There has recently been a prophecy from a prophet named Pastor Joshua Mhlakela that Jesus will return at the close of the Feast of Tabernacles on September 23rd or possibly the 24th. September 23rd coincided with the Jewish feast of Rosh Hashanah and a week of high-stakes diplomatic meetings at the United Nations. The timing felt loaded with prophetic potential, possibly marking the rapture, the start of the tribulation or the signing of the Daniel 9:27 covenant. He pointed to the UN’s push for a two-state solution with Israel as one of the key developments in play. “We know that Sept. 23 is part of the week where these meetings are happening at the United Nations where they’re going to try to twist Israel’s arm into accepting a two-state solution,” he said.
Many people have predicted the date of Jesus return before even though Jesus himself said in
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
He did however go on to say
“ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Matthew 24:36-39
What we can see is that our days are very similar to the days of Noah and alongside many other things said by Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and the prophets of the Old Testament, we can see that we are very close to His return.
I do want to remind you that we are watching closely for something to happen first before Jesus comes (which hasn’t happened yet).
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Do keep an eye out for this first and if it does happen at the UN this week then do prepare yourself!
The reason I share this is because we are living in a time of many conflicting voices and Jesus did in fact warn us that the time leading up to his return would see many false prophets and False Christ’s emerge. We are also seeing a rise in aggressive demonic activity against Christians as we see in Nigeria and with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Jesus specifically warned us about this. We are definitely seeing that in this World today.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
Matthew 24:21-25
Does this mean we should sit on our hands and just wait? No, we are in a spiritual war that is increasing globally, and we need the armour of God and the Sword of the Spirit and to be strong together to engage in the fight more than ever at this time.
This week the Lord spoke to me through a passage in Nehemiah which got my attention because it made mention of the Feast of Tabernacles that was specifically mentioned in the false prophecy. Now I think it’s worth recapping the 7 Feasts of the Lord which you can read of in Leviticus 23 because they are observations followed by Israel to this day, but unbeknownst to the Old Testament Israelites, also prophetic. These are very well known to Christians because Jesus has already fulfilled the first 4 of the 7 Feasts.
You will read of the Sabbath in Leviticus 23 which is in addition to the 7 feasts of the Lord. Even so the Sabbath has also been fulfilled because Christ is our rest, no more work (under the law).
The 7 Feasts of Leviticus 23
- The Passover - Jesus died as the Lamb of God as an offering for our sins on the 14th of the 1st month
- Unleavened Bread - On the 15th of the 1st month, Jesus was buried in the tomb
- The Feast of Firstfruits - Jesus was raised from the dead, the first fruit is on the day after the Sabbath. He is the first fruit and all other believers will follow and partake in his resurrection.
- The Feast of Weeks - 50 days after the Resurrection, Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the believers in Acts 2.
5. The Feast of Trumpets (v. 23–25) – a picture of the return of Christ.
6. The Day of Atonement (vv. 26–32) – a picture of the final judgement, the day when eternal salvation is formally granted to the believer
7. The Feast of Tabernacles (vv. 33–43) – a picture of the wedding feast after the return of Christ of great celebration that will continue !
7. The Feast of Tabernacles (vv. 33–43) – a picture of the wedding feast after the return of Christ of great celebration that will continue !
Let’s talk about each of the 3.
First of all, the Feast of Trumpets.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”
Leviticus 23:23-25
Interestingly, Rosh Hashanah or The Feast of Trumpets is the only commanded feast day that the Lord does not give a specific reason for its celebration, only that it is to be observed as a holy day. There are many speculations about what the observance of this day represents, but scripture only tells us it is a “memorial of blowing of trumpets.” For Israel, it’s true purpose and meaning are a mystery only known to God. But for us Christians, that mystery has been revealed. Remember Paul said;
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Every other Feast date was determined by the counting of days between the Feasts, but the Feast of Trumpets was unique. This is the only Feast determined by observing the appearance of the New Moon in the month of Tishri (September). Watchmen were traditionally set on the wall to watch for the moon to become visible, blowing their trumpets at the first sign of its sighting, signifying the start of this feast day. Because the possibility of atmospheric conditions or human error could make it difficult to identify the appearance of the New Moon, it was often referred to as the day and hour unknown or hidden.
In Israel, the first day of the new month begins with the appearance of the new moon. For September it was the 21st and for October it will be the 21st. The full moon is at the halfway point (so the 7th October).
The new moon appears, the trumpets are blown and there is a day of Sabbath rest. That all takes time. This year, the Feast of Trumpets took place from the evening of Monday, September 22, 2025, until Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
We are the watchmen for Christ’s return. The Church is to loudly sound the trumpet that Jesus is coming soon as the sign of his appearing begins. This is the time we are in. Just this week the UK announced that all its citizens must have a digital ID in order to work in the UK, a move that many other countries are implementing in a move towards global government. At the same time, the hostility towards Israel is increasing just as it was prophesied it would at the time of the end. I was relieved this week at the declaration Winston Peters made about Palestine at the UN. Despite what Helen Clark says, New Zealand will on the right side of history if it is careful to conserve its friendly relations with Israel.
We see these and many other signs rapidly unfolding like the fresh buds of Spring. Even though Jesus said no one knows the date, he went on to say.
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
Matthew 24:42
Second of all, the Day of Atonement.
