Billboards warn of end of the world
Billboards warn of end of the world
Consider yourself warned.
An evangelical Christian organization from California has posted billboards in Windsor warning that the end of the world is coming, on May 21. It's something of a public service effort.
"We found that one very effective way of warning people is billboards," said Tom Evans, a member of the board of directors with Family Radio in Oakland, Calif.
"We decided to target areas of not only Canada but also the United States that do not hear our programs. We are now going into the whole world. We've been establishing billboards, newspaper articles and whatever we can to really try to warn people of May 21."
The billboards say Judgment Day is coming May 21. They also offer up the website www. familyradio.com for more information, along with some advice: "Cry mightily unto God for his mercy."
Two are posted on Riverside Drive East and Walker Road. The one on Walker stands next to an advertisement for high speed Internet with no longterm contract commitments.
Family Radio, which bills itself as a non-denominational, non-profit organization, has radio stations across the U.S. that it uses to spread the word. It is using the billboards to branch out across the globe.
Evans said May 21 is when the Rapture will begin. It will wrap up Oct. 21 with the "culmination of God's wrath."
"All of God's wrath will be poured out from May 21 to October, then that will be it," said Evans.
The prediction is based on a complicated reading of the Bible and even more complicated mathematical equations involving scriptural events, including the Flood. Evans claims May 21 is the "exact 7,000-year anniversary of the Flood."
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Family Radio founder Harold Camping has made bold predictions before.
Believers gathered on Sept. 6, 1994, to await Christ's return, something Camping had promised for two years.
He later admitted that he might have made a mathematical error, the paper reported, and he spent the next decade running new calculations while building his Christian media empire.
This time, the organization is sure. "It's been a progression of the clear understanding of the Bible," said Evans.
But still, he's thought about the risk of being wrong.
"I've thought about that a lot," said Evans. "But on the other hand, when I weigh the potential for that in contrast to how much evidence there is, I'm compelled. I'm confident, increasingly more confident. There's a significant amount of Biblical evidence that confirms the date."
Dr. Aaron Rock, a pastor at Southwood Community Church in Windsor and adjunct Bible professor at Heritage Baptist College in Cambridge, said predicting the end of the world is "unbiblical.
"I've seen stuff like this, I just kind of ignore it, to be honest," said Rock. "Could Jesus return on that day? Of course he could. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? No."
He said he appreciates the motivation of trying to "wake people up to the spiritual realities" of the world.
"What I don't have any appreciation for is actually setting a date and presuming you know the mind of God in that regard when the Bible forbids it."
When making such grand predictions, said Rock, you're also running a big risk of being wrong. "It also sets you up to be the fool, because you just don't know," he said.
Evans said God has "embedded" a timeline in the Bible that most theologians don't understand.
Billboards warn of end of the world
Consider yourself warned.
An evangelical Christian organization from California has posted billboards in Windsor warning that the end of the world is coming, on May 21. It's something of a public service effort.
"We found that one very effective way of warning people is billboards," said Tom Evans, a member of the board of directors with Family Radio in Oakland, Calif.
"We decided to target areas of not only Canada but also the United States that do not hear our programs. We are now going into the whole world. We've been establishing billboards, newspaper articles and whatever we can to really try to warn people of May 21."
The billboards say Judgment Day is coming May 21. They also offer up the website www. familyradio.com for more information, along with some advice: "Cry mightily unto God for his mercy."
Two are posted on Riverside Drive East and Walker Road. The one on Walker stands next to an advertisement for high speed Internet with no longterm contract commitments.
Family Radio, which bills itself as a non-denominational, non-profit organization, has radio stations across the U.S. that it uses to spread the word. It is using the billboards to branch out across the globe.
Evans said May 21 is when the Rapture will begin. It will wrap up Oct. 21 with the "culmination of God's wrath."
"All of God's wrath will be poured out from May 21 to October, then that will be it," said Evans.
The prediction is based on a complicated reading of the Bible and even more complicated mathematical equations involving scriptural events, including the Flood. Evans claims May 21 is the "exact 7,000-year anniversary of the Flood."
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Family Radio founder Harold Camping has made bold predictions before.
Believers gathered on Sept. 6, 1994, to await Christ's return, something Camping had promised for two years.
He later admitted that he might have made a mathematical error, the paper reported, and he spent the next decade running new calculations while building his Christian media empire.
This time, the organization is sure. "It's been a progression of the clear understanding of the Bible," said Evans.
But still, he's thought about the risk of being wrong.
"I've thought about that a lot," said Evans. "But on the other hand, when I weigh the potential for that in contrast to how much evidence there is, I'm compelled. I'm confident, increasingly more confident. There's a significant amount of Biblical evidence that confirms the date."
Dr. Aaron Rock, a pastor at Southwood Community Church in Windsor and adjunct Bible professor at Heritage Baptist College in Cambridge, said predicting the end of the world is "unbiblical.
"I've seen stuff like this, I just kind of ignore it, to be honest," said Rock. "Could Jesus return on that day? Of course he could. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? No."
He said he appreciates the motivation of trying to "wake people up to the spiritual realities" of the world.
"What I don't have any appreciation for is actually setting a date and presuming you know the mind of God in that regard when the Bible forbids it."
When making such grand predictions, said Rock, you're also running a big risk of being wrong. "It also sets you up to be the fool, because you just don't know," he said.
Evans said God has "embedded" a timeline in the Bible that most theologians don't understand.
