The Beginning and the End?

It just could be coming. Starting tomorrow:

ROME (Reuters) – If tourists find Rome unusually quiet next Wednesday, the reason will probably be that thousands of locals have left town in fear of a devastating earthquake allegedly forecast for that day by a long-dead seismologist.

For months Italian internet sites, blogs and social networks have been debating the work of Raffaele Bendandi, who claimed to have forecast numerous earthquakes and, according to internet rumours, predicted a "big one" in Rome on May 11.

It could very well be the beginning of the end....

Which I am told is now scheduled for May 21.

Harold Camping, 88, has scrutinized the Bible for almost 70 years and says he has developed a mathematical system to interpret prophecies hidden within the Good Book. One night a few years ago, Camping, a civil engineer by trade, crunched the numbers and was stunned at what he'd found: The world will end May 21, 2011.
--Link

To celebrate a pastor friend of mine has scheduled a service for Sunday May 22 with the theme: "Why the Rapture Didn't Happen Yesterday."

Of course if it does (did??) won't that be a surprise.

Of course I wonder what the big deal is. If you aren't ready, you won't be and no amount of hype will get you ready. Oh, wait a minute, I think I get it. If you believe it IS going to happen, then you are ready. If you DON'T, then you are not.

So, did anyone tell Jesus about all this?

This, then, made me wonder about a previous date-setter in the "prophecy" field- Hal Lindsey. He was the author of the wildly popular 1970s-80s book- The Late Great Planet Earth- in which he said it would all come to an end in 1988- the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Israel. Which of course was an incorrect prediction. So I went looking for about 5 seconds on Google and found his website where he promotes his TV show:

“The Hal Lindsey Report” is a weekly half-hour news and commentary series. It is hosted by popular Bible prophecy teacher Hal Lindsey, author of The Late Great Planet Earth. This informative program covers current events and national and international issues from a Biblical and prophecy-based perspective.

I wonder if he's doing any better with his predictions. (Sorry but I don't think what he does fits under any interpretation of "prophecy" from a biblical perspective.)

After tomorrow we will know whether Rome has been felled by a quake. If it happens, maybe there's something to this.