Jesus warned His followers to beware of false prophets:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-01/bay-area/17466332_1_east-bay-bay-area-first-time-camping
I also found Camping's website as well as the websites of some of his cult's followers. But google that for yourself, since I do not wish to promote a false prophet in any way, shape, or form.
Harold Camping, according to the above article, originally predicted the rapture for September 6, 1994.
Sorry, my dear brothers and sisters, looks like we all missed hearing the trumpet.
Not to be undone over his mistaken prophecy, he claimed that he "may have made a mathematical error."
However, God's standard for His prophets is 100% accuracy:
I actually tried to study out some of his teachings in order to know how to refute them. (A painful exercise which is not recommended...) He makes several basic errors in how he interprets Scripture, including the fact that he ignores anything that might indicate he is wrong.
When adding up the ages given in the genealogical tables in Genesis 5 and 11, he switches back-and-forth between using the age of one patriarch when the next is born and saying that one patriarch died in the year that the next-listed one was born. That allows him to come up with a date for Creation of 11,013 BC rather than the 4004 BC date given in Ussher's Annals of the World. Of course, he has an explanation of why - some novel interpretation which no one apparently thought of before. It hinges on two phrases used in the genealogical lists: "so-and-so became the father of x" and "so-and-so named his son x." This same re-dating of Genesis events also allowed him to place the Deluge of Genesis 6-9 as starting - uh, this is good - exactly 7,000 years before May 21, 2011, in 4990 BC. How this was calculated so precisely when no month or day of the month is given for anyone's birth or death is beyond me. You see, the rain started on the 17th day of the 2nd month of Noah's 600th year. (Genesis 7:11) May 21, 2011 is the 17th day of the 2nd month on the Hebrew calendar. I did not bother to check a Hebrew calendar to see if he is right about May 21 this year being the 17th day of the 2nd month; I just took his word for it since that would be so easy for even a non-Believer to check and call his bluff on if not true. He even allowed for the fact that there was no year zero. (The year following 1 BC was AD 1, not 0.)
And, of course, he uses Peter's statement:
[humor]
Wonder if Peter would have written those words had he known how many ways they would be mis-used? First, the "day-age" Creation heresy; now this garbage! What's next? Maybe the Millennial Reign will be only one day?
[/humor]
Camping said that Jesus was crucified Friday, April 1, AD 33. That could not be. Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights:
So if He was crucified on Friday and rose again before Sunrise on Sunday morning, that is only one full day and part of one other day, plus one full night and part of another. The tomb was empty before sunup on Sunday morning. (The RCC popularized "Good Friday" as the day of crucifixion; it has no real Scriptural basis.)
However, because passover in AD 31 was on Thursday, April 12, there were two Sabbaths that week. (Whatever day passover occurs on in any given year is called a Sabbath, regardless of whether it is the first, seventh, or any other day of the week.) According to NASA calculations, Thursday, April 12, AD 31 was a prime candidate for being passover because of the new moon. So Jesus was probably crucified on Wednesday, April 11, AD 31, and was in the tomb Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights between sunset and sunrise, and all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between sunrise and sunset, adding up to the predicted three days and three nights. The date of Wednesday, April 11, AD 31 is something about which we can not be dogmatic; it's just a likely possibility, but fits the known facts better than Friday, April 1, 33 AD for the date of His crucifixion.) (You can find a list of passover dates here: http://www.judaismvschristianity.com/Passover_dates.htm)
Camping claims that Satan was bound during the Church Age, which he dates as being from the Crucifixion until the start of the Great Tribulation, which he claims was May 21, 1988. That 1,955-year period is the "Millennial Reign of Christ," which is possible (according to the false prophet) because "1,000 years" represents "a long, but indefinite, period of time" rather than a literal 1,000-year period.
But my Bible tells me this:
I quit trying to understand Camping's twisted thinking after reading on his website that the Great Tribulation is actually 23 years, ending on May 21, 2011, not seven years as is clearly taught in Scripture.
Maybe I should offer to buy one of those "May 21" decorated motorhomes for, say, $10, delivery to be taken on May 22...but if I do, I'll make sure to get a notarized bill of sale before May 21!
While in Gallup on Tuesday, I saw a motorhome painted up with advertising saying that the rapture will take place May 21, 2011. So, being skeptical (especially about prophecies and prophets) as well as being naturally curious, I googled the date and came up with, among other things, the following article:
http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-01/bay-area/17466332_1_east-bay-bay-area-first-time-camping
I also found Camping's website as well as the websites of some of his cult's followers. But google that for yourself, since I do not wish to promote a false prophet in any way, shape, or form.
