Skip to main content

Jesus is Coming... May 21, 2011???


If you've traveled through any large metropolis in the past year, you've probably seen the billboard "Jesus is coming on May 21, 2011". Where did this date come from? and.. really.. says who??? I first observed this "prediction of sorts" at the Gasparilla parade in Tampa as I passed a large RV with the message "Have you heard the awesome news? The end of the world is almost here!" plastered in bold letters on both sides.

I immediately dismissed the message as I had just read in the Bible in Matthew 24:36 that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." This verse referring, of course, to the "second coming" of when Jesus is coming back to earth. It is also referred to as the "Judgement Day" or the "Rapture".

Believe it or not, it gives us pause. And... as I want to be "in the know", I figured I'd research both sides of the story. Turns out this RV belongs to "Project Caravan" of Family Radio based out of Oakland California. This group, launching a national ad campaign, claims to be latter day prophets that believe the Judgement Day will begin on May 21, 2011 and the world will end on October 21, 2011. Where did the date come from? Harold Camping, an 89 year old Christian radio broadcaster and president of Family Radio.

Camping teaches that a hidden Biblical calendar exists detailing the end of the world.. and though his book "1994?" also claimed that the end of the world would come on September 6, 1994.. and didn't.. A large group of followers and about 150 radio stations still give credence to his new and up-coming prediction...

What did happen on September 6, 1994? Not much is provided in my short bit of research except that Aerosmith and Michael Jackson won the MTV awards.. anyways..

Where did Camping get this date? He used the Hebrew calendar, our modern calendar, and a touch of math with a recipe of an exact date (May 21, 2011). Camping believes that within the past 35 years, this date has been revealed to the "wise" and discerning man. His website, www.familyradio.com, provides passages of Scripture and written script affirming his position, but the question remains... If you were wrong once? Why are you credible now?

In a letter posted on Project Caravan's website, one of the missionaries wrote that it was "sad to see a city like Tampa so fixated on a celebration of piracy" but that thousands of tracts warning of the upcoming Judgement Day were distributed.

Several media outlets have written stories about "Project Caravan" to include the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville, Fl on January 2, 2011. In this article, Harold Camping was referred to by a Baptist preacher as a "crackpot". It was also stated that these movements or predictions are common in times of war and economic hardship.

At the end of the day, whether you believe Harold Camping's predicted date, or whether you do not... the main concern is do you know where you are going when you die? Have you gave any thought to the idea that one day, the possibility exists, that you will have to stand before God and answer for your actions.

What is easy to do is dismiss the whole idea... How does one decide? whose right? whose wrong? For those who struggle with decision-making, this controversy could throw a wrench in your faith. Don't let people or "ad campaigns" take your eyes off the "game". Only the final score matters... Make sure your prepared...not just for what comes tomorrow... but for eternity.. One thing is for certain.. Jesus is with us on February 22, 2011... just as He will be on May 21, 2011...

You decide!!

Sources:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-01-22/story/end-times-caravan-brings-may-21-message-jacksonville
http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/nomanknows/nomanknows.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Camping
http://www.familyradio.com/caravan/index.html#tampa1

Comments

Anonymous said…
It clearly says in 2 thesalonians that Jesus won't come until the Antichrist is revealed, so this prophecy is false and they are going to look stupid yet again when nothing happens as predicted
Anonymous said…
It also says in Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, beacuse the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. All I know is I will be praising and worshiping my Savior until the day He comes! For those who think they can predict His coming on 05/22/11 I welcome you to come and worship with me until the day He does return!

Popular posts from this blog

Failure is a Gift

 I sat in the room, nervous. I had sensed this moment coming all week. Though I felt a small comfort and peace, deep inside, I was terrified. I was bracing for the letdown—far from my first. I made small talk with someone twenty years my junior, knowing that soon, he would ask me to step down. That reality was hard to face. My mind drifted back to my first year as a deputy. I had called my father repeatedly, distressed over my fifth write-up. Each time, he told me to thank them for the discipline, not to quit, and to keep my head up. But I was overcome with sorrow. I felt like a failure. Maybe I could earn straight A’s, but I had no common sense. I feared I would never catch on. I was beginning to give up. Still, my dad insisted I keep going. In my first week alone, I had discharged my weapon—firing over sixteen rounds at a bull on Super Bowl Sunday. Not long after, I found myself in a full-blown foot pursuit of an escapee, my face, mostly pride battered from the struggle. My track...

My Weapon is a Melody

Every day can be a battle. A battle for our hearts, a battle for our minds, a battle to discourage, a battle to get out of bed, a battle to be content in whatever state we are in, a battle to bless God even in the darkest times. Satan seeks to crush and destroy us. When we are so focused on our own pain and battles, we are less useful. Think of a nice shiny car, but with a broken hose. This small hose can cause the entire car to be out of commission. This too is how Satan works in our life. He may sit back and watch us break with the smallest hose. That is all he needs to put us out of service. Many of us have been out of service for quite some time. This is because we have so focused on goals or things that may be outside our purpose. How do we fight battles in our life and overcome them? What should our only purpose be? Praise and worshiping God. That is it. God is constantly seeking out people who just want to worship Him. We constantly ask for blessings in our life, but how many ...

Heart Attack

Valentine’s Day is approaching. It’s easy to love those who are kind to us, but what about those who are cruel? How do we love a bully? It takes a conscious effort to show kindness to someone who has deeply hurt us. But when we learn to love even those who have wronged us—without waiting for an apology—we are truly attacking the heart . This kind of love isn’t normal. It’s outrageous. It means wiping the slate clean, deleting the post , starting over—not for ourselves, but to please God. That’s it. We know that God has forgiven our wickedness, so why can’t we forgive others? This is a love that brings true reward. We often think we practice this kind of love, but do we really? The next time someone enters a room—the very person you’d rather avoid—what will you do? What if God led you to walk up to them and bless them? Would you do it for Jesus? The Cost of Heartache We demand payment for heartaches. We take people to court, punish, divorce, fight, and even kill over them. This has been...