Harold Camping reschedules "rapture" for October
Harold Camping speaks during a taping of his show "Open Forum" in Oakland, Calif., May 23, 2011. / AP
OAKLAND, California - As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.
Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before global cataclysm struck the planet, said Monday that he felt so terrible when his doomsday message did not come true that he left home and took refuge in a motel with his wife. His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions — some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 recreational vehicles plastered with the Judgment Day message.
Harold Camping "flabbergasted" by non-Rapture
Follower Jeff Hopkins also spent a good deal of his own retirement savings on gas money to power his car so people would see its ominous lighted sign showcasing Camping's May 21 warning. As the appointed day drew nearer, Hopkins started making the 100-mile round trip from Long Island to New York City twice a day, spending at least $15 on gas each trip.
"I've been mocked and scoffed and cursed at and I've been through a lot with this lighted sign on top of my car," said Hopkins, 52, a former television producer who lives in Great River, New York. "I was doing what I've been instructed to do through the Bible, but now I've been stymied. It's like getting slapped in the face."
Camping, who made a special appearance before the press at the Oakland headquarters of the media empire Monday evening, apologized for not having the dates "worked out as accurately as I could have." Through chatting with a friend over what he acknowledged was a very difficult weekend, the light dawned on him that instead of the biblical Rapture in which the faithful would be swept up to the heavens, May 21 had instead been a "spiritual" Judgment Day, which places the entire world under Christ's judgment, he said.
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How Harold Camping marketed the Rapture
The globe will be completely destroyed in five months, he said, when the apocalypse comes. But because God's judgment and salvation were completed on Saturday, there's no point in continuing to warn people about it, so his network will now just play Christian music and programs until the final end on Oct. 21.
"We've always said May 21 was the day, but we didn't understand altogether the spiritual meaning," he said. "The fact is there is only one kind of people who will ascend into heaven ... if God has saved them they're going to be caught up."
It's not the first time the 89-year-old retired civil engineer has been dismissed by the Christian mainstream and has been forced to explain when his prediction didn't come to pass. Camping also prophesized the Apocalypse would come in 1994, but said later that didn't happen then because of a mathematical error.
Monday, rather than give his normal daily broadcast, Camping took questions as a part of his show, "Open Forum," which transmits his biblical interpretations via the group's radio stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website.
Camping's hands shook slightly as he pinned his microphone to his lapel, and as he clutched a worn Bible he spoke in a quivery monotone about some listeners' earthly concerns after giving away possessions in expectation of the Rapture.
Family Radio would never tell anyone what they should do with their belongings, and those who had fewer would cope, Camping said.
"We're not in the business of financial advice," he said. "We're in the business of telling people there's someone who you can maybe talk to, maybe pray to, and that's God."
But he also said that he wouldn't give away all his possessions ahead of Oct 21.
"I still have to live in a house, I still have to drive a car," he said. "What would be the value of that? If it is Judgment Day why would I give it away?"
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http://faithskeptic.50megs.com/prophecies.htm
Dude, you deserve to be slapped! The Bible says NOTHING about YOU driving around with a big-ass sign on your car! As I'm sure you're aware, the Bible is called, "The INSPIRED word of God" because a good portion is taken from people's memories and feelings, and it is NOT without subjective information. It's been translated so many times, that some of the meaning of many passages has been altered. In fact, there are entire BOOKs of the Bible that were removed during The Dark Ages by various people, so it's not even a complete series.
The concept of "The Rapture" was added sometime in the 1800s, and IS NOT part of the original series, and in fact, much of Revelation was inspired through dreams. You need to look at Revelation with a certain amount of skepticism.
Camping's an amazing man, albeit a bit sociopathic. He's a business man, not a prophet. October 21? How many suckers are again going to line and give him more of their hard earned money?
His followers are the fools who believed a misdirected and malinformed con man. The joke is on the thousands of morons who have paid this guy to tell them what they wanna hear. Apparently the're too stupid or lazy to read the Scriptures which clearly say that NOBODY knows the time. I'm inclined to believe that most of these dolts wouldn't recognize Jesus if he showed up anyhow. Perhaps Camping was correct on his May 21, 2011 and the rapture did in fact happen. Unfortunately, however, God didn't find soul on the planet worthy of the free ride to heaven. Save your money folks, He's coming, but you should wake up and not give your money to a con artist.
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so it was the rapture ... but now the rapture that you were talking about wasn't the rapture that most considered ... but rather another rapture w/ a different meaning?
oh ok ... where should i send my retirement fund to?
The fact that you, or nobody you know have not evaporated to the better world does not indicate that no one else did. I know I did. It is nice in here. But most of the world, are, unfortunately, sinners, and are therefore doomed. Remember, the Rupture was last Saturday; the world is scheduled to END Oct 21, 2011.
BTW, I was sent by Haven to deliever the following message: There is still a way for you to make it here (with the most of the world being doomed, it had been slightly miscalculated just how much free slots will be available). However, ULTIMATELY, the spaces ARE limited, so, act now:
In order to take advantage of your second chance, you must:
1. Repent ALL your sins by August 1, 2011. (This time there will be no extentions).
2. You must pay your dues by May 29th. (2011, obviously). That's right, you only have 2 days to make up your mind! So act quickly, if you want to have a chance.
3. Credit Cards will not be accepted. However, there is a special permission (from Heaven, obviously) to rob certain financial institutions. (Note: not all banks are eligible targets, click here for the list ___). The reason for this, apparent, discrimination is because it has been estimated that these banks will not repent, and thus will have no chance in the New World. So, ultimately, for them it is irrelevant.
So, ACT QUICKLY!!! DO NOT GAMBLE WITH YOUR SOUL!!!!
What did P.T. Barnum say? "There's a Sucker born every minute".... When P.T. rises from the dead again, he should revise that to "There are thousands of suckers born-again every minute".