Rapture prediction by South African pastor spurs pet-inclusion chatter on social media

A South African pastor’s public claim that Jesus will return on September 23 and 24 has sparked a social-media moment about the rapture and what might happen to pets in that event. Pastor Joshua Mhlakela told CettwinzTV in an interview that in a dream he received a message from Jesus promising his return on those dates, saying, "The rapture is upon us, whether you are ready or not." The development has quickly drawn attention beyond his church and into online conversations about the end times.

Religious believers who interpret the Bible’s end-times prophecies often link the rapture to major religious festivals. In Mhlakela’s account, he ties the predicted return to this year’s observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a frame some viewers have treated as a calendar cue for the event. The notion of Christians being swept into heaven alongside the faithful is not new, but the timing around a specific date has amplified attention online.

Social media has turned the topic into a broader trend under the banner #RaptureTok, with hundreds of videos on TikTok discussing how preparations for the rapture should proceed and whether pets can accompany believers. Pet owners have flooded comments with prayers that their dogs and other animals be included if the rapture occurs. One video with more than 200,000 views features a creator who riffs on the idea that an angel is assigned to each person and asks, could that angel be responsible for a cherished chihuahua? Another commenter wrote, "I ask God all the time to please take my dogs when we’re raptured," while another said, "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.' My household includes my fur babies."

Humor and skepticism have also circulated. A video on RaptureTok shows two people laughing with overlay text about laying out outfits in a driveway on Sept. 24 to mislead a neighbor about the fate of the creator and their dog, while another person imitates a faux rapture moment by grabbing a dog and waving toward the heavens. The mix of earnest belief and playful satire illustrates how social media can spread religious ideas quickly, sometimes without a clear source or verification.

Experts note that predictions of date-specific raptures are a longstanding feature of end-times preaching, often spurred by broad calendar coincidences or religious holidays. There is no independent verification of a divine timetable, and church officials or mainstream theologians have not confirmed the Sept. 23–24 forecast. Still, the online chatter shows how quickly religious anxieties—especially around pets—can become part of global conversations online.

While the claim originated with a single pastor and remains unverified, the episode underscores social-media’s role in shaping how believers interpret and share eschatological ideas. The posts also reveal a broader trend: as people cling to hope for themselves and their animal companions, they increasingly turn to digital platforms to seek assurances, share prayers, and sometimes joke about an event that, for now, exists largely in rumor and faith.