Cult

“God’s Salvation Church”: Jumping to the late 20th century, an apocalyptic fervor took shape in a very unorthodox form. In the 1990s, a Taiwanese religious teacher named Hon-Ming Chen blended elements of Buddhism, New Age UFO lore, and biblical end-times prophecy to form a cult called Chen Tao, or “The True Way”. What started as a UFO-centric spiritual group in Taiwan soon morphed into a strange apocalyptic sect with Christian terminology. By 1997, Chen and roughly 150 of his followers moved from Asia to the United States, settling in the Dallas suburb of Garland, Texas. (Tellingly, they chose Garland because it sounded like “God’s Land” to their ears.) This group – also known as God’s Salvation Church – became infamous for one of the most absurd prophecy claims in modern memory.

Channel 18 Prophecy: Shortly after establishing their base in Texas, Hon-Ming Chen declared a specific and bizarre prediction: On March 31, 1998, God Himself would appear on American television – on Channel 18, to be exact – to announce His coming. According to Chen, this miraculous TV broadcast would be visible across North America at 12:01 AM, ushering in the end of the world. The cult prepared feverishly for this televised epiphany. Members dressed in white, wore cowboy hats, and drove luxury cars around town – an odd mix of Western flair and religious zeal. They had also purchased more than twenty homes in Garland to accommodate their community, creating a neighborhood abuzz with anticipation (and media curiosity). As March 31, 1998 approached, international press and local police gathered, wary after tragedies like Heaven’s Gate the year before. Would this UFO cult also do something drastic if the prophecy failed?

Failure and Fantastical Revisions: The fateful moment came…and nothing happened. No divine TV message; Channel 18 aired its regular programming. The cult members sat confused in front of their televisions until it became undeniable that their leader’s prophecy was false. To his minimal credit, Mr. Chen publicly acknowledged his error. He announced that he had “misunderstood” God’s plans and even offered to be stoned or crucified by his followers for leading them astray. No one took him up on that offer, but the damage was done. As predicted, many disciples immediately left the group. Roughly two-thirds of the members abandoned Chen Tao within days, with many returning to Taiwan in humiliation. One might expect the story to end there – yet Chen and a core of believers persisted. They soon spun a new doomsday scenario: they relocated to a small town in upstate New York and proclaimed that a cataclysmic war between China and Taiwan would trigger a nuclear holocaust, and that God would descend in a physical form (on a “God plane” or spaceship) to rescue the faithful. Initially they set this next apocalypse for 1999, then quietly revised the date when 1999 passed uneventfully. By the early 2000s, Chen’s following had withered away, and his cult effectively disbanded – yet not before providing a textbook example of prophetic delusion.

Application: The True Way cult highlights the perils of syncretism and sensationalism in end-times movements. Hon-Ming Chen cobbled together bits of UFO mythology, Eastern spirituality (reincarnation, karma, etc.), and biblical prophecy into a message that was 100% false and frankly ridiculous. Yet intelligent people were taken in, showing how any culture or era is susceptible to deception if the message is delivered confidently enough. The cult’s experience also demonstrates the elastic nature of false prophets – when prophecies failed, Chen simply “changed God’s plan” and his devoted remnant kept believing ever-more-outlandish scenarios (the willingness to believe only shrinking when reality repeatedly contradicted them). For us today, True Way is a caution that not every supernatural-sounding prophecy wrapped in Christian language is from God. Mixing truth with error (e.g. quoting the Bible but also talking about UFO rescue ships) is a hallmark of cults. Believers must test all teachings against Scripture and sound reason, no matter how intriguing or sensational the claims. This case also underscores the importance of spiritual discernment – the ability to distinguish the Holy Spirit’s true leading from bizarre counterfeit revelations. When people abandon biblical truth for the latest prophetic excitement, they become vulnerable to “strong delusion” and lies (2 Thessalonians 2:11).

Harold Camping

In recent times, perhaps no one captured global attention with false Rapture predictions more than Harold Camping, the American Christian radio broadcaster turned doomsday prophet. Camping spent decades as president of Family Radio, a Christian network, and taught Bible lessons nightly on his program Open Forum. Though once a member of a local church, he withdrew from church accountability in the late 1980s and came to rely on his own idiosyncratic biblical interpretations. This lack of oversight set the stage for increasingly bold and problematic claims. Harold Camping’s hallmark was a prideful certainty in his date calculations – a certainty that persisted despite multiple failures.

