Do You See Pigs Flying?

I’m pretty sure I see them.  I’m also pretty sure the heavens have opened and I can hear angles singing. 

Indeed, there is big news in my house this morning. I honestly did not see this coming. I was pretty sure I would never see this happen.

We can say two things for certain:

1) That’s what I get for thinking, and

2) Wonders never cease.

Of course, I could add in there this bit about God being good and the Bible actually being right, but I’m going to assume you know those are givens, so I won’t.

What has me flying high with the pigs this morning? (you mean, besides Carmina Burana coming from hunny’s computer? {I’ll do a post on that fabulous piece of music later})

Are you sitting down? Please, go ahead. I’ll wait.

There. Are you in your chair yet? Good.

You might also want to get your Polident ready for cleaning your teeth after you get them up off the ground.

Ok. Here goes……….

Harold Camping has apologized.

I’ll let that sink in for a minute.

Indeed. He did.

I first stumbled across the news while poking around yesterday. The headline that grabbed my attention was this: Harold Camping Admits He Was Wrong About End Of World Prediction.  

I’m pretty sure that had you been sitting next to me, you would have heard my audible gasp.

Why, you might ask?

If you haven’t been reading along, I’d suggest you start here: Waiting For The Rapture.

Once you’re done with that, read this: I’m Still Here.

Still, this stuck me with, and I thought about this for a while……………Post Non-Rapture Ponderings.

Unfortunately, I was remiss in not writing about the non-end of the world in October, 2011. I assume there must have been something else really important going on that  got me sidetracked, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was……….

Now that you’re all caught up, you can see why Harold Camping’s apology is so important, can’t you? In fact, I am SO stuck by this, that I’m sharing his letter below, as posted on the Family Radio website.

An Important Letter from Mr. Camping – March 2012 THE BOARD OF FAMILY RADIO WISHES TO POST THE FOLLOWING LETTER FROM MR. CAMPING.  IT WAS OUR WISH, OUT OF RESPECT FOR OUR LISTENERS, TO MAIL OUT THIS LETTER BEFORE POSTING IT TO THE WEB SITE.  HOWEVER, BECAUSE IT WAS LEAKED TO THE INTERNET WITHOUT OUR AUTHORIZATION, WE HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO POST IT IMMEDIATELY TO AVOID CONFUSION.  THIS LETTER WILL ALSO BE MAILED OUT TO OUR LISTENERS.

“God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” Romans 3:4Dear Family Radio Family, In this time of confusion and turmoil, God’s Word remains the only truth in which we can trust.  God has shown us again the truth that He alone is true.  In Romans 3:4 God declares: “Let God be true but every man a liar.”  Events within the last year have proven that no man can be fully trusted.  Even the most sincere and zealous of us can be mistaken. The May 21 campaign was an astounding event if you think about its impact upon this world.  There is no question that millions, if not billions of people heard for the first time the Bible’s warning that Jesus Christ will return.  Huge portions of this world that had never read or seen a Bible heard the message the Christ Jesus is coming to rapture His people and destroy this natural world.  Yes, we humbly acknowledge we were wrong about the timing; yet though we were wrong God is still using the May 21 warning in a very mighty way.  In the months following May 21 the Bible has, in some ways, come out from under the shadows and is now being discussed by all kinds of people who never before paid any attention to the Bible.  We learn about this, for example, by the recent National Geographic articles concerning the King James Bible and the Apostles.  Reading about and even discussing about the Bible can never be a bad thing, even if the Bible’s authenticity is questioned or ridiculed.  The world’s attention has been called to the Bible. We must also openly acknowledge that we have no new evidence pointing to another date for the end of the world.  Though many dates are circulating, Family Radio has no interest in even considering another date.   God has humbled us through the events of May 21,  to continue to even more fervently search the Scriptures (the Bible), not to find dates, but to be more faithful in our understanding. We have learned the very painful lesson that all of creation is in God’s hands and He will end time in His time, not ours!  We humbly recognize that God may not tell His people the date when Christ will return, any more than He tells anyone the date they will die physically. We realize that many people are hoping they will know the date of Christ’s return.  In fact for a time Family Radio fell into that kind of thinking.  But we now realize that those people who were calling our attention to the Bible’s statement that “of that day and hour knoweth no man” (Matthew 24:36 & Mark 13:32), were right in their understanding of those verses and Family Radio was wrong.  Whether God will ever give us any indication of the date of His return is hidden in God’s divine plan. We were even so bold as to insist that the Bible guaranteed that Christ would return on May 21 and that the true believers would be raptured. Yet this incorrect and sinful statement allowed God to get the attention of a great many people who otherwise would not have paid attention. Even as God used sinful Balaam to accomplish His purposes, so He used our sin to accomplish His purpose of making the whole world acquainted with the Bible. However, even so, that does not excuse us. We tremble before God as we humbly ask Him for forgiveness for making that sinful statement. We are so thankful that God is so loving that He will forgive even this sin. So we must be satisfied to humbly wait upon God, and trust He will guide His people to safety.  At Family Radio, we continue to look to God for guidance.  If it is His good pleasure for us to continue on with our original mission, the proclamation of the Gospel, God’s Word, then we must continue to look to Him. We consider you to be a real part of this ministry and the tremendous opportunities which God, by His unfathomable mercy and grace, continues to give to us. And, your steadfast involvement and support is so appreciated! May God bless you, Harold Camping and the staff of Family Radio.

