I’m sure you’ve seen the signs everywhere – May 21 Judgment Day. What’s it all about?
On May 21, “starting in the Pacific Rim at around the 6 p.m. local time hour, in each time zone, there will be a great earthquake, such as has never been in the history of the Earth,” he says. The true Christian believers — he hopes he’s one of them — will be “raptured”: They’ll fly upward to heaven. And for the rest?
“It’s just the horror of horror stories,” he says, “and on top of all that, there’s no more salvation at that point. And then the Bible says it will be 153 days later that the entire universe and planet Earth will be destroyed forever.”
That seems very specific. I think that means it will be 9 PM our time. Have you been packing a travel bag? Some people are taking this very seriously.
Camping’s predictions have inspired other groups to rally behind the May 21 date. People have quit their jobs and left their families to get the message out.
“Knowing the date of the end of the world changes all your future plans,” says 27-year-old Adrienne Martinez.
She thought she’d go to medical school, until she began tuning in to Family Radio. She and her husband, Joel, lived and worked in New York City. But a year ago, they decided they wanted to spend their remaining time on Earth with their infant daughter.
…
Now they are in Orlando, in a rented house, passing out tracts and reading the Bible. Their daughter is 2 years old, and their second child is due in June. Joel says they’re spending the last of their savings. They don’t see a need for one more dollar.
It seems odd doesn’t it? They’ve stopped working to prepare for the end of the world but are also expecting a child? Talk about hedging your bets.
This si the kind of stuff that bothers me with religious cults. They affect the vulnerable. I’ll bet Harold Camping will be just fine. What about the people who are still very young and are spending the last of their money. What will happen to them when the prophecy doesn’t arrive?