The Rapture is happening on April 23rd.

And we know that’s true because a Christian numerologist said it and FOX News reported on it. (Again.)

David Meade tells the U.K.’s Daily Express newspaper that on April 23, the sun and moon will be in Virgo, as will Jupiter, which represents the Messiah. For a certain branch of evangelical Christianity, Revelation 12:1–2 describes the beginning of what is known as the Rapture and the second coming of Christ. … According to Meade, the alignment represents “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” marking the Rapture, the belief that Christ will bring the faithful into paradise prior to a period of tribulation on earth that precedes the end of time.

No rapture prediction has ever come true, so you would think other “numerologists” would give up — or at least stop giving specific dates. Yet these stories always get traction because there are people out there who believe the day will come when Jesus takes them away. And it’s always happening soon, even if we don’t know the exact day, because the Bible says so. (The Bible also says no one knows when it’s supposed to happen, but that never stopped people from making predictions…)

At least one person had the good sense to counter his claims:

The rarity of the formation has come into question, with Jonathon Sarfati suggesting the phenomena has occurred four times in the last millennium, and we are still here. In an article entitled “Will the World end on 23 April”, He said: “As usual with any astrology (or Christian adaptations of it), one cherry-picks the stars that fit the desired conclusion. “There is nothing to suggest that April 23 is a momentous date for biblical prophecy, and Christians need to be careful about being drawn into such sensationalist claims. “We won’t know the day or the hour — so we should be prepared at all times!”

You want another reason to doubt Meade’s claims?

Because he said the exact same thing last year. FOX News reported on it back then, too.

A Christian numerologist claims that the world will end next Saturday when a planet will, supposedly, collide with Earth. According to Christian numerologist David Meade, verses in Luke 21:25 to 26 are the sign that recent events, such as the recent solar eclipse and Hurricane Harvey, are signs of the apocalypse. … Meade has built his theory on the so-called Planet X, which is also known as Nibiru, which he believes will pass Earth on Sept. 23, causing volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and earthquakes, according to British newspaper The Sun.

If that sounds eerily familiar, wait till you see the person countering his claims in the Express:

In an article entitled “Will the World end on 23 September?” Jonathan Sarfati wrote that the same planetary coincidence had happened four times in the last millennium, and therefore was not as rare as is being suggested. He said: “As usual with any astrology (or Christian adaptations of it), one cherry-picks the stars that fit the desired conclusion. “There is nothing to suggest that 23 September is a momentous date for biblical prophecy, and Christians need to be careful about being drawn into such sensationalist claims. “We won’t know the day or the hour — so we should be prepared at all times!”

He literally gave the same statement, just with a different date.

Just as Meade made the same prediction, just with a different date.

It’s almost like the Express recycled a fictional story because they knew people would be dumb enough to fall for it again. And then FOX News fell for it.

By the way, last year, after September 23 came and went, Meade said he made a mistake and the rapture would happen in October. And then at the end of October, he changed it to November. And then by the end of November, everyone had stopped paying attention to this guy.

Until now.

(Image via Shutterstock)

