Writer Becky Hunter Kelm unpacks the viral wave of #RaptureTok and the bold claims of a South African pastor who predicted Jesus’ return in September 2025. What follows is both a cultural reflection on how end-times theories spread online and a biblical reminder of where our hope truly lies.
This month, the hashtag #rapture went viral on Tiktok and Instagram since a pastor from South Africa called Joshua Mhlakela claimed to have a vision that Jesus would return on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. He claimed that ‘The Rapture’ would take place on either September 23rd or 24th, 2025.
The hashtag ‘RaptureTok’ has also blown up on TikTok with a whopping 300.000 posts on the subject, from theological explanations attempting to validate Mhlakela’s claims, to Christians even getting rid of all their possessions prior to the expected ‘rapture’.
The word ‘rapture’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, but the second coming of Christ is referred to several times
The word ‘rapture’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, but the second coming of Christ is referred to several times. For me, the word ‘rapture’ conjures up memories of the Christian Left Behind book series from the 90s by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. ‘Left Behind’ was based on Matthew 24:40-42: ‘Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.’
READ MORE: How do I prepare myself as the Bride of Christ for the ‘End Times’?
I remember watching the ‘Left Behind’ film as a young teen, where there were piles of clothes left everywhere, where Christians had supposedly been whisked off to heaven (including those of a pilot leaving an airborne plane to its fate. It was quite terrifying!)
It’s almost October, and despite #RaptureTok going viral, I’m still here and if you’re reading this, so are you! So this end-times trend is a scary reminder of how quickly conspiracy theories or doctrinally unsound ideas can spread, getting more and more fantastical in an attempt to make them believable.
When the disciples asked Jesus when the Second Coming will happen, he replied: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:3). And in Acts 1:7, ‘He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’ This means anyone claiming to know when the so-called Rapture is going to happen (such as Mhlakela!) is directly contradicting the Bible.
We have to be on guard and be careful what we consume on social media. We need to ‘be ready and awake’ for the return of Christ
We have to be on guard and be careful what we consume on social media. We need to ‘be ready and awake’ for the return of Christ. Mark 13:35-37 says: “Therefore stay awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come… lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: stay awake.’
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Confirmation bias also means we can be more likely to believe something that makes sense with our personal beliefs. When we read posts online, we need to not only check their source but also weigh them against scripture and within our Christian community. That’s what church is for. Let’s not spend more time scrolling questionable content alone than we do investing in our discipleship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
One day, Jesus will return for his children- in 1 Corinthians 15:50-53, Paul refers to Jesus’ Second Coming: ‘But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed.’
READ MORE: Let’s put aside idle speculation
As Christian women, let’s strive to keep an eternal perspective in a hashtag age. I don’t want to look back on my life and regret spending so much of it scrolling social media instead of enjoying the life he has given me. Because when Jesus does finally come back (and only the Father knows when this will be), or when he takes us home from this world, he is going to welcome us with open arms, with crowns, trumpets, and a huge celebration! Those that have gone before us will be in their glorified bodies again! And we are going to understand how much it was all worth it. It was worth laying down our lives to live for him, to gain him and his great love for us, for all eternity. And that’s the best dependable news we could ever cling to. #glory
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