Harold Camping Followers Claim Judgment Day is May 21, But Who Will Be Judged?

Photo in New Orleans by Bart Everson (from Wikipedia)

According to Harold Camping, Jesus will return on Pentecost May 21, 2011 (even though Pentecost is on June 12 in 2011) and the world will end on October 21, 2011. So, based on his proclamations, if Jesus does not return this next Saturday, then a week from today, the followers of Harold Camping and the offshoots who point to May 21, 2011 will be proven wrong.

Of course, as I have said all along, according to the Bible there is no way that the May 21, 2011 date can possibly be right. Suffice it to say that it is not possible for the biblically-required events (see Jesus’ words and order of events in Matthew 24:15-33) to happen this week.

Furthermore, notice the following which was posted as a comment at a New Jersey website a few days ago:

Mr. Camping’s group was on the news a few nights ago here in Northern California. The subject of the news item was the billboards, but a Family Radio representative said something very interesting…that there will be a world-wide catastrophe on 5/14/11, to mirror the seven days before the flood that God gave Noah to enter the Ark.

Given this man’s track record, I doubt very much that the catastrophe will happen. If it doesn’t, you can be sure that the Rapture won’t occur on 5/21/11, either.

Someone else told me about this last week as well (and I mentioned it in a previous post)–but I have not been able to locate anything official yet from Family Radio on this, nor did I hear the statement personally.

Yet, since a “worldwide catastrophe did not happen yesterday (at least not one that I located in my news searches today), this lack of an event could provide additional assurance to some of Family Radio’s followers that the May 21st prediction will also be false (though there is much more proof that May 21, 2011 for the return of Jesus is false than there is for a lack of a worldwide catastrophe yesterday).

Now what got me to write this post today is that our middle son Brian showed me an advertisement (which was on an NBC news website) that promotes Harold Camping’s Family Radio and claims that the Bible guarantees that May 21, 2011 is Judgment Day. This is utter nonsense.

The one guarantee related to that date from the Bible is that if the Bible is true (and it is) that May 21, 2011 cannot possibly be the Judgment Day and the day of the return of Jesus Christ as Harold Camping and his followers claim. They may cause the way of truth to be blasphemed as happened before because of Harold Camping’s original insistence that the Judgment Day/return of Jesus was on September 6, 1994 (which of course did not happen). Notice some scriptures that seem to apply here:

22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22).

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Notice that the word of God promises judgment against the false teachers. All who claim that the Bible guarantees May 21, 2011 are false teachers, and thus are subject to that judgment.

Despite Harold Camping’s writings indicating that the Great Tribulation began in 1988, it has not began yet (see also Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? ). Furthermore, the heavenly signs that Jesus claimed would precede His return simply have not happened (Matthew 24, Luke 21). All who believe that Jesus will return on May 21, 2011 need to notice that those “signs of the times” (cf. Matthew 16:3) have not yet manifested themselves and Jesus is not coming on Saturday.

The iniquity of false prophets such as Harold Camping and others will turn various people off about prophecy (Ronald Weinland also comes to mind). More will feel comfortable being scoffers. And this rise of scoffers who will not believe in prophecy is also foretold in the Bible by the Apostle Peter:

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:1-7, NKJV)

Because people like Family Radio supporters are insisting that the Bible guarantees that Harold Camping’s date is right, sadly I believe that they are feeding right into scoffers who will use the error of May 21, 2011 against those of us who sincerely believe and understand Bible prophecy. And when the true servants of God claim that certain events are fulfilling or are about to fulfill biblical prophecy, they will tend to discount the truth and influence others to ignore it as well.

Of course, Jesus will return. And we are to look forward to His return as the Apostle Peter wrote. Jesus will return no earlier than 2018 (and probably later) as certain biblically-required steps have not yet happened (Daniel 9:27; cf. Matthew 24:15,21,29-30). According to the Bible, it guarantees that Jesus cannot and will not return on May 21, 2011. Those calling for the Judgment Day to be May 21, 2011 will bring judgment upon themselves.

Those who are interested in the truth about Harold Camping, Ronald Weinland (who even claims to be one of the two witnesses), Mayan prophecies, and when the Bible shows that Jesus can return, may wish to study the following articles:

Harold Camping’s Teachings About the End of the World Do Not Agree with the Bible Harold Camping teaches that the rapture will be on May 21, 2011 and the world will end on October 21, 2011. What does the Bible show?
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?
Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008 (first April 17th, then June 2008, now December 14, 2008). Why does the Bible show that Ron Weinland is a false prophet? He also has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the Church of God.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might the next pope be involved in 2012?
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?