And that, my friends, is why I was gasping out loud. He admits he was wrong. He admits his sin.

I’m not going to take issue with his definition of “for a time” being different from mine, in that I don’t necessarily consider 25 years to just be “for a time.” I’d have to defer to Abraham and Sarah for their perspective………

I’m also not quite sure that there needed to be the bravado of pointing out that because of his error, the world became acquainted with the Bible……”The May 21 campaign was an astounding event if you think about its impact upon this world.  There is no question that millions, if not billions of people heard for the first time the Bible’s warning that Jesus Christ will return.  Huge portions of this world that had never read or seen a Bible heard the message the Christ Jesus is coming to rapture His people and destroy this natural world.” 

I’m not sure that statement actually reflects humility. I’ll have to think about that some more. I’d really, really like to think that he genuinely repents and truly sees his wrong-doing.

Sometimes, the best apology is a simple two sentences. I’d feel a lot better if he’d just said, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” And left it at that. Then in a later missive, give some the other stuff. But, imo, an apology coupled with justification of why the wrong-doing happened doesn’t sit well with me.

That he compares himself to “other great men of faith” like Abraham (in his audio message from 11/8/11)? Nope, I’m not even gonna go there.

I am going to try to not analyze his message(s) and just think about the words “Yes, we humbly acknowledge we were wrong about the timing” and I’m going to try to ignore the rest of the sentence “yet though we were wrong God is still using the May 21 warning in a very mighty way.”

Yep. I’m gonna have to do that, because the more I think about it, the more I feel like the apology wasn’t sincere as it should have been. I’m gonna think that maybe the second part of the statement negates the apology and promotes what happened as being a mighty event and demonstration of God’s work (which of course, it may well have been, but it’s not humility that goes around tooting its own horn) and I just really want to accept the apology as being sincere…..

Harold Camping predicted the end of the world three times. He failed each time. That he has no intention of entertaining new dates- that’s a victory.

His followers spawned websites (see Waiting For The Rapture).

Many of them quit their jobs and sold all their belongings.

I wondered how they felt after the invisible rapture. And then again after the world didn’t end in October.

So, too, do I wonder now how they are doing; now that Mr. Camping has admitted he was wrong and has been humbled. (If anyone find online reading that addresses this, please leave me a comment with that information!)

I wonder if they are as critical and as wary of the apology as I am. I wonder if their faith in God has been shattered and left them not wanting any part of Him.

I wonder if Harold Camping has REALLY repented his sin, because that, too, is pretty darn important.

And, I wonder if I should move on from this debacle, and just focus on Preparing for Zombies……..

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I’m Still Here

I assume that you are, too. You do remember what Friday was, right?

Oh well, if you somehow managed to forget, you should start with my Waiting for The Rapture ponderings. For those of you too hung over disinclined to go clicking around this morning, let me summarize: 

Harold Camping, of Family Radio, had again predicted the rapture and the end of the world. This time, the rapture was going to happen on May 21, 2011. This is when, Camping said, all the Christians would be taken up into heaven while the rest of the world waited for the end of the world on October 21, 2011.

