Well, today it's official: Harold Camping is a false prophet.

Again.

Yes, he's done this before. 

His most recent prediction (that Jesus would return on May 21st, yesterday) failed.

(Image from articlesontop.com)

The Family Radio Home Page shows the countdown at "zero": click here

Ordinarily, we wouldn't get too exercised over something like this. Many kooky sensationalists and date-setters have made similar prophetic predictions over the years.

It's been going on for centuries, in fact. Professor Raphael Patai, in The Messiah Texts (Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 1979) documents early instances of Jewish date-setting. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, for instance, thought the Messiah would come during the first century AD (he was actually right, but not in the way he thought). So date-setting and other forms of out-of-control apocalypticism are really nothing new.

However, this instance is different because Harold Camping's prophetic palaver is heard daily on his network of 66 FM radio stations in the US and several foreign countries. For the past several months, Camping has been telling anyone who would listen that "the Bible guarantees" that Judgment Day would happen on May 21, 2011.

Judgment Day à la Camping was supposed to be accompanied by a worldwide earthquake and the Rapture of true believers.

None of it happened, of course; and many unbelievers will no doubt conclude that the Bible (and by extension, God) was wrong.

And therein lies the problem. With Mr. Camping's claims that "the Bible guarantees" the accuracy of his predictions, he's taking it upon himself to put the Bible's credibility on the line. This is extremely sad and tragic.

God himself tells us that it's important to maintain a good testimony before a watching world: "Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:12).

Mr. Camping has been discussing his predictions on his "Open Forum" call-in program on Family Radio (click here for the archives). If you take the time to listen to the programs leading up to May 21st, you'll notice how he avoids questions that make him uncomfortable. He just says, "Excuse me," and cuts questioners off. The "Open Forum" program for Wednesday, May 18 includes several such instances.

When his earlier predictions failed, Harold blamed it on mathematical error. This time, however, he said the earlier errors had been corrected and he was "100 percent certain" that May 21st would be the long-prophesied Judgment Day.

Tomorrow's issue of USA Today says Camping has dropped out of sight following the failure of his prophecy: click here

Mr. Camping, you can't hide forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to emerge from the shadows and face the music.

Your followers trusted you. Some of them poured large amounts of money into advertising your bogus prophecy.

Your irresponsibility has unnecessarily divided families and caused untold hurt.

You, sir, have a lot of explaining to do.