The Christian pastor and others who falsely predicted the end of the world on September 23 are speaking out after nothing happened.
Pastor Joshua Mhlakela, a South African preacher, claimed Jesus appeared to him in a vision and said he would return during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah, which took place between September 22 and September 24.
Despite becoming a viral sensation in recent weeks, the day that countless people were convinced would mark the Second Coming of Jesus and Judgment Day for non-believers passed without anyone being lifted to heaven.
During a livestream that has now been deleted from social media, Mhlakela tried to explain why no one was being raptured on the night of the 23rd, preaching patience, saying ‘the Lord is on his way’ and he was coming ‘with a host of angels.’
‘I wonder how God works this out, in terms of the minute and the second,’ Mhlakela added as the hours passed and the clock changed to September 24 with no Rapture.
However, as the time reached 12:17am, Mhlakela and his guests concluded the livestream, with the pastor adding ‘see you tomorrow.’
Mhlakela quickly said: ‘Please keep waiting with us, he is coming. September 23rd, 24th. One of these two days, he is coming.’
Although the pastor has not appeared on social media since Wednesday, many faith leaders and Christian influencers have come out to apologize for spreading the Rapture prediction after furious backlash online.
Pastor Joshua Mhlakela (pictured), preached patience during a livestream as the hours ticked by and the biblical event known as the Rapture did not occur
Many Christians pushed back against the prediction, saying that it is against the Bible’s teachings to set a date for the Rapture (Stock Image)
Social media platforms have been flooded with Rapture-related videos from devastated believers who were so convinced Doomsday was coming they gave away their prized possessions.
One Australian man, Tilahun Desalegn, shared a clip of his car being towed away, saying: ‘I won’t need her beyond September, because I’m going home to where my father in heaven is.’
‘Car is gone just like the Brides of Christ will be in September,’ Desalegn wrote on the video.
Desalegn, who described himself as a prophet and evangelist with more than 30,000 followers on TikTok, has now posted a new video apologizing to the world for spreading the September 23 prediction.
‘I will never publicly talk about the rapture again,’ he wrote in the clip which has already been viewed more than 643,000 times.
In another post-Rapture video, a man believed to be Kingsalem Igwe, a self-identified Christian prophet from Nigeria, said he was convinced the Second Coming of Jesus was happening after listening to Pastor Mhlakela’s prediction.
‘I’m here with all humility to apologize to everyone. I only believed a man who claimed Jesus told him,’ he said in a video post shared on TikTok by critics.
Meanwhile, other believers were seen sobbing over the failed Doomsday prediction, lamenting the fact that they now had to go back to work.
Pastor Joshua Mhlakela, a South African preacher, gained worldwide attention after stating that the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus would take place on September 23
The Rapture is considered a kind of rescue, where believers are instantly taken away from Earth to avoid a coming period of intense suffering called the Tribulation (Stock Image)
Despite a growing number of apologies, many Christians and skeptics online have continued to criticize those who spread the Rapture prediction.
‘Do not be deceived! No man knows when Jesus will return,’ one person replied to Mhlakela’s now-deleted livestream.
‘Just admit you didn’t hear from God. He’s coming, but not when YOU said,’ another person said.
‘The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not. I saw Jesus sitting on his throne, and I could hear him very loud and clear saying, I am coming soon,’ Mhlakela originally said during an interview with CettwinzTV.
‘He said to me on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025, I will come back to the Earth,’ the pastor declared.
Despite the pastor’s certainty regarding the biblical end of days, many fellow Christians spoke out against setting an exact date, noting that the Bible warns against predicting a time for the Rapture.
Vladimir Savchuk, a pastor, author, and YouTube preacher, said: ‘If someone sets the date, they are directly contradicting Jesus’s word.’
He added that the Bible passage 2 Thessalonians 2:3 says Jesus will not return until the Antichrist is revealed. This figure is said to be a deceptive world leader who opposes God by claiming divine authority.