Now, you won’t find that verbiage on the Family Radio website. Nope. What you’ll find instead are comments like these:

“Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011, on the last day of the present five months period. On that day the true believers (the elect) will be raptured. We must remember that only God knows who His elect are that He saved prior to May 21.”

and——

“Therefore we have learned from our experience of last May 21 what actually happened. All of mankind was shaken with fear. Indeed the earth (or mankind) did quake in a way it had never before been shaken. God had come spiritually to bring judgment upon the whole world.”

Ya got that? The rapture did happen, but it was invisible. I am not sure how they will explain the “annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011″ bit, but I am sure that an answer is forthcoming. The Huffington Post tried to get a comment, but was turned down.

Out of all of this, I wonder what has happened in the months since those folks quit their jobs and gave up their life savings. I wonder how they are making out; what their perspective is these days.

At any rate, I’m still here, and I assume you are, too. I think the next logical step is to be relieved that we still have a year + to think about the Mayan calendar, which ends December 21, 2012. I wonder if the Mayans predicted their own cultural demise as well…..  

Or maybe we should spend our time worrying wondering when the Yellowstone Caldera super volcano is going to blow, given the earthquakes, etc.  Are animals really leaving Yellowstone? 

In February 2011, 400 buffalo that migrated from Yellowstone in search of food were corralled and slated for slaughter. The Buffalo Field Campaign has more information on its work to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild free roaming buffalo. This whole thing just stinks to me (and breaks my heart); messing with natural migration and habitat because we are encroaching on their environment.

But hey- we won’t need to worry about the buffalo (or anything else) when the solar flares hit and take out the world’s nuclear power plants.

I guess instead of worrying, I should get back to preparing for zombies. And you should too. This is an absolute must read. After all, you know it’s serious business when the CDC puts out a warning! Make sure, though, you have a copy of The Top Ten Signs That You Might Be A Zombie so you can learn if you or your friends have already succumbed to zombification.

I’m sure you’ve already figured this out by now, but you’ll be glad to have it in writing that we here passed the zombie test. 

Leave me a comment and let me know what other ways the world is going to end so I can start worrying preparing for them, too!   

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Preparing for Zombies

With the invisible rapture behind us, I’ve moved on to the next thing to stress about and prepare for: zombie apocalypse.  Seeing as we have 5 months to prepare for the world to be destroyed on October 21 (according to Camping’s teachings), I thought I would shuffle my panic accordingly.

To be fair, this new threat has caught me quite off-guard.  With my eye on the rapture (according to Camping), I completely missed the Center for Disease Control (CDC)‘s May 16, 2011 emergency preparedness blog regarding a Zombie Apocalypse.  This is what I get for being asleep at the wheel!

To save the day, the CDC has compiled a checklist for people like me, who didn’t have this disaster on her radar.  I’m just going to highlight a few comments from the checklist.

2) Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…

3) Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team.

4) Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance!

Now, if you are anything like me, you read the comments.  “Why read comments?” you might ask.  After all, the entity that wrote the article has included all relevant information, right? Usually, yes.  However, there are times when comments can reveal an additional layer of information.

Here are some gems I’ve gleaned from the comments, and will shortly be adding to my lists:

“I might suggest adding a baseball bat, preferably aluminum, to your emergency kit as well. It doesn’t require ammunition and can be highly effective at clearing a path through hordes of zombies whilst trying to make good your escape.”

 Then there was a link to the Zombie Squad (We Make Things Deader):  http://zombiehunters.org/whatiszs.php  “Zombie Squad is an elite zombie suppression task force ready to defend your neighborhood from the shambling hordes of the walking dead. We provide trained, motivated, skilled zombie extermination professionals and zombie survival consultants. Our people and our training are the best in the industry. “

Also from Zombie Squad (We Make Things Deader), “We want to make sure you are prepared for any crisis situation that might come along in your daily life which may include having your face eaten by the formerly deceased.”

Someone commented, “Really? I have to be the one to point out that selenium is an element in the periodic table and solanum is the zombie virus?”

“It really depends on the zombies. If they’re Romero/Brooks, slow, lumbering zombies, a baseball bat will work just fine. Not so if they’re the Zack Snyder fast zombies. Running zombies change everything.”

