Rapture Ready? May 21, 2011 is just around the corner.
It would appear that May 21st, 2011 is the day Jeezus is coming back!
Harold Camping lets out a hearty chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012.
"That date has not one stitch of biblical authority," Camping says from the Oakland office where he runs Family Radio, an evangelical station that reaches listeners around the world. "It's like a fairy tale."
The real date for the end of times, he says, is in 2011.
Hahaha... those silly two-thousand twelvers, they're a year off! Regardless, there is something quite fun about seeing this guy call the 2012 end-of-the-worlders believers in fairy tales. Kettle, meet pot.
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.
Hey, everyone makes mistakes including self-delusional self-proclaimed bible math wizards.
By Camping's understanding, the Bible was dictated by God and every word and number carries a spiritual significance. He noticed that particular numbers appeared in the Bible at the same time particular themes are discussed.
The number 5, Camping concluded, equals "atonement." Ten is "completeness." Seventeen means "heaven." Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.
"Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.," he began. "Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years."
Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days - the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.
Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.
Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500.
Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.
"Five times 10 times 17 is telling you a story," Camping said. "It's the story from the time Christ made payment for your sins until you're completely saved.
"I tell ya, I just about fell off my chair when I realized that," Camping said.
... and I tell you, I nearly fell out of my chair with that explanation.
Rick LaCasse, who attended the September 1994 service in Alameda, said that 15 years later, his faith in Camping has only strengthened.
"Evidently, he was wrong," LaCasse allowed, "but this time it is going to happen. There was some doubt last time, but we didn't have any proofs. This time we do."
Would his opinion of Camping change if May 21, 2011, ended without incident?
"I can't even think like that," LaCasse said. "Everything is too positive right now. There's too little time to think like that."
So in the end, blind faith wins all. Logic based thought will not enter into the equation nor will they listen to it. "I can't even think like that" is how all of this continues even in the face of insurmountable evidence.
Enjoy this article in full here at the San Francisco Chronicle: Biblical scholar's date for rapture: May 21, 2011
We have published a new article on Family Radio and Mr. Harold Camping on our Website - http://www.writeonnewjersey.com. The direct link to the article is http://www.writeonnewjersey.com/2010/02/countdown-to-judgment-2/. Please "spread the word" to interested parties.
Thank you,
Tom Petruzzelli
Editor