Today, September 24, 2025, is called "Rapture Day" by some because of a popular belief among certain evangelical Christians that the Rapture—the event where believers are taken up to meet Christ in the air—will occur on this date. This belief is based on a prophecy interpretation linking the timing to the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), which occurs on September 23 or 24 in 2025. The recent surge in this belief comes mainly from a South African evangelical pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, who claimed to have received a vision that the Rapture would begin on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. This idea has spread widely on social media, especially TikTok, where many evangelical users are discussing and preparing for the event. The Rapture concept itself is derived from Biblical passages in 1 Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians about believers being caught up to meet the Lord, although the precise date is traditionally considered unknown in Christian doctrine. In summary, "Rapture Day" today is a particular interpretation of biblical prophecy tied to the Jewish religious calendar, popularized recently by an evangelical pastor and amplified through social media.
