Who is Joshua Mhlakela? Rapture Tok videos take off online as South African pastor’s prophecy goes viral

RaptureTok videos have been going viral on TikTok ever since pastor Joshua Mhlakela said that Jesus will come to save the Christians while the world comes to an end. Joshua made the claims during an interview with Centtwinz TV on June 17, 2025.

According to Complex, Joshua said during the conversation that he witnessed the return of Jesus on Rosh Hashanah, which refers to the Jewish New Year. Mhlakela stated that he was able to hear Jesus saying everything and added:

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

Joshua Mhlakela has kept his family life and other information away from the spotlight over the years. Born in South Africa, he has been linked to the Christian prophetic ministry for a long time, and his sermons mostly include discussions on biblical prophecies, as per IB Times.

Notably, Joshua’s claims related to the rapture led to the new trend of RaptureTok, where TikTok users were spotted sharing their advice on everything that people need to do before preparing for the Jewish New Year, alongside revealing the details of individuals seemingly leaving their jobs.

The Detroit Free Press stated that more than 295,000 videos have been posted on TikTok as part of the RaptureTok trend. However, Mhlakela has not addressed anything related to the ongoing situation on the short video platform, as of this writing.

Concept of rapture has led to different predictions over the years

While the RaptureTok trend started getting a lot of attention on social media, content creators claimed that Christians would be taken to Heaven and the rest of the people would have to struggle with seven years of tribulation, as per Salon magazine.

The social media users claimed that the event will happen on September 23 and 24. Notably, Joshua Mhlakela was heard addressing the same when he spoke on Centtwinz TV while he opened up on Jesus’ appearance in his dream, saying that he was wearing a white gown and had a trimmed beard with brown hair.

Salon magazine stated that the concept of rapture reportedly started getting recognition during the 1830s, and British minister John Nelson Darby contributed to the same at the time.

However, the popularity of the concept has also led to multiple predictions related to some form of apocalypse. But none of them have turned out to be true over the years, with the latest being in 2012 and 2020, as per UNILAD.

Experts have also shared their opinion about the rapture trend, including the professor of theology at Western Seminary, Garry Breshears. According to Oregon Live, Garry referred to Joshua Mhlakela’s comments by saying:

“There’s a long history of predictions. This one ties dates to Israel’s founding and to October 7 - but it’s extremely speculative. It’s a conspiracy theory of the worst kind. Go back and read Matthew 24:36: ‘No one knows about that day or hour.’”

The Detroit Free Press stated that, according to Christians, the rapture is that particular period when Jesus Christ returns to Earth to gather people who believe to join him in Heaven.