Last week, evangelical Christian TikTokers claimed the rapture was coming—and surprise, surprise, it didn’t.
The Rapture is a Christian belief—implied, though not explicitly stated, in the Bible—that true believers will be taken to Heaven at an unknown time, popular among some fundamentalist sects. Recently, social media predictions of a Sept. 23–24 Rapture sparked TikTok mockery in a trend called “RaptureTok,” highlighting young users’ delight in the absurdity.
RaptureTok started earnestly: with religious users genuinely sharing tricks for fellow believers to ease the transition into Heaven. This “advice” became a target for memes and parody videos overnight. “This isn’t my first rapture,” one TikTok user said in a video titled, “’The Rapture’ To-Do List.”
While videos like this are lighthearted, they represent two important developments in young people’s online humour: references to established jokes online and comedy as a tool for unfathomable current events.
Referencing things which are already popular online is a staple of Gen Z’s humour. Popular “Rapture Apology Videos” parodied the YouTuber “apology video” genre, demonstrating how contemporary internet humour is layered. Other throwback aspects of this trend include users wearing tinfoil hats to evade the Rapture.
Tinfoil hats as satirical costumes are nothing new and are a popular tool used to mock radical conspiracy theorists. If individual users each represent their own “brand” online, then from a marketing standpoint, using humour that has already gone viral boosts engagement with users’ content, extending their digital reach.
Additionally, Gen Z’s mockery of the supposed Rapture reflects a wider trend in how they respond to current events online. For example, during the Los Angeles, California wildfires in January 2025, some TikTok users filmed dances while fires blazed in the background.
When geopolitical tensions heightened around the globe in June 2025, social media was filled with jokes about World War 3. The insensitive nature of these jokes reveals their function for young people: using absurdity and emotional distance to cope with disturbing social change.
While frivolous, the Rapture’s something young people might find disturbing, but not for fear of abduction into the clouds. The rise of far-right political extremism in the U.S. correlates with an increased government focus on upholding exclusively Christian values. Since America has the largest base of TikTok users worldwide, threats to free speech and religious freedom in the U.S. can dominate global discussions on the app.
Regardless of religious affiliation, people online need to get along for a little while longer—especially because the rapture didn’t happen. Though the trend was fleeting, it revealed important insight into how online spaces respond to current events.
Given the rapid cycle of internet discourse, social media will likely find other phenomena to make fun of soon enough.
Until the rapture trumpets are sounded, I’ll be sitting back, observing with some popcorn.
Tags
gen z, Internet, online, online trends, Rapture, TikTok
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