Fallout from Harold Camping’s Doomsday Prediction

When the clock struck 6:01 pm this past Saturday, May 21, 2011, many Christians and non-Christians alike breathed a sigh of relief. The church wasn’t raptured, and a massive earthquake didn’t occur.

Most of the day Saturday I joked around about Harold Camping’s false prophecy with my mom, my hairstylist, and a fellow patron while getting our hair done at a neighborhood beauty salon.

“I’m getting my hair done for Jesus,” I quipped.

“I want to have all of my errands done before 6 pm,” a woman giggled, “so I’ll be ready.”

Don Lemon, a CNN news anchor, even joked a bit. “Well, it’s 6:52 pm, 8 minutes before the world is supposed to come to an end. I’ll hang around for a couple of seconds after 6 to see if we’re still here.” When it was 6 pm, Lemon said, “Well, looks like we’re still here. Now let’s go to The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” My son and I chuckled as I turned off the television.

Not so Funny

While some poked fun of the doomsday prediction, because they simply didn’t believe it, at least one of Camping’s followers didn’t think it was so funny. In a news segment on ABC World News Weekend Edition filmed in Times Square New York City, Good Morning America anchor Ron Claiborne interviewed Robert Fitzpatrick, a Camping follower and retiree who allegedly spent a sizeable chunk of his $140,000 life savings on poster advertisements in the New York City subways. Claiborne reported that Fitzpatrick was clearly shaken, shocked, and saddened when nothing happened at 6 pm.

Interrogation Time

News reporters, cameramen, photographers, and irate New Yorkers surrounded Fitzpatrick in Times Square and peppered him with questions. “We’re still here! We’re still here!” exclaimed an onlooker. “Why didn’t the earthquake happen?” “Why are we still here?” demanded a man in the crowd. Fitzpatrick tried to explain from the bible how Camping arrived at his doomsday prediction. “That’s God Word,” shouted another man. “You shouldn’t play around with God’s Word.” “I want my money back,” demanded a woman. “Are those people who spent money on buses to travel around going to get their money back?” “Are they going to get their money back?”

My burning question is: What does Camping have to say about all of this? One news report said Camping was in seclusion in Oakland, Calif., and couldn’t be reached for comment.

Can Anything Good Come From This?

The travesty behind this false prophecy is that many of Camping’s followers spent their hard earned money, left their jobs, left their families, and wasted time traveling the country to spread the news that the world was going to end on May 21, 2011. The false prediction made people nervous at the very least and almost caused a panic. The good news is that this false prediction got people talking about the bible, the gospel, who Jesus is, the fact you must be saved to go to Heaven, and that there will come a time when God’s judgment will come upon the earth. So if it takes an event such as this, even a duplicitous one, to spread the gospel and encourage people to begin thinking about their salvation and spiritual lives, it can’t be all that bad (Philippians 1:18). 

Be First to Comment

  1. LindaMonr said:

    Though I was not and still am not a follower of Camping, I just wanted you to know that HAROLD CAMPING’S PROPHECY DID COME TRUE! The Final Judgment is Here! ***It did not occur like everyone expected, (even Camping).*** A teaching was released yesterday, May 21st, 2011, by someone named Yordei Merkava. It reveals that the Final Judgment is Here! The “Dead in Christ” are Rising. Everyone needs to see it. Don’t be left behind! Search: Yordei Merkava or : http://yordei-merkava.blogspot.com/

    May 23, 2011
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  2. said:

    I agree Judy. During our visitation time we used this “prophecy” as an opportunity to saw to those we visited door to door with what Jesus Himself said. This, strangely, gave us a better platform to share the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with the fact that we need to be ready today, because He could return at any moment, but no man knows the hour or the day. Great write up friend.

    May 23, 2011
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  3. said:

    Camping is incorrect either way. Paul shows this clearly in I Thes 4: 15 – “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” So we are caught up together, at the same time, with those who now sleep (are dead)PLUS the Lord Himself will descend with a shout…and I have not heard any shout and all the Christians I know are still here on the earth. Thus, no secret rapture or resurrection of the “dead in Christ” has occurred because the Bible says that “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up TOGETHER with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.”

