Rapture date: May 21, 2011. Exactly 7000 years from the Flood.

[Ladewig]

http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/may21/index.html

It all hinges on 2 Peter 3:6-8 "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

After that it was simply a matter of calculating the day in which the rain started to fall.

. . . . . . . . . . . .
The end-times folks are fascinated with the "1000 years = 1 day" verse, yet seem surprisingly afraid of Matt 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

[bokonon]

Well, the day and the hour, sure. But the year and the month? I'll bet they have that nailed.

[Freethinker]

I look forward to it eagerly.

[Safe-Keeper]

Bullocks. Had they actually read the Bible, they'd know that Jesus is not coming back when everyone expects Him. Which, at this moment of doomsday cults and fundamentalists crying End Times, they... do.

When I find myself having to turn every stone to find this kind of people, I'll be worried. But even then, Jesus is 2000 years late, as He was supposed to return before his generation had died. According to the Bible.

[Lanzy]

Entered into my calendar May 22nd, 2011: Go get peoples stuff they left behind.

[learner]

Entered into my calendar May 22nd, 2011: Go get peoples stuff they left behind.
Not if I get there first you wont! I get up real early. :D

[Rodibidably]

I have tried so many times to get people who believe the end of the world is coming to sign a contract transferring all of their possessions over to me, effective the day after their end of the world scenario; so far nobody has been willing to sign...

I wonder if it's because they don't REALLY believe?

[Roadtoad]

Ah, yes. One more attempt to manipulate us all.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jones laid the cornerstone for this, and now we're going to get more and more predictions of the end, and... and... by golly, if you miserable ATHEISTS don't straighten up, YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY!!!!

Yeah, right.

We need this like we need another Pat Robertson "prophecy," assuming he's heard God right. For once.

[Freethinker]

Not if I get there first you wont! I get up real early. :D


You're all out of luck. I live in the Midwest of the US, so I'm virtually surrounded by bible-thumping morons, and I have a truck and a big trailer. Plus I have a big barn at home to keep all the stuff in. I'll have the barn full before you even get here. You'll only get scraps.

[Skeptic Ginger]

I wonder how many total times the second coming has been precisely identified? My guess is about 2008, once a year since his supposed death. Maybe a little less depending on how you define a prediction.

[RecoveringYuppy]

The end-times folks are fascinated with the "1000 years = 1 day" verse, yet seem surprisingly afraid of Matt 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

If you read that verse in context it ought to become more freightening for believers. Two sentences above that Jesus says that the generation won't pass without his prophecies coming true and warns his disciples to be ready for the end times.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew24.htm

34 Amen, I say to you, this generation 20 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew24.htm#foot20) will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 21 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew24.htm#foot21) "But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, 22 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew24.htm#foot22) but the Father alone.

The footnotes indicate that words are translated properly and can't easily be explained (well, I can think of an easy explanation).

[Roadtoad]

Well, there's also the reality that Jesus wasn't born in AD 1/0, (however you choose to define it), and the reality that in all likelihood, he was 40 years old at the time he was crucified. In other words, most of these prophecies are out of date in every respect of the word, and it has been shown time and again, the whole point of the Book of Revelation was that it was supposed to encourage people going through the Tribulation that occurred during the days of Rome, not the one they're convinced is going to come.

In other words, these prophets of doom are offering platters of bovine feces for the multitudes. Personally, I'd take the rock in place of a loaf of bread.

[jj]

Holy Moley, our 24th wedding anniversary is the end of the world.

I think we'll go out for the event, anyhow. :p

[Roadtoad]

I just checked a little further. They're tied in with Family Radio.

Good God! Family Radio!? These clowns were convinced that the Rapture would take place in 2000! They keep trying to hit a day when Jesus will return, and they have NEVER gotten it right! Hell, the folks who ran Family Radio here in Sacramento were promoting the 2000 rapture right up to the day when it was supposed to have happened! (Of course, they never sold off their homes or cars, or did anything even remotely suggestive that they might be right!)

Crap, crap, and more crap. It's all an excuse to pick the pockets of the weak-willed, the cowards, and suckers. The hell with them.

[NobbyNobbs]

I, for one, welcome our new marine overlords.

[Roadtoad]

:p

[arthwollipot]

The end-times folks are fascinated with the "1000 years = 1 day" verse...As I never tire of pointing out, the world was supposedly created 6000 years ago (=6 days). God rests on the 7th day. God's taking this millennium off. No more answering prayers or causing miracles until the year 3000.

[bokonon]

You're all out of luck. I live in the Midwest of the US, so I'm virtually surrounded by bible-thumping morons, and I have a truck and a big trailer. Plus I have a big barn at home to keep all the stuff in. I'll have the barn full before you even get here. You'll only get scraps.
Unless your truck is big enough to hold a barnful of booty, me & my boys will empty that sucker while you're out fetching the second load. Your best bet will be to make the first haul a truckful of bibles. Then we'll probably figure you for one of the morons and move on to more promising lootees.

[This Guy]

Well, there's also the reality that Jesus wasn't born in AD 1/0, (however you choose to define it), and the reality that in all likelihood, he was 40 years old at the time he was crucified. In other words, most of these prophecies are out of date in every respect of the word, and it has been shown time and again, the whole point of the Book of Revelation was that it was supposed to encourage people going through the Tribulation that occurred during the days of Rome, not the one they're convinced is going to come.

In other words, these prophets of doom are offering platters of bovine feces for the multitudes. Personally, I'd take the rock in place of a loaf of bread.

Hey Roadtoad, I've not seen this claimed before. The 40 years old thing. Could you give me a source for it? I suspect it's inaccurate, but would like to see the arguments for it. Thanks!

[Freethinker]

Unless your truck is big enough to hold a barnful of booty, me & my boys will empty that sucker while you're out fetching the second load. Your best bet will be to make the first haul a truckful of bibles. Then we'll probably figure you for one of the morons and move on to more promising lootees.


I'm going for their flat screen TVs, but I might cover them with a load of bibles to throw you off. I can use them for fertilizer after I get home.

Of course, according to Matthew 19:23-24 (and Mark and Luke as well) anybody who has any possessions won't be going to heaven unless they can figure out how to get a camel through the eye of a needle, so I guess the pickings will be non-existent for our post-rapture looting enterprises.

[ParrotPirate]

Lanzy&Learner: stop arguing people! Come the Rapture,there will be plunder aplenty for all of us that are "left behind"! (I really cringed when I added that last bit.)

[Roadtoad]

Hey Roadtoad, I've not seen this claimed before. The 40 years old thing. Could you give me a source for it? I suspect it's inaccurate, but would like to see the arguments for it. Thanks!

I've been trying to track that for some time, but part of it came from an Art Bell interview. (Long time ago; no, I don't remember the guest. You can hear some truly weird stuff on late night radio when you're somewhere in Texas.)

[fuelair]

Can't happen - the December 2012ers will get upset and cry all over us.

[Lucian]

Hey Roadtoad, I've not seen this claimed before. The 40 years old thing. Could you give me a source for it? I suspect it's inaccurate, but would like to see the arguments for it. Thanks!

I noticed that the nut-logs from ediblefellowship.com have 40-year-old Jesus in their time line of the world, so, you know, it must be right.

[Soapy Sam]

Did they use the Gregorian or Julian calendar?
Or perhaps the Mayan?

[This Guy]

I've been trying to track that for some time, but part of it came from an Art Bell interview. (Long time ago; no, I don't remember the guest. You can hear some truly weird stuff on late night radio when you're somewhere in Texas.)

Thanks guy!

I'm pretty sure JC was around 30 when he died. I don't claim absolute knowledge of the facts, but I've been doing some pretty deep reading (for me anyway) on early Christianity, and the born around 6 BCE and died at about age 30 seems pretty well founded.

