Harold Camping to Issue Statement About Failed Prediction Monday
Harold Camping on Monday is expected to deliver his first public statement on his failed Judgment Day prediction.
In a breaking news post, International Business Times reports that Camping told the paper he would make his statement in a "public forum" sometime on Monday to explain why he had chosen May 21, 2011, as Judgment Day and why it had failed.
Asked why Camping has been silent until now, the Christian radio broadcaster told IBTimes that he needed time to "think and recover" after the rapture didn't happen.
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According to the international paper, Camping will "explain everything" in Monday's public forum.
The exact time of the public forum was not announced.
Camping's comments to IBTimes revealed much more information than San Francisco Chronicle, the only other media outlet that has been able to reach the Family Radio president post-May 21.
Many papers reported that the doomsday preacher had gone "missing" after 6 p.m., the hour he had predicted would signal the rapture of Christians to heaven.
Speaking to the Chronicle, Camping sounded just as puzzled as the followers who believed him. The 89-year-old remarked that he was "flabbergasted" that his calculation was was off and indicated he would "say more" when he returns back to work on Monday.
Camping's flirtation with end times predictions has left the preacher, according to his own words to the Chronicle, "looking for answers," but has caused widespread, and in some cases, irreparable damage.
Some of his followers sold everything to finance the marketing of the May 21 message and now are left with nothing.
Adrienne and Joel Martinez, parents to a toddler daughter and expecting a baby on the way, quit their jobs in Orlando and decided to spend all of their money.
Meanwhile, on the Internet, Christians who didn't buy into Camping's doomsday message still had to join the battle as they defended the incessant ridicule of atheists nationwide.
"The guy who guaranteed May 21st as Judgment Day just forced me to do some damage control for the faith at Starbucks," Dare 2 Share founder Greg Stier tweeted earlier.
Evangelical Christian leaders also weighed in on the Judgment Day sensation, some with outrage, and others with an evangelistic message.
On Saturday, Ed Stetzer, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s LifeWay Research, called on Camping to publicly repent.
“Harold Camping, pls update www.family.radio.com w/your repentance statement & instructions to your now-broke followers,” Stetzer said via Twitter.
Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, meanwhile, saw the heightened news interest as a chance to reach out to more people.
"Harold couldn't be more right. The end of the world is coming," Graham told The Christian Post. "We just don't know the time of it."
"Whether Christ comes or judgment comes, we never really know when death might come so we should always be ready to stand before God," he said.
