本周大众误解：被提末日论
内容总结：
网络再现“末日预言”：社交媒体热炒“2025年基督再临”引发讨论
近日，部分海外社交媒体平台掀起一股关于“基督再临”（即“被提”）将于本周发生的预言热潮，相关话题在短视频平台引发广泛关注与讨论。然而，根据历史经验与基督教经典教义，此类设定具体日期的预言可信度极低。
预言起源：个人异梦与社交媒体传播
此次预言风潮的源头可追溯至南非一位自称与耶稣“私交甚笃”的男子约书亚的数月前访谈。他声称在2018年获得“神启”，预言“2026年世界杯不会举行”，并明确指出“2025年9月23日至24日，耶稣将接走教会”，随后世界将进入七年“大灾难”。该言论通过YouTube和播客发布后，在部分 evangelical（福音派）基督徒社群中发酵，并借助TikTok标签#RaptureTok（被提话题）和#rapture2025（2025被提）迅速扩散。网络上出现了诸如分享“升天准备攻略”、在快餐店急切“传福音”等各类内容，其严肃性与戏谑成分交织，难辨真假。
主流态度：质疑与驳斥
尽管该预言吸引了一些关注，但多数网友持调侃或批评态度。更重要的是，此预言与基督教核心经典《圣经》的明确教导直接冲突。《圣经》中多次强调，“那日子、那时辰，没有人知道”（《马可福音》13:32），信徒应保持警醒而非妄断日期。因此，主流 evangelical 教会历来对设定具体“被提”日期的行为持否定态度。
历史教训：预言屡次落空
回顾历史，设定世界末日的预言屡见不鲜却无一应验。从古罗马的希波吕托斯到19世纪的威廉·米勒，其预言均告失败。近现代最著名的案例当属美国广播Harold Camping，他利用自创的“圣经数字学”精确预言1994年及2011年为世界末日，并通过其媒体帝国大肆宣传，一度引发全球关注，但最终连续落空，其信誉及事业均遭受重创。
现象背后：对确定性与超脱的渴望
分析认为，尽管此类预言缺乏依据，但其提供的“确定性”、戏剧性以及“掌握秘密知识”的满足感，对部分人群具有吸引力。它反映了在不确定的世界中，人们对超脱现实困境的一种心理寄托。
综合来看，无论从宗教教义、历史经验还是理性判断，此次所谓的“2025被提”预言极大概率将再次沦为一场网络闹剧。生活仍将继续，公众无需为此干扰正常安排。
中文翻译：
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关于末日被提及其后的动荡时期，你做好准备了吗？如果网络某些福音派基督徒社群的预言属实，这场巨变将于今日（或明日）恰逢犹太吹角节时降临。尽管虔信者本周是否会与耶稣云端相会尚待验证，我仍持开放态度，但想梳理一下若被提发生究竟会怎样。根据《新钦定本圣经》帖撒罗尼迦前书4:16-17记载："主必亲自从天降临，有呼叫的声音和天使长的声音，又有神的号吹响；那在基督里死了的人必先复活。以后我们这活着还存留的人必和他们一同被提到云里，在空中与主相遇。"
场面固然震撼，但这并非世界终结（如常言道）。当活着的与已故的基督徒升天後，未被救赎者将滞留人间应对残局。尼古拉斯·凯奇在2014年一部纪录片中曾演绎过相关题材。
为何众人认为被提将于本周发生？
这波末日狂热的源头，可追溯至数月前南非男子约书亚·姆拉凯拉接受CENTWINZ电视台YouTube频道播客的访谈。约书亚先生宣称他亲识耶稣，并在2018年梦中得闻上帝启示："2026年世界杯不会举行。"随后耶稣更亲身显现告知："2025年9月23日至24日，我将接走我的教会。"据其所述，七年大灾难将接踵而至（故世界杯取消），此后耶稣将再临人间处置我等异教徒。
约书亚的预言在部分福音派信徒中发酵，人们开始在社交媒体传播这个日期——尤其在TikTok标签#被提挑战和#末日2025下，既有信徒分享见解、出示可疑证据，也有在快餐店试图感化非信众者，更不乏传授如何准备升天与天使同游的实用贴士。至少表面看来如此。
究竟多少基督徒真正在为末日做准备？
尽管约书亚的访谈确具影响力，但社交媒体的特性使人难以分辨多少人在认真预备、多少人在戏谑调侃。我整日浏览相关视频，部分人看似虔诚，但更多是对易靶子进行反讽，还有大量内容完美诠释"波悖论"——因为我实在真假难辨。
归根结底，真正相信被提将至者恐非多数。指指点点的看客远多于实际准备者，可谓人皆失察。主流福音教派历来对文化热潮中的具体末日预言持否定态度，而对基督徒更关键的是，这类预测本身存在经文章句的悖论。
若自以为知晓被提之日，你已错了
若以《圣经》为准则（何乐而不为呢？），约书亚与TikTok上所有预言者要么错了，要么《圣经》有误。使徒马可记载，当被问及末日何时来临时，耶稣明言："但那日子、那时辰，没有人知道，连天上的使者也不知道，子也不知道，惟有父知道。"这句箴言并未为TikTok用户开特例。
马可的同工马太在福音书24:42也附和道："所以，你们要警醒，因为不知道你们的主是哪一天来到。"他继续阐述："家主若知道几更天有贼来，就必警醒，不容人挖透房屋；这是你们所知道的。所以，你们也要预备，因为你们想不到的时候，人子就来了。"
故而若你期待被提，它反不会降临——这成了自我否定的预言。即便你不愿视《圣经》为神谕，基于过往预言记录，被提发生的可能性也微乎其微。
末日预言何其多，应验之时终未见
约书亚博士与"被提挑战"用户并非末日预言的首创者，虽难断言，他们大概率也不会是终结者。公元500年罗马的希波律陀预言过世界终结，1533年德国僧侣米迦勒·斯蒂菲尔将末日定于10月19日，1844年浸信会传教士威廉·米勒宣称10月22日会发生被提，导致五至十万米勒派信徒在次日陷入幻灭。近代预言者中，哈罗德·康平的影响力无出其右。
