South African preacher Joshua Mhlakela, whose prediction that the Rapture would occur in September 2025 failed to materialise, has announced a new date for the event.
Mhlakela now claims that the Rapture will take place between October 12 and 13, 2026, saying the date is based on his interpretation of the biblical Feast of Trumpets.
The preacher had previously predicted that the Rapture would occur on September 23 or 24, 2025. When the date passed without the event occurring, he later attributed the failed prediction to a calendar calculation and proposed another date in October 2025. That prediction also did not come to pass.
Mhlakela has now argued that the Feast of Trumpets was placed about a month earlier than its “true” date. He said further visions and his interpretation of biblical chronology led him to the October 12–13 date, which he described as his final prediction.
His latest claim has already attracted renewed debate among Christians and online users. Critics have questioned attempts to assign a specific date to the Rapture, pointing to biblical passages that are commonly understood to teach that the exact timing of Christ’s return cannot be known.
The Rapture is a Christian belief, held particularly in some evangelical traditions, concerning believers being caught up to meet Christ. However, October 12–13, 2026 remains Mhlakela’s personal prediction and is not an established date for the event.
