Do You Believe The May 21,2011 Prophecy?

I've been running across this date here on Yahoo Answers for the past six months or so, but I've never heard it mentioned at my church or anywhere else. So, recently, I decided to look into it to see what all the fuss is about.

This prediction was made by Harold Camping, whose followers have been dubbed "Campingites." Many of them have apparently sold their homes and business, and are traveling around the country in RV's that look like moving billboards, with messages that read:

“Have you heard the awesome news? – The end of the world is almost here! It begins May 21st, 2010 – The Bible guarantees it”

They have also purchased billboard advertising in various places, as well as ads in magazines, etc.

As someone who works to refute the false doctrine of the Watchtower Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), this campaign sounded VERY familiar to me. The Watchtower Society, under the leadership of its second president, Joseph Rutherford, conducted a similar campaign between 1918 and the early '20s, entitled, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die." They also drove around in cars draped with campaign signs, and they marched around in major cities wearing placards to announce this.

So, I looked into Harold Camping's doctrines, to see what else he's teaching. Following is a list of a few of the aberrant doctrines Camping teaches:

1) The Trinity is a lie.

2) There is no such thing as eternal hell.

3) Jesus is actually Michael the archangel.

4) All of the churches in the world are apostate (they have fallen away from the truth).

5) He is restoring true Christianity.

6) The Holy Spirit is no longer working in the church.

This is far from a complete list, but it's enough for me to be able to say without a doubt that Harold Camping is teaching a false gospel and a different Jesus. Every single one of these doctrines has also been taught by Jehovah's Witnesses as well as other "restoration" movements, or counterfeit Christians.

I found that Camping also predicted Jesus' return in 1994, although I didn't find the particulars of that prediction. The biblical definition of a false prophet can be found in Deuteronomy 18:18-22, and in order to be classified as a false prophet, one must actually speak the prophecy in the name of the Lord or in the name of another god and the prophecy fails to come to pass. The Watchtower Society DID do this on a number of occasions, but I'm not sure whether Camping did. He might have simply stated the earlier prediction as his opinion and not as coming from God, in which case he couldn't technically be classed as a false prophet.

The thing that bothers me the most about this campaign is that this time he's teaching, "The Bible guarantees it!" The Bible points to the grace and eternal salvation that can be found in Christ Jesus. It does not point to a date. I feel for the people who are following this man. What will they do when May 21st comes and goes? Will they lose faith in Harold Camping? Or will they also lose faith in the God of the Bible?

Long before modern man's more than twice false predictions the good OLD Bible states in Matt 24:36 NO man nor Angels only the Father knows the hour. When you hear these things ignore them How many times have they been wrong about the weather and more compared to how many times the Bible has proven it's predictions concerning the future events of the world...Now is the high rise of false prophets do not be afraid they are proving the Bible correct once again as they prepare for the anti christ....God's Love & Blessings!

According to the Bible we will not know the day nor the hour. See Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:32-33; Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:50; Luke 12:46; Matthew 24:42; Acts 1:7. The Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 16:15. And the rapture is biblical (1 Thessalonians 4:17, 1 Corinthians 15:52...).

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2: Now we beseech you, brothers, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together to him, That ye 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.

2012 is a Mayan belief. The person who assigned the date (May 21, 2011) is Harold Camping. He is best known for a prophecy of the second coming of Jesus Christ in 1994 (which utterly failed) and for his current prediction of the second coming in May 2011. When a prophesy fails, that person is called a false prophet, according to the Bible. (Reference: Deuteronomy 18:20-22, Deuteronomy 13:1-5). God says to beware of the wolves among the flock. Harold Camping's false prophecies are spread through avenues, such as: ebiblefellowship.com and familyradio.com.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping

Keep in mind that there are signs of the end times and we should be aware of them, but do not trust anyone who says they have a particular date - when the Bible states otherwise. The Book of Revelation gives a stern warning about adding to Revelation. Harold Camping is not the first person who has declared a date on the rapture and may not be the last either. Many people follow false prophets and their teachings. Joseph Smith (Mormonism) was also wrong about the date of the rapture, as well as, Pope Innocent III and quite a few popular Televangelist preachers. We need to be like the Bereans. When Paul preached to them, they were not awed by his credentials, they made sure to compare his teachings to the truth taught in Scriptures.

