A South African pastor’s claim that the Rapture will happen on either Tuesday or Wednesday has sparked a frenzy on social media, mixing strong belief with significant skepticism.

Joshua Mhlakela, who first shared his prophecy in a YouTube interview with Centtwinz TV, has convinced some followers that Jesus Christ will return on September 23 or 24, 2025, aligning with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah.

“The Rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not,” Mhlakela declared, adding that Jesus personally told him in a dream, “I will come to take my church,” Newsweek reported.

Mhlakela warned, “There’s a storm brewing right now, and it’s dark. No human being on this Earth is ready for what is coming. I’m a billion percent sure. I began to hear literally in my ear the sound of the trumpet.”

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This has fueled the #RaptureTok trend on TikTok, where some believers are selling possessions and quitting their jobs, while others prepare with lighthearted advice, such as TikTok user@sonj779, whose “Rapture Trip Tips” encouraged believers to buy new underwear so their “last impression” isn’t an old pair. 

The Rapture, a belief among some evangelical Christians, envisions Jesus taking true believers to Heaven before a period of tribulation on Earth, based on interpretations of passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

Yet the term “Rapture” reportedly does not appear in the Bible, and scholars like Bart Ehrman note its roots lie in 19th-century theology, not scripture.

Skeptics point to Matthew 24:36 — “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” — as evidence that such precise predictions might stretch credulity.

Mhlakela’s video ties his forecast to astrological signs and Revelation 12, though these connections remain unverified by mainstream theology.

Some TikTok users, like @christwillreturn, plead tearfully, “You need to repent. Now. I don’t want you to be left behind,” while others, such as @jamynon, mock the fervor: “I will take your car, I will take all your money. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

With nearly half of U.S. Christians believing in end-times scenarios, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center study, such predictions tap into a deep vein of faith — though 58% of Americans dismiss the idea of living in the last days.
History offers little support for Mhlakela’s timeline, with past rapture predictions — such as Hal Lindsey’s 1970s bestseller, The Late Great Planet Earth: The Classic Analysis of the Biblical Prophecies Leading Up To the Return of Jesus Christ — failing to materialize.
Whether this week’s deadline passes quietly or not, the pastor’s vision has already stirred a mix of hope and head-scratching across the digital landscape.