Rev. Harold Camping and his associate minister, Chris McCann, warns that on May 21st, 2011, the world will enter the end days. The date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011.
By Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
Camping, 88 (on left), has scrutinized the Bible for almost 70 years and says he has developed a mathematical system to interpret prophecies hidden within the Good Book. One night a few years ago, Camping, a civil engineer by trade, crunched the numbers and was stunned at what he’d found: The world will end May 21, 2011.
This is not the first time Camping has made a bold prediction about Judgment Day.
On Sept. 6, 1994, dozens of Camping’s believers gathered inside Alameda’s Veterans Memorial Building to await the return of Christ, an event Camping had promised for two years. Followers dressed children in their Sunday best and held Bibles open-faced toward heaven.
But the world did not end. Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. He spent the next decade running new calculations, as well as overseeing a media company that has grown significantly in size and reach.
From the Inquirer. . .
Soon it will be spring again. The snow will melt, the dogwoods flower. Trumpets will blast, graves will open, and Earth will begin a five-month descent to its fiery end.
Radio evangelist Harold Camping can hardly wait.
May 21 is Judgment Day, when “this world will be a horror story beyond anything we can imagine,” he asserts.
A fixture on Christian airwaves here and around the world, Camping, 89, is exhorting all who are listening to “make ready” for Jesus’ triumphal return, whose precise date he says God has revealed to him with “fantastic proof” in the Bible.
End-of-timers generally have been fixated on the doomsday date of Dec. 21, 2012 – when the “Long Count” calendar of the ancient Maya ends and, presumably, the world with it.
There won’t even be a 2012, according to Camping. His website displays the number with a red slash through it.
Just as the Wright brothers figured out flying, Camping has predicted Judgment Day where so many others have failed, said Chris McCann, 49, of Darby, a married father of four who retired from his job in the mailroom at a financial-services company.
McCann is so confident of Camping’s prediction that he and 20 others, most from the Philadelphia region, spent 10 days in Ireland and Scotland this month distributing thousands of May 21 tracts.
“This will be the day,” he said.
In a phone interview last week from his Oakland, Calif., office, Camping warned that those who do not accept his complex calculations, including even devout Christians, will face “sudden destruction” when Jesus returns.
Although many have lacked Camping’s down-to-the-minute surety, predictions of time’s end have been burbling up almost since time began, notes University of Wisconsin history professor Paul Boyer, a scholar of apocalypticism.
“Prophetic belief gives order and shape to human experience, and meaning and drama to history,” he said last week. “We need beginnings. We need endings . . . Each generation somehow finds evidence that the end times are upon us.”
Curiously, said Boyer, the explosion of scientific knowledge in the 20th century – including astrophysicists’ confidence that Mother Earth has another 5 billion years – has done little to quell the market for apocalypticism, especially in the United States.
Author Hal Lindsey’s 1970 thriller, The Late, Great Planet Earth, has sold more than 30 million copies, and it continues to do so despite its suggestion that the end would come in the 1980s.
The Rev. Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series of novels depicting the Rapture, Armageddon, and the machinations of the Anti-Christ has sold 65 million copies since 1995 and been made into four movies.
Now comes Camping – again.
In the late 1980s, he began warning the end would come in September 1994. When Gabriel’s trumpet failed to sound, he revised his dates for several years before dropping the subject.
Now the former civil engineer, who is not ordained, maintains that God has revealed to him the true meaning of many dates and symbolic numbers in the Bible.
Essentially, he argues that May 21, 2011, is “exactly 7,000 years after 4990 B.C., when the [great] flood began,” and that these 7,000 years mirror the seven days God gave Noah to warn the world to get ready for destruction.
At the end of the new warning period “there will be a huge earthquake the likes of which has never been had in history,” he said in the interview, “and the graves will be opened all over the world.”
Jesus will gather up the saved in their glorified bodies – there will only be about 200 million – and the unsaved will be left to rot into manure. “The Bible uses some ugly language” to describe the end, he said.
Five months later, on Oct. 21, “the entire universe will be annihilated.”
That Christ will return in glory to judge “the living and the dead” lies at the core of Christian belief, and most conservative Christians share Camping’s conviction that the Bible paints an authentic picture of how the world-as-we-know-it will end.
But most also point out that Jesus told his disciples that even he did not know the “day nor the hour” that that will occur.
Quite a few are making a prediction of their own: The sage of Oakland will wake up embarrassed on May 22.
“We joke about it,” said the Rev. J.A. Jones, longtime pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in Camden, whose large church sits just blocks away from Camping’s local radio station, WKDN-FM.
