"For the first time, the rapture is playing out on TikTok. Believers have taken to the app to disclose their preparation for impending doom, claiming to have sold their cars or requested eternity leave from their employers, and fretting over whether the family dog gets to come to heaven too. One woman advised her followers to do away with their phones' password protections, so that any loved ones that get left behind can easily access their personal information."
"Since the theory was popularized in the early 1800s by a British clergyman named John Nelson Darby, there have been countless false alarms: in 1844, a New York farmer turned Baptist preacher named William Miller amassed thousands of followers through preaching a second coming that never materialized, in an event later dubbed the Great Disappointment. When Halley's comet passed through the sky in 1910, scammers sold anti-comet pills intended to save souls."
Evangelical believers on TikTok have been posting preparations for an anticipated rapture, reporting actions such as selling cars, taking extended leave, and buying Bibles in bulk to leave for others. Some users advise removing phone password protections so those left behind can access information and contacts. The rapture belief holds that true believers will ascend to heaven while others face a seven-year tribulation led by an antichrist figure. Historical precedents include 19th- and 20th-century false alarms and cult tragedies tied to apocalyptic expectations, illustrating recurring social responses to end-times claims.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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