Of course exact dates (on our calenders) are hard to come to from the ancient Jewish calender system, which was apparently a lunar based system, with what seem as odd methods of correcting for the difference between 336ish days and 365ish day year. Even harder when you consider that the first day of the month was apparently when the new moon was first actually seen (November has been postponed due to clouds! ;)).

Anyway, thanks. :)

[Evolved Wookie]

Rock on June. :D

[This Guy]

I noticed that the nut-logs from ediblefellowship.com have 40-year-old Jesus in their time line of the world, so, you know, it must be right.

I'm checking them out now. I'm very impressed with their logic so far! Just look at this example:
(NOTE: this is taken from here (http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/frame/) which I assume is were part of their "facts" come from, since they do reference the site.

"The second notice is that of the New Testament where Christ declares in Matthew 24:34:
This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
In this reference, Christ is speaking of events that will take place just before His return. He is, therefore, insisting that "this generation" will continue for at least almost two thousand years, for this much time has now elapsed, and all the events of which He prophesied in Matthew 24 have not yet happened."

Yes indeed! Obviously Christ could not have been blowing smoke! He must mean that "this generation" would last 2000 years! I haven't found their explanation for:

Matthew 16:28 (King James Version)

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

But I'm sure it is just as logical! :covereyes

[RecoveringYuppy]

Matthew 16:28 (King James Version)

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

But I'm sure it is just as logical!

Oh, he was speaking to a group of live food fanatics that day.

[This Guy]

Well, I've glanced over what they say. I've also briefly looked at a reference they suggest for more detail (here (http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/frame/)). You'll have to find "We are almost there!" on the list at the left (it will load a PDF file of the book) and either read, or save a copy.

As one would expect from what appear to be typical YECs, everything is based on Bible versus, and no references to real world events are given (that I have found anyway).

While some scholars do allow for a birth date of Christ as early as 7 BCE, the general consensus is more in the 4-6 BCE range, based on the death of Herod.

These YECs claim Christ died in 33 CE, after a 3 year ministry. Most scholars seem to lean toward a roughly one year ministry, starting at about age 30. If the majority opinion, as I understand it, is correct Christ died around the year 24 CE. Birth 6 BCE, plus 29 to 30 years, and a 1 year ministry would put his death at about 24 to 25 CE.

So, right away, as far as I can tell, these folks are off in their calculations by about 9 years. IMHO, they are off their rockers by much more ;)

I hope I'm around, and remember to check these WWW sites around June of 2011, just to see what excuses they give for still being here.

[CurtC]

My favorite bumper sticker:


IN CASE OF RAPTURE
Can I have your car?

[quarky]

Travelling south on rt.75 there was (is?) a restaurant, on the right, at a major cross-road.


It had a large sign,something like "JESUS LOVES YOU CATFISH"
It was a trucker-friendly, all you can eat, catfish, fries and slaw kind of place.

I'm sure some of you know the place of which I speak. It oozes jesus , harder than anywhere I've ever been. Harder than the cathedrals I've seen. We were scared, at first.
Which is why we kept going there, 4 times a year, on trips to and fro my ailing dad's place.

The booths and walls were covered with a vast painting, right on the cheesy paneling, that depicts the rapture, in full swing. It actually shows trucks going off bridges, with a ghosty spirit rising up from the driver's seat. There is a helicopter falling from the sky, and a similar spirit rising from it.
Every verticle space that wasn't covered with the greasy tools of the trade, was covered with jesus. Christ, I wish I had filmed it. I fear it is now gone.

This restaurant also had a trucker's chapel, out back, in a small metal building. I went in, of course, because I needed a beating. I hadn't been beat up by christian rednecks since 1967, when I had faggy long hair, like jesus's in the movies.

No one was in there. The bare walls were covered with similar art. It had a child-like quality. It was no Rembrandt. I sat there and soaked it up, in peace.
And me! a non-christian-non-trucker, vege****ingterian.

[Freethinker]

No one was in there. The bare walls were covered with similar art. It had a child-like quality. It was no Rembrandt. I sat there and soaked it up, in peace.


Not surprising.

[bokonon]

Of course, according to Matthew 19:23-24 (and Mark and Luke as well) anybody who has any possessions won't be going to heaven unless they can figure out how to get a camel through the eye of a needle, so I guess the pickings will be non-existent for our post-rapture looting enterprises.
The rich Christians will still be raptured, but instead of going to heaven they'll be transported directly to the warp drive engines, to serve as fuel for the Angelic Armada.

That's my heresy, and I'm sticking to it.

[Madalch]

Lanzy&Learner: stop arguing people! Come the Rapture,there will be plunder aplenty for all of us that are "left behind"! (I really cringed when I added that last bit.)
Considering the number of people who are actually righteous rather than self-righteous, I would suspect that it would be days before anyone noticed anything amiss.

Many of the Christians I know, well, I can't see God wanting to put up with them. They'd be preaching to HIM by the seventh day.

Of course, I'd love to be able to tell some of them, "Oh yes, the Rapture happened last week. Didn't you notice?"

[Kthulhut Fhtagn]

I've always wondered; does God consider timezone when he does his rapturing? Does he consider distance from the sun? When will the Martians be raptured?

[quarky]

I forgot to mention, the rapture restaurant is/was in northern Florida.
Go there and be saved, but avoid the whole catfish, unless you like bones.

[Psi Baba]

Has it ever occurred to the fundies that just maybe, the real paradise will be right here after all the religious nutters have been scooped up and . . . disposed of? What if the whole Bible/Faith thing is a weeding-out process to eliminate not the faithless, but those who have failed to make use of their "god-given" power of reason and rational thought? He might be just waiting long enough to see how many subjects "take the bait" so he knows who to discard.

I'm beginning to think that the "end" will be with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with a wink and a nod. :stone008:




not that actually I believe any of this


.

[CurtC]

In case everyone doesn't know already...

The idea of the pre-tribulation rapture was invented in the 1800s, and is not held by any mainstream theologians. For some reason it does seem to be a common meme among the rank-and-file however.

[quarky]

Has it ever occurred to the fundies that just maybe, the real paradise will be right here after all the religious nutters have been scooped up and . . . disposed of? What if the whole Bible/Faith thing is a weeding-out process to eliminate not the faithless, but those who have failed to make use of their "god-given" power of reason and rational thought? He might be just waiting long enough to see how many subjects "take the bait" so he knows who to discard.

I'm beginning to think that the "end" will be with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with a wink and a nod. :stone008:




not that actually I believe any of this


.

I like that notion, but it could also work if the nutters actually score, too. Both teams could be right, in as much as they wouldn't need to endure each other anymore. "Disposed of" sounds too vengeful.

[Roadtoad]

This serves as a painful reminder of a story I heard some time ago.

I guess it was around '84, there was a student at Pacific Coast Bible College who was very worried about what might happen to him in the event of a Rapture. He was almost obsessed with such a thing, and was pestering his dorm mates about it, trying to find answers in the Bible.

A friend of mine who was there at the time told me that he got back to the dorm after a date, only to find clothing in piles here and there in the hallway of the dorm. An electric razor was sitting on a basin, still running. TVs were left on, and throughout the building was evidence that in the blink of an eye, everyone had been taken away! In his mind, the Rapture had occurred, and he was left behind.

Anyway, he wound up calling the Dean of Men in a panic, bordering on a complete breakdown. The Dean came down trying to comfort this poor kid, but according to our (now former) friend, he couldn't be helped. He wound up going home from school, from what I understand, much to the amusement of his classmates.

I have found discussions of the Rapture to be very cruel. It is no longer an emblem of the hope Christians have, but rather, it's a shibboleth, used to weed out the "worthy" from the "unworthy," the BMOCs from the Nerds. It emphasizes the whole point that the Church has become based in Fear, rather than in anything resembling hope.

