Charles Lawson: The 23rd of September – Pastor Charles Lawson

The Rapture on September 23, 2025?
A claim attributed to South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela has circulated online. In this message, Pastor Charles Lawson examines that claim in the light of Scripture and reminds believers that “no one knows the day or the hour” (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32–37).

History shows that setting dates breeds confusion—often heresy, disappointment, and public ridicule (2 Peter 3:3–4). Instead, Jesus calls us to watch, wait, and live ready (1 Thessalonians 5:1–6; Titus 2:11–13). Pastor Lawson urges Christians to test all things and hold fast to what is good (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21), rejecting sensationalism while maintaining the blessed hope of Christ’s imminent return.

Key Themes:
• No date-setting for the Rapture
• Biblical discernment over speculation
• Watchfulness, holiness, and readiness until He comes

Whether He returns today or in a thousand tomorrows, may we be found faithful and prepared.

The 23rd of September – Pastor Charles Lawson

Welcome down into the house tonight. This is probably one of the most important messages I’ve brought this year—maybe in a long time. I’ll be dealing with September the 23rd. That’s important.

Father, we pray Your blessing. Give this messenger unction and wisdom. Open the hearts of the people to receive the Word and the truth—those who are watching now and those who will watch later. Bless it, Lord, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

All right, let’s go ahead and get into the text. If you have your Bible, turn to 1 Corinthians 15:51.

The Scripture says this: “Behold, I show you a mystery…” The coming of Christ is no mystery, but here we’re told about something mysterious. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” The “we” is a reference to born-again believers. Paul is not speaking to the unsaved here.

Verse 52: “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Father, bless this holy Word. In Thy name I pray, Amen. You may be seated.

Back in 1973 when I got saved, it didn’t take me long studying the Bible before I believed in the rapture of the church. I became premillennial simply by studying the Scripture. I haven’t changed one bit since then—I still believe the same things regarding the rapture of the church. Of course, I know more now about eschatology than I did then, but I’ve watched a lot of things come and go over the years.

Sometimes I marvel at how quickly people drift from the Bible into speculation.

For example, there’s a pastor in South Africa who claims God gave him a vision. He said he saw Jesus sitting on the throne and heard Him say very clearly, “I’m coming soon.” He added, “On the 23rd and 24th of September, 2025, I will come back to the earth.” Those are his words.

Naturally, people get excited when they hear things like this. But let me say tonight, I’ve said this long before this recent talk ever started—I look for the coming of the Lord every day. Amen. I look for the rapture all the time. The Bible calls it “the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior.” If He came in the next five seconds, that would be fine with me!

So, when someone says the Lord may come September 23rd, I say, “Wonderful!” But He may come before that. Others insist, “He absolutely will not come on the 23rd.” But they’re setting a date too! Neither position is biblical. You can’t tell me He will come on that day, and you can’t tell me He won’t. The Bible says no one knows the date.

As a pastor, it’s my responsibility to help you sort through this. Some of you may be wondering what I think about it. This isn’t something I just started studying. I’ve looked at it for many years.

The Bible describes seven Jewish feast days: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. In 1 Corinthians 15, we read that “the trump shall sound,” so many connect this with the Feast of Trumpets. That’s possible—but it’s still setting a date, and Scripture warns against that.

Here’s what we must remember: the Second Coming of Christ is preceded by many events—the seven-year tribulation, a peace agreement, the rise of the Antichrist, and more. But the rapture is different. It’s a mystery event that could happen at any moment. Nothing needs to take place before it. The Greek word harpazo means “to seize, to snatch away suddenly.”

Now, let me warn you about date-setting. No man knows when the rapture will occur. Church history is filled with failed predictions. For instance:

• William Miller predicted Christ’s return in 1844. Over 100,000 people gathered, but the Lord didn’t come. That event became known as the Great Disappointment. Many abandoned the faith. The Seventh-Day Adventist movement eventually came out of it.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses are notorious date-setters, revising their predictions again and again when Christ didn’t return.
• Edgar Whisenant, a NASA engineer, wrote the book 88 Reasons Why Christ Will Come in 1988. When it failed, he re-calculated for 1989, 1993, and 1994.
• Harold Camping predicted the end multiple times—1994, 2011—but it never happened.

Do you see the pattern? When dates fail, it produces disappointment, heresy, and sometimes even new cults. Faith is shaken, and unbelievers ridicule Christianity. That’s why Scripture commands us not to set dates.

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Again, Matthew 25:13 says: “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

That’s the truth. Nobody knows.

So let me be clear—I hope the Lord comes September 23rd! But He may come on the 22nd, or the 24th, or any day before or after. My advice is simple: live ready every day. Look for Him always. That’s why the Bible calls it the blessed hope.

Father, bless Your Word tonight. Strengthen and prepare us as we look for the coming of the Lord. May we not be shaken by date-setters or distracted by speculation. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Amen.