哈罗德·康平：圣经启示录之王
这位工程师兼广播人堪称当代最著名的末日预言家。他于1958年创立家庭电台，逐步构建起覆盖全美150多个市场的基督教媒体帝国。1990年代初，康平坚信被提迫在眉睫，运用自创的圣经数字学推算出终结日并发表于1992年著作《1994？》中：1994年9月6日。
当世界在90年代中期顽固拒绝毁灭后，康平重新演算，将真实日期改为2011年5月21日。"康平当时百分百确信，"加州多米尼加大学社会学教授、伯克利讲师查尔斯·萨尔诺博士透露，"他说'圣经已担保'，还有什么比这更可靠的保证？"
在5月21日前数月，康平发动庞大宣传攻势：广告牌、无休止电台广播，甚至用收缩膜包裹房车喷涂末日警告。效果显著："5月20日，'5月21日'成为谷歌英语热搜榜首，ABC新闻等主流媒体竞相报道，BBC也跟进，他几乎获得了全球性关注，"萨尔诺回忆道。
5月21日平静度过，康平在电台节目中接听困惑听众的质询电话。他最终将末日再次改为2011年10月21日，但预言再度落空。不久后他因严重中风淡出公众视野，手下为争夺媒体帝国残局陷入内斗。
世人为何痴迷末日预言？
本周结束前我们无从定论，但无论依据数学推算、历史规律还是圣经训导，你大概都不必取消周末计划。不过世界终有尽头——至少你的个人世界如此——结局大概率是病榻终老而非飞升面见耶稣。
若我能全盘接受，或许也会相信被提。末日预言赋予人们确定性、戏剧感、掌握秘知的愉悦以及免死升天的可能，因此我不讥讽TikTok末日信徒。却难免心生怜悯——因时光终将流逝，生活仍将不便地持续碾压，留他们向世人解释为何仍与我们这些凡夫困守尘世。
除非他们是对的。若然，不必致电给我；我已在云端。
英文来源：
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Are you ready for The Rapture and the days of turmoil to follow? Because, if some corners of the Evangelical Christian community online are correct, it's happening today (or maybe tomorrow) just in time for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish feast of trumpets.
Whether true believers will meet Jesus up in the air this week remains to be seen, so I'm keeping an open mind, but I wanted to lay out what to expect, should the Rapture occur. According to the New King James translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air."
Dramatic, but it's not the end of the world (as they say). While both living and dead believers in Christ will be gone, the unrighteous will be left behind on earth to deal with the aftermath. Nicolas Cage starred in a 2014 documentary about it.
Why do people think the Rapture is happening this week?
The basis for this wave of Rapture-mania seems to be an interview with Joshua Mhlakela, a South African man, on CENTTWINZ TV's YouTube channel and podcast a few months ago. Mr. Joshua said he knows Jesus personally, and had a dream in 2018 where The Lord said to him, "There will be no World Cup 2026." Later, Jesus appeared bodily in front of him, and said, "On the 23 and 24th of September, 2025, I will come to take My church." Seven years of tribulation will follow (hence the World Cup cancellation), After this, according to Mr. Joshua, Jesus will return to Earth, presumably to deal with us heathens.