My son, Jon, (Digital Hoser), has returned to church, but now wonders why. His complaint is that it's become a rock concert on Sundays, the message is lost in a flurry of platitudes, and it's become nothing, save for a waste of time and space. Instead of strengthening his faith, he's questioning it. On the one hand, it's good: he's looking for answers. On the other, I know the disappointment he's feeling, and just how big a let-down he's in for. It's part of the reason Peggy no longer wants to attend a church service, simply because she doesn't fit in with people who want to be pandered to. To her mind, Church should "Comfort the Afflicted, and Afflict the Comfortable."

I think what I find so offensive about discussions of the Rapture is that it has come to center not on a life of service and self-sacrifice, but on just how much sin you can get away with and still pull one over on God. If that's your goal, it seems to me you're no better than an Atheist like me, so what good is your "witness"?

In the end, why waste my time with any of it?

I'm reminded of my uncle, a driver for Greyhound. Mel Ethington was not a Christian; he was instead a devout Mormon. In many ways, I tried to find what it was he had, even as I found I could not accept the vast majority of what the Mormon Church taught was its canon. My uncle had his moments of selfishness, of conceit, of arrogance, but he also admitted his failings, and tried to amend his behavior, even as he made amends to others for them.

He had an unparalleled safety record, and a good nature that, from what people who knew him have told me, made him a genuine treasure to his employer. He and my aunt briefly left Greyhound to run a business of their own, which was quite successful, but ultimately, he returned to driving buses, which he did until his retirement. From what I've heard from other Greyhound employees, he was a credit to the company, and to his church.

I learned the hard way just how rare a man my uncle was, both within the Christian Church, and within the Mormon Church. For that matter, had he chosen to reject his faith, he'd have been a good man as an Atheist, too, simply because he recognized that being a good man crossed all lines. He earned the respect of nearly everyone who met him.

He died in August. I'm still not sure how to respond to that. I'd like to think that a just god would look at his character and welcome him, rather than condemning him for not having recited the right words the right way at the right time. I'd like to think he'd be recognized for treating his fellow man with respect, rather than degrading people because they didn't fit his preconceived notions of what made a person "worthy."

Which, of course, is why I'm so bothered about what happened at Pacific Coast. A young man's faith was mocked, his concerns, which should have been addressed by his fellow students and assuaged, was turned into a wedge, and he was driven from the school. If I had to guess, he was probably also driven from faith in the end, which in one sense, was probably a good thing. I'd hate to have seen him become the kind of pastor his thuggish classmates have likely become.

Just as well; when this next "Rapture" date comes and goes, more will leave a life of Faith in search of a life of Truth and Fact. I call that a gain.

[jdp]

That can't be right, I thought the end of the world was in December of 2012. The Mayans said so.

[Azure]

So, add another date to the list?

Or is this the real thing? But, isn't that what they said the first 5,547,492 other times?

[Roadtoad]

So, add another date to the list?

Or is this the real thing? But, isn't that what they said the first 5,547,492 other times?

They're firing buckshot into a meadow. They figure sooner or later, they'll hit something.

Sure. Good luck with that.

It's manipulation, pure and simple. That they refuse to see it shows we're better off without that brand of Evangelical.

[Azure]

They're firing buckshot into a meadow. They figure sooner or later, they'll hit something.

Sure. Good luck with that.

It's manipulation, pure and simple. That they refuse to see it shows we're better off without that brand of Evangelical.

Could not agree with you more.

Especially having a few of these mental cases in my family.

My mom is still waiting for Jesus to arrive in 1986 during the planet alignment.

[Roadtoad]

Your mother should talk to my wife. She's making clothes for people who need them. She doesn't preach Jesus; she tries to live what Jesus said a Christian should be.

There might be more of a reason to follow Christ if Christians actually read their Bibles, and tried to live up to the higher calling cited in the book, instead of chasing after this Rapture BS.

[Bob Klase]

They're firing buckshot into a meadow. They figure sooner or later, they'll hit something.

Two thousand years and they still haven't figured out that you'll never hit anything when you're firing blanks.

[Beerina]

Rapture date: May 21, 2011. Exactly 7000 years from the Flood.


There was a huge, worldwide flood 7000 years ago? :confused:

[Ladewig]

There was a huge, worldwide flood 7000 years ago? :confused:

I was quoting from the linked website.

[Roadtoad]

Well, if there were any justice, the people responsible for this abomination (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN62PAKoBfE&feature=related) would be condemned to an eternity of Abba.

[Azure]

Your mother should talk to my wife. She's making clothes for people who need them. She doesn't preach Jesus; she tries to live what Jesus said a Christian should be.

There might be more of a reason to follow Christ if Christians actually read their Bibles, and tried to live up to the higher calling cited in the book, instead of chasing after this Rapture BS.

Yeah, I hear you.

But, someone came up with the crazy idea of selling the idea of the rapture to the masses, and now we have to deal with the after effects.

[Bob Blaylock]

I'm reminded of my uncle, a driver for Greyhound. Mel Ethington was not a Christian; he was instead a devout Mormon.


Mormons are Christians.

[Azure]

Mormons are Christians.

Thats what they think.

[Beerina]

To paraphrase an ancient Dilbert strip:


Dilbert: They believe the Rapture date is May 21, 2011. Exactly 7000 years from the Flood. What does this tell us?

Dogbert: That God uses a base 10 number system and hates big round numbers?

[jj]

Oh, wait, I thought it was this year. No, it's our 26th anniversary. Sorry.

[dingogirl]

My favorite rapture bumper sticker: In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned.

[Roadtoad]

There's a better one:

Jesus is coming. Look busy.

[Bristow42]

End of the world oh no!, Wait not more morage, taxes and Paris Hilton.

[JihadJane]

Entered into my calendar May 22nd, 2011: Go get peoples stuff they left behind.

May 20th: Have a bath, comb pubes.

(I'm going up)

[jj]

My favorite rapture bumper sticker: In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned.

Or the one I saw in Wenatchee the other day:

"In the event of Rapture, may I have your car?"

[Roadtoad]

Or the one I saw in Wenatchee the other day:

"In the event of Rapture, may I have your car?"

You were in Wenatchee? Geez, Dude, if you're feeling masochistic, why didn't you just break out the handcuffs and leather like the rest of us?

[jj]

You were in Wenatchee? Geez, Dude, if you're feeling masochistic, why didn't you just break out the handcuffs and leather like the rest of us?

A friend of the elder sprout's uncle lives there, on a small cherry/peach orchard. I plan to visit them next summer. :)

[CurtC]

Or the one I saw in Wenatchee the other day:

"In the event of Rapture, may I have your car?"

HEY! Please see post #31 in this thread (http://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=4449608&postcount=31)!

[KoihimeNakamura]

I almost moved to wenatchee!

Anyway.

I should make plans for a new job then...

[Roadtoad]

I almost moved to wenatchee!

But it's worse. You live in Puyallup.

Do you sell cars?

[arthwollipot]

That's nothing! I once lived in Foopawallayapsis!

[PrincessIneffabelle]

That's nothing! I once lived in Foopawallayapsis!
I'd rather live in Didjabringabeeralong.

:D

[Madalch]

That's what they think.
Not all of them. I've had a devoutly Mormon friend patiently explain to me that, while they believe in Jesus, they don't consider themselves to be Christians.

[arthwollipot]

I'd rather live in Didjabringabeeralong.

:DInterestingly, the original name of that town was PCified some fifteen years ago. The original name had much more of a ring to it.

It used to be called Didjabringabongalong.

[Beerina]

May 11, 2011 (http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-01-01/bay-area/17466332_1_east-bay-bay-area-first-time-camping)


On Sept. 6, 1994, dozens of Camping's believers gathered inside Alameda's Veterans Memorial Building to await the return of Christ, an event Camping had promised for two years. Followers dressed children in their Sunday best and held Bibles open-faced toward heaven.