Multiple Failed Predictions: Camping’s first highly publicized prediction was that Jesus would return on September 6, 1994. He even wrote a book titled 1994? to promote this date. When September 1994 passed without incident, Camping was undeterred. He insisted he had merely miscalculated by a small margin – a “mathematical error” in decoding Scripture. (Some followers later reinterpreted that 1994 failure as perhaps “the end of the Church Age” rather than the world.) Undaunted, Camping eventually set a new target: May 21, 2011. This time, thanks to the internet and media, his prediction went viral. Camping, then 89 years old, announced with absolute conviction that May 21, 2011 would be Judgment Day – the Rapture of true believers, followed by five months of torment for those left behind, culminating in the end of the world on October 21, 2011. His confidence was so high that Family Radio poured millions of donated dollars into a global advertising blitz. Over 5,000 billboards and countless posters proclaimed the message: “Judgment Day May 21, 2011 – The Bible Guarantees It.”. Some of Camping’s devoted listeners quit their jobs, sold their homes, and spent their life savings to warn others before the fateful day. As May 21 approached, media outlets covered the frenzy; atheists planned tongue-in-cheek “Rapture after-parties,” and even many Christians publicly criticized Camping’s prophecy as false, citing Scripture’s clear teaching that no one knows the date.

When May 21, 2011 arrived and no Rapture occurred, Camping and his followers were left bewildered on the world stage. Rather than immediately admit error, Camping doubled down with a face-saving explanation. He announced that a hidden, “spiritual” judgment had indeed happened on May 21 – an invisible sorting of souls – and that the actual physical end of the world would still come on October 21, 2011. This move is typical of failed prophets throughout history: when events don’t pan out, redefine the terms or extend the deadline. Some Family Radio followers clung to this revised narrative; many others quietly drifted away in disappointment. Finally, when October 21, 2011 also passed with no apocalypse, Camping admitted he was wrong. In March 2012, the 90-year-old broadcaster posted a humble note on his website: “We humbly acknowledge we were wrong about the timing.” He added that he would no longer set any dates for the end. Camping’s organization, greatly diminished, apologized for “making that sinful statement” that a date could be known. Harold Camping passed away in December 2013, having spent his final years in relative obscurity after the worldwide ridicule of 2011.

Application: The Harold Camping saga shows the ruinous effect of prideful certainty and private interpretation in prophecy. Unlike a fringe cult leader, Camping had a wide Christian audience and should have known better. Yet he was so convinced of his unique calculations (using complex numerology with Bible genealogies and flood dates) that he dismissed plain teachings like Matthew 24:36. He operated in isolation – no church elders or fellow scholars could temper his theories – and thus he fell into error that seemed obvious to almost everyone but himself. Proverbs 16:18 (“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”) proved true. Camping’s failed prophecies brought public reproach to the Gospel, handed skeptics ammunition to mock Christian beliefs, and deeply hurt those followers who trusted him over Scripture. For believers today, this case is a reminder to stay humble and accountable in handling prophecy. No individual’s “secret knowledge” or timeline should supersede the clear Word of God. When teachers refuse counsel and stubbornly stick to their own interpretation – especially in sensational matters – danger is afoot. As 1 Peter 5:5 says, “be clothed with humility,” and as 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Had more of Camping’s followers tested his claims against the whole counsel of Scripture, they might have avoided deception. The tragedy here is not just an old man’s error, but the fact that thousands were misled and the name of Christ was dragged through the mud because of a prognosticator’s pride. Going forward, we must remember that any doctrine or prediction that contradicts Scripture – or claims a certainty Scripture forbids – is to be soundly rejected.

“Let No One Deceive You”

The above case studies, though separated by centuries, collectively illustrate how easily human belief can be led astray when it’s not anchored by the Holy Spirit’s truth. In each scenario, people who likely started with genuine faith were lured into error – whether by ecstatic prophecy, ingenious calculations, or charismatic claims – and it happened because they drifted from the solid moorings of Scripture and the Spirit. The Bible explicitly warns that deception will characterize the last days. Jesus Himself cautioned, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4). “Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11), and “false christs and false prophets will show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). We see this “dress rehearsal” of deception in Montanism, Millerism, the True Way cult, and Camping’s following. Each was, in a sense, a forerunner of what not to do or believe.

