Posted on 08/27/2010 8:16:51 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Christian radio host Harold Camping says Jesus is coming back in nine months: May 21, 2011. Then the world will end, according to his calculations, on October 21, 2011. He's been announcing this on his Family Radio broadcasts for several years.
The good news is that we won't have to deal with that pesky 2012 Mayan calendar apocalypse.
The bad news is that people are taking Camping seriously.
The Colorado Springs Gazette tells of a woman there who paid $1,200 to buy advertising space for bus benches in the area to help get the message out.
Marie Exley is unemployed but feels it's important that people have time to prepare for Christ's imminent return...even though the prediction makes her sad.
From the article:
Exley has bittersweet feelings about Camping's prediction.
"There are things I felt I always wanted to do -- get married, have a kid, travel more," she said. "But it's not about what I want out of life. It's about what God wants."
Since apparently it's rapture week here at O Me of Little Faith...and since I got my start as a writer by making fun of End-Times mania, I guess I could spend the next few paragraphs waxing sarcastically about Camping and his failed end-of-the-world predictions and the dumb, complicated mathematical code he uses to arrive at them. After all, he's been playing up this 2011 date for several years, since Jesus failed to come back when Camping originally predicted it in 1994. (Camping says it's because he made a mathematical error with that date, but now he's corrected it. Score one for calculators.)
But today is one of those days when I just don't find any humor in this kind of thing. Today, Camping's brand of apocalypticism just makes me sad. His super-confident, trust-me-I'm-an-expert teaching causes people like Exley to spend money she doesn't have on useless advertising, and it makes her think that this is her last year on earth. It depresses her now, a little -- she's missing out on marriage and a family -- and it sets her up for disappointment later, when Jesus doesn't come back next May.
I'm already disappointed and sad at this kind of reaction, because not only does it play on people's fears, but it manipulates them because of their hope.
Camping himself has little to lose. He's an old man. If he's right about Christ's return, he's already lived a full life and he'll be hailed as a prophet. Camping, FTW! But if he's wrong -- which he WILL be -- well, he'll get through it just like he did in 1994. He'll blame the math or something and eventually retire. The sooner, the better. He'll survive.
But people like Exley have much more to lose. They'll spend this next year in limbo. Why get a job if Jesus is coming back in May? Why plan for the future? Why save anything for retirement, or fall in love, or start a family if the world's about to fall into chaos? She'll suspend her life until May 21, 2011, and when Jesus fails to adhere to Camping's timetable, she'll have to start over...spiritually, emotionally, and culturally. She'll look like an idiot. She'll have wasted a good chunk of money. She'll have put her hope in something and see it fall to pieces.
Camping's faith will survive the failed prediction, just like it did in 1994. But what about Exley's faith? What will happen to the faith of his thousands of listeners who have invested their hope (and money) into this scenario?
We can laugh all we want at the stupidity of End-Times date-setters who are wrong. They've been wrong for two thousand years, and they'll be wrong in the future.
But it's hard to laugh at the gullible people who believe them. If you want to be mean, you can call them mindless sheep. But don't forget that they're also a kind of victim: Victims of hope, victims of religious fervor, and victims of certainty.
I prefer Spongebob! He makes more sense! LOL!
Camping, the original Cryptkeeper.
“We also have learned that the last day of the earth’s existence, October 21, 2011”
That’s the comment that shows that there is no way he is correct. He must have not read the entire Bible or something. The earth is not going to be destroyed. He forgot to read about the 1000 yr reign.
Besides, the rapture is going to be during Rosh Hoshana, Duh.
“We first have to get through the next 5-1/2 years of tribulation.”
Are you saying we are already in the Tribulation?
Then I guess we know when He won’t come back....
Duh!
;)
Mr. Camping should demand a refund from whomever sold him his Bible. Clearly it did not include Matthew 24:36 or Mark 13:32.
I was serious with that question. The tribulations is to be 7 years so I was wondering why you said 5 ½ .
Okay, this is a true story, I know I joke around a lot but this is true.
When I first moved to Seattle (I know longer live there but did for a long time) I was searching for what radio station I would listen to (wasn’t a Christian at the time) when I came upon an AM station with a deep voiced pastor preaching, I was astounded because I did not know the gospel of grace (was raised catholic but didn’t know Christ) and I listened and listened day after day. I finally came home one day and told my wife all about it, she was shocked, we both eventually came to Christ. His preaching was scary, I will admit that, I was so afraid because at the time I knew I wasn’t saved, he was sure the world was going to end on a certain day and as I listed I thought for sure he was right. Well, that day came and went, the world never ended, however, I came to Christ and have been a Christian ever since.
That pastor was Harold Camping, strange but true, I was lead to Christ by a man praching the end of the world, he was wrong on that, but right on what brings Salvation. If I didn’t have to type this all in I could say more, there’s so much more to the story.
Too bad Gene Scott isn't still around. He was always on TV going on about something, and many times in some kind of costume.
Now that he’s unmasked himself as a fraud, if anyone needs any more reason not to listen to what he says, I don’t know what that would be.
I am certain he should be avoided. Anyone who puts a date on Christ’s return like this has just proven they are not to be listened to.
Harold Camping has made a number of predictions as to when the world will end and Jesus’ second coming. If I remember correctly there was a time in 1994 that this was to occur. I hope after 2011, he will understand he cannot comprehend what the Lord God Almighty knows and plans.
“Can you educate us as to where in the Bible it says so ?”
A careful study of the old Jewish wedding ceremony will get you started. I wouldn’t have the space here to do it justice.
Pretty good jibber jabber here.
I will tell you though, he only squared (atonement x completeness x heaven). There’s his problem.
There are three heavens. There are also three heads in the Godhead. There are three steps in man’s journey back to God: Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification. You are born, you live, you die. We are beings that have length, width and height.
All this evidence shows he should have cubed (atonement x completeness x heaven), not squared it.
Oh yeah, - SARC. The guy is a total nutjob.
I was just disguising my opinion some. It’s the best analysis if you look at the evidence...
Pockistan floods?
This nut job’s 15 minutes were over decades ago. Hope that when his failed prophecy is revealed, people will dump him once and for all.
“Christian radio host Harold Camping says Jesus is coming back in nine months: May 21, 2011. Then the world will end, according to his calculations, on October 21, 2011.”
Wow, when was the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt? Those muslims sure seemed to take the removal of the “dome of the rock” in stride.
wait a minute....
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