But the world did not end. Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. He spent the next decade running new calculations, as well as overseeing a media company that has grown significantly in size and reach.

Curious, that.

[IMST]

Dibs on their stuff on the 12th.

[Olowkow]

Dibs on their stuff on the 12th.

It's the 21st, not the 11th. You'll have to wait a little more.

Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. He spent the next decade running new calculations,

Off by 17 years. Civil engineer. San Francisco may want to check out any bridges he designed.

[stilicho]

Curious, that.

Googled this guy and a lot of the Calvinist/Pentecostal types are furious with him. He's essentially dictated that anyone still belonging to those denominations since his last failed prediction are doomed. His math is presented here-- http://www.writeonnewjersey.com/2010/02/countdown-to-judgment-2/ --for anyone who cares to check:

"[There] are 722,500 days between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return on May 21, 2011. 722,500 is the product of two repeating sets of spiritually significant numbers: 5 x 10 x 17 x 5 x 10 x 17."

So there you have it. :boggled:

[Mister Agenda]

Someone handed me one of the flyers about this when I attended a debate between Herb Silverman and some other guy a few months back. I'll check if I still have it.

[AvalonXQ]

Christ’s suffering and death on April 1, 33 A.D.

Yeah, he's already off.

[KingMerv00]

Looks like TAM 8 is the last one ever.

[Bob Klase]

His math is presented here-- http://www.writeonnewjersey.com/2010/02/countdown-to-judgment-2/ --for anyone who cares to check:

"[There] are 722,500 days between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return on May 21, 2011. 722,500 is the product of two repeating sets of spiritually significant numbers: 5 x 10 x 17 x 5 x 10 x 17."

Well I can already see his first problem. He's completely ignored the spiritually significant number of 3 (very notable since that would be the trinity, the only digit used in the year of Jesus' death and the only 2 digits used in his age when he died- not to mention the only digit used for his age when he was 3).

It looks to me like he needs to use three repeating sets of spiritually significant numbers. That should give us a few more years to worry about it.

[Soapy Sam]

If this means I miss the London Olympics, I'm in favour.

[Orphia Nay]

From the link in the OP:

Along with the entire world and universe, all those who have sinned against God and were left behind will likewise be consumed by this fire and be eternally destroyed:

2 Thessalonians 1:8,9 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

On October 21st, 2011, God will completely destroy this creation and all of the people who never experienced the salvation of Jesus Christ along with it. The awful payment for their sinful rebellion against God will be completed by the loss of everlasting life. On October 21st, 2011, all of these poor people will cease to exist from that point forward.

So the people in, say, the Amazonian jungle who have never heard of Jesus will cease to exist for eternity too? What a loving and merciful God.

[kurious_kathy]

http://www.ebiblefellowship.com/may21/index.html

It all hinges on 2 Peter 3:6-8

After that it was simply a matter of calculating the day in which the rain started to fall.

. . . . . . . . . . . .
The end-times folks are fascinated with the "1000 years = 1 day" verse, yet seem surprisingly afraid of Matt 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!

[Orphia Nay]

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!

Yep, just remain in a constant state of panic, even though every Rapture prediction has been wrong for over 2000 years. :oldroll:

[stilicho]

Well I can already see his first problem. He's completely ignored the spiritually significant number of 3 (very notable since that would be the trinity, the only digit used in the year of Jesus' death and the only 2 digits used in his age when he died- not to mention the only digit used for his age when he was 3).

It looks to me like he needs to use three repeating sets of spiritually significant numbers. That should give us a few more years to worry about it.

Well, let's see: 17^3 * 7^2 * 3^1 = 722,211. That incorporates enough trinities, the exponents sum to a perfect number, and seven pops up quite a bit in the Bible so I figure Mr Nutball is simply 289 days too late.

Therefore, I declare the Bible (and prophet Klase) foretell the end of the universe on 05 AUG 2010. Sign up now!

[dafydd]

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!

No it won't.Enjoy your life instead of kow-towing to an imaginary diety.

[Beerina]

Googled this guy and a lot of the Calvinist/Pentecostal types are furious with him. He's essentially dictated that anyone still belonging to those denominations since his last failed prediction are doomed. His math is presented here-- http://www.writeonnewjersey.com/2010/02/countdown-to-judgment-2/ --for anyone who cares to check:

"[There] are 722,500 days between Jesus’ crucifixion and his return on May 21, 2011. 722,500 is the product of two repeating sets of spiritually significant numbers: 5 x 10 x 17 x 5 x 10 x 17."

So there you have it. :boggled:


Here are the significant numbers, religiously, as near as I can tell from the Bible:


3 -- Minimum non-degenerate group that cannot have a tie stalemate on a decision. Hence the triumvirate or tribunal achieves a mystical power in the memespace of the ancients, who forget the original rationale as to the number and just treat it as awesome, forgetting why.

5 -- Number of fingers, originally due to number of phalanges on some ancient fish's fin.

7 -- Number of visible heavenly bodies to the naked eye*, and thus number of days in the week.

10 -- Number of fingers

12 -- Rough number of lunar cycles per year, where lunar cycle is, coincidentally, roughly 4 * size of week.

13 -- 12 + Jesus

1,000 -- "A lot," in a base 10 (fingers) counting system.

10,000 -- "A whole lot" in a base 10 (fingers) counting system.

144,000 -- "A whole hell of a lot", 12 x 12 x 10,000.




Don't see any 17s in there.







* Yes, I know technically Uranus is visible to the naked eye (no jokes, please. Or jokes, of you prefer.) but no ancient culture ever discovered it.

[AvalonXQ]

From our numerology discussions of Revelation in my junior high Bible class:

3: God
4: Nature, the natural world, creation
7 (3+4): Perfection, completeness
6 (7-1): Incompleteness, imperfection, flaw, wrongness
10: Worldly power, human authority, those who do not inherit from God
12 (3*4): Heavenly authority, the inheritors of God
Seventeen wasn't on our radar, either.

[I Ratant]

69.
Buncha 3's there, and it's got the added juice of being a nice double.

[grayman]

42.

[Ladewig]

Judgement will surely come!

The evidence suggests otherwise.

[grayman]

When these people predict a date, do they take into account the international dateline?

[jadey]

The Bible teaches that the end of the church age would occur simultaneously with the beginning of the great tribulation:

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

On May 21st, 1988, God finished using the churches and congregations of the world. The Spirit of God left all churches and Satan, the man of sin, entered into the churches to rule at that point in time. The Bible teaches us that this awful period of judgment upon the churches would last for 23 years. A full 23 years (8400 days exactly) would be from May 21 st, 1988 until May 21st, 2011. This information was discovered in the Bible completely apart from the information regarding the 7000 years from the flood.

We're in the great tribulation ... who knew? This will apparently last for 8400 days, or roughly 8,400,000 years. So, I think we've got a little extra time.

[shadron]

So, add another date to the list?

Or is this the real thing? But, isn't that what they said the first 5,547,492 other times?

You don't think that that number, modulo 2000, is 1492 has any significance, do ya?

Glory!!

[stilicho]

Here are the significant numbers, religiously, as near as I can tell from the Bible:

Don't see any 17s in there.



You'll have to take that up with the other prophets. Camping says 17 means heaven.

----------

EDIT: The significance of 17 in the bible is demonstrated here: http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/17.html. There's another entry on 153, too, so really there's no logical reason you couldn't start with that one. I'll bet you can find a number to mark as your own date for the apocalypse just as Camping and I have.

[timhau]

I have tried so many times to get people who believe the end of the world is coming to sign a contract transferring all of their possessions over to me, effective the day after their end of the world scenario; so far nobody has been willing to sign...

I wonder if it's because they don't REALLY believe?

It might be because there's no way they can win in that arrangement. My offer is this: I'll give you $1,000 today, in exchange for you giving me $10,000 day after the profecied rapture date.

