Three days remain until the predicted 'end of the world.' South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela has declared that the 'rapture' of believers will take place on October 12–13, 2026. His previous forecasts failed, but the preacher now calls the date final. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The substance of the prediction
Mhlakela claims he learned the timing from visions of God and Jesus. According to his version, the religious calendar is calculated incorrectly, and the Feast of Trumpets, known as Rosh Hashanah, should fall in October. The pastor links his prediction specifically to that holiday.
The matter concerns the 'rapture' — an event some Christians understand as the ascension of believers to meet Jesus before a period of great tribulations. In the media, the pastor's statement is described as a prediction of the 'end of the world,' though this simplifies the meaning of his words.
Previous predictions
Initially, Mhlakela predicted the event for September 23–24, 2025. When those days passed, he moved the date to October 7–8, explaining the failure as confusion between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
However, the second prediction also failed. Now the pastor claims that God supposedly deliberately gave humanity extra time for repentance. The new date — October 12–13, 2026 — is, in his words, final.
Consequences
According to reports cited by Pulse Nigeria, some followers, in light of the earlier predictions, sold their homes and cars and quit their jobs in anticipation of the ascension. The outlet does not provide independent confirmation of these stories.
The pastor's new calculations have already drawn criticism from other Christian preachers. They point out that attempts to name the exact date of Jesus's return contradict biblical teaching about the impossibility of knowing the day and hour of that event. Mhlakela has provided no evidence that the 'rapture' he predicted will occur on October 12–13.