Tip Sheets
Apocalypse now? Cornell religion experts on #RaptureTok and the history of end-times beliefs
September 23, 2025
Media Contact
Following South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela’s prediction that Jesus will return to Earth on September 23 or 24, #RaptureTok has taken off—with prayers, memes, and end-times speculation flooding social media. Cornell University religion scholars offer historical and theological context.
Kim Haines-Eitzen
Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Religions
Kim Haines-Eitzen, a professor of ancient Mediterranean religions, specializes in early Christianity and studies apocalyptic imagery and themes in early Christian texts.
Haines-Eitzen says:
“Such predictions are far from new, but social media has whipped up a frenzy.
“Ideas about the Rapture are best understood within the larger framework of apocalypticism, an ancient Jewish worldview that predates Christianity. Apocalyptic ideology, including the notion of an imminent judgment day, often emerges during times of suffering or in the wake of traumatic events.
“Many early Christians believed the end would come during their lifetimes. Their writings are now used by contemporary Christians who share Mhlakela’s view that the Rapture is imminent—perhaps even today. Apocalyptic fervor has resurfaced throughout history, especially during political and social crises such as the medieval Crusades, often with specific dates attached to a final judgment day, the Rapture, or the Second Coming of Christ.”
Landon Schnabel
Associate Professor of Sociology
Landon Schnabel is a sociologist who studies religion and was raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Christian denomination with roots in a failed 1844 rapture prediction—an event known as the “Great Disappointment.”
Schnabel says:
"September 23rd is just the latest date when the world was supposed to end. #RaptureTok follows the same pattern we've seen for centuries: prediction, failure, reinterpretation, new prediction.
"What's changed isn't the human impulse to predict the end—it's the speed and scale. A South African preacher's rapture date can now reach millions in hours through social media, creating global anticipation where previous predictions stayed local.
"The rapture industry thrives not despite its failures, but through their continued appeal and the ability to simply reinterpret. When the predicted date passes, the videos won't disappear—they'll evolve. The date will be recalculated, the signs reinterpreted, and the certainty redirected toward the next prophetic moment."
