A Christian pastor who predicted the Rapture would occur between September 23 and 24 awkwardly told viewers to be patient when it failed to happen.
South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela went viral after claiming Jesus appeared to him in a vision and told him it would happen during the JewishFeast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah.
The Rapture is a belief held by some evangelical Christians that Jesus will return to earth to take true believers to heaven, while the rest would remain for a period of great tribulation, before the imminent end of the world.
The prediction prompted ‘RaptureTok’ – a wave of religious hysteria that swept through TikTok.
But, not so surprisingly to the non-believer, the dates passed and Jesus failed to make an appearance.
Mhlakela hosted a livestream during the night of the 23rd and as the clock ticked and nothing happened, he asked viewers to be patient, assuring them ‘the Lord is on his way’ and he was coming ‘with a host of angels’.
The pastor added: ‘I wonder how God works this out, in terms of the minute and the second.’
Mhlakela and his guests ended the livestream at 12.17am on the 24th, telling viewers: ‘Please keep waiting with us, he is coming. September 23rd, 24th. One of these two days, he is coming.’
The livestream has since been deleted from social media.
The pastor has not been online since, but several faith leaders and Christian influencers who believed and shared his predictions have since apologised.
One of them, an Australian man called Tilahun Desalegn, had event got rid of his car as he thought he’d no longer need it.
The evangelist and self-proclaimed prophet, who has 30,000 followers, shared a clip of his car being towed away, saying: ‘I won’t need her beyond September, because I’m going home to where my father in heaven is.’
After the Rapture failed to happen he posted online saying: ‘I will never publicly talk about the rapture again.’
Another self-identified Christian prophet, Kingsalem Igwe from Nigeria, said he had also believed Mhlakela, and went on TikTok to say sorry to his followers.
‘I’m here with all humility to apologize to everyone. I only believed a man who claimed Jesus told him.’
Among the many Christians who were convinced the Rapture was coming this week, there were several criticising Mhlakela’s predictions.
One wrote on his livestream: ‘Do not be deceived! No man knows when Jesus will return.’
Another added: ‘Just admit you didn’t hear from God. He’s coming, but not when YOU said.’
Some Christians have said the bible actually warns against predicting the date of the Rapture.
Vladimir Savchuk, a pastor, author, and YouTube preacher, said: ‘If someone sets the date, they are directly contradicting Jesus’s word.’
Mhlakela revealed his prediction three months ago during an interview on CettwinzTV.
He said: ‘The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not. I saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, I am coming soon,’ Mhlakela originally said during an interview with CettwinzTV.
‘He said to me on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025, I will come back to the Earth.’
Some people were concerned their pets wouldn’t be Raptured, leading to a host of videos poking fun at the fear.
One person posted a sketch showing him hoisting his dog up in preparation for salvation.
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