What is RaptureTok? TikTok trend explained as internet causes frenzy 

RaptureTok is a TikTok trend in which users anticipate the Rapture, or the belief that faithful Christians, living and dead, will soon be swept up into the sky with Jesus Christ. TikTokers have been posting videos under the hashtag #Rapture, where they showcase their belief about the world coming to an end.

To help prepare themselves for the end of the world, these users are selling their cars and quitting their jobs. The RaptureTok trend started after a South African pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, posted a YouTube video noting that on September 23 and 24, Jesus Christ will return to Earth and trigger Christianity's long-awaited Rapture. Mhlakela said that September 23 and 24, 2025, coincide with the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah. The video has gained more than 555,000 views.

During an interview with CettwinzTV, Mhlakela said,

"The Rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not. God took me to see the future and then he brought me back."

Mhlakela said that he saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and heard him say, "very loud and clear, 'I am coming soon."

How are social media users reacting to RaptureTok?

As per social media videos, users have taken the South African pastor's words and beliefs seriously. While some have sold cars and quit their jobs, users have also left notes for the "missing people" who get left behind.

Some users are creating memes about those who believe in the Rapture.

The Rapture is an idea primarily believed by Christians. While some see it as the second coming of Christ, others regard it as an event that will unite Jesus and his devout followers in heaven.

Non-believers are supposedly left behind on earth to face seven years of God's wrath. The RaptureTok trend is not the first time social media users have developed apocalyptic thinking. 2012 was also considered the end of the world, and it even gave rise to Roland Emmerich's movie, 2012, which depicts massive earthquakes and tsunamis swallowing cities as a sign of the world's end.

At the time, sales of bunkers, MREs (military meals), and survival gear had spiked. NASA had to release an official statement noting that 2012 would not be the end of the world.

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