The end of the world begins today — according to TikTok.
This week, Christian content creators have taken to the social media platform to warn their followers of imminent end times, starting September 23 or September 24.
Believers in the rapture say that on a certain date, Jesus’ followers will be taken to heaven, while those who don’t will be left behind in a hellish world.
@raptureclowneryarchive "This will be my last video." Oh, thank god. There is too much crazy on her account to keep track of it all. @romans.ten.9through11 #rapture #rapturetok #september23rd #religiousphychosis #fyp
♬ original sound - Rapture Clownery Archive 2025
The TikTok trend, which has become known as RaptureTok, has seen content creators opening up about how they are spending what they believe are their final days, including selling their cars and leaving their jobs.
“I truly believe with all my heart we will be raptured,” one TikToker, @romans.ten.9through11, who has 58.7K followers, said in a video. “Jesus is coming. Ready or not.”
What is rapture and why is it blowing up on TikTok?
What is rapture?
The rapture is a religious belief that Jesus will descend from heaven and bring his followers “to meet the Lord in the air,” while those left behind face trials and tribulations such as plagues and fires.
The prophecy is believed by some Christians, but not everyone who ascribes to Christianity thinks that such an event will happen. This is in part because the word rapture does not appear in the bible, according to bible scholar Bart Ehrman, author of Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End.
Those who do believe in rapture, however, may have based their beliefs on a section of 1 Thessalonians.
"According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep,” the passage reads.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
Why this date?
This is not the first time that the Rapture has been predicted and it likely won’t be the last. According to Defector, musings about an upcoming Rapture tend to happen when “a single pastor was very loud about his theory and people heard him who want to believe”.
This time, that pastor was Joshua Mhlakela, an evangelical pastor from South Africa.
“The Rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not,” he said in a video shared on YouTube about three months ago. Mhlakela predicted that the rapture will begin on Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the Jewish new year, which falls on September 23 or September 24 this year.
However, not everyone who believes in the rapture agrees with Mhlakela about its date.
@r3alism_0fficial Here’s my question for you… #rapture #christiantiktok #jesusisking
♬ peace - Mindset
For instance, Vladimir Savchuk, a pastor, author, and YouTube preacher, argued that biblical texts say that the son of perdition must be revealed before the rapture happens.
“If someone sets the date, they are directly contradicting Jesus's word,” Savchuk said in a video for his 2.19 million subscribers.
What have TikTokers been saying?
RaptureTok has quickly become a chaotic corner of the internet. While some content creators have posted videos filled with practical tips for the rapture (such as leaving their phones unlocked and leaving their partners their passwords), others have created humorous TikToks that mock the online frenzy.
“I recommend that you don’t hold onto anything. I definitely don’t recommend looking down,” one TikToker, Sonj779, said in a video.
@sonj779 Final departure procedure includes relaxing, don’t look down, and pray you’re not on the toilet. #pretrib #pretribrapture #tribulation #christiantiktok
♬ original sound - Sonja
“Just keep calm. Take a deep breath. Slowly relase it and keep your face looking upwards. And pray you’re not on the toilet.”
Like so many TikTok trends, earnestness and satire are closely intertwined and it can be hard to discern what is a joke and what isn’t.
