Not With Bang But A Whimper…
According to the scientific organization Nervous Evangalists With Calculators (or this guy) tomorrow is the end of the world. I understand why some religious folks get giddy at the thought of the end of days. It’s kind of the big payoff, the definitive moment when they say “we were right, you were wrong, Jesus is here in his spaceship so we’re gonna jet…” Still, this is truly upsetting news in that I had planned on doing two loads of laundry on Sunday.
I suppose I can raptured in less-than-fresh jeans (or left behind with the rest of you sinners). In case you have big plans or would prefer to ascend to Heaven at a different time, here’s a list of past & future end of the world predictions. It’s kind of like a bus schedule for salvation/damnation.
1844 - William Miller predicted Christ would return between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844, then revised his prediction, claiming to have miscalculated Scripture, to October 22, 1844.
1914, 1918, 1925, 1942 - Dates set for the end by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
1981 - Chuck Smith predicted that Jesus would probably return by 1981.
1988- Publication of 88 Reasons why the Rapture is in 1988, by Edgar C. Whisenant.
1989- Publication of The final shout: Rapture report 1989, by Edgar Whisenant. More predictions by this author appeared for 1992, 1995, and other years.
1992 - Korean group “Mission for the Coming Days” predicted October 28, 1992 as the date for the rapture.
1993 - Seven years before the year 2000. The rapture would have to start to allow for seven years of the Tribulation before the Return in 2000. Multiple predictions.
1994- Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church in Los Angeles predicted June 9, 1994. Radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted September 6, 1994.
2011- Harold Camping’s revised prediction has May 21, 2011 as the date of the rapture.
2060 - Sir Isaac Newton proposed, based upon his calculations using figures from the book of Daniel, that the Apocalypse could happen no earlier than 2060.
I guess this is the only legit world-ending prediction I know of: 28 days, 6 hours, 42 mins, ….