If you're right, you can treat your loved ones to something nice before the end, on my expense. In the real world, I win $9,000, but at least it's a winnable bet for both parties.

[I Ratant]

The distressed child in the message at the top of page 2 couldn't comprehend that -only- his roommate had been "raptured"?
Everyone else was still here.
I think there is a bigger problem than merely believing in rapture there.
It is too bad it hasn't (won't) occur.
Leave lots of goodies for us to enjoy.

[Elizabeth I]

I've been trying to track that for some time, but part of it came from an Art Bell interview. (Long time ago; no, I don't remember the guest. You can hear some truly weird stuff on late night radio when you're somewhere in Texas.)

Which is why you should ALWAYS have a book on tape/CD/mp3 along with you! (Free @ your library! Paid adv.)


While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!

Oh, joy. She's back.


When these people predict a date, do they take into account the international dateline?

The international dateline, is, as all good fundamentalists know, the work of Satan.

[Philip]

I wonder how many total times the second coming has been precisely identified? My guess is about 2008, once a year since his supposed death. Maybe a little less depending on how you define a prediction.

That's about right:
http://www.armageddononline.org/failed_armageddon.php


Entered into my calendar May 22nd, 2011: Go get peoples stuff they left behind.

Hearing rapturians talk about "Left Behind" reminds me that my left behind has fewer zits than my right behind. I wonder if that's a message from God.

[One Eyed Jack]

The Rapture... ah, sweet joy...

Can anyone imagine a better world than one where all the fundies and Bible thumpers were suddenly whisked away? Heaven on Earth. Truly. Heavenly.

[Mister Agenda]

There was a huge, worldwide flood 7000 years ago? :confused:

Yep, after the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations started, I'm sure they must have written all about it, but I can't be bothered to check.

[grayman]

Yep, after the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations started, I'm sure they must have written all about it, but I can't be bothered to check.

God just wants you to think that's when their civilization started, in order to test your faith.

[sphenisc]

...
These YECs claim Christ died in 33 CE, after a 3 year ministry. Most scholars seem to lean toward a roughly one year ministry, starting at about age 30. If the majority opinion, as I understand it, is correct Christ died around the year 24 CE. Birth 6 BCE, plus 29 to 30 years, and a 1 year ministry would put his death at about 24 to 25 CE.
....

25 to 26 CE [/pedant]

[Trent Wray]

The Rapture... ah, sweet joy...

Can anyone imagine a better world than one where all the fundies and Bible thumpers were suddenly whisked away? Heaven on Earth. Truly. Heavenly. If they get raptured at high speed does that make them velociraptures ? (yes, cheezy :) )

[Eddie Dane]

Not if I get there first you wont! I get up real early. :D

Gentlemen, gentlemen. Some decorum please.
There will be enough for everybody.

But I want that Full HD flat-screen TV. And the stash of BDSM porn from that fundi's basement. You guys can have stuff that isn't Blue-Ray.

[Paulhoff]

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think,
He is already late by almost 2,000 years, so what do you mean by sooner.

Paul

:) :) :)

[Elizabeth I]

If they get raptured at high speed does that make them velociraptures ? (yes, cheezy :) )

Here's the thread for you:
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?p=5679131#post5679131

[dropzone]

If this means I miss the London Olympics, I'm in favour.A lot of us in the Chicago area were against the city's bid, not because it would bankrupt the city, but because of traffic.

Those of us who only work in the city but don't see city services, like snow plowing but still get parking tickets in poorly-marked areas so that's merely an excuse for the cops to write more tickets, are completely against anything that would increase our commute time, (You think it's easy to write run-on sentences that are properly punctuated? That should be a semicolon.); many of us recall the World Cup debacle a few years back and don't want a repeat that is ten times worse.

[Philip]

http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=135786

A thread I started a few years ago had an unrelated truther thread quickly merged with it, but these threads are still unmerged?

(grumble, grumble, :mad: )

If you see two threads in need of merging, please use the report function. Thanks.

[Beerina]

Entered into my calendar May 22nd, 2011: Go get peoples stuff they left behind.

I just did, too. I'm sad it's a Saturday. Why couldn't Jesus have waited until Monday? :mad:

[I Ratant]

I just did, too. I'm sad it's a Saturday. Why couldn't Jesus have waited until Monday? :mad:
.
It'll fill in the weekend.
Kinda like a giant yard sale, without any need to pay for anything. :)

[RecoveringYuppy]

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!
How is it you guys see the part where he said that no one will know the day or hour but miss the part right before that where swore an oath it would be in that generation?

If I told you I'll post again by the end of next but I'm not sure what day, would you interpret that to mean that I don't intend to come back for 2,000 years??

[Roadtoad]

While I believe Jesus will return sooner than people think, I know the bible says nobody is to try to specify the day or hour. I just hope others will see the urgency in the message even if we cannot know the day or hour. Judgement will surely come!

How is it you guys see the part where he said that no one will know the day or hour but miss the part right before that where swore an oath it would be in that generation?

If I told you I'll post again by the end of next but I'm not sure what day, would you interpret that to mean that I don't intend to come back for 2,000 years??

This was a question that dogged me while I believed, but the answer is pretty simple, once you get into the mindset.

When you get to the part about how a single day is as a thousand years to god, you realize that time can mean whatever a god-bot wants it to mean. Jesus could come back tomorrow, he could come back in a millennium. God, of course, is in charge, but just in case, we have to get our fingerprints all over this so we can claim whatever spiritual superiority we can. The human need to dominate and rule seem to always overrule the ideal that we are subject to the sovereignty of God Above. Remember: Jesus loves you, unless the ladies in the Altar Guild think you're lacking in holiness.

It's a fairly common game within the Church. It isn't about reaching the heights of the Divine, but about holding down others. It's selective, of course: Mike Warnke can still preach, even though he's been through multiple divorces, and Sandi Patti can still sing in Church, even though her first marriage ended because of her adultery. They can still bring in money with cries of repentance, but the rest of us mortals, flawed, broken, and in need of a little help now and then, are condemned forever by the Friends of Pastor, to be left on the fringe by those who were Saved.

The problem with this mindset is that unlike denying the Holy Spirit, this is the real blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the whole business of laying claim to authority which to one isn't entitled. You'll be hard pressed to get them to admit it.

[Michael Redman]

When these people predict a date, do they take into account the international dateline?I would imagine that the four horsemen will appear at the IDL at midnight and leap 1000 miles to the west every hour.

That's the only thing that makes any sense.

[learner]

Gentlemen, gentlemen. Some decorum please.
There will be enough for everybody.

But I want that Full HD flat-screen TV. And the stash of BDSM porn from that fundi's basement. You guys can have stuff that isn't Blue-Ray.

Nice try Eddie but I aint no Gentleman. :)

[One Skunk Todd]

Gentlemen, gentlemen. Some decorum please.
There will be enough for everybody.

But I want that Full HD flat-screen TV. And the stash of BDSM porn from that fundi's basement. You guys can have stuff that isn't Blue-Ray.

I get first pick of firearms. :) I'm not greedy, once I have four or five Thompsons and a complete assortment of the world's small arms you all can have the rest.

[novaphile]

Hey Roadtoad, I've not seen this claimed before. The 40 years old thing. Could you give me a source for it? I suspect it's inaccurate, but would like to see the arguments for it. Thanks!

I reckon you'd be looking for a book called "Jesus the man." by Barbara Thiering. If you Google those two phrases, I think you'll find plenty of references.

She's a theologist from my neck of the woods, and I believe upset a lot of Christians with her theories.

:D

[TimCallahan]

I've actually been raptured. Twice, as a matter of fact. Yeah, I had to get both sides done, but now they've got this plastic mesh they put in there and - What? Oh, you mean raptured. Nevermind.

