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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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A South African pastor has said he saw religious visions and predicts the rapture will take place this week, a theory that has been shared widely on social media.
"The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not," Joshua Mhlakela said in an interview with the religious YouTube channel CettwinzTV, prompting some followers to prepare for what they believe is the end of days.
Mhlakela’s comments have started the trend RaptureTok, prompting stories of people quitting their jobs ahead of his prediction for the return of Jesus Christ "on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025."
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Why It Matters
The term "rapture" is largely based on interpretations of Biblical passages and is a belief held by some evangelical Christians in which Jesus Christ returns to earth to take believers to heaven.
People have often tried to predict the end of the world, and while rumors of its imminent demise have been exaggerated, the viral video by Mhlakela and mixed social media reaction to it show the intrigue that the belief retains.
What To Know
In an interview posted on YouTube on June 17, Mhlakela told CettwinzTV that he had seen visions of Jesus Christ returning on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
He said that he saw "Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, 'I am coming soon,'" listing the dates of September 23 and 24 for his return.
His prediction prompted videos, testimonials and parodies on TikTok. As of Tuesday, the platform had more than 321,000 posts mentioning the Rapture.
In the interview, which has received more than half a million views, Mhlakela was asked to introduce himself. In response, he gave some details about his life, saying he now lived in Johannesburg but was originally from Cape Town.
He said he was born in 1982 and that when his mother was pregnant with him, his father had a dream in which he was told by God to name the child "Joshua" before his parents knew the gender of their baby.
He said there were complications with his birth and that doctors had warned his mother and father that he may be stillborn or injured.
However, when he was born with no issues, "the doctors said I was a miracle," and on the same day he was born, his mother had to fight off a "spiritual force" who was "strangling her." Mhlakela added, "The moment she held on to me, the spirit disappeared."
He went on to say that at the age of 4 or 5, he was kidnapped by someone who knew his family for about a month, but "by God's grace I was found" after the police had been alerted.
He also said he battled suicidal thoughts as a teenager and that at age 16 or 17, he tried to take his life before God intervened.
In the year 2000, he become a Christian, and in one of his first experiences as a believer, he had a vision of an angel as tall as a tree who was looking for demons to cut down.
He also said that in 2003, he became an assistant pastor, a post he resigned from in 2010 because he felt he had served God. He was inspired to start his own church in 2016, which he later closed.
When asked if he was a full-time pastor, Mhlakela replied that he was "simply a person, no title," and that he did not consider himself a "pastor, apostle or bishop" but a born-again believer. He added that he had been "working with the Lord for a few years now."
Describing himself as a "believer in Jesus," he said he was appearing on air "to say what he has sent me to say to the world," which included describing Christ's return this week.
What People Are Saying
Joshua Mhlakela told CettwinzTV: "The Rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not. … I saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, 'I am coming soon.'"
He added: "He said to me, 'On the 23rd and 24th of September 2025, I will come to take my church.'"
What Happens Next
As Mhlakela's predicted dates for the end of days come and go, the Rapture will likely remain a firm belief for many and a rich source of social media content.
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