Today is being called the date of the rapture because a South African evangelical pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, claimed he had a vision and dream where God told him the rapture would happen on September 23 or 24, 2025. This date coincides with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, which some Christians associate with end-time prophecy involving the sounding of trumpets mentioned in the Bible. The pastor's vision included hearing trumpets and warnings about the upcoming event. This prediction has gone viral on social media platforms like TikTok, with many believers preparing for the rapture — a moment when Christians believe they will be taken up to meet Christ in the air, leaving non-believers behind to face tribulations. However, this belief is not accepted by all Christians, and the concept of the rapture itself is a modern interpretation not explicitly detailed in the Bible. Moreover, historically, all such specific date predictions for the rapture or end of the world have been incorrect, and biblical texts explicitly state that no one knows the exact day or hour of such events except God. In summary, today is considered "the rapture" mainly due to one pastor's prediction linked to religious symbolism in the Jewish calendar and amplified by social media, but there is no verified or factual basis for this claim, and many experts caution against date-setting for such events.
