The reason why the Rapture was supposed to happen today, September 24, 2025, is mainly due to a viral prophecy by South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela. He claims to have received a revelation in a dream in 2018 where Jesus told him He would return on September 23-24, 2025, to take His church up to Heaven. This date coincides with the Jewish festival Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, which some Christian traditions associate symbolically with the end times. Mhlakela described seeing Jesus on a throne and hearing His voice announcing His imminent return, a vivid narrative that gained traction and spread rapidly on social media platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).

This prophecy resonated with believers particularly because it tied into biblical passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 about believers being caught up to meet Christ and the alignment with the Jewish holy day involving trumpet blasts. However, mainstream Christian theology cautions that no one knows "the day or the hour" of such events (Matthew 24:36), and many regard the date- setting as speculative and lacking biblical or scientific proof. Historically, many earlier predictions of the Rapture or end times have been made and none realized, leading to skepticism.

Some believers reacted by preparing seriously, making life changes and sharing "rapture tips" online, while others treated it humorously. The prophecy generated a mix of excitement, anxiety, and criticism but followed a long tradition of prophetic date predictions around biblical symbolism and current events.

In summary, the Rapture was supposed to happen today because of Pastor Joshua Mhlakela's dream-based prophecy linking Jesus' return to the dates of September 23-24, 2025, coinciding with Rosh Hashanah, which matched certain Christian eschatological interpretations embraced by some believers and amplified by social media.