The world was supposed to end today – at least, according to one sect of TikTok users.

“RaptureTok” has taken over millions of users’ For You Pages, revealing videos of religious Americans who are convinced the end times are upon us.

They subscribe to the evangelical Christian belief that the “Rapture”, an apocalypse that will see Jesus Christ return to Earth and take true believers to heaven, is coming.

And they’re convinced it’s going to happen on September 23 and 24. Here’s what you need to know.

A surprising number of TikTok users, most of them from the US, have posted videos claiming that the rapture will occur on September 23 and 24.

Several TikTok users who have made videos about the supposedly impending rapture have detailed how they’re preparing to leave the Earth for heaven.

“When you finally start moving up into the air, I recommend that you don’t hold on to anything … keep your face looking upwards,” one user said.

One user shared a clip of a car being put on a tow truck and claiming they sold their car because they wouldn’t need it after the rapture.

Another claimed she stocked her home with canned food and left ‘instructions’ for the people who will be left behind on Earth after the rapture.

Some have even spoken about how they’re preparing their children for the rapture.

The movement, dubbed “RaptureTok” by some users, has sparked confusion and ridicule on social media.

But the more non-believers interact with ”RaptureTok” content, even if only to poke fun at it, the more the TikTok algorithm pushes similar content to users.

Hence why “RaptureTok” appears to be all over everyone’s feeds right now.

Why do people think the rapture will happen this week?

The theory that the rapture will occur on September 23 and 24 appears to have originated with a South African man named Joshua Mhlakela.

Mhlakela holds no religious titles but claimed to have previously worked as a pastor.

In June, YouTube user CettwinzTV posted an interview with Mhlakela where he claimed to have had a vision of Christ telling him the rapture was coming.

“He says to me: ‘On [September] 23 and 24, 2025, I will come to take my Church,'” Mhlakela said in the clip.

“The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not.”

The video has since been viewed more than half a million times.

What is the rapture according to the Bible?

Though the rapture is a staple in some Christian belief systems, the word ‘rapture’ does not actually appear in the Bible.

Several passages in the New Testament reference the second coming of Christ, the end of the world, or other events that believers may link to the Rapture.

One such reference is Thessalonians 4:13–17, which 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.”

The book of Revelation also details specific signs that will precede the end of the world in chapters five, six and eight.

It starts with seven ‘seals’; a white horse, a red horse, a black horse, a pale horse, martyred souls, natural disasters, and silence in heaven.

Following the breaking of the seven seals, angels will sound seven trumpets of judgement, signalling the end of days.

Belief in the rapture specifically can be traced back to mid-19th century Britain.

Christians already believed in the second coming of Christ but this new belief suggested that only some people – especially virtuous Christians, usually – would be accepted into Heaven.

The theory gained traction in the 20th century and was picked up by evangelical media, later spreading into pop culture as well.