Harold Camping, who has been notoriously known as the doomsday preacher, died at the age of 92 on Sunday, after suffering injuries from a fall.
Camping’s fame and fortune rose with his ability, or apparent inability, to predict the date that the world would come to an end. His latest predictions were in 2011, when he first said the second coming of Christ would be on May 21, 2011. When nothing out of the ordinary happened in May, Camping changed his prediction to October 21, 2011. Again, the day came and went, just like any other day.
Camping finally acknowledged his false accusations and issued a statement apologizing for being incorrect. “We humbly acknowledge we were wrong about the timing,” his statement read. “We tremble before God as we humbly ask Him for forgiveness for making that sinful statement.” He continued his statement by saying, although his prediction was wrong, it served a better purpose by getting people all over the world acquainted with the Bible.
“Though we were wrong God is still using the May 21 warning in a very mighty way. In the months following May 21 the Bible has, in some ways, come out from under the shadows and is now being discussed by all kinds of people who never before paid any attention to the Bible,” the statement continued. “Even as God used sinful Balaam to accomplish His purposes, so He used our sin to accomplish His purpose of making the whole world acquainted with the Bible.”
Camping’s statement ended with him confirming that neither he nor his radio station Family Radio, would be offering another prediction. “We also openly acknowledge that we have no new evidence pointing to another date for the end of the world,” Camping wrote. “Though many dates are circulating, Family Radio has no interest in even considering another date. God has humbled us through the events of May 21, to continue to even more fervently search the Scriptures (the Bible), not to find dates, but to be more faithful in our understanding.”
Camping is survived by his wife of 71 years.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