[Newbeak]

I dropped in to see what this forum thinks of the current Doomsday nut-jobs in Florida,after having checked the latest news on the CNN website.Are large groups of people in the U.S. completely insane? You rarely see this kind of thing in the other first world nations. I am amazed as well that people on this forum would devote so much intellectual talent to debunking mythology. Aren't your elaborate calculations the modern equivalent of counting angels that can dance on the head of a pin? Oh well,everyone needs a hobby,I suppose..

[alfaniner]

I guess there's no point in making a comment on a CNN page. It's difficult to log in, and my most recent one was on for only a minute or two, Liked at least once already, and now I can't find it in the time slot I posted it.

[Denver]

I have to say, I have a certain amount of respect for these 21st-ers.

For people with eccentric beliefs, including religious and paranormal, it seems much more common for them to find ways to avoid testing their beliefs. To avoid putting anything on the line for their beliefs. To avoid putting themselves in a situation where they might have to admit they were wrong.

These people have done what is usually unthinkable in those circles: they've made a prediction, picked a date, and gone way way out of their way to advertise it. To everyone.

My best hope is that they will recover from this, question their beliefs and actions, and learn from this. I feel especially bad for the kids who are being dragged into it. But again, I hope their life after this is better for it, than their life before.

[Newbeak]

I have to say, I have a certain amount of respect for these 21st-ers.

For people with eccentric beliefs, including religious and paranormal, it seems much more common for them to find ways to avoid testing their beliefs. To avoid putting anything on the line for their beliefs. To avoid putting themselves in a situation where they might have to admit they were wrong.

These people have done what is usually unthinkable in those circles: they've made a prediction, picked a date, and gone way way out of their way to advertise it. To everyone.

My best hope is that they will recover from this, question their beliefs and actions, and learn from this. I feel especially bad for the kids who are being dragged into it. But again, I hope their life after this is better for it, than their life before.

I agree,but it's a pity they don't step outside their comfort zones in support of a rational cause.Oh course,that can be said for the population at large.

[I Ratant]

69.
Buncha 3's there, and it's got the added juice of being a nice double.
.
And the square root of 69 is eight something.
Just heard that on a rap-crap. :)

[Björn Toulouse]

.....I feel especially bad for the kids who are being dragged into it.....


I read the CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/03/06/judgment.day.caravan/index.html?hpt=C1)this morning and was so angry at the picture and quote of the 7 year old that I nearly lost it.


http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/LIVING/03/06/judgment.day.caravan/story.arianna2.cnn.jpg



On May 21, the sun will "turn red like blood," the Earth will open up, bodies will be strewn about and "some people will die for eternity," she says.

"It scares me a little bit because some people are going to die, and I think I'm one of them," she adds. "I'm trying to do good things, but I'm afraid I'm doing something bad."




I wish there was some sort of child abuse law that these parents could be charged with on May 22.

[Darth Rotor]

I wonder how many total times the second coming has been precisely identified? My guess is about 2008, once a year since his supposed death. Maybe a little less depending on how you define a prediction.
2011-33=1978. :)

A little arithmetic assist, from Sith Services.

There will be no charge, this was an introductory offer.

You can even go "plus or minus three" as I've seen mentioned in the thread, and still get, to three sig digits, 1980 years.

[JudeBrando]

I do not believe them. I would support asking them if they know and accept the standard of the God they proclaim for those who would proclaim such a thing in His Name, and if they approve and accept the consequences for one that does so falsely?

[catsmate1]

I dropped in to see what this forum thinks of the current Doomsday nut-jobs in Florida,after having checked the latest news on the CNN website.Are large groups of people in the U.S. completely insane? You rarely see this kind of thing in the other first world nations. I am amazed as well that people on this forum would devote so much intellectual talent to debunking mythology. Aren't your elaborate calculations the modern equivalent of counting angels that can dance on the head of a pin? Oh well,everyone needs a hobby,I suppose..
There are a few of these posters in Dublin also. Though not for long I suspect.

[tsig]

I have to say, I have a certain amount of respect for these 21st-ers.

For people with eccentric beliefs, including religious and paranormal, it seems much more common for them to find ways to avoid testing their beliefs. To avoid putting anything on the line for their beliefs. To avoid putting themselves in a situation where they might have to admit they were wrong.

These people have done what is usually unthinkable in those circles: they've made a prediction, picked a date, and gone way way out of their way to advertise it. To everyone.

My best hope is that they will recover from this, question their beliefs and actions, and learn from this. I feel especially bad for the kids who are being dragged into it. But again, I hope their life after this is better for it, than their life before.

Experience shows not much hope:

Riecken, & Stanley Schachter, When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the End of the World (University of Minnesota Press; 1956).
Quote: Marian Keech was the leader of a UFO cult in the 1950s. She claimed to get messages from extraterrestrials, known as The Guardians, through automatic writing. Like the Heaven's Gate folks forty years later, Keech and her followers, known as The Seekers or The Brotherhood of the Seven Rays, were waiting to be picked up by flying saucers. In Keech's prophecy, her group of eleven was to be saved just before the earth was to be destroyed by a massive flood on December 21, 1954. When it became evident that there would be no flood and the Guardians weren't stopping by to pick them up, Keech

became elated. She said she'd just received a telepathic message from the Guardians saying that her group of believers had spread so much light with their unflagging faith that God had spared the world from the cataclysm (Levine 2003: 206).

More important, the Seekers didn't abandon her. Most became more devoted after the failed prophecy. (Only two left the cult when the world didn't end.) "Most disciples not only stayed but, having made that decision, were now even more convinced than before that Keech had been right all along....Being wrong turned them into true believers (ibid.)." Some people will go to bizarre lengths to avoid inconsistency between their cherished beliefs and the facts. But why do people interpret the same evidence in contrary ways?

The Seekers would not have waited for the flying saucer if they thought it might not come. So, when it didn't come, one would think that a competent thinker would have seen this as falsifying Keech's claim that it would come. However, the incompetent thinkers were rendered incompetent by their devotion to Keech. Their belief that a flying saucer would pick them up was based on faith, not evidence. Likewise, their belief that the failure of the prophesy shouldn't count against their belief was another act of faith. With this kind of irrational thinking, it may seem pointless to produce evidence to try to persuade people of the error of their ways.

[fuelair]

Rapture date: May 21, 2011. Exactly 7000 years from the Flood.



Sorry, I have plans on the 20th-23rd. They'll just have to put it off a few days!!

[fuelair]

And, hey, those Dec. 2012 nutcases wil be crapping themselves for missing this!!!:D:D:D

[Legalduck]

I noticed, as some others have, that the 21st is a Saturday.

I think I can guess what the #1 pick-up line will be Friday night on May 20th:D

"Hey babe, the world is ending tomorrow, wanna' [rule 8]?"

[Lisa Simpson]

I wish there was some sort of child abuse law that these parents could be charged with on May 22.

It makes me angry too. There are children at my work who are sure they are going to die soon. Either this year or next.

[Foster Zygote]

It makes me angry too. There are children at my work who are sure they are going to die soon. Either this year or next.

Hopefully, come May 22, the seeds of doubt will be sown.

[Gawdzilla]

So if it doesn't happen we may have to wait another thousand years to get rid of the nut-case fundies?

[JihadJane]

The end of the recession is nigh!

[Gawdzilla]

The end of the recession is nigh!

So, a precession is predicted?

[Robin]

Considering the number of people who are actually righteous rather than self-righteous, I would suspect that it would be days before anyone noticed anything amiss.

Many of the Christians I know, well, I can't see God wanting to put up with them. They'd be preaching to HIM by the seventh day.

Of course, I'd love to be able to tell some of them, "Oh yes, the Rapture happened last week. Didn't you notice?"
I like this idea.

You could go out very early morning in a "rapture ready" area and leave little piles of clothing all over the place.

[I Ratant]

Rapture readys shouldn't be allowed to operate moving machinery.
I'd hate to be on the plane when the flight crew gets called!

