A pastor, who was left red-faced on a live stream after the world didn't come to an end, has doubled down on our impending doom.
Joshua Mhlakela is hoping God will spare his blushes by inflicting a rapture upon Earth, sucking his spirit up to heaven alongside fellow Christian believers.
He assured his followers that he saw the Lord seven years ago in a dream and was told that on September 23 and 24 of this year, our planet would 'shake with such power' and that God would 'rescue the Christians out of the world'.
His confidence drew in followers desperate for certainty during turbulent times - with some even believed to have sold their cars and properties because they would have no need for mortal possessions.
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Alas, the rapture never materialized... but according to a theory online, people think that it could still be on the cards due to a bizarre mix up with the calendar.
The hypothesis is that Jesus would have used the Julian calendar in the days that he was alive, but in these modern day we use the Gregorian calendar - which was created in 1582 before being used by Britain in 1752.
At the time, there was 11 days difference between the two calendars.
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Now, there's a gap of 13 days - which would mean the rapture is anticipated to come today (October 7).
“It clicked to me,” the pastor told CENTTWINZ TV.
“People have to believe me. I repeat this. I saw Jesus face-to-face. There’s a narrative out there that it was not the real Jesus.
“We will see in days to come.”
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Well, let's hope the rapture doesn't come - sorry Mhlakela!
As for why do people still fall for apocalyptic predictions, psychotherapist Tina Chummun explained: “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.
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“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.”
If the rapture doesn't happen this time around, should we anticipate another coming soon or are we okay to get on with our lives?
Topics: Religion, World News
Joe Yates