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Family Radio Network preacher Harold Camping, failed in his high profile well publicized prediction for the end of the world on May 21. Now he says that his new date of Oct. 21 is ‘probably’ the definite date?:

“A lot of things we didn’t have quite right will probably be finished out on Oct. 21.

“It wont be spiritual on October 21st, the world is going to be destroyed all together, but it will be very quick.”

Following the May 21 debacle, Camping claimed that “We had all of our dates correct,” but now understands that Christ’s May 21 arrival was only “a spiritual coming” which started a 5 month countdown towards the final judgment and destruction supposedly on October 21.

Response: Hopefully not too many folks will be paying any attention to Camping this time around. He was wrong in 1994 and again in May. Hopefully he is right about one thing –it will end on October 21 –not the world but his ‘ministry.’

However, look for Camping to come up with a new way of looking at all of his date setting next week. Better yet, hopefully his followers will finally wake up and turn their backs once and for all and see Harold Camping for what he really is –a false teacher.            *Top

Related Posts?:

1. -Judgment Day on May 21? I Don’t Think So
2. -When is the Rapture?

              (Image by Newbirth35 via Flickr)

There are nearly 2,000 billboards around the world warning folks that the world is going to end as we know it on May 21. Some of the warnings are painted on cars, vans, and RV’s like the one shown here.

This current prediction of doom and rapture is the latest product of Harold Camping, a Christian broadcaster who operates Family Radio.

Most people ignore the signs but some are serious followers of Camping and are setting their ‘life in order’ for the occasion. Reportedly some have sold their homes, others quit their jobs, and several students have stopped going to school. They have all been caught up in a serious miscalculation that will probably bring permanent damage to their faith and their lives.

This is the same Harold Camping who was wrong when he made a similar prediction in 1994 in a book called ‘1994’. He was wrong then, later he chose 2000 as the year and he was wrong once more. He will be this time also. The one thing I can say with some certainty is that we will all be here on May 22 and those who believed In his calculations will all be devastated.

Remember what Jesus said about the end of the world:

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. –Matt. 24:36

Jesus says here that he doesn’t know but Camping arrogantly thinks he does? I don’t think so.

Here’s a link to a fine article by Hector Avalos , a professor of religious studies at Iowa State University, who writes specifically about the problems with Camping’s calculations: “No Judgment Day on May 21”

See you all on May 22, blessings.            *Top

(Image by Ben Piven via Flickr)

Today in Iran they are ‘celebrating’ the 31st anniversary of the capture of the American embassy by Islamist students. As usual mass protests are scheduled by the government and the authorities get to harangue the USA before hand picked crowds of thousands of students bussed to the capital for the event.

After 31 years the USA continues to be identified as the ‘Great Satan’ by the Iranian authorities but why?

Why ‘Great Satan’?- The Title Comes From Shiite Eschatology

Most of us in the America laugh at the event and wonder why we are considered the ‘bad guys’ since they were the ones who attacked our embassy and took our personnel hostage. We were the violated party yet we are still called the ‘Great Satan’?

Actually the term comes from Shiite Muslim eschatology. According to their ‘end-time’ scenario in the last days before the coming of the Muslim ‘Messiah’-the Mahdi’ also called the ‘Hidden Imam’ or the ‘12th Imam’ in their current cultic understanding. An infidel power will be dominating the world politically, economically, and militarily. That end-time power is called the ‘Great Satan’.

The current leaders believe that they are in the end-times and that the 12th Imam is coming back soon. In fact the Ayatollah Khamenei (Iran’s supreme leader) claims that the ‘Hidden Imam’ has appeared to him and told him so!.

The current Iranian leaders including President Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollahs identify the USA as the ‘Great Satan’ that must be defeated by the coming Mahdi who according to their eschatological scenario becomes the one world leader and Islam the only authorized religion. But first the ‘Great Satan’ must be utterly defeated and all Jews and Christians that will not join Islam must be killed.

The students are smiling today but the implications of their end-time religious convictions are anything but joyful.            *Top

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejab has been talking about an apocalyptic Shia/Islamic scenario for several years now–predicting that ‘the Hidden Imam‘ would soon return as the end-time Mahdi that establishes Islamic rule over the entire world.

Following the election of Barack Obama, some Shities actually believe that Obama could be a possible fulfillment of an end-time Islamic prophecy.

I found the link to this at SmartChristian.com and in an article by Daniel Pipes. Here is a quote from the original article

by Amir Taheri:

According to the tradition, Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law) prophesied that at the End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the Ultimate Saviour, a “tall black man will assume the reins of government in the West.” Commanding “the strongest army on earth,” the new ruler in the West will carry “a clear sign” from the third imam, whose name was Hussein Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: “Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us.”

In a curious coincidence Obama’s first and second names–Barack Hussein–mean “the blessing of Hussein” in Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means “he is with us,” the magic formula in Majlisi’s tradition.

Mystical reasons aside, the Khomeinist establishment sees Obama’s rise as another sign of the West’s decline and the triumph of Islam. Obama’s promise to seek unconditional talks with the Islamic Republic is cited as a sign that the U.S. is ready to admit defeat.

Response: This is not good at all. It is the type of scenario that Ahmadinejab might take serious and plan accordingly. If there is a perception that the USA is in decline under Obama’s administration and that he is an actual sign that Islam is about to rise up and dominate, the Iranian leaders might miscalculate and bring about an actual confrontation with Israel, the United States, and the West.

Pres. Ahmadinejab has already threatened Israel’s existence on a number of occasions. The Iranians last week tested some new missiles that could reach Israel and parts of Europe. If and when they actually go nuclear–then this scenario could end up having some serious consequences indeed.

It is doubtful that the Israelis would wait to act until a nuclear missile was actually in the air headed their way. Look for a strike way before the Iranians have that capability. One can only guess what the aftermath would bring–it would not be pretty and it could be apocalyptic!           *Top

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