Family Radio Affirms Harold Camping's May 21 Prediction in New Post
Breaking its silence on the failed rapture dud, Family Radio has posted a statement on its website defending Harold Camping's Judgment Day predictions for May 21.
Camping, who serves as Family Radio's president and general manager, had predicted that elected believers would rapture to heaven on May 21 and that those left behind would face five months of tribulation before the destruction of the world. In his forecast, the radio broadcaster also said earthquakes would hit the world that same day.
After the day came and went, Camping clarified during a press conference that he still believed May 21 marked the beginning of God's judgment, even though the signs came in a "spiritual sense" rather than physical.
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Family Radio, which removed all literature on May 21 from its website after none of Camping's predictions materialized, recently made its first posting on the subject since May 21.
In a post on its homepage, entitled "What Happened on May 21?", Family Radio supported all of Camping's explanations on why judgment did occur on May 21, why there was no rapture or earthquakes, and why October 21 will still mark the physical destruction of the earth.
"What really happened is that God accomplished exactly what He wanted to happen. That was to warn the whole world that on May 21 God’s salvation program would be finished on that day," read the post from Family Radio.
"For the next five months, except for the elect (the true believers), the whole world is under God’s final judgment. To accomplish this goal God withheld from the true believers the way in which two phrases were to be understood. Had He not done so, the world would never have been shaken in fear as it was."
As to why there were no earthquakes or a rapture, Family Radio argued in its entry that the words "earthquake" and "rapture" can have multiple meanings in the Bible.
First, the word "earth" can mean people so the word "earthquake" can mean that mankind shakes, according to Family Radio.
"Therefore we have learned from our experience of last May 21 what actually happened. All of mankind was shaken with fear. Indeed the earth (or mankind) did quake in a way it had never before been shaken. God had come spiritually to bring judgment upon the whole world," Family Radio wrote in the post.
Secondly, the word "rapture identifies with the idea of the completion of God’s salvation program," according Family Radio. "Rapture" would mean "no more salvation activity."
The May 21 Rapture prediction is true even though no one raptured, contended Family Radio, because "no one who had not become saved by that date can ever become saved."
Other than different understandings of "earthquake" and "rapture," no other teachings on Judgement Day are changed, said Family Radio.
"The time line, the certainty of it, the proofs, and the signs are all precisely the same. No other past teachings have been changed or modified."
Concluded Family Radio, "Thus we can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on October 21, 2011, on the last day of the present five months period."
"On that day the true believers (the elect) will be raptured. We must remember that only God knows who His elect are that He saved prior to May 21."
The Christian Post tried to reach Family Radio board member Bill Thornton for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
