Harold Camping is a radio preacher who has become famously distracted with predicting the exact date(s) of Jesus' return to earth. To be honest, I'm not really sure how he comes up with his results but he is completely confident of his conclusions and backs them up with his study and calculations. He has been confident at least four times (maybe more)...and wrong every time. He is not the only Christian to become absorbed with trying to figure out exactly when judgment day will occur. In fact, Jesus knew that many of his followers would get caught up in this type of thing...
"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Matthew 24:23-25)
The thing that troubles me about all this is that it undermines, not only our credibility as a Christ-follower, but even the faith of many who are already believers. How many really take these guys seriously? I'm sure there are some...but not many. But the thing is, judgment day will occur. Jesus will return someday. I'm afraid that when we hear someone say they've figured out that Jesus will return next Thursday we immediately write them off as a lunatic, not because they've figured out when Jesus will return...but because they seem to believe that he really will return. I mean, think about it...if some crackpot predicts the end of the world on a certain day, who's to say that it won't occur as he has predicted? If Jesus could return at any moment (and I believe we should live each day with that expectation)...why not on the day a crazy person predicts?
"So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:44)
If Jesus is going to return when I least expect him what better time than Harold Camping's 5th (or 6th or 37th) calculation? I certainly won't be expecting him to be right!
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