Culture Craze
Cloudy with a Chance of Ascension: Rapture Prophecy Sparks Global Frenzy
It’s not often that a date on the calendar sets off a storm of prayer vigils, viral countdowns, and even second-hand car sales. Yet this week, social media has been gripped by a prediction that the biblical rapture, the moment Christians believe Jesus will take believers up to heaven will take place on September 23 or 24, 2025.
The claim comes from South African self-styled “messenger” Joshua Mhlakela, who insists he received a divine vision confirming that the end is closer than anyone thinks.
The Vision That Lit the Fuse
Mhlakela first shared his prophecy during an interview on the YouTube channel CettwinzTV, describing how he saw Jesus on His throne and heard the words: “I am coming soon. I will come back to the Earth.”
For Mhlakela, this was not just symbolic. He doubled down with urgency: “It is upon us. If you are not ready for it; it is ready for you.”
The dates he pointed to happen to fall on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This overlap caught the attention of some Christian groups who tie the Feast of Trumpets to end-times prophecies, amplifying the sense that Mhlakela’s prediction carried biblical weight.
@alpharoyce_ Repent!! 🙏🏾 #rapture #raptureready #satire #satirecomedy ♬ original sound – Gehl from South Ahh 🇿🇦
Social Media in Overdrive
@peterispeter “The Rapture is actually still on its way you just misread the signs.” #rapture #therapture #september23 ♬ original sound – Discount Soldier Boy
Within hours, hashtags like #Rapture2025 and #RaptureTok took over TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. Millions of views poured in as users livestreamed prayers, urged repentance, and posted dramatic countdown clocks to “departure day.”
Not everyone took it seriously. South African musician Alpha Royce leaned into satire, posting a TikTok claiming she had already given away her possessions:
“None of this material stuff is going to matter on Tuesday, when I get raptured,” she said, half-preacher, half-performer.
But satire gave way to reality when other users began filming themselves selling cars, furniture, and personal items, convinced they’d soon be swept away. Some commentators called it a dangerous spiral, accusing prophets like Mhlakela of feeding what they dubbed “religious psychosis.”
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The Weight of History
The rapture may feel like a modern internet spectacle, but the doctrine has deep roots. The idea of believers being suddenly “caught up” before a period of tribulation took shape in the 1830s, when Anglo-Irish preacher John Nelson Darby introduced it through his Plymouth Brethren movement.
Darby’s teachings spread across Britain and the United States, gaining traction through prophecy conferences. His writings, including speculation about the 144,000 referenced in Revelation, continue to echo through evangelical circles to this day.
A Divided Reaction
For some South Africans, Mhlakela’s prophecy has tapped into long-standing anxieties from economic hardship to political instability, where spiritual certainty feels more dependable than daily life. For others, it’s a reminder of how charismatic figures can use religious language to capture attention in an age of algorithm-driven virality.
Popular influencer PeterisPeter summed up the sceptical mood: “A concept that was built in the 1800s is causing people to sell their cars… and when it doesn’t happen, people will turn their words around.”
The Bigger Question
Whether September 23–24 comes and goes without incident, the prophecy has already achieved something remarkable: it’s united millions of people, if only briefly, in debate, satire, and soul-searching.
And perhaps that’s the real story, in a fragmented world, the idea of a single, earth-shaking event still has the power to make people stop, scroll, and wonder about what really matters.
{Source: IOL}
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