So… No Rapture. What Just Happened?

Written by: Sam Orlando

The Bust Heard ’Round the Internet

STAUNTON, VIRGINIA - Well, the good news is you’re still here. The bad news is… you still have to go to work.

The Rapture — predicted by some to arrive on September 23rd and 24th — didn’t show up. No skies opening, no clothes left in empty parking lots, no trumpets. Just another Tuesday.

This latest round of predictions started when South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela said in a viral video that Jesus told him, “I am coming soon… on the 23rd and 24th of September 2025, I will come back to the Earth.” The clip set off a firestorm online, tying the date to biblical feasts, global chaos, and even moon phases.

And then… nothing.

So What Is the Rapture Anyway?

For those unfamiliar, the Rapture is a belief common in many evangelical Christian circles that Jesus Christ will return suddenly and take believers to heaven, leaving everyone else behind for a rough period of tribulation.

• Some expect it before the chaos (pre-tribulation).

• Some in the middle.

• Some at the end (post-tribulation).

Other Christian traditions? Many don’t teach the Rapture at all. And the Bible itself contains a warning: “No one knows the day or the hour.”

Who Believes, and Who Doesn’t

The word “rapture” never actually appears in scripture. Believers point to passages in Thessalonians and Revelation. Skeptics see those as symbolic.

Even pastors who expect a Rapture often warn against circling dates. As Pastor Charles Lawson said recently: “When someone says the Lord may come September 23rd, I say, ‘Wonderful!’ But He may come before that. Others insist, ‘He absolutely will not come on the 23rd.’ But they’re setting a date too! Neither position is biblical.”

Not Just a Christian Thing

And here’s what’s fascinating: Christianity isn’t the only religion waiting for a climactic return.

• Judaism awaits the Messiah — a future leader who will restore Israel and bring peace.

• Islam teaches that Isa (Jesus) will return alongside the Mahdi to defeat evil.

• Buddhism points to Maitreya, the Buddha yet to come.

• Hinduism looks to Kalki, the final avatar of Vishnu, who restores balance.

Across cultures, the theme is the same: people look for a cosmic reset, a moment when everything changes.

The Cross-Faith Jesus

What’s striking is that Jesus himself stands at the center of not just one religion, but several.

• In Christianity, he is the Son of God and coming king.

• In Islam, he is revered as a prophet who returns at the end of time.

• In Judaism, many still wait for the Messiah — and Christians say that Messiah is Jesus.

  
  

And remember — in earthly terms, Jesus was no ruler, no emperor, no general. A carpenter’s son, executed as a criminal in a remote Roman province. Yet two millennia later, billions across faiths still expect to see him again. That kind of staying power is nothing short of impressive.

The Human Side: Rapture Anxiety

Failed predictions aren’t new. Harold Camping said 2011. Others pointed to the “blood moons.” Each time, the world kept turning.

But that doesn’t mean the rumors are harmless. Researchers describe “rapture anxiety” — a real psychological toll on people who live in fear of being left behind. Some even sell homes, quit jobs, or make life-altering decisions when a date like Sept. 23 goes viral.

So Now What?

Well, life goes on. If you were hoping to skip work, sorry — clock in anyway. If you were worried, you can relax.

The bigger takeaway might not be about when the world ends, but how we live until it does: with kindness, responsibility, and maybe just enough humor to get through the next viral doomsday.

Because in the end, the prediction failed. But the questions it raised? Those are eternal.

And as for this week? Turns out the only thing disappearing was everyone’s weekend.