It Didn’t Happen but Still Went Viral

If your particular corner of the internet recently began filling with videos about the supposed coming of “the Rapture,” an end-times event predicted by some Christians, you’re not alone.

Interest in the idea spiked in recent days, with videos on TikTok drawing millions of views.

As of Monday, Sept. 22, the number of Google searches for the Rapture also eclipsed those for Taylor Swift.

So what’s going on?

Why everyone seems to be talking about the Rapture

A few months ago, according to The New York Times, a man named Joshua Mhlakela said in a YouTube video that he dreamed Jesus told him the Rapture would occur on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and Wednesday, Sept. 24.

That appears to have spurred all the online discussion, although predictions about the Rapture — a much-debated, controversial concept among Christian churches — is nothing new.

What people are saying about Rapture day

A quick glance through TikTok, which has been fueling much of the discussion (under the algorithm friendly hashtag #rapturetok), shows a sampling of reactions, from sincere to satirical.

In some clips, believers are in tears of both despair and joy as they consider the coming Rapture, offering tips and considering practical and spiritual possibilities for what to do should they soon leave the Earth and join Jesus. 

Other videos are much, much sillier.

What is the meaning of the Rapture?

That’s a complicated, deeply theological question. It’s spawned entire books and decades of discussion.

But broadly speaking some Christians say parts of the Bible predict an event in which believers, living and dead, will vanish from the Earth and be lifted up and returned to Jesus in heaven, often as part of his second coming.

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The Rapture is not a widely held view across all of the major Christian denominations, though it is popular among evangelicals. 

The concept pops up in pop culture from time to time, including the Left Behind book series of the early 2000s and as inspiration, of a sort, for the HBO drama The Leftovers.

The Rapture didn’t happen, right?

No, and while the YouTube prediction this summer warned to be ready on Wednesday, too, it’s already tomorrow on the other side of the world.

As noted by the Times reporters in Asia, there hasn’t been a Rapture there either.