END!

“Nope!” is right. We’re all still here, way past 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 21, 2011.

Another “prophecy” bites the dust.

Family Radio host Harold Camping predicted the rapture would occur at 6:00 pm on May 21. At first he said it was 6:00 pm New Zealand time. When nothing happened in that part of the world, he switched the time-zone to Jerusalem time. Jerusalem is still here. And so are we. And I think Camping is here too.

Of course, today he’ll probably announce a glitch in his calculations and push the date forward. Camping is a veteran at this and, around his apocalyptic claims, has built a $72 million- ministry, including Family Radio. His last attempt to date the rapture (or was it the end of the world?) fixed the event at 1994.

Needless to say, that didn’t quite pan out either.

Yesterday, when asked by a reporter what he’d do if this deal didn’t come to pass, Mr. Camping said: “It … will … absolutely … happen!” The man didn’t give himself any wiggle room at all.

The rapture would take 3% of the world’s population to be with Jesus, he said. Earthquakes would happen all over the world, he said, all at 6:00 pm local time, beginning in Christmas Island. It would hit the US at 6:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, he said. The end of the world, though, would happen only five months later, on October 21, 2011, he said.

God must have changed his mind!

So much for doomsday “prophet” Harold Camping.

Lots of folks believed him. A couple of days ago, on May 19, 2011, the search term “end of the world May 21^st” hit #2 rank on Google Trends. “Harold Camping,” “May 21 doomsday,” and “May 21 rapture” reached the top #10.

But some of his own employees took him with a good dose of NaCl. Esther, a receptionist at their Oakland office, declared to CNNMoney on Friday: “I don't believe in any of this stuff that’s going on, and I plan on being here next week.” Some of Camping’s coworkers questioned his “goodbye letter” that encouraged them to “steadfastly continue to stand with us to proclaim the Gospel through Family Radio.”

Did the dude not believe himself? Hmm ….

On this matter of the return of the Lord Jesus, one thing is sure. He is coming back.

Jesus, himself, proclaimed:

“For the Son of Man is going to come

in the glory of His Father

with His angels.”

Matthew 16:27

And part of that end-time complex of events will include the rapture of believers.

For the Lord Himself will descend

from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel

and with the trumpet of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain

will be caught up together with them

in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,

and so we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17

But here’s the deal:

“… of that day and hour no one knows,

not even the angels of heaven,

nor the Son,

but the Father alone.”

Matthew 24:36

No one! Not even Mr. Camping.

Ours is not to fix dates and times and schedules and calendars. Our call is to be patient, to watch and wait for the blessed hope of the Lord’s coming.

Therefore be patient, brethren,

until the coming of the Lord. …

strengthen your hearts,

for the coming of the Lord is near.

James 5:7–8

It is. He’s coming. Soon.

“Come, Lord Jesus!”