U.S News

OAKLAND, Calif. – Calif. preacher Harold Camping said weekday his foretelling that the concern would modify was soured by five months because Judgment Day actually will become on October 21.

Camping, who predicted that 200 meg Christians would be taken to heaven Sat before the Earth was destroyed, said he change so terrible when his doomsday prevision did not become true that he mitt home and took country in a motel with his wife. His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions — whatever of it from donations made by mass — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 RVs plastered with the Judgment Day message.

But Camping said that he's today realized the apocalypse will become five months after May 21, the example fellow he predicted. He had earlier said Oct. 21 was when the globe would be exhausted by a fireball.

It's not the prototypal instance the independent faith broadcasting patron has been unnatural to vindicate when his prevision didn't become to pass. He also predicted the Apocalypse would become in 1994, but said it didn't happen then because of a mathematical error.

Rather than provide his normal regular programme on Monday, Camping made a primary evidence before the press at the Oakland headquarters of the media empire that has programme his message. His show, "Open Forum," has for months headlined his doomsday communication via the group's broadcasting stations, TV channels, satellite broadcasts and website.

When the Rapture didn't come Saturday, crestfallen mass began motion their attention to more earthlike concerns.

Jeff histrion had figured the gas money he spent driving back and forward from Long Island to New royalty City would be worth it, as daylong as grouping could see the ominous clew atop his automobile warning that the End of the World was nigh.

"I've been mocked and scoffed and maledict at and I've been finished a aggregation with this lighted clew on crowning of my car," said Hopkins, 52, a former broadcasting shaper who lives in Great River, NY. "I was doing what I've been taught to do finished the Bible, but today I've been stymied. It's like effort slapped in the face."

Apocalyptic thinking has ever been part of American churchlike chronicle and favourite culture. Teachings most the modify of the concern depart dramatically — even within faith traditions — most how they will occur.

Still, the resistless majority of Christians reject the intent that the literal fellow or instance of Jesus' return can be predicted.

Tim LaHaye, co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" novels most the modify times, fresh called Camping's prevision "not exclusive bizarre but 100 proportionality wrong!" He cited the bible verse Gospels 24:36, `but most that period or distance no one knows" eliminate God.

"While it may be in the nearby future, some signs of our nowadays sure indicate so, but anyone who thinks they `know' the period and the distance is insipid discover wrong," LaHaye wrote on his Web site, leftbehind.com.

In 2009, the noncommercial Family Radio reported in IRS filings that it conventional $18.3 meg in donations, and had assets of more than $104 million, including $34 meg in stocks or another publically traded securities.

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Associated Press illustrator Tom Breen in Raleigh, N.C., and Videographer Ted Shaffrey and AP Religion Writer wife Zoll in New York, contributed to this report.

Garance Burke can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/garanceburke.

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