    May 23, 2011
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  4. said:

    @Jack … thanks for this passage. One thing I love about scripture is that it answers every question people may have or are misinformed about concerning Jesus and His plan for mankind. This scripture clearly shows that the dead in Christ have not yet risen, because if they have, we who are alive and are in Christ would be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And that has not happened yet. @LindaMonr … I visited the website you suggested and listened to one of the videos. I do not agree with his theology. His theology does not line up with scripture even though he quotes scripture quite a bit. According to the bible the final judgment is not here yet and the dead are rising. The final judgment is discussed in Revelation 15:1, which has not happened yet. I would read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 to get an idea of what is to come before the final judgment, as well as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. Much still has to take place before the Lord comes back and the Tribulation period begins. What we are experiencing now is the beginning of sorrows, or birth pains. Blessings, Judy

    May 24, 2011
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  5. LindaMonr said:

    Judy, I think the point of the video, was to show that the current understanding of “theology” as seen today, is incorrect. Paul writes that the “Dead in Christ” will rise first, which according to Romans 8, where Paul defines who the dead in Christ are, are those who are walking in the spirit. Not those who are physically dead. This should be very clear from the fact that Romans 8 was written to people who were very much ALIVE, and he states the “body is already dead”…but if you walk in the “Spirit” which is the “Spirit of Christ”..(ie. the same spirit that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwells in you.” Then you are “Dead in Christ.” For we must die to the flesh, or “Die in Christ,” to walk in the Spirit…to “rise again.” And again Paul writes: 1Cor. 15:12 – Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Therefore…the dead are risen…if you Die in Christ…you rise in him. Those are the “dead in Christ.” Then again…what are the clouds we are being called together into? Paul again states what those are!: Heb. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses… The “Body of Christ” is the “church” or the “called out ones,” as the word Ecclesia (Church) in Greek means “Called out.” Body of Christ…Christ comes from the Hebrew word Mashiac…which means anointing or anointed…The Spirit of Christ…is the Anointing that anoints the church or the individual members of the church…you and I make up that body…if we accept the anointing…(ie. The Holy Spirit..or Walk in that Spirit by Dying to ourselves. To deny the Anointing (Christ) is to not allow yourself to die to the flesh…and walk in the spirit. Thus, you are Anti Christ…or Anti Anointing. Which is to Blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Its alright to quote scriptures..but to use one or two verses…without the whole Bible to back it up…is not “good theology.” Most even think that the Book of Revelation was John’s Revelation…While the scripture itself states clearly that this was “Revelation of Jesus Christ, Which God Showed him (Jesus) and this revelation that Jesus had…was sent to John. Rev. 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John How Delusional has the Church of Christ (the anointing) become? Actually, doesn’t seem very anointed at times, surely not walking in the spirit. Anything less is Anti Christ. As for Matt. 24…Noah and his family were the only righteous one on the earth…and they were “left behind” and lived on the earth…while everyone else was “taken” through death by the flood. The only ones “wisked away” were wisked away by a flood. “Until the flood came, and took them all away.” As for Rev 15…Paul also clearly states…as Yordei Merkava’s video shows…”Do you not know that you are the temple of God?” (1 Cor. 3:16-17 & 6:19) Let the Glory of God fill His Temple…Which you are! By dieing to the self…and rising in Christ…which is to be “dead in Christ.” Any thing less…is Anti Christ. Open your eyes please…The scriptures seem so obviously clear…once the serpents scales fall from our eyes. The Serpent is the Beast, that the Harlot rides. The Harlot is the bride who went whoring for other gods such as Mithra and Ishtar, or the Serpent. The True Bride will be pure and spotless…free from whoredom. I believe the teachings of Yordei Merkava are working to restore the Bride to is pure Form…before it was tainted by the Anti-Christ (Anointing) starting at the Council of Nidea in 325 ad…The Bride is the Lambs Wife…again it is His Church.

