I Survived the End of The World 2011

What were you doing at 6:00pm this past Saturday May 21, 2011? I was with two of my close girlfriends at Johnny Rockets. We had heard about Harold Camping's prediction that the world was going to end, and so we decided to delight in some of life's simple pleasures one last time. They got strawberry shakes while I nibbled on sliders and enjoyed an ice cold Root Beer. We also made sure to contact our boyfriends via text to say our goodbyes, "heart you. see you in heaven!". We were clearly JOKING, at least in part. Are we confident we are going to heaven? Yes. Did we really believe the world was going to end while we were at Johnny Rockets? No. And here's why.

Not only has this man WRONGLY predicted that judgment day would occur May 21, 1988, September 7, 1994, and May 21, 2011, but also the Bible very plainly states that it is impossible for anyone to know when Jesus will come back for a second time.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Matthew 24: 36-44

So even if we can't predict the very moment when Jesus comes back, are there at least signs that will signal that it's getting closer to that time? YES. There are 3 signs that come to mind. Note: this is not an exhaustive list, I am sure there are tons more in the Bible and even signs to come that we will not recognize or know.

Sign #1 Dramatic increase in natural disasters, famine, & warfare
The disciples asked Jesus for a sign to know when Jesus would come back at the end of the age. Jesus answered, saying: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:4-8

Sign #2 Rebuilding of Jewish temple in Jerusalem
The Bible states that the end of times will occur in a temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:4). Note the original temple of the Lord was built in 966 BC by King Solomon and destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar. The temple was rebuilt in 520BC by Zerubbabel but later destroyed in 70AD by the Roman empire. The temple has not been rebuilt in Jerusalem since it's destruction in 70AD and would thus need to be rebuilt for the end time events listed in the scriptures to take place.

Sign #3: Use of one-world currency
When the Antichrist comes it is believed that he will establish his world government and have control over all commerce. Some suggest that this could be revealed in the form of enacting a one-world currency. "The beast also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name" Revelation 13:16-17

It is very clear that at least two if not all three of these signs have yet to happen. Some might think sign #1 is already underway with the recent surge in tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes. However, I don't think we've seen all that is to come.

So do you see how foolish it was for Harold to attempt to predict the end of the world? What's perhaps more troubling, is this guy won't even admit defeat. Since his failed prediction, Harold Camping has once again revised his statement claiming that the rapture happened "spiritually" on May 21, 2011 and insisted that the true judgement day would be on October 20, 2011. I will be the first to admit, when I heard the terms rapture, judgement and second coming, the details were a little fuzzy. I went ahead and compiled a summary of events that will happen during the end of times. Note, no one is certain of the timing, execution, or order in which these events will happen.



In conclusion, I think Harold should stop using FUZZY math to predict the end of times and instead focus on more important things like oh I don't know loving God, loving people, and sharing the gospel. Oh, and I also pray that trucker hats don't come back in style. Thank you and good night.