Rapture Reflections
by Tyler Woods on May. 23, 2011, under Life
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I attended several rapture parties this weekend because radio evangelical and con artist Harold Camping, the 89-year-old founder of an independent a Christian radio station said it was the rapture this weekend. Of course he also predicted it in 1994. Thanks Harold, this produced not only great parties throughout the world, but it produced lots of fun, food, friend for me and some fascinating conversations and it got me thinking…
I am not sure why so many people are eager to leave this earth. Many are waiting to be sucked up into a heavenly abyss while looking down on us heathens who simply lived our life day to day. I personally had a great day this rapture weekend and attended several parties and even the day after breakfast and must say with each and every prediction, the parties get better, and the technology through the use of Facebook and Youtube is absolutely hilarious.
I must say technology has come a long way from some of the first predictions of the end of the world and looking at some of these predictions can be interesting. For instance, let’s take a typical comet and turn it into the rapture. That is what was done in 1910. It was thought that Haley’s comet was an indication of the end of the world and people even sold comet pills to people for protection against the effects of the toxic gases.
Again another well known rapture rampage came in 1914 when the Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted the war of Armageddon. Predictions from this group also came in 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and I beleive 1994.
Then in 1953 David Davidson wrote a book titled “The Great Pyramid, Its Divine Message”. In it, he predicted that the world would end in August of that year. Then in 1963, when the city of Jerusalem was reclaimed by the Jews prophecy watchers declared that the end would come soon. It seems that people started getting more eager for the world to end by now. We wanted to trade in car hops, good music and drive–ins for a trip to heaven.
The 1970s came with an assortment of prophecies for the end of the world. It started off with Moses David (formerly David Berg) who was the founder of yet another religious group who predicted that a comet, yep another one, would hit the earth, probably in the mid 1970′s and destroy all life in the United States. I am not sure if that counts as the rapture or not, hmmm. Also in 1970 another church made its claim to fame by incorrectly forecasting “second coming” and this time, people in the church had quit everything and gave away everything looking forward to the end of the world.
In 1973 there was another comet and yet another prediction. In 1975 several church groups announced it was time for the end of the world. Then it happened. There was a killer bee scare of the late 70′s. Hold onto your shorts because someone linked the killer bees to the Bible and sure as heck the rapture was on its way. I personally would have just called an exterminator.
Big predictions came again in 1979 by Walter M. Simmons a religious author. Apparently much like Camp, he did some calculations that seemed a bit off. Then in 1981 and 1982 it was supposed to happen and this time due to the way the planets were aligned and the magnetic force would created an earthquake and bammo we are gone and a work hole to heaven would appear. Now if memory serves me magnetic forces, comets, and war would be the likely way rapture would occur.
The 1990s proved to have the most predictions and I counted 48 of them however, I suspect there were much more. Imaginations got much better in the 90s than in the 50s and 60s. People became more creative with their doomsday predictions and included such things as; it will come from outer space “he” will arrive in chariots of flaming steel. Then there was the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and the magnetic field would wipe us out. Of course always there is talk of nuclear war and we cannot forget that in Texas on channel 18 in Garland, God was expected to broadcast a commercial. Finally another prediction of the 90s was “the Men from Planet X will arrive on Earth.”
The 80s and 90s were filled with end of the world, rapture prophecies and it wouldn’t be so bad I suppose if people did not sell all their worldly processions, quite their jobs. Rapture was big bissiness.
Of course the year 2000 has predicted so many it is hard to keep track and some of the predictions I have read date up to 2047. These predictions can actually be dangerous because we must remember not everybody goes out and celebrates with parties and BBQ’s. Some people sadly take it seriously.
I guess the bottom line, as time goes on, the prophecies of the rapture will be predicted more often. It is just a natural state of the human race I suppose, so until the next rapture party…keep reflecting.