Many of his parishioners have heard Camping’s warnings, Jones said, and asked him anxiously if the May 21 date is true.
“I tell them, ‘No, but if you’re so concerned, why don’t you deed us your house and car?’ and then they laugh. . . . Everyone who ever made those predictions got egg on their faces,” Jones said.
At 106.9 on the FM dial, the 38,000-watt WKDN is one of 66 stations in Camping’s Family Radio network, which includes many more small “translator” stations and broadcasts globally in 60 languages via shortwave. He said he had “no idea” how large the network’s audience might be.
I believe that’s the day after my May silver closes. So, OK.
Why should that guy care? He looks like he died sometime last week. I guess Obama agrees with him. That would explain a lot, wouldn’t it?
To understand the end time frame you need to know the beginning. The big assumption that Camping made is that a 7000 year time frame for the earth has larger Biblical significance. This is the same mistake Schofield made. A decade ago this idea was also combined with the wrong assumption that the world was created in 4004 BC. The general idea is that at 6000 AM (in the year of the world) Jesus would return and reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years. However a 7000 time frame was/is only an assumption. There is a better time frame to use, 7200 years, which is completely consistent with internal Biblical time frames. The assumption of 4004 BC as the year of creation is why there were so many predictions of 1996 being the end. Now Camping has re-invented the beginning to 4990 BC. First one will need to have a high degree of confidence in 4990 BC as the year of creation. I contest that date vigorously. And if 4990 BC is wrong then Camping is wrong again for the second time. I’ve gone back to scripture independent of Ussher and others. Ive documented using only scripture and a few reliable historical references that demonstrate 4106 BC is the year of creation. My quibble with Ussher is only over 102 years and this is not very significant unless you need to figure out approximately the END. However I discovered that the time frame 7000 has no larger Biblical meaning but rather there is greater significance in a 7200 year time frame. This is nice to know since we are living in the year 6116 A.M. and Jesus will still reign from Jerusalem, Israel for 1000 years as scripture says he will. Relying on scripture I’ve completed whole number study dating the BEGIN year and the END year and my confidence level is within a few years. Im convinced the whole end time scenario will come into clear focus for the majority of Christians as the Day approaches. But in the meantime Christians still have responsibilities and obligations to live a full life each day keeping in step with the Holy Spirit in obedience to scripture.
Thanks for the heads up!
Oh sure Joe, no prob. Just thought you might like to know so you can take in an extra movie or eat some high calorie foods you’ve been avoiding. See ya on the other side.
Truthlife: Correct me if I am wrong here because I’m no Bible scholar, but when Jesus was in Israel over 2000 years ago didn’t somebody ask him, so when are you coming back and didn’t he reply, “No one knows the hour or the day, except for God the Father”. Wait, I have it here and it says in the Bible in Mathew 24:36, “”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Did Jesus goof up or did he not say this? Do you think the Bible was in error or something was lost in translation? Did Jesus mean no one except for (insert name) or did he really mean “NO ONE”? Your thoughts please.
Thank you.
Hey Toby, you got a good point, why bother to do anything? Why not just play golf and take vacations? Obama knows…..take a hint. Go have a nice day and get some sunshine, you only have a few months left.
here’s something interesting I found on another site, it could be titled famous last words:
William Miller, who is credited with the beginning of the Adventist movement, which includes the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He claimed that Jesus would return “sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.”
After his prediction had failed, a colleague named Samuel Snow, claimed that the true date would be October 22, 1844. That prediction also proved false.
Nelson H. Barbour, a Millerite Adventist who lived from 1824 to 1905, wrote a book entitled Evidences for the Coming of the Lord in 1873, and was involved in other date-setting attempts with Charles Taze Russell.
Russell continued attempts at setting dates for the return of Jesus and spoke of invisible fulfillments. Russell is credited as being the founder of a religious organization called Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Herbert W. Armstrong, who lived from 1892 to 1986 and founded a religious organization called the Worldwide Church of God, wrote a book called 1975 in Prophecy! The book warned of a catastrophic drought, enslavement of Americans and Britons, nuclear war, and the return of Jesus as a dictator.
