October 14, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, October 14.
This news just in - The Rapture didn’t happen... again! You may have noticed the internet story last month about a South African pastor, Joshua Mhlakela, who predicted that The Rapture would occur on September 23. Well, we all woke up on September 24, still here on planet Earth. After that, one might think that Pastor Mhlakela would choose to take a break from posting his predictions to the world - but he’s not a quitter! He quickly informed us that his calculations had been slightly off and that it would happen, instead, on October 8. Oh well, perhaps the third time will be the charm. I’m thinking that this won’t be the last time we hear from the esteemed pastor.
People predicting the end of the world is certainly not a new phenomenon. The difference now is that anybody with a smart phone can share their prediction with the entire world. But what is The Rapture anyway? The word “rapture” doesn’t actually occur in the Bible, and the doctrine of Christians suddenly disappearing from the earth wasn’t widely preached until about two hundred years ago. Beliefs about the end times remains one of the most diverse and divided areas in Christian theology. I grew up in a church where The Rapture was preached, and it continues to echo from many pulpits today. And some continue to predict the date that it will happen.
Perhaps Matthew 24:36 could be a source of wisdom for Joshua Mhlakela - and for us. Jesus said, “but about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” And Christ, in verse 44, adds this postscript, “so you must remain ready.”
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
