Camping has presented several numerological[15] arguments, or biblical "proofs", in favor of the May 21 end time. A civil engineer by training, Camping states he has attempted to work out mathematically-based prophecies in the Bible for decades. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle he explained "... I was an engineer, I was very interested in the numbers. I'd wonder, 'Why did God put this number in, or that number in?' It was not a question of unbelief, it was a question of, 'There must be a reason for it.' "[16]
As early as 1970, Camping dated the Great Flood to 4990 BC.[17] Taking the prediction in Genesis 7:4 ("Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth") to be a prediction of the end of the world, and combining it with 2 Peter 3:8 ("With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day"), Camping concludes that the end of the world will occur in 2011, 7000 years from 4990 BC.[6] Camping takes the 17th day of the second month mentioned in Genesis 7:11 to be May 21, and hence predicts the rapture to occur on this date.[6]
Another argument[18] that Camping uses in favor of the May 21 date is as follows:
- The number five equals "atonement", the number ten equals "completeness", and the number seventeen equals "heaven".
- Christ is said to have hung on the cross on April 1, 33 AD. The time between April 1, 33 AD and April 1, 2011 is 1,978 years.
- If 1,978 is multiplied by 365.2422 days (the number of days in a solar year, not to be confused with the lunar year), the result is 722,449.
- The time between April 1 and May 21 is 51 days.
- 51 added to 722,449 is 722,500.
- (5 × 10 × 17)2 or (atonement × completeness × heaven)2 also equals 722,500.
Thus, Camping concludes that 5 × 10 × 17 is telling us a "story from the time Christ made payment for our sins until we're completely saved."[16]
Camping has not been precise about the exact timing of the event, saying that "maybe" we can know the hour.[19] He has suggested that "days" in the Bible refer to daylight hours particularly.[19] Another account says the "great earthquake" which signals the start of the Rapture will "start in the Pacific Rim at around the 6 p.m. local time hour, in each time zone."[20]
In Camping's book 1994?, self-published in 1992, he predicted that the End Times would come in September 1994 (variously reported as September 4[14] or September 6[21]). When the Rapture failed to occur on the appointed day, Camping said he had made a mathematical error.[22]
Now what follows is my opinion.1. Camping is using what I call "fuzzy" math. What I mean by this is that he is extrapolating numbers and assigning meaning to them which may or may not have concrete evidence to support why those numbers mean what they do. Additionally he is using mathematical formulas to arrive at a specific conclusion. He does not provide Biblical evidence for why some numbers are added, some are squared, some multiplied, or whatever other mathematical formulas he wants to use.
2. Now this is the biggest one for me. The Gregorian Calendar.
If you are not familiar with this Calendar, it is the Calendar of choice for all Christian based countries, and is recognized world wide. This is the Calendar that provides us with the 12 months Jan - Dec, and the number days within each of those months. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
I do know we have excellent historical records and we have excellent mathematical formulas we can use to apply the Gregorian Calendar to historical times which predate that Calendar. What we don't have is perfection. We do not have the means to show with 100% accuracy that Jesus was crucified on April 1, 33 AD according to the Gregorian Calendar (just a little note. AD stands for After Death, so that would imply Jesus was crucified in the year 0 - I honestly don't know which is the 100% truth).
I believe if God intended to reveal an exact date of the Rapture, he would do so in a way that all righteous men would be able to easily comprehend and understand. I do not believe he would reveal himself in a way that only a handful of men (or women) with advanced degrees in Mathematics would be able to decipher and understand.
I do not know if tomorrow will be the beginning of the Rapture. I do not have enough knowledge to say whether or not this guy is a lunatic or if he is a prophet of God.
I do know I have a yard full of grass that needs to be mowed. I think I'll make my plans for mowing grass instead of being Raptured.
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