The Feast of Trumpets is also the beginning of the 10 Days of Repentance (also known as the 10 Days of Awe), ending on Yom Kippur known as the Day of Atonement. Jewish tradition asserts that God writes every person’s words, deeds, and thoughts in the Books of Life or Death, which He opens and examines on this day (Rosh Hashanah). If their good deeds outnumber the sinful ones for the year, that person’s name will be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year on The Day of Atonement. For this reason, Rosh Hashana is also known as the “Day of Judgement” or Yom Hadin.
For the Jewish people, it is a time of introspection, personal growth, and spiritual rebirth. This is accomplished through forgiveness: apologising, forgiving, and receiving forgiveness. Many use this time to make amends with loved ones and heal broken relationships. By the time Yom Kippur arrives, they are ready to begin the new year with clean hearts.
In the same way, at the Final Judgement the Book of Life is opened.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15
Finally, the Feast of Tabernacles.
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. ‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord. ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ” So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.
Leviticus 23:33-44
Having read about the Feasts, let’s set the scene for the situation at the time of Nehemiah.
Israel had been punished for forsaking the Lord and following other gods and been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. And now they were free and allowed to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the walls of the city. It’s a wonderful thing to be set free, and in that moment, you never want to go back to captivity again.
The temptation is that after a while we start looking back when things get tough when we remember the old days with rose tinted glasses as if they were better than they actually were. Just like the captivity in Egypt, it is probable that the captives had gotten comfortable in Babylon, having established their lives there. So, they had a new freedom, but they were going back to ruins, to start again. Often it is like that starting again. It’s not easy, there’s a lot of work to be done to rebuild, clearing the rubble, creating a design and executing a plan!
But we must never look back.
But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:62
The people had been set free, and they were repentant in that moment never wanting to go back into captivity again. So, they were ready to listen to Nehemiah, the priests and leaders of Israel.
So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities. When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities. Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
Nehemiah 7:73-8:2
As we’ve just read, the first day of the seventh month was the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets.
The people were thirsty to hear God’s Word. Can you relate to a period in your life (I hope it’s now as well) reading chapter after chapter in the Bible, going to Church to drink in what the preacher has to say and churning through Christian books in record time as you learn new things every day?
So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, helped the people to understand the Law; and the people stood in their place.
Nehemiah 8:4-7
A good teacher doesn’t just read the Bible, they help the people to understand it. I had a lecturer at university who never stopped to explain anything, he just spent the hour reading from the notes of his paper in monotone. Needless to say, it was very difficult to learn anything and I quit the course. How many people are going to a Church where the priest just reads a liturgy and the people sit there bored out of their brains. The Word of God is very exciting if only the Preacher takes the time to explain it.
So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them.
Nehemiah 8:8-12
Once we know the truth, Jesus said, it sets us free. That is what the end of a church service should look like. Joy, talking, discussion, eating together. I love those days when we have a meal together after Church and most of all when we learn something new about the Lord.
Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.
Nehemiah 8:13-18
As we read earlier, this is describing the Feast of Tabernacles which lasted 7 days with the holy convocation on the 8th day.
Recall from what we read earlier that the Feast of Tabernacles required that only native Israelites dwelt in the booths, not foreigners.
But what stunned me was that they hadn’t followed the part that said to dwell in booths for the period of the feast since the days of Joshua. How long had it been from the time of Joshua to the time of Nehemiah? About 1000 years. Once they were in the Promised Land, they had forgotten to do what the Lord said. Living in a temporary construction like a booth is not easy. We might go camping for a few days but look forward to going back to the comforts of home. When we get too comfortable in life, it is easy to ignore the inconvenient parts of the Bible, what affect our comfort. In New Zealand, we have been blessed for so many years that we can easily forget to honour the Lord and just go about our own business day to day not giving the Lord much of our time.
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.
Nehemiah 9:1
There they were on the 24th day of the month same as us on the 24th September this year being the date of the Feast of Trumpets that the modern prophet is linking to the rapture of the Church. It is a day of mourning for Israel and indeed it will be when they realise they have missed their Messiah.
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
Zechariah 12:10
When Israel realises its error in rejecting Christ, there will be a special time when the Lord will deal with Israel in his mercy. In that time, Israel will recall how good and faithful the Lord had been to them throughout their history and in sorrow they will repent of their unfaithfulness to Him, just as the people of Nehemiah’s time did as we read in the final part of the passage.
With the 10 days leading up to the Day of Atonement from the day of the new moon on September 21st, Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the Jewish year and is observed with strict fasting and ceremonial repentance. Begins October 1, 2025 at sundown; ends at nightfall on October 2, 2025.
This year, the Feast of Tabernacles runs from Evening of Mon, Oct 6, 2025 – Mon, Oct 13, 2025
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, is the third great annual pilgrimage festival when the Jewish people gather together in Jerusalem not only to remember God's provision in the Wilderness but also to look ahead to that promised Messianic age when all nations will flow to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. It is a time of great celebration and feasting, just as it will be at the Great Wedding Feast.
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Revelation 21:2-3
So, this is what the people in Nehemiah’s time were celebrating at the Feast of Tabernacles, the end of their captivity and their restoration of fellowship with the Lord. What a great celebration and theme of thankfulness that will be when Jesus returns, hallelujah!
