May 24, 2011

It's Not Over Yet

May 21st has come and gone. And judgement day passed far more smoothly then I would expect for such an event. As most Christians, and pretty much everyone else suspected Harold Camping and his odd bible math failed to predict anything. I suspect Sunday was awkward for a lot of Christians. We had to lovingly tell some people we told you so, begin the work of collecting and comforting the disheartened, and we have to try to speak into the world that now see Christians as a little more ridiculous then they did before.

It would be hard work, lousy work, but needed work. With a sort of sigh we talked briefly about this on Sunday before we prayed as a congregation. I have to say even with this ahead of us I was at least happy to have it over. Sunday May 22nd ended it.

I took comfort in that. But I was wrong. It is not over yet. Move over May 21st, Hello October 21st!


There really were two ways this post May 21st world was going to play out for Camping. He either was going to humble himself and finally admit what the rest of us knew, that 'no one can know the day or the hour of Christ's return' or he would say after some prayer and reflection he noticed his mathematical error. I hoped for the former, he has come out with the later.

Well not exactly. His math wasn't wrong, his expatiations of a loving God were. Camping realized that Judgement day would have been too cataclysmic and no one would have survived to see the real end of the world October 21st.

I admittedly find myself unsure of what to say. After all what is left to say? At this point all the bible passages have been quoted. All the pleas for sanity made. We've begged Christan and Non-Christian alike not to take this man seriously, not to give him attention, and not to give him money.

And yet here we are again.

The End Is Nearish...
So with everything else already said I guess I just want to share this, a list of all failed attempts to predict Christ's return taken from Wikipedia.

Please notice that we will not be out of the woods for some time. There are predictions that take us right through to 2022. Happy reading.


