Harold Camping - False Prophet
05/24/2011 08:19
Last night (May 23rd), Harold Camping of Family Radio went on the air for the first time since his failed prophetic claims of the Rapture and the end of the world proved false indeed. I tuned in with the hope that this man would humble himself and admit his error. Another hope of mine was that he would finally decide to retire so as to put a stop to decades of false teaching and deception. My hopes were dashed. Instead of doing what a real man would do and admit his errors, he changed his tune. While he expressed surprise and shock over his failed prophecies, he relayed a conversation that he had with a good friend of his. His friend told him that it was quite possible that everything that was supposed to happen on the 21st really did happen, but only spiritually. So from a conversation about what could have happened, Harold spun it into what really did happen. Jesus did come and Judgment Day did happen, albeit in a spiritual and invisible manner, how convenient. Harold went on to re-explain his dates, stating that all the dates have been correct and the only change comes from a failure to view the event from a spiritual perspective. Harold held to this even though a reporter reminded him that before the 21st, he denied that these events would be spiritual. He doggedly held that they would be physical. Harold simply explained it away by stating that sometimes the Bible needs deeper study.
Let me say that Harold has dug so deep into the Bible, that he has dug himself into a hole! Harold's shameful performance makes it clear that he is simply trying to save face. I would have a hard time believing that he really believes this new and convenient explanation. Another clear example of Harold's performance reminds me of a child that has just lost a game and then proceeds to convince himself and everyone else that he in reality, won the game! Let me continue with a quick expose' of Harold's many errors. Harold is proud to tell us what the Bible says although he fails to admit that it is really what Harold says, the Bible says. Camping is a Hyper-calvinist; he believes that God chooses the fate of all people. Harold believes that people are saved or lost, based on God's choosing. While many believe that, there is no Biblical evidence to support it. Harold also spiritualizes and allegorizes all of Bible prophecy. While he says that his interpretations are clear, they are in fact entrenched in the thickest fog. He claims that all of his prophecies have come to pass even though there is no physical evidence to support it. We are to believe his ramblings just because he tells us to. Harold Camping teaches that the Church age ended on May 21, 1988. He claims that at that time, "God employed Satan to rule the churches and the world," those are his exact words. He states that for a period of 2300 days, ending on Sept. 7, 1994, virtually no one would be saved. He also states that during that time, the Holy Spirit was removed. Well, I must be joyful over my salvation more than ever, seeing that I was saved in the fall of 1991! Imagine that, I got saved when no one was supposed to get saved and without the Holy Spirit?
He goes on to teach that after Sept. 7, 1994, that the Holy Spirit was given back to the world to bring in multitudes of salvations in the world. He calls this the "latter rain". He is also very careful to say that the only conversions that have occurred since then have been in the world and "not in any church", again his words. Harold also teaches that the Great tribulation began on May 21, 1988 and lasted 23 years until May 21, 2011. Once again, Harold trumpets these teachings as fact with clear Bible support, when in fact no visible evidence has occurred.
Now we come to the present. For the last three years, Harold has trumpeted the end of the world on May 21, 2011 as a clear physical event. Now that he has again been proven wrong, he has simply shifted gears. Camping will now most likely advance what another friend suggested to him. This friend suggested that since God is merciful, He would not bring a worldwide earthquake on May 21st and have billions of people suffer until October 21st, the last day of human history. Instead, she stated that it makes sense that God would bring this earthquake on October 21st and mercifully kill everyone quickly. Of course since Harold does not believe in a literal hell, then everyone will be simply annihilated. So October 21st becomes the new date. Something else that is devilish from Harold's teachings is, just who it is that is going to be raptured. According to him, only the true believers will be raptured and get to enjoy heaven. If you are saved, do not celebrate yet. By "true believers", he means everyone that agrees with him. He says that anyone who is still following any church, constitutes an unsaved person and will be destroyed at Christ's real coming, now October 21st.
Harold does not believe in Biblical salvation. If you have come to Christ by repentance of sin and faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Harold, you are not saved. He also contends that since the church age ended in 1988, Satan has been ruling in every church since then. According to Harold no one has been saved in a church in 23 years. I could go on and on about how truly off base this man is. One only need to listen to him or read his writings to find out. Through this whole fiasco Harold has made sharing our genuine faith much harder. I ran into a few people on Saturday while out soul-winning who thought we were part of his camp. We need to pray that somehow God gets a hold of this man's heart and that he gets saved in a real way. Listening to what the man believes makes it clear that he does not know the Lord. We need to pray that his followers wake up and do not buy into his convenient new explanations. We need to pray that his followers completely forsake him and his teachings, and find a good Bible believing church to attend and serve in. His false predictions have ruined countless lives and has made it even harder to lead people to Christ. Yet despite this fiasco we, the true believers, know what God's plan really entails and that He is still on the throne and in charge. The Bible says that in the last days we would see many false prophets, we have seen one up close in Harold Camping. So if anyone thought that Harold would change his tune, you were wrong.
If you contribute to Family Radio, my advice is to stop. The only thing your money will go to is the continued false prophecies of a man that realistically has no idea what he is talking about. Beyond that, his arrogance would never allow him to admit error. We must pray hard for this man. Jesus is coming again and the Rapture and Judgment Day will come only as the Bible teaches, no man knows the day or the hour. The Rapture is the next event on God's prophetic calendar. Following the Rapture, there will be a seven not twenty-three year Tribulation period. The Judgment of unbelievers takes place 1000 years after the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ. That judgment is found in Rev. 20:11-15 and is called the Great White Throne Judgment. Those who are unsaved and at this judgment will be cast into a literal Lake of Fire for all eternity. It is with this sober truth that we must be active in these last days in trying to win as many people to Christ. Harold Camping knows all the terms but is not even in the farthest reaches of the universe when it comes to knowing what he is talking about, or even being right. The Rapture is close, but no man knows the day or the hour, not even Harold Camping!
Striving for the Saviour,
Pastor George Yurick