Now I’m really freaked.  I had not considered the variables in the zombie threat.  I shall have to research diligently to come to conclusions.

In response to the checklist, my oldest dd has informed me that, “Ya, right.  If a zombie comes and eats your head off, the jug of water and bandaids are really gonna help.”  Can you see what smart, logically thinking kids I have? 

“human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead” I’m not sure I trust someone who doesn’t do research. this person doesn’t know anything about folklore, classic (or Romero), or modern zombies. Only the Return of the Living Dead (John A Russo’s breed) eat brains.” See, this is why I read the comments.  I would have never known that!

“Seriously, guys. Everyone knows that the refugee camp is the LAST place you want to go in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Hasn’t experience taught us anything?”  Hmmm, good point.  Will have to think about that.

“The Zombie Preparedness book is already out! : http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/zombiesurvivalguide/index2.html“

“We at Zombie Training have been training for years. I give the CDC a B+ for effort however. But for the real deal check us out, we will educate your brain, not eat it.http://www.zombietraining.com“

“If you want to learn to survive the undead horde enroll in ZombieSchool.org\’s online courses.”  Ooooo, now that is information I can take to the bank!

“Not to be picky, but any way you can begin investigating BEFORE zombies actually are roaming the streets? Might cut down on a few problems…”

 Oh my, I could go on and on.  The comments are fabulous, thought-provoking jewels! I have my research cut out for me.

The last comment I shared, though, just gave me pause.  The idea of prevention has been weighing heavily on my mind, particularly since yesterday.  What happened yesterday? Yesterday, I read an article that told of six seismologists and a lone government official who are being tried for manslaughter for failing to predict a 6.3 earthquake that killed over 300 people in 2009. 

Yes, you read that right. Italian officials have jailed - and are trying in a court of law - people for failing to predict a deadly earthquake.  This kind of “thinking” blows my mind.  It’s just incredulous to me. Seriously?

Well, maybe the zombie apocalypse will happen first, and they won’t have to worry about it.  I am glad to be an American, where the CDC is ahead of the curve. 

Whew.  Thanks, CDC!  I feel better already!

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Post Non-Rapture Ponderings

I checked this morning on the websites proclaiming May 21, 2011 as being Judgment Day. They are still there; the count down clocks at 0. I wonder what those folks are doing today.  What is their plan now that “the date” has come and gone? Will Harold Camping issue a statement or apology?  Did he, the last time he was wrong?

Matthew 24:3- 5 says, “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”

From yesterday’s history lesson, we know that there have been hoards of folks buying into another’s claims to know when Judgment Day.  Another group that comes to mind is the belief of the Branch Davidians that David Koresh was the Messiah.   Yep, you guessed it- we can trace these roots back to the Millerites as well.

There are those that are unconcerned about folks who get involved with groups like these; many groups fit the classical definition of “cult.” Some believe that if a person is so weak-minded as to fall into a cult, well then, they get what they deserve. Very often, making fun of these people is part of the disparaging attitude dished out, particularly when there is evidence of a false or failed belief.

Me, I just feel sad for those people. I believe smart and intelligent people can be wooed into false beliefs.  And I believe those people, even though terribly misguided, are sincere in their belief, even in the face of failure. I also think that those doing the deceiving are often victims of the flawed thinking, too. 

Don’t get me wrong- I am quite certain that there are those that are knowingly and willfully deceiving others.  Evil is out there, and it can be charming. It can look good; it can look like good and make people feel safe.  It can lull and pacify, at least for a while, usually, long enough for a great many people to get on board and help proclaim its “righteousness.”

Herd mentality is real.  It’s also called things like “mob mentality” or “group think.”  There are those that will disagree, saying that mob mentality includes violence and group think does not.  There may be subtle nuances, but the underlying principle is the very much the same.

There are still others that believe this principle is what we call “the church.”  There are those that say this is what Jesus used, and he is a prime example of a cult leader. And Christians, well, they are just cult members.

For every school of thought, there is an opposing viewpoint. We can also apply this statement to Scripture. People have long had different interpretations of what passages in the Bible meant.

This difference in interpretation is what spawned the Protestant Reformation.  Indeed, this period of history was rife with conflict regarding the church, and it played out across Europe and England; completely standing society on its ear.

