A South African pastor who made headlines worldwide after his failed prediction about the rapture occurring in 2025 has returned with a new prediction. Joshua Mhlakela, leader of a devoted religious following, now claims that the end-time event will take place between October 12 and 13, 2026.
His updated timeline comes just one year after hundreds of followers sold off their worldly possessions, resigned from their jobs, and gathered in open fields expecting to be taken up to heaven.
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Table of Contents
1. The New Date Set for the Rapture
The announcement that a South African pastor has calculated a new date for the rapture has once again sparked intense debate across social media and religious communities. Pastor Joshua Mhlakela announced that believers should now prepare for the end-time event to occur between October 12 and October 13, 2026.
Despite the widespread disappointment caused by his previous failed forecast, the pastor remains firm in his belief that his revised calculations are divine and accurate.
2. Reinterpreting the Biblical Feast of Trumpets
Explaining how he arrived at the revised timeline for the rapture, Mhlakela stated that he re-examined his mathematical and biblical calculations. He originally based his predictions on the alignment of the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah).
Mhlakela clarified that his previous error stemmed from misinterpreting the calendar alignment. He now asserts that the true spiritual fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets falls in mid-October 2026 rather than in September, which he claims pinpointed the exact window for the event.
3. The Failed 2025 Prediction and Its Consequences
The pastor first drew international attention in 2025 when he convinced his congregation that the rapture would take place on September 23, 2025. Trusting his word, numerous followers took extreme measures to prepare for what they believed was their final day on Earth.
Many members sold their homes, liquidated land and personal belongings, and quit their permanent jobs. On September 23, 2025, crowds gathered in white garments, praying fervently and staring into the sky—only for the day to pass without any miraculous event occurring.
4. How Pastor Mhlakela Explained the Delay
When September 23 passed without incident, Pastor Mhlakela addressed his bewildered followers, insisting that the failed date was not a mistake or a false prophecy. Instead, he framed the postponed rapture as a divine reprieve meant to offer humanity additional time for spiritual cleansing.
He maintained that the delay was part of God’s merciful plan to give more people an opportunity to repent before the final judgment, a explanation that kept a core group of his followers loyal to his teachings.
5. Public Skepticism and Warnings from Religious Leaders
News of Mhlakela’s latest prophecy regarding the rapture has drawn sharp criticism from mainstream Christian theologians and civil authorities across Southern Africa. Major religious organizations frequently point to biblical scriptures emphasizing that “no man knows the day or the hour” of end-time events.
As major news outlets like Vanguard Nigeria and international publications report on the story, theologians are urging vulnerable citizens not to dispose of their property or make life-altering decisions based on unverified date predictions.