Date of the Second ComingAuthorNotes
1757Emanuel SwedenborgFollowed the Last Judgment in 1757, which took place in the spiritual world.[59][60] This was one of many events recounted in his works resulting from visions of Jesus Christ returned. He tells of almost daily interaction with Christ over the course of almost 30 years. His return is not in the flesh, but in His Holy Spirit. "Neither shall they say see here or see there, for behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20).[61]
1829-09-15George RappFounder and leader of the Harmony Society, predicted that on September 15, 1829, the three and one half years of the Sun Woman would end and Christ would begin his reign on earth.[62] Dissension grew when Rapp's predictions went unfulfilled. In March 1832, a third of the group left and some began following a man named Bernhard Müller who claimed to be the Lion of Judah. Nevertheless, most of the group stayed and Rapp continued to lead them until he died on August 7, 1847. His last words to his followers were, "If I did not so fully believe, that the Lord has designated me to place our society before His presence in the land of Canaan, I would consider this my last."[63]
1844-10-22William Miller and the Millerite MovementThe fact that this failed to happen the way people were expecting was later referred to as the Great Disappointment. Some Millerites continued to set dates; others founded the Seventh-day Adventist Churchand the Advent Christian Church, which continued to expect the Second Coming but no longer set dates for it. Members of the Bahá'í Faith believe that the event of the Second Coming did take place on 23 May 1844, when the Báb (the Gate), the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh (Glory of God), declared his mission.[64][65]Bahá'u'lláh later claimed that he was the return and second coming of Jesus Christ.[66]
1874Charles Taze RussellThe first president of what is now the Watchtower Society of the Jehovah's Witnesses, calculated 1874 to be the year of Christ's Second Coming, and until his death taught that Christ was invisibly present, and ruling from the heavens from that date prophesied.[67][68][69][70] Russell proclaimed Christ's invisible return in 1874,[71] the resurrection of the saints in 1875,[72] and predicted the end of the "harvest" and a rapture of the saints to heaven for 1878,[73] and the final end of "the day of wrath" in 1914.[74] 1874 was considered the end of 6,000 years of human history and the beginning of judgment by Christ.[75]
UnknownJoseph Smith (Mormons)In the History of the Church, page 957[76], an eye witnesses account of Joseph Smith's prophecy in 1835 is recorded as: "President Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion--our trials, sufferings; and said God had not designed all this for nothing, but He had it in remembrance yet; and it was the will of God that those who went to zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh--even fifty-six years should wind up the scene."
1914Jehovah's WitnessesThe "Second Coming" is important in the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, although they do not use this term. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ's visible (to humans) return will be at Armageddon. They believe that 1914 marked the beginning of Christ's invisible presence (Matt. 24:3 gr. "parousia") as the King of God's Kingdom (Psalm 110; Revelation 12:10), and the beginning of the last days of the human ruled system of society. They believe the signs Christ revealed about his return in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 began to occur starting in 1914. In a parallel Biblical account at Revelation 6, they believe the ride of the symbolic four horsemen began in the same year, and that the first rider on the white horse depicts the Christ. He goes forth to complete his conquest of the earth, while the rule by human leaders continues for a short while until they meet their end at Armageddon by the power of the Christ (Revelation 19:11-21).
1917 to 1930Sun Myung MoonThe followers of Reverend Sun Myung Moon consider Reverend Moon to be the Lord of the Second Advent called by Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday at the age of 15 on a Korean Mountainside. (See Divine Principle)
1930 to 1939Rudolf SteinerSteiner described the physical incarnation of Christ as a unique event, but predicted that Christ would reappear in the etheric, or lowest spiritual, plane beginning in the 1930s. This would manifest in various ways: as a new spiritual approach to community life and between individuals; in more and more individuals discovering fully conscious access to the etheric plane (clairvoyance); and in Christ's appearance to groups of seekers gathered together.[77]
1975Herbert W. ArmstrongArmstrong, Pastor-General of the Radio Church of God, and then the Worldwide Church of God, felt the return of Jesus Christ might be in 1975. Of particular note was the book 1975 in Prophecy! written by Armstrong and published by the Radio Church of God in 1956. Though, never explicitly stating a date in the booklet, the title led people to believe the date was the second coming.
1981-06-28Bill MaupinMaupin, a pastor of the Lighthouse Gospel Tract Foundation in TucsonArizona, wrote a book predicting the date of the Second Coming. His congregation sold all their belongings and went to a hilltop on that day to await the event.
1982-06-21Benjamin CremeThe followers of the New Age Theosophical guru Benjamin Creme, like Alice A. Bailey, believe the Second Coming will occur when Maitreya (the being Theosophists identify as being Christ) makes his presence on Earth publicly known—Crème believes Maitreya has been on Earth since 1977, living in secret.