So, we know that different interpretations of Scripture is really nothing new. And, we also know that entire branches of religion have been spawned as a result of those differences. In this light, we can see that folks who follow Harold Camping and the like are really to be expected. Really, they aren’t that much different in their approach to following what they believe than any one else.

And still, I feel sadness for those that changed their lives based on the belief that Judgment Day was May 21, 2011.  There are folks that got rid of everything- their money, their belongings etc, based on their belief that they wouldn’t be needing them after that point.

It is hard to admit to being wrong, and harder yet to live with the consequences of the actions of those beliefs. A letter by Tim Dalrymple to Harold Camping and Those Who Expected Judgment Day does a good job of summarizing my feelings. 

He writes in part, “When you want to believe something, and someone you respect tells you to believe something, and everyone around you also believes and wants to believe the same thing, those are extraordinarily powerful forces.  I wish that you had not believed in the May 21st prediction, because I fear that it damaged the credibility of Christians in the eyes of some.  But I see no reason now to belabor that point.  Rather, I hope you have grace with yourselves.  Those forces operate not only in religious groups.  They operate in political movements, activist groups, even in enclaves within scientific communities.  In fact, when your friendly neighborhood atheist mocks you for what you believed, you can point him or her to scientific evidence that atheists in general are more gullible.

And you know what?  God has a way of using even our mistakes.  Perhaps your expectation of the imminent return of Christ helped you assess your life, remember what’s important, reconcile with your brother or your sister, take refuge in God’s gracious provision for sin in the work of Jesus Christ, and pray with great fervency that you have lived a life worthy of the gospel.  If you did all these things, then perhaps you should not regret that you were wrong about the whence.”

For me, I personally don’t spend a lot of time trying to “learn” how to “nail down the date.”  A few verses come to mind:

Matthew 6:33-34: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough troubles of its own.”

This is followed by Matthew 7:1-2, which says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

And ultimately, Proverbs 3: 5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Instead of mocking, let’s give these folks some grace and forgiveness, much as we, ourselves, need from time to time as well.

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Waiting for The Rapture

I’m waiting.  Are you? <tap tap tap>

<wait wait wait>

*Sigh.*

If you know me well, you know I was not gifted with a large amount of patience.  Yes, really. 

I like to plan.  I like to make my outlines (including notes) so that I am sufficiently organized to move forward.  Once I know what I’m doing, the written stuff can go by the wayside, as I learn what is working and what isn’t, and start tweaking, or de-bugging, as it were. My critical thinking skills are in near constant use.

Some plans take a bit longer to flesh out and implement, like getting chickens, for example (Do I really want to do it?  What will it mean for taking vacations? Do I really want more animals?).  Other plans are more straight forward; supplies are obtained and the plan is put into motion.

These are the kinds of things I prefer- the ones that make good logical sense (or do not) after doing research.  I’m always gathering information, and adjusting my opinion accordingly.  This doesn’t mean I’m an expert on stuff; just someone capable of researching and applying critical thinking.

The one area of my life where this M.O. isn’t based on that process is my faith.  Faith is its own entity within my life, and I have had plenty of actual experiences (working in hospice; dealing with and being there when people passed, etc) to know solidly where I stand on this topic overall.

One area of the Bible – or perhaps it’s a subscription to thought- that I have not extensively studied is Revelation and the End Times. I think on some level, it’s overwhelming, since there is so much stuff to wade through.

Put your boots on, grab a shovel, and let’s go……

**One thing to always keep in mind: most Biblical topics have some kind of debate somewhere, at some time; case and point, the books of the Bible.  Different denominations have different chapters in the Bible, not to mention the gazillions of translations out there. And then there is the interpretation of texts and the ensuing discussions…….. I don’t pretend to be a Biblical scholar, nor do I play one on TV.   

This particular topic (as in May 21, 2011 being Judgement Day) reflects my travels on the internet in my quest for information and opinions.  In other words:  Don’t be throwing rocks at me, y’all! 

To begin with, there is not agreement of the End Times, nor how things will unfold.  This page of Now The End Begins does a pretty good job, I think, of demonstrating the 4 main schools of thought on the Rapture. This topic can be confusing, since conflicting beliefs are all over out there.

