‘Will we see our pets in Heaven?’ Is a difficult question parents have attempted to answer since the birth of Christianity.
But in 2025 American TikTokers are genuinely afraid their pets won’t make it to the promised land after a South African pastor warned that The Rapture will happen tomorrow.
Pastor Joshua Mhlakela has warned that Jesus will return on September 23 ‘whether you are ready or not’.
The pastor’s prediction has prompted ‘RaptureTok’ – a wave of religious hysteria now sweeping through TikTok.
Chief among believers’ concerns appears to be their pets’ souls, with many asking: ‘Will our pets be raptured?’
(Picture: Shutterstock / Benjamin Haas)
The Rapture is the belief that Christian believers will one day ascend to heaven. Those left behind will endure seven years of suffering, war and devastation led by the Antichrist.
One widely-shared TikTok video shows a woman quoting the Bible as evidence that people’s dogs, hamsters and parrots will be raptured.
‘I ask God all the time to please take my dogs when we’re raptured,’ someone wrote in the comment section of one video.
‘I have prayed for my fur babies to be raptured with me,’ agreed another.
Some, however, are poking fun at the trend. One person posted a sketch showing him hoisting his dog up in preparation for salvation.
Another video shows a woman sharing her tips for ensuring you’re among God’s chosen people. They include ‘be saved’ and ‘complete GTA V’.
Pastor Mhlakela’s announced his prophecy on a YouTube podcast that has since received almost 550,000 views.
He claimed Jesus came to him in a vision and confirmed that September 23 would be the date of his coming.
The video has been taken up by some Christians in the US, where approximately 23 to 26% of people identify as Evangelical Protestants, according to Pew Research Centre.
Christian and Jewish figures have been predicting the end of the road since at least as early as 66CE – without success.
In the last decade alone, high-profile religious figures have warned that The Rapture would come in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
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