[Ladewig]

Rapture readys shouldn't be allowed to operate moving machinery.
I'd hate to be on the plane when the flight crew gets called!

Snopes says this type of concern dates back to at least 1993.
http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp

[I Ratant]

I've seen a bumper sticker saying that "this car will be unmanned, when the Rapture comes".. or something like that.
The dummies have no concern about what an unguided missile will do to all of us (fortunately) left behind!

[The_Fire]

2011-33=1978. :)

[snip] 1980 years.

That explains the hairdoos during the 80'ties. It wasn't bad taste, it was a result of a failed rapture !

[Hokulele]

Jesus called up their fashion sense and left the rest of their poorly coiffed carcasses behind?

[Gawdzilla]

I'd rather be left behind than spend eternity with those hypocrites.

[Piscivore]

Someone has paid for a billboard here in town that says:

Save the date:
Return of Christ
May 21, 2001

weCanKNOW.com

Can't wait to see how fast it comes down. :)

[AvalonXQ]

So Christ returned 10 years ago, then?

[Piscivore]

So Christ returned 10 years ago, then?

D'oh. I keep doing that at work, too.

[Tricky]

Someone has paid for a billboard here in town that says:

Save the date:
Return of Christ
May 21, 2001

weCanKNOW.com

Can't wait to see how fast it comes down. :)
That site (http://www.wecanknow.com/)is a hoot! I think I'll try to click "contact us" on March 22.

[Ladewig]

That site (http://www.wecanknow.com/)is a hoot! I think I'll try to click "contact us" on March 22.

The are collecting money. Are they a scam or do they really believe that we are two months away from the end of the world as we know it?

[Beerina]

Any believers up to signing over all their money and property, effective May 22, 2011? I'll worry about making sure the taxes get paid.

[Dragon]

I read the CNN article (http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/03/06/judgment.day.caravan/index.html?hpt=C1)this morning and was so angry at the picture and quote of the 7 year old that I nearly lost it.


http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/LIVING/03/06/judgment.day.caravan/story.arianna2.cnn.jpg






I wish there was some sort of child abuse law that these parents could be charged with on May 22.

It makes me angry too. There are children at my work who are sure they are going to die soon. Either this year or next.


Child abuse of this kind is not confined to the Rapture Ready/Born Again strain of Christianity -

In the wake of the current scandal over child abuse by priests , I have had a letter from an American woman in her mid forties who was brought up Roman Catholic. She has two strong recollections from when she was seven. She was sexually abused by her parish priest in his car. And around the same time a little schoolfriend of hers, who had tragically died, went to hell because she was a Protestant. Or so my correspondent was led to believe by the then official doctrine of her church. Her view now is that, of these two examples of Roman Catholic child abuse, the one physical and the other mental, the second was by far the worst. She writes:

"Being fondled by the priest simply left the impression (from the mind of a 7 year old) as 'yuchy' while the memory of my friend going to hell was one of cold, immeasurable fear. I never lost sleep because of the priest ? but I spent many a night being terrified that the people I loved would go to Hell. It gave me nightmares."

http://richarddawkins.net/articles/118-religion-39-s-real-child-abuse

[Andrew Wiggin]

My first personal experience with this sort of woo came as a child in one of my mercifully brief public school experiences, when I had a teacher who believed that the end of the world was heralded by the planetary alignment of november 1980, which she told the class would cause the other planets gravity to tear the earth apart and kill everyone. I will admit it looked quite pretty in the sky, but I'm somehow still here, and so is most everyone else. At the time I was quite frightened though, to the extent that some of the parents, including my own had a talk with the teacher, and early in december she did apologize to the class. She literally had reduced some of the more impressionable kids to nonfuntionality and panic.

http://rao.150m.com/AlignmentNov1980.html

Had to go through basically the same damn thing in 1982 too, with the additional postdiction that the disaster had begun in 1980, with the eruption of Mount St. Helens

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Effect

[Meadmaker]

I've always wondered; does God consider timezone when he does his rapturing?

Santa Claus does, so my guess is that God will, too.

But...all the cool rapture stories all have afternoon or early evening raptures. You never see a good rapture video where people magically disappear, mostly from their beds.

[Roadtoad]

Santa Claus does, so my guess is that God will, too.

But...all the cool rapture stories all have afternoon or early evening raptures. You never see a good rapture video where people magically disappear, mostly from their beds.

All the cool rapture stories are written and set up so they can be marketed to the stupid.

On May 22, I'm going to see if I can get out to Harold Camping's place, just to see if I can find the keys to his car. I mean, if he's right, he won't be needing it.

[Piscivore]

That site (http://www.wecanknow.com/)is a hoot! I think I'll try to click "contact us" on March 22.

I just sent them this email through that site:
"If you are sincere about this apocalypse you are preaching, I invite you to put all your cards on the table and draft and sign a legal contract turning over all your worldly assets to me, effective May 22, 2011."

[Skeptic Ginger]

Time for a new thread bump.

Blow the Trumpet, Warn the People, Rapture is guaranteed by the Bible on May 21, 2011. (http://www.familyradio.com/index2.html) I don't think this is different from the OP and it's the same site Tricky linked to above..

Rapture battle on billboards hit Bay Area (http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17910516?nclick_check=1)

For those that don't want to review the thread:the May 21 deadline has been actively publicized by Oakland's Harold Camping, a Bible scholar, former civil engineer and head of Family Radio, a 24-hour nonprofit evangelical broadcasting network he founded in 1959....

Also on May 21 and 22, the American Atheists will hold their regional meeting in Oakland and celebrate the "Rapture that Wasn't." Events include speakers, a post-rapture party, and a performance by a comedian, Mr. Deity. Go to www.atheists.org/oakland for details.Celebrating 2000 years of "any day now". :D

And if you prefer the video news version: CNN on the new billboard. (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/25/billboard-battle-over-judgment-day/)

[JihadJane]

Not long to go now - I can't wait!

[Tricky]

I see they're having an atheist "rapture party" in Houston. I wonder if Geek Goddess is involved?

[Geek Goddess]

I see they're having an atheist "rapture party" in Houston. I wonder if Geek Goddess is involved?

In so much that the it is listed on numerous meetup sites, including the Houston Skeptics.

Miss you at the meetings!

[Tricky]

In so much that the it is listed on numerous meetup sites, including the Houston Skeptics.

Miss you at the meetings!
I don't get out much these days. Hope that will change once I get my new hip (http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=205817&highlight=neurosis).

[patchbunny]

I see they're having an atheist "rapture party" in Houston. I wonder if Geek Goddess is involved?

There's one in Oakland, California (https://atheists.org/events/Rapture_RAMS) as well.

Has anyone ever tried contacting the Harold Camping followers and asking if you could swing by and claim their stuff on May 20?

[Roadtoad]

I'm sure people have. I read through their site, and noted the rather bizarre methodology Camping uses to determine the end date. Given far more reputable scholars have called Camping an opportunistic crackpot, or words to that effect, it seems to me there's little point in trying to confront this clown.

Dibs on his Mercedes.

[Björn Toulouse]

I just sent them this email through that site:
"If you are sincere about this apocalypse you are preaching, I invite you to put all your cards on the table and draft and sign a legal contract turning over all your worldly assets to me, effective May 22, 2011."


I'm a little happy tonight. I sent them this:


I was just wondering. Since you guys are going to be raptured on May 21 and I'm still going to be left behind here for a few more months until JC comes back and puts us all to the sword, is there any swag you'd like to leave that I can have to kind of make the horrible period of 5 months of torment upon Earth a bit easier on me even though I am an infidel? I am shamelessly appealing to your Christian hearts here, OK? I mean, I would like to keep feeding my dogs well until the utter destruction on Oct. 21. I guess they're going to be wiped out too, but they have been so loyal to me. Please contact me before the ascension.

