Doomsday Deferred: The Failed Predictions of American Millennialism

Historical Blindness

Nathaniel Lloyd

Politics, News, History, Religion, Religion & Spirituality

4.0 • 885 Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I recount TikTok's recent brush with rapture predictions and then survey America's deep history of failed millennialist predictions of the Second Coming and the end of the world. Check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the show merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, perfect for gifts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pledge support on Patreon to get an ad-free feed with exclusive episodes!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check out my novel, Manuscript Found!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Direct all advertising inquiries to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to find other high-quality podcasts! Some music in this episode was licensed under a Blue Dot Sessions blanket license at the time of publication. Tracks include "Gemeni Mist," "Cicle Gerano," "Game Lands," "Cherry Heath," "Cicle Vascule," "The Gran Dias," and "Black Ballots." Additional music, including "Remedy for Melancholy," by Kai Engel, licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
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0:36.6	Last year, a South African preacher named Joshua Malakhala appeared on a YouTube video program and claimed he had been visited by Jesus Christ in a vision,
0:52.3	during which Jesus revealed to him the actual date for his
0:56.2	second coming when those faithful to him would be taken up to heaven in what is
1:01.5	known as the rapture he says to me on the 23rd and the 24th of September, 2025, I will come to take my church. This prediction went viral on social media, especially on TikTok, where if you were unlucky enough to have this become part of your algorithm, you were
1:29.6	inundated with so-called rapture talk posts. These ran the gamut. There were plenty of memes mocking
1:37.8	the prediction. Get ready with me to get raptured. So obviously, I want to look really good for God, so we're going to go in first
1:46.0	with... Such as a skit in which someone goes to collect on a bet that the rapture wouldn't happen,
1:53.7	finds a pile of clothes on the ground, and is relieved they don't have to pay up. And I am heading
2:00.0	over to my friend's house to collect $200 because he said the rapture was
2:05.1	going to happen and bet me $200.
2:08.1	So let's go get this $200.
2:12.3	Jimmy?
2:13.3	Joe?
2:14.3	Oh shit.
2:15.7	Oh, man. The good thing is I have two hundred dollars.
2:26.3	Solution.
	...

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