Harold Camping Apologizes For Faulty Rapture Predictions And Retires, Report States

Three proposed Rapture dates have come and gone, and the world has not ended.

Controversial Christian broadcaster Harold Camping has acknowledged his faulty projections, and issued an apology to his followers. The Christian Post reports that the longtime radio evangelist has retired.

Brandon Tauszik, documentarian, told the Post exclusively that he had spoken to Camping, who seemed "disappointed" by his failed predictions and said he "is no longer able to lead Family Radio Stations, Inc., or his ministry."

In an audio message posted on Camping's Family Radio website, the 90-year-old broadcaster told his listeners that the Rapture did not occur October 21 because it was ultimately God's will. "He could have stopped everything if He had wanted to," he said.

In addition, he admits that his calculations were wrong and tells his followers that "we should be very patient about this matter. At least in a minimal way we are learning to walk more and more humble before God."

Camping also apologized for a controversial comment saying that God had stopped saving people who did not believe in his May 21 spiritual judgment day predictions. Camping points out that believers must continue studying the Bible, praying, and remembering that God is in charge.

The evangelist claimed to have cracked a code in the Bible that allowed him to calculate the date of the Rapture. He predicted the world would end in 1994, May 2011, and then in October 2011, the Christian Post reports.

Some devout listeners reportedly sold their belongings and donated money to Camping's cause, the Associated Press reports.

For more on the story, view the video above.

Comments

[Al Lane]

05:24 PM on 12/21/2011

When a chain becomes broken, you have to wonder about integrity of the other links. Harold clearly stated multiple times that those that don’t believe exactly what he teaches or that May 21, or Oct. 21, 2011 is Judgment Day, will not be saved. 3 times these false predictions shed light on many other false teachings, including his misinterpretations (or actually theories) regarding: the sacraments, the Trinity of God, the End of the Church Age, i.e. that the devil is ruling God’s churches, that Jesus’ appearance on earth during the New Testament times was merely a demonstration of something that happened before God created the world (sort of like a movie rerun), his theory / definition of “The Elect), and his theory on Hell. Finally the latest false prophecy was that the time of the tribulation and Judgment Day had already come and gone without us noticing. Revelation 1 vs. 7.

He cannot explain 1 Peter 3 beginning at verse 18 or Revelation 1 vs. 7. Harold's other theories, in which he tries so hard to make work within his non-biblical personal agenda, still need to be sorted out by his group to learn the truth! Simply put, Harold wants you to stop going to your church and instead believe what HE teaches (despite having been wrong) while giving of your time, talents and financial support to Family Radio. Just because Harold Camping says so?

Judgment Day WILL come.. on a day that God has already chosen.

[bmuesli]

10:30 PM on 12/29/2011

It's not Harold's fault. No one can explain those things, because they are a bunch of made-up nonsense.

[Tom Hn]

01:21 PM on 12/21/2011

Just fly to Jesus already

[Kareem Gan]

09:19 AM on 12/21/2011

he just needs to face his own mortality, whether there be something beyond or not, face your mortality harold! face it!!! face it!! woo face it!!

[Curtis Scarbrough]

03:56 AM on 12/06/2011

And I figured he was going to spend the rest of his life saying "The end of the world is tomorrow" until he either died or got it right.

[Mike De Fleuriot]

11:24 PM on 12/05/2011

Tell me again the benefits of believing in gods? Well apart from the coinage you can rip from your sheeple, there is nothing good and honest nor true about belief in gods.

[Abraham Sylvestre]

07:45 PM on 11/29/2011

You know what I hate the most about all of this? This one guy made EVERY Christian look bad, and less than like 5% of us actually believed this BS...

[Mike De Fleuriot]

11:21 PM on 12/05/2011

Well being an atheist, he did not make me look bad. Maybe that is something to think about.

[Nekiesha Simmons]

03:55 AM on 12/19/2011

Mike, you know for an atheist you seem very devout to pushing your beliefs, or lack there of, on others. If you're an atheist, that's good for you. But I'd rather believe in something and stand for it, than believe in nothing and fall for anything. We are taught that it is not the most prosperous, but the most devout, the most giving, the most selfless that God favors. Leading a life that is morally correct, is based on helping rather than hurting others, and loving family, friends, even strangers, what is wrong with that? What is bad, dishonest or false about that? Be an atheist if you want, but don't think you can convert a truly devout Christian. I'm proud to be one, I personally don't care how you lead your life and that's the difference between you and I. I don't try to push my ideals on people of a different religion, or with no religion at all. I have friends of all religions and I never say "oh that's wrong, no no your God doesn't exist" because I respect them enough to respect their beliefs as they respect mine. . In fact, the way many atheists go around trying to spread what they think and how they feel makes atheism a religion in itself. Contradiction at it's best, hello irony :). Maybe THAT is something to think about.

