why did people think the rapture was today

People thought the rapture was happening on September 24, 2025, mainly because a South African evangelical pastor named Joshua Mhlakela claimed in a YouTube video that Jesus appeared to him in a vision and said the rapture would begin on the first day of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which this year fell on September 23 or 24, 2025. This date is biblically linked to the "trumpet call of God," mentioned in Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians, which some interpret as indicating the timing of the rapture. The claim gained traction on social media platforms like TikTok, where conservative creators and evangelicals shared warnings and advice about the rapture, urging believers to be ready for sudden ascension to heaven. The timing also coincided with the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, adding to the sense of biblical significance. This resurgence of rapture predictions also had a cultural context, linked to recent events such as the assassination of prominent evangelical figure Charlie Kirk, which amplified the spread of related videos. Despite the viral nature of these claims, many Christians and biblical scholars emphasize that the Bible teaches the exact timing of the rapture is unknown and should not be speculated upon. In summary, the rapture prediction for September 23-24, 2025, was fueled by a single pastor's vision, biblical symbolism tied to Rosh Hashanah, social media amplification, and contemporary evangelical events, but it aligns with a long history of unsuccessful exact-date predictions for this event.