Thanking you in advance,

Björn

[Darth Rotor]

From our numerology discussions of Revelation in my junior high Bible class:

3: God
4: Nature, the natural world, creation
7 (3+4): Perfection, completeness
6 (7-1): Incompleteness, imperfection, flaw, wrongness
10: Worldly power, human authority, those who do not inherit from God
12 (3*4): Heavenly authority, the inheritors of God
Seventeen wasn't on our radar, either.
There is something wrong here, as six is the number of beers in a six pack, and that is a matter of perfection. :cool:

I noticed, as some others have, that the 21st is a Saturday.

I think I can guess what the #1 pick-up line will be Friday night on May 20th :D

"Hey babe, the world is ending tomorrow, wanna' [rule 8]?"
Yep, you can see that one coming like a freight train ...
That explains the hairdoos during the 80'ties. It wasn't bad taste, it was a result of a failed rapture !
Correct.
So Christ returned 10 years ago, then?
Yes, but I regret to report that he dropped in at an alehouse I used to frequent. He asked the landlady for credit, and she answered him nay, so he said

"See you in a few, and be ready next time."

Well, that's what it sounded like, we were well into our cups at the time ...

By the way, I pass two of the "it's gonna happen on 21 May 2011" billboards each day on the way home from work. I am not sure who they are trying to convince, as a good many folk down this away don't read English too good at all. :p

[MG1962]

There is something wrong here, as six is the number of beers in a six pack, and that is a matter of perfection. :cool:

Lightweight :p

[Tricky]

Yes, but I regret to report that he dropped in at an alehouse I used to frequent. He asked the landlady for credit, and she answered him nay,
No! Nay! Never!:jaw-dropp

[gambling_cruiser]

Is there a rapture meeting point in Las Vegas?

[Darth Rotor]

No! Nay! Never!:jaw-dropp
You won't see me playing the Wild Rover ...

[Louisthe13th]

From the website:


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Christ Returns May 21, 2011
Sorry, we are no longer accepting requests for free materials.

Dear Friends,

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Wow.

[Paul Bethke]

It has never been my practice to comment on some one else’s thread—but this being a Biblical concept; perhaps I can be tolerated.

The Rapture as presented is to take the faithful out of this world before the great tribulation. So Jesus will come and take his Church out of this world---but that is not what Jesus said----what he stated regardless of what people think; his word is final

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the Evil one.

According to the Scriptures the Evil one is in control of the world now.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the Evil one.

So why take the Church out when the Evil one is in control –surely that is running away—not staying to fight—sort of cowardly.

The next event to take place is the coming of the son of man; who is not Jesus.
Similar to John the Baptist—to prepare the coming of Jesus.

Scripture from NIV.

[IMST]

There is something wrong here, as six is the number of beers in a six pack, and that is a matter of perfection. :cool:

Repent Sinner, and look upon the quantity of beers that shames your puny idea of perfection!
http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/180064db9c95568de9.jpg

[Travis]

It has never been my practice to comment on some one else’s thread—but this being a Biblical concept; perhaps I can be tolerated.

The Rapture as presented is to take the faithful out of this world before the great tribulation. So Jesus will come and take his Church out of this world---but that is not what Jesus said----what he stated regardless of what people think; his word is final

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the Evil one.

According to the Scriptures the Evil one is in control of the world now.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the Evil one.

So why take the Church out when the Evil one is in control –surely that is running away—not staying to fight—sort of cowardly.

The next event to take place is the coming of the son of man; who is not Jesus.
Similar to John the Baptist—to prepare the coming of Jesus.

Scripture from NIV.


So that means even you are under the control of the evil one. Which makes your interpretation a distillation of evil itself.

[Mark6]

Good God! Family Radio!? These clowns were convinced that the Rapture would take place in 2000! They keep trying to hit a day when Jesus will return, and they have NEVER gotten it right! Hell, the folks who ran Family Radio here in Sacramento were promoting the 2000 rapture right up to the day when it was supposed to have happened! (Of course, they never sold off their homes or cars, or did anything even remotely suggestive that they might be right actually believe it!)
Fixed it for you

[Ladewig]

It has never been my practice to comment on some one else’s thread—but this being a Biblical concept; perhaps I can be tolerated.

The Rapture as presented is to take the faithful out of this world before the great tribulation. So Jesus will come and take his Church out of this world---but that is not what Jesus said----what he stated regardless of what people think; his word is final

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the Evil one.

According to the Scriptures the Evil one is in control of the world now.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the Evil one.

So why take the Church out when the Evil one is in control –surely that is running away—not staying to fight—sort of cowardly.

The next event to take place is the coming of the son of man; who is not Jesus.
Similar to John the Baptist—to prepare the coming of Jesus.

Scripture from NIV.


I figured that an opening post with only three sentences would be clear enough that nobody could miss the point. And yet someone did.

Here is the point ------> Matt 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Date setting is beyond useless.


ETA: the second point was that there was no Flood so picking a date 7000 years after the date of a fictional event cannot produce reliable data.

[Paul Bethke]

So that means even you are under the control of the evil one. Which makes your interpretation a distillation of evil itself.

You are wrong I have overcome the evil one as stated.
I am merely using the Scripture to explain Scripture

1 John 2:14 I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

There is a way in which to overcome:-

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jesus stated that the Devil also known as the Prince of this world had no hold on him.
John 14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,

So the whole world is controlled by the Devil—but the Saints are free of his contriol—they exercise self –control.

But I do not want to take over this thread—just made a comment

Thank you.

[Paul Bethke]

I figured that an opening post with only three sentences would be clear enough that nobody could miss the point. And yet someone did.

Here is the point ------> Matt 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Date setting is beyond useless.


ETA: the second point was that there was no Flood so picking a date 7000 years after the date of a fictional event cannot produce reliable data.

But staying with Scripture—Scripture is used to interpret Scripture; even if you do not believe what is written.

So the Father can reveal the date; if he so desires?

[Lord Emsworth]

Scripture from NIV.

Why not quote something on false prophets?

[Tricky]

Something good actually came out of this Rapture BS. Today I got a telemarketing call from one of those people who just wouldn't give up. Instead of hanging up, I told them, "I have no need for your product since the world is ending in three weeks on May 21st." There was a nearly audible pause on the other end, and finally a cautious, "Um... what is that?"

"The world is ending in about three weeks, you sinner, and I think you probably have better things to do with your last days on earth than spend it trying to sell me window insulation!" I said in my best evangelical voice.

"Um... okay. Thanks."

I wonder if that got a bunch of jokes from the phone room people at their next break.

[JihadJane]

Something good actually came out of this Rapture BS. Today I got a telemarketing call from one of those people who just wouldn't give up. Instead of hanging up, I told them, "I have no need for your product since the world is ending in three weeks on May 21st." There was a nearly audible pause on the other end, and finally a cautious, "Um... what is that?"

"The world is ending in about three weeks, you sinner, and I think you probably have better things to do with your last days on earth than spend it trying to sell me window insulation!" I said in my best evangelical voice.

"Um... okay. Thanks."

I wonder if that got a bunch of jokes from the phone room people at their next break.

Good thinking. :)

[George152]

No! Nay! Never!:jaw-dropp

Some-one knows a folk song some-one does :)

[Björn Toulouse]

Something good actually came out of this Rapture BS. Today I got a telemarketing call from one of those people who just wouldn't give up. Instead of hanging up, I told them, "I have no need for your product since the world is ending in three weeks on May 21st." There was a nearly audible pause on the other end, and finally a cautious, "Um... what is that?"

"The world is ending in about three weeks, you sinner, and I think you probably have better things to do with your last days on earth than spend it trying to sell me window insulation!" I said in my best evangelical voice.

"Um... okay. Thanks."

I wonder if that got a bunch of jokes from the phone room people at their next break.


Get ready for a boatload of calls on May 22.