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Journalism of Courage
In many parts of the United States, some Evangelical Christians have begun selling their possessions, leaving their phones unlocked, and quitting their jobs in anticipation of the Rapture, which they believe will unfold on Tuesday (September 23).
The rumour has captured the imagination of a section of TikTok, with some users documenting their preparations in anticipation of their final journey to heaven. Here is what to know about why this sequence of events is unfolding.
The Rapture is an Evangelical Christian belief that Jesus Christ will return to Earth to gather his true believers before ascending to Heaven. The concept, while not explicitly named so in the Bible, is referenced in 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.”
According to the Rapture, the believers will be blessed with eternal bodies, while the unlucky ones who get left behind are left to face God’s judgment.
In June, South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela, a born-again Christian, posted a YouTube video claiming that Jesus had appeared in a dream and said he would make his grand return “on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025.”
“The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not,” Mhlakela said in the video. “I saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, ‘I am coming soon.’”
Oddly enough, the video made a mention of the FIFA Football World Cup next year: “He was telling me that by June 2026, the world is gearing up towards the World Cup,” Mhlakela said. “But after the Rapture of September 2025, the chaos that will be in the world, the destruction and the devastation that will occur with the Rapture, there will be no World Cup 2026.”
The video became viral in recent weeks, with believers affirming the claim in TikTok videos. The #RaptureTok includes videos by believers advising their peers how to best prepare for the scenario, and even dos and don’ts when ascending into the sky. Crucially, there is no scientific basis for such a “prophecy”.
Most famously, the end of the world has been prophesied at least on one occasion in our lifetime. A misreading of the Long Count calendar, developed by the Mayan civilisation, perpetuated a rumour that the world would end on December 21-22, 2012. Groups of people had similarly quit their jobs and stockpiled on household goods, anticipating “the apocalypse.”
However, the Long Count calendar simply indicated that the end of one cycle would result in the beginning of another. A new Grand Cycle would thus begin on December 22, 2012, according to the Mayans.