Reading I and “especially” II Thessalonians may be helpful to those who plan on dropping their lives and waiting on a rapture date. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul writes this letter to the Christians who seemed to be confused about Christ's return, partly as a result of fake letters by extremists (2:2).They thought Jesus had already come back, but Paul explains that days of evil (and in particular the 'man of lawlessness') must come first. He stresses again that Christian expectation of the second coming should never distort the everyday practice of our Christian lives. Also see Matthew 24:23-26. Read the Bible to get the true facts on the end times (make sure you have a reliable version…compare Bible versions yourself).

Harold Camping proclaimed the Lord's return would be in 1994

Harold Camping now proclaims the Lord's return will be in October, 20, 2011

Harold Camping (Family Radio) has aired Mormon advertisements

Harold Camping taught that NO ONE was saved between 1988 through 1994

Harold Camping teaches that the church age ended in 1994

Harold Camping teaches that the Holy Spirit is NO LONGER working in the church

Harold Camping teaches that EVERY church in the world is apostate

It might interest you to know the man who came up with this "calculation" has also got it wrong before in the past.

Also, I actually went to look at his Web site, because I'm interested in mathematics. I was curious as to what kind of calculation one would do to come up with a date to predict the end of the world. I found a lot of scary Bible passages, a bunch of nonsense about how our times are oh! so different from all other times... but you know what I didn't find? A single number, a single equation, a single calculation. So much for peer review.

Also, I'm 37. It's not the first time somebody predicts the end. It must be at least the sixth that I can think of. I usually yawn now.

The man's a fraud. There ought to be a law. Freedom of speech doesn't give you the right to yell "fire!" in a public place.

Don't worry about it.

That date is cooked up by a cult leader, Harold Camping. Camping has made this prediction twice before, and he has been wrong both times.

The Bible is very clear. It says that A) no one will know the time of Christ's return and B) that anyone who predicts something that does not come true is a false prophet and is to be disregarded.

Camping, by claiming he knows the date of Christ's return, makes the Bible out to be a liar. By being wrong previously, he shows he doesn't speak for God. There's nothing credible about him, and only his cult will be disappointed. Christians won't lose faith at all ... there's nothing about Camping or his predictions to have faith in.

I assume you know that large numbers of people died in the year 1000 because they thought the end of the world was so inevitable it wasn't worth planting crops?

There have been vast numbers of doomsday predictions before and since. The 2nd coming of Christ is getting on for 2000 years late, given his promise to his disciples to return in their lifetimes.

2011 is and even more silly time to predict the end of the world than 1984, 2000 or 2012 (Just because Boris Johnson is Mayor and the Mayans hated people with Russian names).

In actual fact, if the is an end of the world coming, it will be solely due to an extremest Christian, such as Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann getting their grubby, moronic hands on the nuclear codes and using them sometime in 2013.

If you are a Christian, then you should know your Bible. Check out Matt:24. Jesus said...NO ONE will know when the end time will come.

So to answer your question...NO, I do not believe it. This is just another hype that sells newspapers and promotes cable tv.

Place your faith in God...not in mans nonsense.

Make a careful not of those who believe it and the extremist sect they belong to.

Then on May 22 when as usual the silly fantasy claims of the extremists has not happened you can laugh at them for years to come and know their sect is entirely false and unchristian!

Of course not; it's only one of thousands of similar predictions that have been concocted over the centuries. There is not and has never been a case of someone accurately predicting the future.

NO. Predictions will continue to be made for ever, always being wrong, always saying "oh, it will come, but we can't know the day". No, it won't come. It won't matter if 5 million years goes by, they will still be predicting "Gods" return, LOL.