It started with a single podcast, but by September, it had become a global conversation. Predictions of the rapture spread across continents, yet the biggest story was how it all linked back to South Africa.
Johannesburg, South Africa (23 September 2025) – Every so often, a story grips the world in a way that leaves you both fascinated and unsettled. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been following the so-called “23 September Rapture” prediction and it’s been wild to watch unfold. How it began. Why it spread so quickly. The hysteria it created (including that infamous email). And perhaps the most haunting question: what does it feel like for those who genuinely believed, only to “wake up” left behind?
This isn’t something we should brush off as a funny internet saga. It’s psychology, sociology, faith, fear and media all colliding. It deserves to be studied. But let’s start at the beginning.
Rapture Predictions: A Century of Failed Dates
End-times predictions aren’t new. In fact, researcher Julian Spriggs has documented around 300 predicted dates for a Rapture (or Second Coming) just in the last 100 years. Not one has ever come true.
Yet, each time, people believe with all their hearts. Some have sold everything they owned. Others have written notes for the “left behind.” Families have changed their lives entirely, preparing for something that never arrived.
And in 2025, history repeated itself again.
The Spark: A South African Podcast
The latest prediction began innocently enough. In June 2025, Joshua Mhlakela, originally from Cape Town, now living in Joburg, appeared on a podcast called “I’ve Been Through The Most“, hosted by Innocent Sadiki and Millicent Mashile.
When asked if he was a pastor, Joshua replied: “No, I am just a simple person, a believer.”
He went on to share that he had dreamt the rapture would happen on the 23rd of September 2025. For him, dreams were powerful. He said his father had once dreamt to name his son Joshua before he was born, and when that came true, it cemented his belief.
Joshua also spoke about how doctors had predicted he would not survive birth but he was born healthy. This, he said, made him a miracle.
By the 16-minute mark of the interview, Joshua revealed he had once been a pastor, that he had resigned because a dream told him to, and that he had personally “met Jesus” and “been to heaven.” The rest of the nearly hour-long podcast centred on his conviction that the rapture would occur on the 23rd of September.
From Podcast to Global Headlines
So how did a single podcast become a worldwide headline? At first, it was fringe news sites amplifying Joshua’s claim. Then the Daily Mail got hold of it, followed by bigger outlets. And then, of course, social media took over.
Some users joked, others panicked. But the story spread.
That’s when South Africa came back into the spotlight.
The KPMG Email That Shocked the World
Last week, a trainee accountant at KPMG in Johannesburg, Mahlatse Letoka, allegedly sent an extraordinary email to global colleagues, attaching a 176-page manifesto.
For anyone wondering, a KPMG trainee accountant from SA sent a company wide email (every single KPMG employee on the planet) telling everyone the world was ending and Jesus is coming back on the 24th of September. Also attached a 200 page self made manifesto with pictures & stuff https://t.co/ypNLaGdBAd
— huh? (@Thando______) September 21, 2025
The email read:
“Jesus will take the Christians who are ready… between 23–24 September 2025 (Feast of Trumpets). This is the ‘Rapture’… World War 3 is coming. Beasts (‘aliens’ = demons) are coming. Antichrist will be revealed… Justice is coming.”
It went on to criticise corporate culture, denounce global leaders, and warn colleagues not to accept “Neuralink or Smart Tattoos” as they were allegedly the “mark of the beast.”
The email went viral almost instantly. Screenshots spread across TikTok and X (Twitter). Mahlatse’s social media videos racked up shares in the thousands.
What began as one man’s dream in a Joburg podcast had now become global hysteria.
@sonj779 Final departure procedure includes relaxing, don’t look down, and pray you’re not on the toilet. #pretrib #pretribrapture #tribulation #christiantiktok ♬ original sound – Sonja
@romans.ten.9through11 My last video. See you in the clouds my brothers and sisters. Jesus please use my account and the remaining videos for YOUR glory and YOUR will. I plead your blood over it and speak a hedge of protection over it that no weapon formed against this content will prosper. Please water every seed that has been planted throughout the time you’ve used it. In Jesus name. Amen. #JESUSISCOMING #rapture #alienabduction #whathappenedtoallthepeople ♬ original sound – romans.ten.9through11
@stopwiththebuttholecramp Day 3 of #rapture prepping. #Christian #missingpeople #christiantiktok #jesus ♬ original sound – Melissa Johnston
The Morning After
So where does this leave us? On the 22nd of September, millions of people braced themselves. Some prayed. Some panicked. Some prepared their families. And then… nothing happened.
This marked the 301st failed rapture prediction in the last century.
There’s talk about whether Joshua should be held accountable for starting it all. But perhaps the bigger picture is more human than legal. Think about Mahlatse. Think about anyone who sold their possessions or gave things away. Their faith, their fear, their conviction… it was real for them. And while it’s easy to laugh at how wrong it all turned out, maybe what’s needed most right now is kindness. Because behind every headline and every viral moment, there are people who genuinely believed they were living their final hours on earth.
Finding the Good
The story of the “23rd of September Rapture” is bizarre. It’s unsettling. But it also shows us something powerful: the incredible reach of human words. A single voice can ripple across continents and stir the emotions of millions. That’s not only frightening, it’s a reminder. If words can spread fear and panic, then words can also spread hope, healing, and good things. And maybe that’s the lesson in all of this. Not to dwell on the prediction that never came true, but to hold on tightly to the truth that does: kindness matters, laughter heals and love always wins.
Oh, and let’s not forget, tomorrow, the 24th of September, is Heritage Day in South Africa!!!
If you’d like to do something VERY South African, something rooted in joy and connection (and not fuelled by a podcast prediction), spend the day celebrating your heritage. Or our heritage. Light a braai, share good stories about South Africa and embrace the beautiful diversity that makes us who we are.
The best way to mark the day after a “missed rapture” is by embracing the life we are living, the very life and diversity that makes us human (and proudly South African).
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