Last Saturday, I was sitting here, at my computer, cruising Facebook, when I saw the comment.  You know the one, right?   That comment about whether or not to do “x” because, after all, the world was ending May 21, 2011?  And then someone posted a link.

I ♥♥♥ links.    They feed my desire to read.  So I clicked, and away I went.

That link went to the We Can Know website. This is just one of many sites that are based on the teachings of Harold Camping.

But let’s back up the bus a little and get a little history.  We all know that from the dawn of Christianity, there have been those (including Paul, although there is debate on his teachings as well) that believed and actively proclaimed that Jesus was coming soon. 

Some of those folks even gave concrete dates, like William Miller, out of which the Seventh Day Adventist Church  theology was rooted. (No, he didn’t found it- he was dead by the time the SDA Church was founded.  The church does credit him, however, with founding the “Adventist” movement.)

Anyhow, the followers of William Miller were called Millerites.  They believed that the second coming of Christ was going to happen soon.  At some point, a date based on the Karaite Jewish calendar was given to this event.  That date was October 22, 1844, and was preached on by Millerite Samuel S. Snow.

Obviously, the anticipated event didn’t happen.  As a result, a new name was given to it: The Great Disappointment. What’s interesting, though, is that there were religious groups that were born based on theses beliefs, and some of them are still around today.

So, it’s nothing new to hear about people warning us that the end is near. What I find fascinating is the money behind some of this stuff.  Granted, it doesn’t cost much to get a site on the internet.  It doesn’t cost much, if anything, to put a blog out there and share your two cents. 

Harold Camping founded Family Radio, and has $117 *million* dollar radio network has predicted that Judgement Day is today, May 21, 2011.  This is not the end of the world. No, that will happen on October 21, 2011. *That’s* the day when, according to this website based on Camping’s teachings, God will destroy the earth.

“This web site serves as an introduction and portal to four faithful ministries which are teaching that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that 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. Please take your time and browse through the teachings of Harold Camping, President of Family Radio”

Today, though, God is just going to “take up” His believers. I was wondering last night, as I lay in bed, what was happening on the other side of the world; you know, where it was already May 21? I forget where it was I read it originally, but apparently, part of Judgement Day will start with an earthquake at 6 pm, local time.  The earthquake (which hasn’t happened yet) was to start at 6 pm on Christmas Island and then each time zone would have their own quakes.  That gives me a few more hours. 

Since I am still sitting here, and I wonder if I need to get back to the post-Rapture checklist.  Although, since Harold Camping originally predicted September 6, 1994 as being “The Day,” one has to wonder. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it, titled (wait for it……) “1994?”.

Another thing I have wondered about was how he arrived at this particular second date. According to these sites, this date was arrived on due to the date of May 21, 1988  that “God finished using the churches and congregations of the world.” 

I have yet to find a site that actually explains (in language I can understand) where in the Bible this “information” came from.  I did find another site whose author shares my concern, saying, “I was never able to figure out how he arrived at 23 years for the length of the Tribulation when both Daniel and Revelation make it clear that the Tribulation will last 7 years. I’m sure his answer is there somewhere, based on allegorical interpretation, but I couldn’t find it.”

As seriously as Camping takes his predictions – after all, his $117 million radio station is all around the world and translated into 84 languages - there are others who are equally passionate about questioning him and his teachings.  One of the better sites I’ve found is an entire site (as opposed to a blog post or two) refuting his teachings. This page of the Refute Camping website deals with just the timeline of his predictions.

The home page of the site explains its goal: “The purpose of this site is to diligently search the scriptures, like the Bereans, and to compare the teachings of Harold Camping and Family Radio with scripture, the bible.”  While it continues to be a work in progress, I’ll be interested to see what – if anything – more happens with the site, now that “the day” has nearly passed.

I think it’s safe to say that there will be others who predict “the end” and fail just the same. In the meantime, I’m going to keep reading and thinking.

Here are some links to things I’ve stumbled across that I thought were interesting.

Commentary on Camping’s, er, “group”: http://www.politicususa.com/en/the-world-to-end-on-may-21-2011

Prophesies: http://www.godswatcher.com/index.htm

Failed end of the world predictions: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0518/Judgment-Day-Five-failed-end-of-the-world-predictions/October-22-1844

Bible Prophesy Blog: http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com/

Feel free to comment and share your links with me!

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