Family Radio Network preacher Harold Camping, whose prediction for the end of the world on May 21 failed, now says that his new date of Oct. 21 is ‘probably’ firm.
“A lot of things we didn’t have quite right will probably be finished out on Oct. 21,” the 90-year-old Camping says in a message on his Family Radio Network website, writes USA Today.
Camping initially set the new date just a few days after his Doomsday prophecy regarding May 21st failed.
At the time the Washington Post quoted him as saying:
“We had all of our dates correct,” Camping insisted, clarifying that he now understands that Christ’s May 21 arrival was “a spiritual coming” ushering in the last five months before the final judgment and destruction.
In an hour and a half broadcast, Camping walked listeners through his numerological timeline, insisting that his teaching has not changed and that the world will still end on October 21, 2011.
“It wont be spiritual on October 21st,” Camping said, adding, “the world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick.”
Camping had previously pointed to October 21 as the last day on earth for all humanity.
But, notes TIME magazine,
this time around he is not warning of souls burning up and ascensions to heaven from the sidewalks of Manhattan. Instead Camping, the owner of the Family Radio Network, believes it will be a much quieter affair.
Camping has posted a convoluted message on his Family Radio website, purportedly explaining what happened on May 21st. According to Camping he merely misinterpreted the meaning of some words, and insists even though no one was raptured on that date, “[n]o one who had not become saved by that date can ever become saved.”
Thus we have learned that except for a somewhat different understanding of the words “earthquake” and “rapture” or “catching up” no other past teachings of Judgment Day or the end of the world have been changed. The time line, the certainty of it, the proofs, and the signs are all precisely the same. No other past teachings have been changed or modified. Indeed, on May 21 Christ did come spiritually to put all of the unsaved throughout the world into judgment. But that universal judgment will not be physically seen until the last day of the five month judgment period, on October 21, 2011. […]
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.
Camping has previously predicted that the rapture would take place on Sept. 6, 1994. When the rapture did not occur, Camping also came up with several alternative dates — none of which were correct.
Given Harold Camping’s unbiblical theology — including his call for Christians to leave the church, as well as his attempts to portray Family Radio as the sole source of religious authority — leaves Christians no choice but to consider him to be a false prophet and a heretic — and to view Family Radio as, theologically, a cult of Christianity.