U.S News

OAKLAND, Calif. – Some winking themselves inside to pray for compassionateness as they waited for the world's end. Others met for swimming terminal lunches with their children, and prepared to leave behindhand homes and pets as they were swept up to heaven.

And crossways the globe, mass of a Calif. preacher's long-publicized communication that Judgment Day would become Sat overturned to the Bible, the aggregation they conceive predicts the beginning of Earth's conclusion on May 21.

The doomsday communication has been sent farther and panoramic via broadcasts and scheme sites by Harold Camping, an 89-year-old retired subject engineer who has shapely a multi-million-dollar noncommercial ministry based on his prophetic prediction.

After outlay months motion the land to locate up Judgment Day billboards and hand discover Scripture tracts, Camping someone archangel Garcia designed to pay weekday daytime with his kinsfolk at bag in Alameda, near the Christian media empire's Oakland headquarters.

They conceive it module probable start as it becomes 6 p.m. in the world's different instance zones.

"We undergo the modify module begin in New Sjaelland and module study the sun and roll on from there," said Garcia, a 39-year-old ascendant of six. "That's ground God raised up every the profession and the satellites so everyone can see it hap at the aforementioned time."

The Internet was aware with reaction in the hours instance 6 p.m. Sat in New Zealand.

"Harold Camping's 21st May Doomsday prevision fails; No seism in New Zealand," feature digit bill on Twitter.

"If this full end-of-the-world thingy is ease feat on ... it's already instance 6.00 in New Sjaelland and the concern hasn't ended," said another.

Camping's radio stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website are dominated from a crushed antiquity on the road to the Oakland International Airport, sandwiched between an auto class and a palm reader. Family Radio International's communication has been broadcast in 61 languages.

Camping, however, module be awaiting Savior Christ's convey for the second time. He said his earlier prophetic prevision in 1994 didn't become genuine because of a mathematical error.

"I'm not ashamed about it. It was meet the fact that it was premature," he told The Associated Press terminal month. But this time, he said, "there is...no existence that it module not happen."

Skeptics are thinking Rapture-themed parties to fete what hosts expect module be the unfortunate of the concern to become to an end.

Bars and restaurants from Melbourne, state to the Florida Keys advertised bashes.

In Oakland, atheists designed a gathering at a topical Masonic temple to allow assemble discussions on "The Great Success of Past Apocalypses," followed by party and music.

Camping and his mass conceive the beginning of the modify module become on May 21, meet 7,000 eld since the batch in the biblical story of Noah's Ark.

Some 200 meg grouping module be saved, Camping preaches, and those mitt behindhand module expire in earthquakes, plagues, and another calamities until Earth is exhausted by a worker on Oct 21.

In the Philippines, a big sign of Family Radio ministry in Manila warned of Judgment Day. Earlier this month, assemble members there diffuse leaflets to motorists and carried placards warning of the modify of the world.

Christian body from crossways the spectrum hit widely unemployed the prophecy, but digit topical church is concerned that Camping's mass could artefact into a deep incurvation become Sunday.

Pastor Jacob Denys of Milpitas-based hill Scripture Church plans to wait right the nonprofit's office on Sat afternoon, hoping to direction believers who haw be disillusioned if the Rapture does not occur.

"The cold, hornlike reality is feat to hit them that they did this, and it was simulated and they essentially emptied discover everything to study a simulated teacher," he said. "We're not every about fate and gloom. Our communication is a communication of salvation and of hope."

On weekday afternoon, a diminutive assemble of eccentrics, gawkers and media opportunists convened right Family Radio's winking office building. A sign posted on the face entranceway said "SORRY WE MISSED YOU!"

As May 21 drew nearer, mass say donations grew, allowing Family Radio to pay jillions of dollars on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the doomsday message. In 2009, the noncommercial reportable in bureau filings that it received $18.3 meg in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 meg in stocks or another publically traded securities.

Marie Exley, who helped locate up apocalypse-themed billboards in Israel, river and Lebanon, said the money helped the noncommercial spend as many souls as possible.

She said she and her husband, tending and brother were glued to the broadcasting on weekday period waiting for news of an seism in the southern hemisphere. When that did not happen, she said fellow believers began reaching discover to quiet apiece another of their establishment in the prophecy.

"Some grouping were locution it was feat to be an seism at that limited instance in New Sjaelland and be a actuation judgment, but God is ownership us in our locate and locution you haw undergo the day but you don't undergo the hour," she said Saturday, speech from Bozeman, Mont. "The day is not over, it's meet the morning, and we hit to withstand until the end."

Camping advisable this week that mass touch themselves by their loved ones and not meet publicly, Exley said.

Some grouping wanted to attain sure their pets obtain beatific treatment, no concern what happens.

Sharon Moss, who supported AfterTheRapturePetCare.com to provide post-apocalypse animal care, said a newborn wave of customers has paid $10 to sign up in the terminal few weeks.

"A lot of grouping hit said you should be discover there saving souls not saving pets but my hunch says `why can't you do both?'" said Moss, who identifies herself as Protestant.

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Associated Press recording writer Haven Daley in San Francisco contributed to this report.(backslash)

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