Harold Camping, according to the above article, originally predicted the rapture for September 6, 1994.
Sorry, my dear brothers and sisters, looks like we all missed hearing the trumpet.
Not to be undone over his mistaken prophecy, he claimed that he "may have made a mathematical error."
However, God's standard for His prophets is 100% accuracy:
No "mathematical errors" allowed. Not even for an 89 year old "prophet" who has been studying the Bible for 70 years.
I actually tried to study out some of his teachings in order to know how to refute them. (A painful exercise which is not recommended...) He makes several basic errors in how he interprets Scripture, including the fact that he ignores anything that might indicate he is wrong.
When adding up the ages given in the genealogical tables in Genesis 5 and 11, he switches back-and-forth between using the age of one patriarch when the next is born and saying that one patriarch died in the year that the next-listed one was born. That allows him to come up with a date for Creation of 11,013 BC rather than the 4004 BC date given in Ussher's Annals of the World. Of course, he has an explanation of why - some novel interpretation which no one apparently thought of before. It hinges on two phrases used in the genealogical lists: "so-and-so became the father of x" and "so-and-so named his son x." This same re-dating of Genesis events also allowed him to place the Deluge of Genesis 6-9 as starting - uh, this is good - exactly 7,000 years before May 21, 2011, in 4990 BC. How this was calculated so precisely when no month or day of the month is given for anyone's birth or death is beyond me. You see, the rain started on the 17th day of the 2nd month of Noah's 600th year. (Genesis 7:11) May 21, 2011 is the 17th day of the 2nd month on the Hebrew calendar. I did not bother to check a Hebrew calendar to see if he is right about May 21 this year being the 17th day of the 2nd month; I just took his word for it since that would be so easy for even a non-Believer to check and call his bluff on if not true. He even allowed for the fact that there was no year zero. (The year following 1 BC was AD 1, not 0.)
And, of course, he uses Peter's statement:
to "prove" that the seven days of grace between Noah entering the Ark and the rain starting is actually 7,000 years.
[humor]
Wonder if Peter would have written those words had he known how many ways they would be mis-used? First, the "day-age" Creation heresy; now this garbage! What's next? Maybe the Millennial Reign will be only one day?
[/humor]
Camping said that Jesus was crucified Friday, April 1, AD 33. That could not be. Jesus was in the tomb for three days and three nights:
So if He was crucified on Friday and rose again before Sunrise on Sunday morning, that is only one full day and part of one other day, plus one full night and part of another. The tomb was empty before sunup on Sunday morning. (The RCC popularized "Good Friday" as the day of crucifixion; it has no real Scriptural basis.)
However, because passover in AD 31 was on Thursday, April 12, there were two Sabbaths that week. (Whatever day passover occurs on in any given year is called a Sabbath, regardless of whether it is the first, seventh, or any other day of the week.) According to NASA calculations, Thursday, April 12, AD 31 was a prime candidate for being passover because of the new moon. So Jesus was probably crucified on Wednesday, April 11, AD 31, and was in the tomb Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights between sunset and sunrise, and all day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between sunrise and sunset, adding up to the predicted three days and three nights. The date of Wednesday, April 11, AD 31 is something about which we can not be dogmatic; it's just a likely possibility, but fits the known facts better than Friday, April 1, 33 AD for the date of His crucifixion.) (You can find a list of passover dates here: http://www.judaismvschristianity.com/Passover_dates.htm)
Camping claims that Satan was bound during the Church Age, which he dates as being from the Crucifixion until the start of the Great Tribulation, which he claims was May 21, 1988. That 1,955-year period is the "Millennial Reign of Christ," which is possible (according to the false prophet) because "1,000 years" represents "a long, but indefinite, period of time" rather than a literal 1,000-year period.
But my Bible tells me this:
That verse was written after the Church age began, during which time Camping claims that the devil was bound.
I quit trying to understand Camping's twisted thinking after reading on his website that the Great Tribulation is actually 23 years, ending on May 21, 2011, not seven years as is clearly taught in Scripture.
Maybe I should offer to buy one of those "May 21" decorated motorhomes for, say, $10, delivery to be taken on May 22...but if I do, I'll make sure to get a notarized bill of sale before May 21!
