The Upcoming Rapture and Judgment Day: The Lighter Side
Harold Camping, president of Family Radio, is predicting again a precise date for the rapture and the Judgment Day. This time it is predicted to take place this Saturday, May 21, 2011, at 6:00 PM. For those who need greater precision, that’s 6:00 PM Pacific Time.
I hope you will allow me a moment of levity on a very serious topic. The return of Christ is a key doctrinal belief among Christians. His return should be considered with utmost sobriety and readiness. There will be a time when we will meet Him in all of His glory and judgment.
But these end times predictions come and go with fanfare and failure quite often. This time, we have the benefit of the Internet and social media to listen to the world give its perspective of yet another doomsday scenario.
Listening to Twitter
You have to give Harold Camping credit. A worldwide audience has noticed his prediction. I have enjoyed watching the twitterverse respond to this predicted event. Below are some of the more humorous tweets. I gathered some directly off Twitter, and others from CBSNews.com.
· “If I owe you money, I don’t plan on paying you until after May 21.”
· “Who wants to have a rapture party this Saturday? I’ll make clam dip.”
· “Remember everyone: It’s gauche to wear white before Judgment Day.”
· “I need to get some ammo and ice cream before the rapture.”
· “If the rapture is happening Saturday, why is the guy still soliciting donations on his website?”
· “I really don’t have time for the rapture. Plus the weather is supposed to be bad.”
· “With all the 5/21 end of the world talk, why am I on a diet? If we make it to 5/22, I’ll get back on the diet.”
· “My mom acts like the devil. Judgment Day is on her birthday. Coincidence? I think not.”
· “Dude really predicted the end of the world on Pacific time. Guess he wanted to catch some waves before the rapture.”
· “The only way I would believe it’s Judgment Day is if Morgan Freeman came up and told me.”
· “Someone just called our dealership and asked if we were having a Judgment Day sale this weekend.”
· “Saturday, May 21 forecast: Doomy with a chance of rapture.”
Smiling, But a Serious Matter
There will indeed be a day when He judges all. Eternal destinies hang in the balance. Those who have not committed their lives to Christ in repentance and faith should not take His return lightly. Neither should we Christians.
But this prediction seems to be yet another doomsday forecast that is doomed (pun intended) for failure. We can thus smile at some of the responses to him.
And many of them are really funny.