Time Left Until Harold Camping Backpedals

UPDATE – The End is Near (like, this Saturday)? The False Teaching of Harold Camping – Al Mohler

UPDATE – One Biblical Reason Why Judgment Day is Not on May 21, Alan Kurschner

UPDATE – Some More Thoughts on Harold Camping and May 21 – James White

Update – Some Thoughts on the End of the World – James White

UPDATE – Here is a a great article documenting Camping’s timeline of the end-times by Dr. David R. Reagan.

UPDATE – President of Westminster Seminary, California, W. Robert Godfrey has written a new multi-part piece on Harold Camping and his origins.

This post is intended to be a reference point for those seeking information regarding Harold Camping, Family Radio, and the predictions of the end of the world on May 21, 2011 and the destruction of the Earth on October 21, 2011. While not intended to be an unbiased resource list, we recommend readers/listeners do so with discernment, Alpha and Omega Ministries is not responsible for the material on outside links. I’ll try to keep this resource list updated as we draw closer to May, 2011.

In 1958, a Christian Reformed Church member and construction company owner, Harold Camping, invested in a series of radio stations, eventually becoming the president of what was to become Family Radio. For many years Family Radio provided a distinctively Reformed Christian message to the world. Even as late as 2002, Family Radio was still broadcasting sermons from the likes of R.C. Sproul and James M. Boice.

In 1988, Camping and his family left the Christian Reformed Church, joining a local fellowship in Alameda. By 1992 Camping was teaching that Christ would probably return in 1994. He then set to work writing his book 1994(?) in which he predicted the return of Christ in 1994 and declaring that true Christians must leave their churches. Like many cults before, when Camping’s date passed without Christ’s visible return, Camping, now 88, decided that 1994 was the when the “latter rain” pouring of the Spirit took place. Camping claims that the “great tribulation” began in 1988.

Several years ago we had learned that the silence in Heaven for about half an hour referred to the 2,300 days that were the first part of the 23-year (exactly 8,400 days) Great Tribulation period. This period began on May 21, 1988. – “No Man Knows the Day or Hour?“, Family Radio

What does Harold Camping Teach?

Within the recent past, Camping has declared May 21, 2011 to be the date of the rapture, with Oct 21, 2011 the date of Christ’s return and the destruction of the Earth. Camping claims that all churches are evil and that anyone attending a church when the rapture comes is damned and without hope.

The time line of Camping’s eschatology as explained by Dr. David R. Reagan:

  1. The Church Age ended on May 21, 1988 and the Tribulation began that day.
  2. Between May 21, 1988 and September 6, 1994, the first six years of the Tribulation, almost no one was saved.
  3. On September 6, 1994, God began to pour out His Spirit. This will result in a great end time harvest of souls during the last years of the Tribulation.
  4. Since the Tribulation will last 8,400 days or 23 years, dating from May 21, 1988, the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011.
  5. Those left behind will be judged by Jesus for a period of five months, until October 21, 2011, at which time the world will come to an end.

Harold Camping: The Madness of Date-Setting, Dr. David R. Reagan, http://www.lamblion.com/articles/articles_cults16.php

Since his original declaration of 1994, Camping’s views have drifted further and further from orthodox Christianity. Camping’s latest heretical teachings include:

  • A denial of total depravity and original sin. (Harold Camping, “Please explain what Romans 2:14…”)
  • Annihilationism; the view that life will end and existence will cease for the unsaved soul. – (Harold Camping, “To God be the Glory!")
  • Modalism/Oneness; a denial of the Trinity stating that Christ is a mere mode of God, not a different person within the Godhead – (Iron Sharpens Iron, Radio Broadcast, Debate with James White, http://mp3.sharpens.org/ISI/20090729ISI.mp3)

On May 23, 2011, two days after Harold Camping’s predicted rapture of believers, Bible-believing churches around the world will open the doors and the Law and the Gospel will be proclaimed in Word and Sacrament and Christ will still commune with His people on Earth. Churches will welcome those who, deceived by Camping’s lies, find themselves still here. More than likely, Harold himself will still be alive, pondering how to spin his latest failure. We hope that those misled by the false prophecies of Harold Camping find a Bible-teaching church and abandon the Family Radio cult.

Harold Camping Articles / Debates / Links

mathDebate – Dr. James White vs Harold Camping
Iron Sharpens Iron Radio Broadcast, MP3

Dr. James White debates Harold Camping, Day 1
Dr. James White debates Harold Camping, Day 2
James White Reviews the Debate
Harold Camping Reviews the Debate

Other Audio and Video Resources
Pastor’s Roundtable, Discussing Harold Camping – Iron Sharpens Iron , MP3
Interview with TurretinFan – with James Swan, Iron Sharpens Iron , MP3

James White – 2002 Seminar on Harold Camping
James White – Video Seminar on Harold Camping – YouTube – extensive seminar on Camping’s claims, from 2002

Older Dividing Line Broadcasts for Sale
10/1/2004 The Dividing Line, Webcast with James White – James discusses Harold Camping later in the program.
9/16/04 The Dividing Line, Webcast with James White – James takes a call regarding Harold Camping later in the program.

Articles at Alpha and Omega Ministries
Harold Camping Describes the End of the World – James Swan, 6/17/2010
Harold Camping: Modern Day Cult Leader – Dr. James White, 7/28/2009
More, Not Less Church as the Day of the Lord Approaches – TurretinFan, 10/21/2009
Heretical Attacker of Christ’s People – Dr. James White, 3/4/2005

TurretinFan’s Resources
One Year till the End of the World – TurretinFan – Index for TurretinFan’s series on Harold Camping
Harold Camping’s Achille’s Heel:Why Family Radio’s Date for the End of the World is Wrong – TurretinFan
Harold Camping on Judgment Day – TurretinFan

Non-AOMin-Related Resources

Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Harold Camping Q&A – Question and answer article on Harold Camping and Family Radio
Harold Camping and the Church Today – September 10, 2001 – Open letter to Harold Camping
Harold Camping’s Kingdom Hall – A comparison with the interpretive methods of Harold Camping and other cult leaders.
1994: the Year of Christ’s Return? – An article from 1993 explaining the errors in Harold Camping’s predictions.

Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
Camping’s Folly: A Response to Harold Camping’s Erroneous Teaching on the Church – J. Ligon Duncan

Secular Resources (External Links)
Last Year on Earth– Justin Berton’s excellent articles and videos on Harold Camping – SFGate

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