Mr. Joshua's prediction gained popularity among some evangelical Christians, and believers began spreading the date on social media, particularly under the TikTok tags #RaptureTok and #rapture2025, where folks offered their thoughts on the matter, provided dubious evidence to back up the date, attempted to convert non-believers in fast food restaurants, and gave practical tips on how to prepare for floating up to heaven to hang out with the pretty angels. Or so it seems.
How many Christians are really preparing for the Rapture this week?
While Mr. Joshua's interview has no doubt influenced some people, the nature of social media makes it difficult to determine how many people are preparing for The Rapture and how many are taking the piss. I've spent all day morning watching Rapture-themed videos, and some folks seem sincere, but a lot of people are taking satirical shots at an easy target, and there are a ton of people who illustrate Poe's Law, because I really can't tell.
Ultimately I don't think that many people genuinely think the Rapture is going to happen. More people seem to be pointing and laughing than actually preparing, so everyone is somewhat wrong. Established Evangelical churches tend to dismiss claims of specific dates of The Rapture when they appear in the larger culture, and more importantly for Christians, there's a Biblical problem with the prediction.
If you think you know the day of the Rapture, you're wrong
If we're going by what The Bible says (and why not, right?), either Mr. Joshua and everyone on TikTok who is predicting the date of The Rapture is wrong or the Bible itself is wrong. According to the Apostle Mark, when asked when the End Times would begin, Jesus said, "About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." He didn't carve out an exception for people on TikTok.
Mark's fellow Apostle Matthew concurred, writing, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" in Matthew 24:42. "If the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect," Matthew continues.
So if you expect the Rapture, it's not going to happen; it's a self-defeating prophecy. And even if you're not willing to accept the Bible as the word of God Herself, the Rapture seems unlikely based on past predictions.
So many Raptures, so little time
Dr. Joshua and the denizens of RaptureTok aren't the first to predict the end times, and while I can't say for certain, they probably won't be the last. Hippolytus of Rome predicted the end of the world in 500 AD. German monk Michael Stifel predicted October 19, 1533 would be the last day. Baptist preacher William Miller predicted the Rapture would take place on October 22, 1844, leaving between 50,000 and 100,000 Millerites extremely disillusioned on October 23. Of more recent end-time predictors, none have been as influential as Harold Camping.
Harold Camping: King of the Biblical apocalypse
Harold Camping, an engineer and broadcaster, is probably the most high-profile modern predictor of the end of the world. He founded Family Radio in 1958 and built it into a Christian media empire broadcasting to more than 150 U.S. markets across the nation. Then, in the early 1990s, Camping became convinced the Rapture would soon be upon us. Using his own brand of Biblical numerology, Camping calculated the Last Day and published it in his 1992 book, 1994?. The date: September 6, 1994.
When the world stubbornly refused to explode in the mid 1990s, Camping recalculated. The true date, he said, was May 21, 2011. “Camping was 100% sure,” says Dr. Charles Sarno, a sociology professor at Dominican University of California and lecturer at Berkeley. “He said, ‘The Bible guarantees it,’ and what better warranty could one want?”
In the months leading up to May 21, Camping launched an enormous publicity push: billboards, endless radio broadcasts, even RVs shrink-wrapped with doomsday warnings. It worked. “On May 20, the most popular Google search in English was 'May 21st,' ABC News and other major networks reported on it, the BBC covered it; so he got nearly global traction," Sarno says.
May 21 came and went, leaving Camping fielding calls from confused listeners on his radio show asking why he'd gotten it wrong. Camping eventually moved the apocalypse again to October 21, 2011, but that one didn’t pan out either, and soon after, he suffered a debilitating stroke and faded from public view, leaving his underlings squabbling for control of the remains of his media empire.
Why do people believe in the end of the world?
We won't know for sure until later in the week, but whether you use math, history, or the Bible as your guide, you probably don’t need to cancel your weekend plans. Still, the world really is coming to an end—your world, anyway—and it will probably end with you in a hospital bed instead of flying up to Heaven to meet Jesus.
If I could swallow it, maybe I'd believe in the Rapture, too. End-of-world predictions offer certainty, drama, the joy of having secret knowledge, and the possibility of heaven without dying, so I don't begrudge TikTok's Doomsday-stans. I feel pity for them, though, because time is going to pass, and life, inconveniently, is going to keep grinding along, leaving them to try and explain why they're still down here with the rest of us mugs.
Unless they're right. In which case, don't email me; I'll be up in clouds.