Some stocked up on beer, indulged in greasy meals or cast around for one last fling, but for the most part, Canadians spent what could be their last day on Earth cracking jokes.
Skeptical Canucks - along with like-minded folks around the world - took to social media networks Saturday to poke fun at a California preacher's highly publicized message that Judgment Day would come that evening.
The doomsday prediction came from Harold Camping, 89, a retired civil engineer who spent millions on a worldwide advertising campaign branding May 21 as the start of the apocalypse.
"Is it just me or are there going to be some awkward church services tomorrow?" a Toronto woman quipped on Twitter, where "rapture" was a trending topic.
Someone in Vancouver tweeted the pun-filled observation: "People are making rapture jokes like there's no tomorrow."
As the clock ticked closer to 6 p.m. - the time the Rapture was predicted to start - many traded tips and tricks to make the most of Judgment Day, from stocking up on booze to having one last afternoon of wanton sex.
"Final hook-up before the rapture," offered one post on the free classifieds site Craigslist. "I would like to experience the pleasures of the flesh one last time," it explained.
Others chose different vices to enjoy. "If the rapture comes, I'll be the guy in the afterlife with a 12 of Lakeport tallboys," a Torontonian said on Twitter.
"Spending rapture day down at the beaches to get first dibs on all the gorgeous designer dogs after their owners are kidnapped by Jesus," wrote another.
"After Rapture hour, I think I'll wander around downtown looking for unoccupied BMW convertibles with keys in and engine still running," an Ottawa resident wrote.
On Facebook, a event calling for post-Rapture looting had more than 800,000 people pledging to take part.
"When everyone is gone and God's not looking, we need to pick up some sweet stereo equipment and maybe some new furniture for the mansion we're going to squat in," the page read.
Some saw the doomsday warning as an opportunity to pad their wallets, peddling souvenirs or a slew of services to help those expecting to be swept up in the Rapture - most of them non-refundable should the prediction fall through.
Pet-owning believers were a prime target, with many ads promising to fetch and nurture any cats and dogs left behind.
"If you wish to arrange for post-Rapture care, I can take care of and find loving homes for your four-legged animal companions," for a $500 fee, one read.
Others offered to "free" the chosen few from their worldly possessions.
"I'll take them off your hands!!! No charge!" one enthusiastic entrepreneur wrote on Craigslist.
Meanwhile, savvy designers around the world hawked souvenir T-shirts emblazoned with "I Survived the Rapture."
Still, by the end of the day, some Canadians seemed ready to set the humour aside.
"If the Rapture happens ... it's because God couldn't handle any more lame jokes," one person grumbled on Twitter.
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