Harold Camping's New Doomsday Prediction: World to End on Friday, Oct. 21

Harold Camping may need no introduction. The doomsday prophet, who predicted that the world was scheduled to end on May 21, 2011, is back with a new date for Rapture and that happens to be Friday, Oct. 21.

Camping initially predicted that this year believers would be raptured, or ascended to heaven, on May 21, while the rest of the people would witness the final judgment which would be followed by the ultimate destruction of the world.

Since nothing really happened on the scheduled date, the 90-year-old Christian radio broadcaster said he was flabbergasted but maintained that a spiritual Rapture had occurred.

What really happened this past May 21st? What really happened is that God accomplished exactly what He wanted to happen. That was to warn the whole world that on May 21 God's salvation program would be finished on that day. For the next five months, except for the elect (the true believers), the whole world is under God's final judgment, the Family Radio Web site offered an official interpretation.

Camping, the president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that spans more than 150 markets in the U.S., had predicted seven years back that the world would end in September 1994. When that didn't happen, he said he had miscalculated the biblical dates and corrected his prediction to 2011.

The basis for Camping's prediction are two passages from Bible - in one instance God tells Noah that he will bring a flood in seven days, and in another passage it is said that for God, a day is like a thousand years. Camping interprets both and believes that the world will end exactly 7000 years after the flood.

Camping refused to accommodate any chances of the world not ending just like he did last year. We can be sure that the whole world, with the exception of those who are presently saved (the elect), are under the judgment of God, and will be annihilated together with the whole physical world on Oct. 21, 2011, he says.

It is going to happen. There is no possibility that it will not happen, Camping had said in May.

The May doomsday prediction had devastating effects on his stern followers who emptied their bank accounts and sold or donated their belongings to organizations. But Camping refused to accept any responsibility for leading his followers astray when the Rapture didn't occur, saying that his followers' decision was solely between them and God.

Camping said in May that he or his company wouldn't return any money to his followers who donated for publicity campaign of his May prediction. We're not at the end. Why would we return it?

Mainstream Christian groups have distanced themselves from Camping's predictions.

Camping had a stroke on June 9th, but has returned from the hospital. I am still a long ways away from being healed but there is progress being made, Camping said.