Notably, the Apostle Paul wrote of a future time when God’s restraint is lifted and deception will flood unchecked. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul explains that a “man of lawlessness” (the Antichrist) will one day come “with all power, signs, and lying wonders” to lead the world astray – but only after the one who restrains is “taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:7-9). I believe “the restrainer” to be the Holy Spirit working through the Church, holding back full-force evil until the appointed time. When the Church is raptured and the Spirit’s restraining influence is removed, the stage will be set for the greatest deception in human history. Paul says that at that time, because people “did not receive the love of the truth,” God will send “strong delusion” so that they believe the lies of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:10–12). In other words, those who refuse truth now will be exceedingly vulnerable to error later. Consider how quickly Montanus’ followers fell for obvious falsehoods, or how Miller’s and Camping’s followers ignored repeated failures – that was with the Holy Spirit still active in the church age. How much more, in a post-Rapture world, when society is desperate for answers and “all unrighteous deception” is freely at work (2 Thess. 2:10), will people latch onto the ultimate “false savior”? Jesus warned that “unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (Matthew 24:22), indicating just how overpowering the Antichrist’s deception will be. The false prophets and miscalculations we’ve discussed are like small-scale previews of that coming great deception. They show how credulous even religious people can be when they abandon sound doctrine – a sobering thought for the future time when the Antichrist will have “free rein” to deceive.

Peter’s words ring true: “scoffers will come in the last days, saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’” (2 Peter 3:3–4). Every high-profile false alarm (like 1844 or 2011) only emboldens the scoffers. Yet Peter goes on to remind us that God is not slow – He is patient, not willing any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). The repeated failures of doomsdate-setters should not make us cynical; they should make us more vigilant. Jesus will return, but in His timing and His way. Our job is to stay spiritually awake, not chasing new predictions or fads, but grounded in what He has truly told us.

Conclusion

In summary, history’s false rapture alarms teach us priceless lessons to carry into these last days and beyond. Here are the key takeaways for discernment:

• Stick to Scripture, Not “New Revelations”: God’s Word is our final authority. Movements like Montanism show that when subjective prophecies or mystical experiences are given equal weight to Scripture, deception thrives. We must test every teaching by the Bible (Acts 17:11) and reject those that conflict. The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself – He won’t tell a “prophet” something that violates the written Word.

• No One Knows the Date: Despite the allure of timetables, date-setting is a fool’s errand. Jesus said no man knows the day or hour of His return (Matthew 24:36), and He meant it. William Miller, Harold Camping, and others ignored this at great cost. Rather than fixate on calendars, we should focus on being ready at all times. If someone claims to have cracked a secret code for the Rapture, we can be certain they are mistaken (or deceptive).

• Beware of Pride and Isolation: False prophecy often springs from spiritual pride – figures who believe they have special insight that everyone else missed. Harold Camping’s story exemplifies this: he operated without accountability and became convinced he could not err. As believers, we should prize humility and seek counsel in community (Proverbs 11:14). Lone-wolf teachers with grand claims are red flags.

• Don’t Chase Signs and Wonders: Jesus did miracles, and God can give signs, but He also said “An evil generation seeks a sign” (Luke 11:29). Cults like True Way capitalized on sensational claims (UFOs! Miracles on TV!) to ensnare people craving the spectacular. Emotional excitement is no proof of truth. We must walk by faith in what God has already revealed, not by constant desire for the next astonishing “word” or sign (2 Corinthians 5:7).

• Guard Your Heart Against Disillusionment: For every false alarm, there are those that are disillusioned who, wounded by deception, walk away from faith entirely. We need to minister gently to those hurt by these events – showing them the difference between man’s error and God’s truth. At the same time, we should steel ourselves that as we approach the end, deceptions will increase, and even some who once believed may fall away (1 Timothy 4:1). We can’t afford to be naive or overly cynical; we must be watchful.

  
  

Finally, as watchers and warriors in these end times, we are called to a balanced mindset. Watcher: keep alert, discerning the fulfillment of prophecy and aware of the spiritual climate (Mark 13:33–37). Warrior: contend for the faith and stand firm in Christ’s truth, wearing the armor of God (Ephesians 6:11–18). The enemy’s strategy is deceit – but we have the Spirit of truth within us (John 16:13). By abiding in the Word and Spirit, we will not be easily fooled by prophetic fads or Antichrist himself. Instead, we’ll shine as lights of truth for others.

In a world that will only plunge deeper into deception, let us take encouragement from Jesus’ promise: “See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:25). He has given us all we need to recognize lies and cling to truth. The false alarms of the past are loud reminders to stay awake, stay grounded, and stay close to the Good Shepherd’s voice – for He will never lead us astray. Our blessed hope (Titus 2:13) is secure; let’s hold it with discernment and courage, as we await the true trumpet sound that will one day herald our Lord’s return – in God’s perfect timing.

Stay Awake! Keep Watch!

References:

• Got Questions

• New England Historical Society

• Time Magazine

• The Guardian

• ABC 7 News