    May 24, 2011
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  6. LindaMonr said:

    By the way, does has anyone else been following the teachings of Yordei Merkava? If so, does anyone know who he really is? As, I do not think it is his real name, as it means something strange in Hebrew. Thanks.

    May 24, 2011
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  7. said:

    I believe there is a great misunderstanding in your theology. Let the Bible interpret itself and no man. 1Thes. 4:13-18, he says he got both from the Lord, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” someone had caused the Thessalonians “to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come” (2 Thes. 2: 2). Apparently, rumors were being circulated that the “Day of Christ” had already come, and they had missed it. Now, the question is…what is the “day of Christ”? Whatever it was, they obviously looked upon it as being something desirable and did not want to miss it. The first clue as to what it was is in the verse before (1Thes. 2:1): “Now we beg you, brothers, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering together to him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the Day of Christ is at hand.” What they were looking for was “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him”. It is important to note that in that verse, the second “by”, in front of “our gathering together to him”, is not in the original Greek text (for that reason the King James Version Bible has it italicized). The first “by”, which is the only “by” in the Greek, modifies BOTH “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our gathering together to him” and since the second “by” is not there, it shows they are the same event because it reads, “by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him”. He is coming to gather us together to himself! What could be simpler to see? Now some people would like to see these two things, “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “our gathering together to him” of 2 Thes. 2:1 as two separated events…and only because they are constrained by a pre-trib view that requires 7 years between them. There is not 7 years between the two. They are not separated events. They’re both the same event. He has to “come” in order to “gather us together” to Himself in the air! 1Thes 4: 15 – “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a SHOUT [no shout has been heard has it!?], with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 2 Thes. 2:1- “Now we beg you, brothers, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering TOGETHER to him…” By the way, you are judging & inferring someone judged to hell by calling someone the Anti-Christ and blaspheming the Holy Spirit & God alone is judge. That is a very serious charge my friend.

    May 24, 2011
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  8. LindaMonr said:

    My friend, I never said anyone was judged to hell…that is an outright lie. Second,I clearly was trying to state, that rejecting the Holy Spirit, is to Reject the Spirit of Christ (Anointing.) In the Spirit, are we not already seated with Christ in the Heavenlies?” Does it not say that he is the “Head,” we are the “Body,” as the Body of Christ? Of Course we will be called together with him. Romans 8 talks about this time, as the Revealing of the “SONS of God.” Wake up from your Sleep! Awake, Awake for the Day of Christ…The Day of the Anointing (Holy Spirit) is Here! “I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh,” That is the Anointing of God. Who says that it will be an audible Shout, it could just as likely be an inward “Calling” As the Greek root word of “Shout”means “to incite by word.” The Word of the Lord really incites me! The voice of the Lord is a “still small Voice.”(1 Kings 19:12) The arch angel, isn’t necessarily some huge winged creature…Angel in Greek is Angelo…which means messenger. Arch angel then means “A Chief Messenger” Matt. 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Mark 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Luke 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. In each one of those scriptures, the Word Messenger is the GREEK Word Angelos, and I don’t think John the Baptist had wings. Please don’t try to interpret Greek for me…I can already read it. It is the imaginations of Man that have corrupted what Jesus and Paul was trying to teach the world. That is why we need to pulled down every imagination, that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. “Pretrib” “Post trib” “rapture” are all concoctions of ideas trying to make sense of something that was corrupted 1700 years ago…by a system not filled by the Holy Spirit…As they incorporated Pagan Holidays, denied prophecy, believed in purgetory, Changed or added scriptures to the new testament, and a whole bunch of other things. All of those faulty teachings were then passed down to today…and people are trying to make sense of them…without really hearing the spirit…Just restating the Teachings of Men, lining their pockets, from the sweat and tears of the saints. We need to free ourselves from that bondage. Stop sleeping. Wake up my friend. You see things your way, God has opened my eyes to another way. Jesus brought the keys to the Kingdom of God…Which he stated was within you!.(Luke 17:21)

    May 24, 2011
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  9. said:

    Okay then…may God bless you. My sincere apologies.

    May 24, 2011
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