Back in June, a South African YouTube show about religious prophecies and visions featured an interview with a guest named Joshua Mhlakela. Though later described by viewers as a “pastor,” Mhlakela only said that he was a “simple person” without a church title who had experienced a vision of the biblical end-times.
“The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not,” he said. “God took me to see the future, and then he brought me back.” He recounted meeting Jesus Christ, whom he claimed told him, “I am coming soon.” Mhlakela further revealed that the Christian messiah had given him the date of his return: Sept. 23-24, 2025.
History is full of countless predictions like this, none of them fulfilled thus far. For whatever reason, some of these have captured the public imagination in a major way. In one famous example, the Baptist lay preacher William Miller declared that by his scriptural calculations, the Second Advent of Christ would occur at some point in 1843 or 1844 — a belief that exploded in popularity across the U.S. as those years drew near. The Millerites, as Miller’s followers came to be called, were inevitably dismayed when the window came and went without biblical incident, a collective reaction known as the Great Disappointment.
But no matter: Judgment Day can always be postponed until tomorrow. And so, Mhlakela’s promise of a rapture this week — coinciding with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year — was seized upon by Christian TikTokers who began to spread the good news to their own followers and friends. “Six days, almost five days till rapture time,” said one such user in a clip posted last week that has been viewed more than 2 million times across social media platforms. “I’m so excited, who else is excited?” She went on to say that it was her birthday, and she was secretly hoping the rapture would have happened early for the occasion.
Another woman appeared to be concerned that her husband would be left behind as she and other true believers entered the kingdom of God. She shared a TikTok that showed how she was storing preserved foods for him as well as planting a Bible stuffed with cash in his dresser drawers, and even providing an off-the-grid survivalist guide so that he would be able to weather the presumable hellscape of post-rapture Earth. A caption on the video reads, “He doesn’t know it yet: But I have been fighting a battle for him.” Other Christian influencers attacked skeptics as they meanwhile speculated on the possibility of Donald Trump being the Antichrist; some shared apocalyptic dreams and alleged “confirmations” of an impending mass ascent into heaven. In one TikTok, posted on Sept. 1, a self-described “rapture watcher” danced happily while holding a calendar, elated that the month of reckoning had finally arrived.
Editor’s picks
On rapture eve, a number of the faithful recorded their emotional goodbyes to the material realm. “Jesus please use my account and the remaining videos for YOUR glory and YOUR will,” wrote a TikToker in a caption for one such video. On Tuesday, many more social media users rejoiced. “Today is the day!” shouted one TikToker in a video after releasing a triumphant scream. A few began watching for signs that the rapture had begun, such as a woman filming the sky outside her home in North Carolina shortly after dawn. “I haven’t seen anybody floating upwards,” she said. “So maybe it hasn’t happened yet.”
The devout also spent Tuesday trying to pinpoint the exact moment they would be lifted into God’s embrace, typically by noting the current time in Israel. Thousands tuned in to a YouTuber’s livestream for “The Great Exodus 2025,” featuring a virtual panel of believers, including Mhlakela himself, discussing the end-times. (They took an extended break during the afternoon, with the stream replaced by images of people worshiping, set to bombastic Christian music.) The comments were hopeful, but showed a measure of concern over whether the promised anointment was coming. “We r still in waiting,” read a comment in the chat. “Let’s get out of here!!!!!!” wrote another viewer. One commenter advised the rest to “keep the faith until the very end,” because “He is testing us all.” This kind of sentiment was common. “Not over till the trumpet sounds,” counseled a viewer who did not seem too worried that no signs of rapture were forthcoming.
Trending Stories
Related Content
As the hours ticked by, however, the silence from most prominent rapture influencers grew more noticeable, and the comments on their earlier videos filled up with mockery: “See you on Wednesday” was an especially popular reply. Elsewhere, nonbelievers jokingly complained about having to work during the rapture, noted how it curiously fell on Celebrate Bisexuality Day. “What if you’re inside when the rapture happens and you get stuck in the corner of the ceiling like a balloon,” asked an X user in a viral post ridiculing the concept. TV and internet personality Desus Nice advised on X that “greeting your rapture believing coworkers on wednesday with ‘goddamn you’re still here?’ is not appropriate but totally worth the zoom meeting with HR.”
In sum, it’s looking like Christians expecting their eternal reward before the weekend are in for the usual Great Disappointment instead. Will they return to their accounts with some kind of convoluted excuse for the canceled event? Almost certainly. Make no mistake, though — they’ll set a new date before long. See you in the hereafter.