Creme put advertisements in many of the world's major newspapers in early 1982 stating that the Second Coming would occur on Monday, 21 June 1982 (summer solstice in the northern hemisphere), at which time Christ (Maitreya) would announce his Second Coming on worldwide television (this is called the Emergenceor Day of Declaration ; this is when, Creme's followers believe, the Maitreya will telepathically overshadow all of humanity when he appears on worldwide television) [78] When this event did not occur, Crème claimed that the "world is not yet ready to receive Maitreya"; his followers continue to believe it will happen "soon".
1999NostradamusPredicted that "from the sky will come a great King of Terror" in 1999.[79] This was interpreted by some as a prophecy about the second coming of Jesus. When this did not occur, some of his followers and those ofEdgar Cayce claimed that Jesus was conceived in 1998, born in 1999, and is currently living on Earth as a reincarnated person.
2007-09-13Paul SidesPredicted that September 13, 2007 marks the end of seven years of "wars and rumors of war" that erupted when The Oslo Accords were annulled. Then he predicts a final seven year "tribulation period" that culminates in a war over the Holy Land that brings back the Messiah.[80]
2008-09-30Mark BiltzPastor of El Shaddai Ministries, predicted September 30, 2008 (Rosh Hashanah) as the potential day of the second coming of Jesus based on four total Lunar Eclipses that occur seven years (Great Tribulation period) after September 30, 2008 in 2014 and 2015 that happen to fall on the two Jewish holidays Pesach andSuccot in both 2014 and 2015. Mark believes this to be significant as the four Lunar Eclipses falling on the aforementioned Jewish holidays has happened in the past in 1492, 1948 and 1949 highlighting those years to be significant in Jewish history. In 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain, in 1948 Israel became a nation, and in 1949 Jerusalem became the capital of Israel. In addition, he attributed these Lunar events to the "signs in the heavens" that the Bible speaks of.[81]
1999 to 2009Jerry FalwellFundamentalist preacher who predicted in 1999 that the Second Coming would probably be within 10 years.[82]
1994 to 2011Harold CampingCamping, general manager of Family Radio and Bible teacher, published a book, 1994?, a prediction of Christ's return was likely pointing to 1994 with the possibility that it will happen in 2011. He later claimed that the rapture would be on May 21, 2011 followed by the end of the world on October 21 of the same year. Camping wrote "Adam when?" and claimed the Biblical calendar meshes with the secular and is accurate from 11,013 BC–2011 AD.[83]
2012Jack Van ImpeTelevangelist who has, over the years, predicted many specific years and dates for the second coming of Jesus, but has continued to move his prediction later. Many of these dates have already passed, and he recently pointed to 2012 as a possible date for the second coming. Van Impe no longer claims to know the exact date of the Second Coming, but quotes verses which imply that mankind should know when the second coming is near.
2022Troy BrooksThe two Lunar Tetrads that fell on passover, tabernacles and again on passover and tabernacles in 1949/50 (6th since Christ) when Israel became a nation and 1967/68 (7th since Christ) when Israel entered Jerusalem was the first time since Christ two feast Tetrads occurred within 18 years apart, so this is the reference point to what Jesus was talking about when He told His disciples about specific cosmic signs (Luke 21.25).
Before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Joel 2.31) would occur three events in specific order (Rev. 6.12):
1) A great earthquake. Haiti 2010 had the second most deaths and most deaths per capita. Japan 2011 was the greatest financial loss and 5th greatest in magnitude. 2) A unique solar eclipse. The rarest type, the Hybrid H3 long-dated Nov. 3, 2013, is the 4th since Christ. 3) A unique lunar eclipse. The Total Lunar Tetrad 2014/15 is the 8th since Christ and won't happen again till 2582/83.
Unless you believe in Partial Rapture, you won't be able to perceive Rev. 6.12 correctly occurring right before the Tribulation starts.
The commencement of the building of the Temple and start of the Tribulation would begin in or right next to the 2014/15 Tetrad.
There needs be 2,520 days from Feast of Trumpets (the First Rapture) to Tisha B'Av that commemorates when the 1st and 2nd Temples were destroyed. 2014-21 and 2016-23 don't fit the profile, but 2015-22 does exactly.
Hence, the First Rapture to "the throne" (Rev 7.9) according to readiness (3.10; Matt. 24.40-42, Luke 21.36) is Sept. 14, 2015 before the first trumpet of the Tribulation is blown (8.7ff) which begins the 7 year Tribulation.
The last trumpet rapture and resurrection (1 Cor. 15.23, 1 Thess. 4.14-18, Rev. 11.15, 14.14-16, 15.2-4) is at the start of the 7th trumpet containing the bowls of wrath that last 24 months. The first 4 trumpets last 42 months, the 5th trumpet lasts 5 months and the 6th trumpet lasts 13 months.
Jesus steps down on the mount of olives (Zech. 14.4, Acts 1.11, Rev. 1.7, 19.11-16) on Tisha B'Av Sunday, Aug. 7 (Av 10), 2022. When Tisha B'Av falls on a Saturday (Aug. 6, Av 9, 2022) it is held on the day after instead.
The likelihood of Jesus returning on Sunday is 1 in 7, and the likelihood of Tisha B'Av held over from Saturday is also 1 in 7. Less than half of all seven year periods from Feast of Trumpets to Tisha B'Av work out to be exactly 2,520 days. Including also the probabilities for the Tetrads (1 in 100,000), H3 Solar Eclipse (1 in 700) and Great Earthquake (1 in 2010) in specific order, we come to a probability of 13.8 trillion to 1.