Rapture alert! - But local pastors warn against false prophecies

A battered Toyota rattled through Kingston with a cross made from sticks tied to its rear, one of several unusual sights this week as whispers of the world ending on September 23-24, spread from TikTok.

The frenzy stems from a viral video by South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela, who claimed that Jesus revealed to him in a vision that the Rapture would strike during the Jewish festival Rosh Hashanah. The Rapture is the believed end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected, join with Christians who are still alive, and rise to meet the Lord in the air. Some online testimonies show people quitting their jobs, selling their possessions, and stocking up on supplies. In Jamaica, some workers have quietly called out sick, saying earthly obligations will no longer matter if the prophecy proves true. The video declares: "No human being on this earth is ready for what is coming. Human beings are not built to handle the wrath of God. So, beyond the Rapture that will happen in 14 days on the 23rd of this month, that storm is brewing and is ready to take over the world."

But local church leaders have strongly rejected the prophecy. Bishop Dr Alvin Bailey said there is no biblical basis for naming a date.

"Jesus himself said no one knows when the Son of God is going to make his appearance. The analogy is like a thief in the night, one will be taken, the other left behind. The Bible has never yet noted that someone is going to be told when Jesus Christ is coming," he said. He added that history is filled with failed predictions, dating back to the 18th century.

"We have had so many pronouncements in the past, and none have come true. In earlier days false prophets would be stoned; today they just make these utterances and hope it is true." Bailey warned that such utterances are spiritually dangerous.

"Sometimes we wonder who is informing their utterances. It cannot be the Spirit of the Lord, because the Spirit does not speak in double standards. It begs the question, it must be a foul spirit that informs their pronouncements."

Bailey told THE STAR that believers should not live timidly in fear, but faithfully in conduct.

"Though we live our lives with a sense of urgency it is not because there is a prophetic utterance. It calls us to a certain standard of behaviour and conduct in light of the sure return. It is sure, but we don't know when."

He acknowledged that scripture speaks of the "signs of the times", including wars, natural disasters and social unrest, which Jamaicans often point to as evidence the end is near.

"These indicators have been around for centuries. We must admit there is an increase, and a proliferation of these kinds of things, so it seems as if the urgency has to increase. Some prophetic teachings also suggest that nations of the world will come against Israel, and people are quick to draw on that too," he said.

Pastor O'Grath McKoy echoed the warning, calling the 'prophecy' a dangerous distraction.

"Unfortunately, it causes people to lose interest in true biblical prophecy," he said.

"I can make quite a number of references that no man knows the day nor the hour. The Rapture, from scripture, no doctrine can or should be predicated on one scripture."