Faith Leaders Push Back on Doomsday Date-Setting After September 23 Prediction

A viral doomsday scare surrounding the September 23, 2025, date for the Rapture faded after the day passed without incident, as faith leaders and practicing Christians pushed back on end-times predictions that set a calendar for biblical prophecy.

News organizations and faith communities reported widespread social-media speculation about the Rapture, with some adherents taking drastic steps such as selling property or preparing for a sudden departure. But several evangelical pastors and theologians told Daily Mail that attempting to predict the exact timing of biblical events runs contrary to scripture and distracts from core mission work of spreading the gospel.

Steve Kang, a former Buddhist monk who became an evangelical pastor, summarized the common counterpoint: “The Bible says no one knows the day or the hour, only the Father. Not even Jesus knows.” Kang said the true signal in biblical prophecy is not a countdown but the completion of gospel outreach—“Every language must hear” before final events unfold, he said, noting many languages still lack a full translation of the Bible. Faith leaders at Grace Church in New Jersey described a consortium of anticipated signs that some adherents watch for, including the formation of a unified world government with a single name, language, and currency, the construction of a Third Temple in Jerusalem, and the emergence of a global religious system led by a prominent world figure.

Pastor Joshua Mhlakela, a South African preacher quoted in social posts linked to the prophecy, claimed the Rapture would begin on September 23, 2025, aligning his view with the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah. Some supporters reportedly acted on the claim by making preparations to leave their homes or liquidate possessions before the date. However, many church leaders stressed that such claims are not anchored in the broader biblical narrative and should be treated with caution.

Vladimir Savchuk, a pastor, author, and popular online preacher, publicly rejected the September 23 claims and bolstered a more widely held timeline: the Rapture and the related Tribulation will unfold only after the appearance of the Antichrist, a point he and others say is emphasized in Scripture. “2 Thessalonians 2:3, it says clearly Jesus is not returning until the Antichrist is revealed, and that has not happened yet,” Savchuk said in a video addressing his millions of subscribers. He argued that anyone predicting a fixed date is in direct contradiction with the biblical warning to avoid such date-setting.

The Rapture—part of a broader eschatological view—defines a future moment when believers are believed to be instantly taken from Earth to avoid a period of Tribulation. In many Christian traditions, the Tribulation is described as a seven-year interval of upheaval, wars, and disasters that precede Jesus’ return and the establishment of a peaceful kingdom. The debates around timing have long been a feature of end-times discourse, though most mainstream denominations reject precise date-setting as unsound hermeneutics.

The recent round of claims drew attention to other longstanding prophecies and past predictions as context for current debates. Some adherents pointed to a 900-year-old manuscript once thought to be in the Vatican Secret Archives, which some interpreted as predicting a judgment in 2027. Saint Malachy’s Prophecy of the Popes, a medieval sequence of cryptic statements about papal succession, has also resurfaced in discussions about end-times timing. Historically, such texts have fueled speculation, even as scholars dismiss their reliability for predicting contemporary events. In the scientific arena, various doomsday forecasts have also circulated: a 1960 hypothesis by Heinz von Foerster suggested that future generations would face scarcity and danger, while a 2017 MIT study warned that human-driven changes could threaten global ecosystems by 2100. Critics note that most such predictions lack empirical support and are not endorsed by mainstream science or theology.

Amid the chorus of warnings against calendar-based prophecy, faith leaders emphasize that the biblical call is to be vigilant and mission-focused rather than date-driven. Some church figures point to Jesus’ teaching that the exact moment of the Second Coming remains unknown, and they caution that fixating on dates can distract believers from acts of compassion, evangelism, and service in the present age. While predictions about the end of days capture public imagination, the prevailing stance among clergy contacted for this report is that faith communities should remain anchored in gospel proclamation and faithful living rather than attempting to chart the exact hour of prophetic fulfillments.

The broader public conversation about end-times expectations continues to reflect a spectrum of beliefs within the Christian world. While a subset of believers may be drawn to specific signs—such as global governance, temple rebuilding in Jerusalem, or the ascent of a figure described as Antichrist—many denominations encourage cautious interpretation, contextual study of biblical texts, and a focus on practical ministry in the present era. The September 23 episode serves as a reminder that, for many Christians, the core directive remains witness, mercy, and adherence to scriptural ethics rather than a countdown to a singular event.