Harold Egbert Camping
(July 19, 1921 – December 15, 2013) was an
American
Christian
radio
broadcaster.
[1]
His parents were
Dutch
immigrants
. He served as president of
Family Radio
, a
California
-based radio station group that broadcasts to more than 150 markets in the United States, since 1958. In 2011 he retired from active broadcasting following a stroke, but maintained a role at Family Radio until his death.
[4]
Camping is notable for applying
numerology
to his interpretations of Bible passages in an attempt to predict dates for the
End Times
.
[5]
[6]
His
2011 end times prediction
was that on May 21, 2011
Jesus Christ
would return to Earth, the righteous would
fly up to heaven
, and that there would follow five months of fire, brimstone and plagues on Earth, with millions of people dying each day, culminating on October 21, 2011 with the end of the world.
[7]
[8]
He had previously predicted
judgment days
on May 21, 1988, and September 6, 1994.
[9]
[10]
[11]
His prediction for May 21, 2011 was widely reported, in part because of a massive publicity campaign by Family Radio, and it prompted responses from both
atheist
and Christian organizations.
[12]
[13]
After May 21 passed without the predicted incidents, Camping said he believed that a "spiritual" judgment had occurred on that date, and that the physical Rapture would occur on October 21, 2011, simultaneously with the destruction of the universe by God.
[14]
Except for one press appearance on May 23, 2011, Camping largely avoided press interviews after May 21, particularly after he suffered a
stroke
in June.
[15]
October 21, 2011, passed without the predicted apocalypse,
[16]
leading the
International Business Times
to proclaim Camping a "false prophet."
[17]
Camping was reported to have retired from his position at Family Radio as of October 16, 2011,
[2]
only days before his last predicted date for the end of the world. However, his daughter later clarified that he had not retired outright, but was maintaining a role at the Family Radio while working from home.
[4]
Camping admitted in a private interview that he no longer believed that anybody could know the time of the Rapture or the end of the world, in stark contrast to his previously staunch position on the subject.
[2]
- ↑
1.0
1.1
"Christian radio host tells listeners to abandon church"
. Associated Press. January 23, 2003
. Retrieved
May 7,
2009
.
- ↑
2.0
2.1
2.2
Harold Camping Exclusive: Family Radio Founder Retires
Archived
2011-10-26 at the
Wayback Machine
?
Christian Post
. October 24, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ↑
Who Is Harold Camping Anyway?
? Christian Post. May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ↑
4.0
4.1
"Harold Camping's Daughter Responds to Claims Family Radio Founder Has 'Retired'
"
.
Christian Post
. November 3, 2011
. Retrieved
November 25,
2011
.
- ↑
Biblical scholar's date for rapture: May 21, 2011
San Francisco Gate. January 1, 2010
- ↑
"Harold Camping silent after Doomsday dud"
.
International Business Times
. May 22, 2011.
- ↑
Elizabeth Tenety (January 3, 2011).
"May 21, 2011: Harold Camping says the end is near"
.
Washington Post
. Archived from
the original
on January 14, 2012
. Retrieved
December 23,
2011
.
- ↑
Kimberly Winston (March 23, 2011).
"Judgment Day: May 21, 2011"
.
Washington Post
. Archived from
the original
on November 12, 2012
. Retrieved
August 21,
2017
.
- ↑
Nelson, Chris (June 18, 2002).
"A Brief History of the Apocalypse; 1971 ? 1997: Millennial Madness"
. Retrieved
June 23,
2007
.
- ↑
International Business Times, "Harold Camping Says End did come May 21, spiritually; Predicts New Date: October 21"
[1]
Archived
2013-04-14 at the
Wayback Machine
Retrieved May 23, 2011
- ↑
video about the book "1994?"
- ↑
"Rapture apocalypse prediction sparks atheist reaction"
.
BBC News
. May 21, 2011.
- ↑
"Judgment Day is coming May 21, 2011 - The Bible Says No Such Thing said Kenneth Lewis the President of"
. Christiannewstoday.com
. Retrieved
2011-06-26
.
- ↑
Radio host says Rapture actually coming in October
Archived
2011-05-29 at the
Wayback Machine
?
Globe and Mail
. May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑
"Yahoo! Groups"
. Groups.yahoo.com. Archived from
the original
on 2011-06-16
. Retrieved
2011-06-26
.
- ↑
"Doomsday prophet remains in hiding"
.
The Daily Mail
, 22 October 2011.
- ↑
International Business Times
, October 21, 2011