Joseph Smith, the founder of a religion called Mormonism, claimed that Jesus would return by 1891.
here’s more food for thought, the end days will come by total surprise, the day of the Lord will come like a thief:
2 Peter 3:1-18:
1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
I’ll put my faith in what the Bible says when it comes to the end of times, but after hearing the below geologist, who predicted the Oct. 1989 quake, say there may be a 9.0 quake this weekend I went and bought water, canned food and batteries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXDt4VdS0E
God said that no one will know the day or time,if these people know the bible like they say they do they would know this and the bible has no numbers in it except for the verses,these people are crazy and the ones that believe it are crazy
This just came in our email rather than thru the post and I thought everyone would like to read it, so here tis…”This is Mrs. Soaps speaking. My beloved Mr. Soaps asked me to send a goodbye message to all his friends if he happened to rapture to Heaven on this glorious day. That is exactly what did happen. It was a beautiful moment. Suddenly, a powerful light circled Soaps, while beautiful but unfamiliar music played softly in the background. I saw Soaps smile just before the music stopped and the light disappeared, along with Soaps himself. Soaps has gone to his eternal reward and will live on with the angels. This miracle is clear-cut evidence that Soaps was among the few who found favor in the eye of God. He was always a highly moral, honest, and wonderful man, but who knew until that last moment that he would receive this blessing? I was not chosen, as you were not, if you are reading this. I don’t know what sins I committed. I guess there were some, but they did not seem so bad. Many people have misunderstood this day, thinking it was the end of the world. It is not. It is the rapture, saving the worthy from the bitter end. You and I will face hunger, burning fires, unquenchable thirst, and all sorts of calamities before the actual Apocalypse in the coming weeks, and then we will die, with nothing at all. It is sad. But I rejoice, knowing that at least Soaps made it.”
And on that cheery note we say farewell and bon voyage. And yes, we too must rejoice knowing at least our brother Soaps made it to the promised land or maybe he just fell off a cliff and was washed out to sea, either way, we know he has gone to a better place. Yes, be it heaven or mere fish food, it’s better for him than this life under a democrat president. So when the next republican is elected to the white house, we remind you… do not confuse it with the rapture, it will on feel like the rapture when compared to what we’ve become accustomed to under Obama.
has everyone forgotten about a certain scripture verse? i think so….Mark 13:32 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
Regardless to whatever the other scriptures say. People have calculations and perdictions, i get that. But why would man be able to figure out the day when the world is going to end? It clearly states that NO ONE knows the day the father will return. So with people prediciting the end day is like a huge slap in God’s face. Pretty much calling him a liar. Why would God tell one man, when his own son doesnt know? If someone could show me the scripts on where it says that God will tell man instead of his son, that would be great…. Oh wait you can’t because there isn’t one.
so instead of freaking people out and having them question God, find a new hobby. Not that hard to do.
this end of the world crap is just that. a lunatic spouting off mumbo jumbo numbers. the earth has been around for over
a million years. so why is it every time someone opens their
big mouth and says the world is going to end and it doesn’t. because they don’t know what their talking about. Ya the world will end one day but know can say how where why or when.
you are a lier a bigier none of this is going to happen this man has done this like 5 times and he bet his wife witha bible bc he siad it would happen on he 50th b day and it didnt and wow he made i new date bc it didnt happen in may if he knows anything about the bible he wouldnt be saying and if you beleve this then just wiat and see bc alout of pepole sold there house this man had people kill ther self bc of this MAN and geuss what read the bible it says the one man or angle should know the or time so think about this man is a lier and is just trying to get pit on the news and make money dont belive him thx
Let me just assure you the end of the world will not occur on any given date that man concludes. God’s word gives us that blessed assurance.See Matt 24:36. There are alot of prohectic events still ahead namely the rapture, the seven year tribulation period, and the 1000 year reign of christ just to name a few. So then the world or earth as we know it cannot end until all the other events happen.Actually the next event to occur on God’s prophetic calendar so to say is the catching away of the saints,the rapture! This cult leader is sowing seeds of fear. This is a great example of wrong Hermeneutics of God’s word.
I’ll go with what Robert said.
OK so its october 20th and according to Camping the world is supposed to end tomorrow. if it does happen its going to be five months of hell on earth but he said that five months ago and NOTHING has happen since then. so if it is true me and my friends have a plan to make it through the five months but if its completely FALSE then i will comment onthe site again and give a big “I TOLD YA SO” to Camping
OMG NO ONE KNOWS THE END OF TIME NOT EVEN THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN SO IMA TELL U RIGHT NOW I TOLD U SO!!!! HAHAHAHA
Yep, we know that.
Hey, guess what?? We’re still alive!! :3
CAN ANYONE SAY CRACKPOT / NUTCASE / WIERDO
CRACKPOT / NUTCASE / WIERDO – okay, where’s my prize?
CAN ANYONE SAY CRACKPOT / NUTCASE / WIERDO