Pastor Tells His Audience 'You Are About to See the Lord' as He Announces New Date for the Rapture

South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela has predicted that the Rapture will occur between 12 and 13 October, telling viewers during a Monday YouTube livestream that they are about to see Jesus.

His latest forecast follows a prediction for 23 September 2025 that did not materialise. The Daily Mail reported that some believers sold homes and cars or quit their jobs after viewing his earlier warnings online.

Rapture Appeal Urges Viewers to Celebrate

'People, celebrate, because you are about to see the Lord. You are about to see the Lord. You must have faith. You must believe,' Mhlakela declared during the nearly three-hour broadcast.

He presented the anticipated event as a celebration for Christians, calling on viewers to embrace their faith. He described this as his 'final' prediction, after repeatedly revising dates that passed without the event.

He stated, 'In these last moments before we see the Rapture, even now the Lord is still willing to save a soul. Those who are willing, come now. He's calling you.'

The preacher also claimed God had postponed final judgement by one year to allow more time for repentance. He argued that the delay fulfilled scripture about shortening the Tribulation for the 'elect', meaning those chosen by God.

Those who interpret the Rapture as a rescue believe Christians will be lifted from Earth before the Tribulation, described in biblical texts as seven years of suffering before Jesus returns to establish a peaceful kingdom.

How a Calendar Claim Shifted the Rapture Date

Some interpreters connect the Feast of Trumpets with the description of Jesus returning 'with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.'

Mhlakela traced his revised timing to a vision of two full moons. He claimed modern calendars were a month out because Passover was being observed under the astrological sign of Pisces rather than Aries.

He connected Aries with Israel's departure from Egypt, arguing that this established when the 'true' Passover should fall. Applying the same adjustment to the festival, also known as Rosh Hashanah, moved his predicted date into mid-October.

However, that astrological connection comes from later writers, including the first-century Jewish historian Josephus. The Exodus account itself places Passover in the first month of spring without identifying Aries.

The biblical passage underpinning the Rapture belief describes the faithful dead rising and joining living believers to meet Jesus in the air. It provides no date. Matthew's Gospel states that no one knows the day or hour of his return.

Rapture Predictions Divide Believers

Mhlakela's earlier forecast circulated through a CettwinzTV interview that attracted more than 500,000 views before the predicted event, according to the report. His predictions have fuelled the social media phenomenon known as RaptureTok.

Responses to Monday's livestream included both anticipation and criticism. One viewer wrote, 'Let it be today. I am ready for you.' Another objected, 'Nobody knows the day or the time!'

Some Christians have called Mhlakela a 'false prophet', arguing that assigning a date contradicts biblical teaching.

Steve Kang, a former Buddhist monk turned evangelical pastor, also rejected attempts to establish a date. 'The Bible says no one knows the day or the hour, only the Father. Not even Jesus knows!' he stated.

Kang argued that the end would come only when the gospel had reached every nation, pointing to thousands of languages in which the Bible has not yet been translated.