[Curtis Scarbrough]

03:57 AM on 12/06/2011

Don't worry Abraham, some of us godless heathens can differentiate the good Christians from the crazy ones (We have our fair share of crazies too)

[kbarrand]

12:00 PM on 11/20/2011

stupid is as stupid does

[Charlie Rizzo]

04:25 PM on 11/11/2011

Sorry about what? Camping said last night that God mislead him for a reason. Comparing himself with Abraham (ego beyond belief) who was being commanded to offer up Isaac. God had no intention to allow Abe's killing his only son. Abe looked like a psycho but he was ready to plunge the dagger....Point....Harold had to bear the humiliating failure after failure BUT it dawned on him he was obedient. It was God who allowed Harold to screw up prophecy. Gee whiz Harold....what a guy. If he was "sorry" it was not a godly sorrow. He wants his cake and eat it to.....Go away Harold.

[sifc33]

01:07 AM on 11/10/2011

Honestly it's too bad, bc the music they play on Family Radio is actually pretty awesome and super old school vintage you can't find anywhere else. With that, they play a lot of vinyls which sound super chill. I was never a fan of Mr. Camping, he always seemed like a pompous d/b on Open Forum, and besides he is so warped in 5pt Calvinism, it's exhausting to listen to anyone who believes in that malarkey. I used to give money to FR, I'll admit it, only bc the music was so peaceful while driving around the crazy streets of Brooklyn, it was a sweet relief.

[tangelan]

11:16 AM on 11/07/2011

Will he apologize enuough to give back those donation?

[Ghostberry]

01:05 PM on 11/07/2011

Hah! good one. He didn't even bother to make his announcement in person, posts an online video then retreats to his moneypile.

[BenFromCA]

11:25 PM on 11/06/2011

I'm glad to see Camping retire from his irrational pursuits. At the same time, I have much sympathy for him. It must be devastating to spend ones entire life as the champion of a belief, only to find at life's end, that the belief was nothing more than a fairy tale.

[lesaltatum]

02:13 AM on 11/10/2011

Ben you're completely off base. He has not found out that his belief is a fairytale. His predictions were wrong. He thought he could predict the end of the world. Christianity states that no man will the know the time or the hour of the end of the world. This man thought he could. He was wrong not his faith or Christianity.

[BenFromCA]

02:14 AM on 11/11/2011

That's one interpretation...

[Lanny Camden]

06:32 PM on 12/09/2011

It is just another confirmation of times preceding Christs promised return. We have also seen those who call themselves Churches yet do not hold to the Apostles creeds and those who claim to be the last prophet.

Those who proclaim dates are not being wise, but allowing themselves to be diverted from the scriptures promises and warnings concerning mans nature.

[sallysees]

02:31 PM on 11/06/2011

I was curios why the extreme public castigation and almost an audible hissing at Pastor Camping for the crime of date-setting, not just from the Media, but even from his fellow Mainstream Christian organizations too?
I think if you read his Bible teaching, the key to this controversy, is His belief that the whole Church age is corrupt and listening more and more to interfaith blandishments, compromising with gay and lesbian lifestyles, dabbling in Eastern practices, and no longer believes the Bible is God-breathed, and the only source of truth, and he argues (and rightly so) that it proves that the Church age is over, and we are already in the Tribulation period.

And...of course, he's absolutely right...in every point!!!

[ashiraladonai777]

04:16 PM on 11/06/2011

The extreme castigation comes in where his false prophecies come in, which make him a false prophet. In the OT, such people had a very harsh punishment...& they only had ONE chance to prove if they were in fact speaking for God & not leading the people away from God. I agree we are in the last days, but seeing as how he'd influenced some people I know & deceived them, I'm glad he's finally admitting he was in the wrong & stepping down. I forgive him his error on that. We all stumble, but he REALLY ran w/ that...

[jmccar5748]

06:59 PM on 11/07/2011

Good grief.

[lmam]

10:14 AM on 11/06/2011

l can't believe people fell for his false predictions, an actually gave him money...The bible teaches you that no man knows the day or hour, not Jesus nor the angels who are in Heaven with our Lord
See St Mark 13-32 Also read 13-22..lf people would follow the scriptures as instructed to do then we wouldn't have this problem...Our lord is foretelling us what to look out for in advance, yet many still behave foolishly, go astray, and lend their ear to false prophets.

[speedy evans]

11:38 AM on 11/06/2011

MARK was lie'n as much as harold was so what your point .acordindg to the book of the holy hooodoo he wasn't even bone at that time.so who told him the lie 1st.it's all made up by the catholic church .beliveving in a idioctic concept is foolish an borders on insanity

[lmam]

09:10 AM on 11/06/2011

l can't believe people actually fell for these false predictions, when the bible teaches you too guard yourself against deceiving men...Jesus said no man knows the time or day including himself nor the angels...NOR THE ANGELS! who are in Heaven with the Lord....See Bible St.Mark 13-32 also read 13-22.

[JoshWDC]

12:44 AM on 12/06/2011

Anyone who is foolish enough to believe in the christian bible is no less a fool than those who listened to Camping.

[OvertOddity]

08:26 AM on 11/06/2011

I guess he has made enough money.