A South African pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, has sparked social media debate after his prediction of the rapture failed to materialise.
Icelynbright247blog gathered that Mr Mhlakela, during an interview on Centtwinz TV podcast posted on YouTube on 22 July, claimed the rapture would occur on 23 to 24 September 2025.
In Christian teaching, particularly within Pentecostal and evangelical circles, the rapture refers to the event when believers in Christ are caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the final judgment and tribulations on earth.
Mr Mhlakela said he dreamt of Jesus, who told him the rapture would occur on those dates, coinciding with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year celebration.
He said, “The Rapture is upon us, whether you are ready. I will come to take my church. There’s a storm brewing right now, and it’s dark. No human being on this Earth is ready for what is coming. I’m a billion per cent sure. I began to hear the sound of the trumpet literally in my ear.
“The date I have come with is the final one, and there’s no other date. When it comes to whether the gospel reached the world, or everybody before the rapture, I guess only God can know that. Only God can know how many billions of people have received the gospel. So, I’m comforting the people that the date has come up with others who have confirmed it is irreversible.”
In preparation for the rapture, some South Africans who believed in the prophecy submitted resignation letters, while others discussed selling their property and vehicles and even cashing out their retirement savings.
Mr Mhlakela’s rapture prediction came barely a month after a Ghanaian EboJesus embarked on an ark-building mission , claiming the world would end with three years of continuous rainfall.
In a viral video on his Instagram page, this newspaper reported that EboJesus announced the rain would begin on 25 December and flood the earth.
He claimed he received a divine revelation instructing him to build an ark in preparation for the catastrophe.
According to him, the ark was already about 80 per cent complete and would serve as the only refuge when disaster struck.
“Please, I am on my knees, don’t let this pass you, I said on the 25th of December, it’s going to rain heavily and we are going to stay in this boat for 3 years,” he said in the video.
Meanwhile, Mr Mhlakela’s failed prediction of the rapture has stirred widespread reactions from netizens both within his country and abroad.
Some users demanded that the pastor issue a public apology for misleading people on his social media platforms. In contrast, others urged the podcast host to invite him to the show to apologise directly.
