For weeks, anticipation and anxiety swirled online over claims that the Christian Rapture, the belief that Jesus will return to take his followers to heaven, would occur on 23 or 24 September 2025. The prophecy, made by South African preacher Pastor Joshua Mhlakela, spread widely across YouTube, TikTok and church networks, prompting some believers to prepare for the end while others turned the prediction into memes.
But when the sun rose on 25 September, the world remained unchanged. Now, Mhlakela insists the Rapture is still imminent, just on a revised date.
