Believers all over social media are convinced that the end of the world could occur this week after claims that the 'Rapture' is going to happen on Tuesday (23 September).
The Rapture is a Christian belief that claims at the Second Coming, living and dead believers will rise into the air and meet Jesus.
The belief has started picking up speed on TikTok, where people are selling their belongings, saying their goodbyes and sharing advice to others about what they believe will happen.
The belief that the Rapture could take place this week seems to have stemmed from Pastor Joshua Mhlakela who told CENTTWINZ TV on YouTube: "The rapture is here upon us, whether you are ready or not ready.
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“I saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, ‘I am coming soon'.
“He said to me on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025, ‘I will come back to the Earth.’”
The pastor prophesied that the day the world ends will coincide with Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets.
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This is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the beginning of the Jewish new year - and for Christians, it's a prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus Christ's return.
Mhlakela said that God’s judgement would leave the world ‘unrecognisable’ and the rapture would happen with ‘such power’ that it would cause the Earth to ‘shake’.
Following the claims, people have been left curious over what the Bible has said about the Rapture, with many pointing out that the word isn't actually mentioned.
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One person said: "Most Christians believe in The Rapture, but don’t know that the word is never mentioned in the Bible."
The word is not mentioned, but the concept of the Rapture seems to be born from Thessalonians 4:13-17, which states: "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
"After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
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A similar concept is referred to in the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, which states: “Look, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
Meanwhile, Brittanica explains that in The Synoptic Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, the idea of Jesus returning to Earth is also mentioned, with the Gospel According to Mark discussing a 'coming in clouds' with great power and glory'.
Topics: News, World News
Lucy Devine