The fact that you’re reading this – and, that I’m sending this – means that Joshua Mhlakela – a self-described “born again believer” in South Africa who is not a pastor, apostle or bishop (his self-descriptions) didn’t have the date right. He’s become quite the world-wide-web celebrity over the last few weeks, since appearing on the centtwinz podcast in June. Soon after, TikTok (the source of all reliable information!) picked up on the momentum and accelerated it even more. What sparked the furor?

Here it is, in a nutshell: Joshua says that he had a vision of Jesus on the throne in Heaven. While there, He gave Joshua the heads-up: the Rapture – of the Church – would happen on September 23/24 (allowing for the international dateline differentials). 

Allow me to presume something about modern Christian experience: most churches spend little time in their primary services talking about biblical prophecy. Though a third of Scripture was prophetic when written, it draws limited attention to the “tell me what I need to know right now” practicality of modern life. 

When Paul wrote to his friends in Thessalonica – in a church he had planted, filled with people who had come to faith under his influence – he knew that they were experiencing the deaths of people in their church and were wondering about their spiritual destiny. In an extended encouragement, he wrote:

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Among modern students of Scripture, there are significant polarizing differences regarding the interpretation of biblical prophecy. While embracing the same core theology of salvation – available only through faith in the Lord Jesus – the wide array of opinions about what’s-to-come can be daunting.

Without playing referee in that melee, let me give you some perspective about the Big Picture that doesn’t get much exposure.

The Old Testament set up the religious protocols for the Jewish folks. God established seven Feasts that would be recognized every year to keep everyone on the same faith page (see Leviticus 23). There were four in the Spring, and three in the Fall. Each had a particular, ordained purpose; they projected a future fulfillment that would be realized through the New Covenant, and the Lord Jesus.

The Spring feasts have been fully realized already: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First fruits and Pentecost are all in-the-can; not only did Jesus finish the story in each of those emphatic, stand-alone exercises of remembrance, He completed them on the very date of their respective celebrations.

The Fall feasts are still waiting to be called to center-stage. What’s left to be done?

Let me work from last-to-next. The last will be Tabernacles, which will be experienced in an ongoing recurrence during the Messianic Kingdom (the ultimate future horizon). Next-to-last is the Day of Atonement – known as Yom Kippur – which awaits its full expression when the Jewish people will realize the identity of their promised Messiah and return to Him in repentance.

That leaves one feast: the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. One on the annual calendar, but unique in its practice. Each year, on that date, everyone would go to their normal daily assignment and start their typical practices… then, at a time-of-day of the priest’s choosing, the Shofar (trumpet) would be blown to summon everyone to drop what they were doing and assemble for the congregational gathering that would recognize repentance and God’s next-steps of divine restoration. Rosh Hashanah was last week…

If you’re a prophecy buff, every year – during the Feast of Trumpets – it’s fascinating to keep an eye on the eastern horizon and wonder: if God sticks with His past examples – fulfilling the Feasts on their regularly-scheduled dates on the Hebrew calendar – is it possible?

For some background, click here for a summation of the Seven Feasts and their biblical framework.

Bob Shank

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