Evangelical Christians predict the end times this week
By Al Jazeera, September 23, 2025Evangelical Christians have been sharing warnings and advice in videos on social media in preparation for the potential imminent rapture, an end-times prophecy some people believe could happen on September 23 or 24 this year.
Although the current wave of videos has seemingly been inspired by a South African pastor’s prediction shared on YouTube, rapture predictions have also long been linked to real-world events, including Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza.
So what is the rapture, and why are some Evangelical Christians predicting the end of the world could happen this week?
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the rapture?
Not all Christians share a belief in the rapture.
This perhaps shouldn’t be surprising, since 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.
For those who do, it is considered a prophecy about what will happen during the end times, and before Jesus returns to earth.
Followers of rapture theology believe that when the rapture begins, true Christians will rise into the clouds “to meet the Lord in the air”.
At the same time, non-believers will be left behind here on Earth, where they will endure a series of trials and tribulations, including plagues and fires.
What are people saying about the rapture on TikTok?
In one video shared by an account with 848,100 followers, called christwillreturn, a woman shares advice with her best friend, tearfully saying: “You need to repent. Now. I don’t want you to be left behind.”
She recalls having a dream where she tries to warn people that “Jesus is coming,” but even though she screamed, she said “nobody was listening to me.
“Some were making fun of me. I’m like, everyone needs to repent now. He’s coming,” she added.
In another video shared by an account called Christianquotes89, two men share advice on what non-believers should do when the rapture occurs.
“You’re probably wondering, where did the missing people go? What’s going on? I imagine you’re pretty afraid and looking for answers,” one of the men explains.
“All of us who placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, have been taken off the earth to heaven, to the Father’s house in heaven. With Jesus. We will be there with him, and we will be coming back with him in about seven years or so,” he added.