Preacher who predicted end of world as we know it responds after it didn't happen
Joshua Mhlakela seemed quite sure the world was going to end, but we're all still here
A preacher who declared that the 'rapture' was coming spent what he thought would be his last day before the end of the world on a livestream, but he's still very much here.
The end of the world gets predicted a lot, and according to some Christians, the date of the rapture was going to be either yesterday (23 September) or today (24 September), but God's chosen faithful haven't been transported to heaven.
That's got to be a smidge awkward for those who quit their jobs, sold their cars and put their homes on the market in anticipation that they would no longer need them.
Besides, if they thought the world was going to end, they didn't really need the money either.
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One of the loudest voices proclaiming that this week was going to see the coming of the rapture was South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela, who was on a now-deleted YouTube livestream during the time he thought it would all happen.
This is the man who had said 'on that day of the 23rd who is God going to pick up, you or me?', and it appears as though the answer is neither of us.
Appearing on a livestream once 23 September was over and God hadn't picked him up, Joshua was asked what he thought about the apparent lack of a rapture.
In the hour before midnight, he said he was 'still hopeful' and was 'waiting to be raptured', but once the day ended he said he was 'still watching'.
Elsewhere in the livestream, Joshua declared that 'the Lord is coming' and that God was 'on his way with a host of angels' which have thus far failed to materialise.
He claimed that God told him the date of the rapture in a dream and told him, 'you cannot be doing this on that day, you need to do a live', so apparently Him upstairs is a fan of livestreams, and promised viewers 'you're about to find out'.
While he tried describing the idea of 'the rapture happening any moment' and claimed 'in my spirit I sense it very strong', no such event occurred.
Mhlakela then spoke about playing a 'king's welcome' for God and asked them to play music over the livestream.
Psychotherapist Tina Chummun explained why people from all over the world can start believing that the world is about to end, explaining: "People often get caught up in these belief systems during times of uncertainty because our brain is wired to seek patterns and certainty when life feels uncertain and unpredictable.
“Neuroscience shows us that heightened stress and uncertainty increase our amygdala reactivity, making us more susceptible to black-and-white narratives that promise safety, salvation or control.
"When people want reassurance about the unknown, they piggyback on other people who seem to know what's happening - even though they haven't stopped to question whether what they're aligning with is right."
Joe Harker