The Rapture has come- or has it? On September 23 and 24, a story circulated on the internet in which Joshua Mhlakela, a pastor from South Africa said that he had seen Jesus in a vision. In this vision, Jesus returned to Earth on Rosh Hashanah, the New Year in Judaism. The pastor also said that the Rapture would take place on either September 23 or 24. “I would hear him very loud and clear: ‘I am coming soon,’” he said. This made strong Christian followers excited, anticipating Jesus’s possible return. With the boost from TikTok and YouTube, this situation created a broader discussion over the impact of online prophecies and how faith can be used against a populus.
To understand the days leading up to September 23-24, one must first understand the Biblical context of the Rapture. Some believe that the Rapture is when Christ’s followers will be taken up to Heaven, while those who do not follow him will be left behind on Earth, changing life for humans forever.
The “solution” many of these believers have come to has been to sell all earthly belongings that theoretically would not follow them to heaven. Tilahun Desalegn, told in a TikTok video that he sold his five-year-old car to “catch a flight to heaven” in September. He stated, “She’s got to go. I won’t need her beyond September. I’m going home, to where my father in heaven is.” These actions show a profound level of blind faith in those on social media.
Desalegn later released a 10-minute apology and repentance video towards anyone who took his failed predictions and let them alter their lives. This phenomenon created what was known as “RaptureTok”. By using #Rapture or #RaptureTok, you can find mockery and satire poking fun of the situation, or completely contradictorily, tips and tricks had the time come.
This isn’t the first Rapture prediction to spread rapidly and create chaos. These assumptions can date back to the 1800’s with clearly none of them resulting in an actual Rapture. William Miller, a 19th-century American preacher who founded the Millerite movement, predicted the second coming of Jesus between 1843 and 1844, which resulted in the “Great Disappointment” when it did not occur. This trend has occurred time and time again with believers going to the extremes to better their chances and leave earthly belongings behind.
Psychologically, Avigail Lev, founder and director of the Bay Area CBT Center said, “People are fixated on end-of-the-world proclamations because they trigger existential concerns…When there’s instability and crisis, we naturally become more preoccupied with mortality, freedom, responsibility and the impermanence of life. Conditions are ripe for this kind of thinking.”
With extreme technological advancements, economic and political shifts, and social dynamics there’s a constant rate of stress bombarding all those affected. Seeking a coping mechanism and/or control is a normal human reaction whether it’s believing in a higher power or something less weighty. “Today, we’re saturated with options—Uber, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, dating apps, endless consumer choices—and that overwhelming freedom can trigger an existential fear of responsibility,” Lev says. “In response, people seek predictability or authority outside themselves to contain the uncertainty.”
As funny as the situation may seem, it’s important to find the root of where this blind faith stems from. Psychotherapist and trauma specialist, Tina Chummun, told the Daily Mail,” When people want reassurance about the unknown, they piggyback on other people who seem to know what’s happening – even though they haven’t stopped to question whether what they’re aligning with is right. This isn’t the first case of false information (especially pertaining to a rapture) going too far and it won’t be the last.
