Will the World End Today?

For some time, an Oakland radio station personality, 89-year-old Harold Camping, and others have been predicting the return of Jesus Christ on Saturday, May 21, 2011 and the destruction of the world on Oct. 21, 2011.

The station is part of a Christian radio network with 66 outlets and a website, www.wecanknow.com.

Indeed, billboards across the country are warning the public that the end is near, noting that "The Bible guarantees it!"

According to leaflets distributed by Camping and the radio network, there are signs preceding the Day of Judgment.

"Jesus warned of several spiritual signs, such as the complete degradation of the Christian church, the devastating moral breakdown of society, the re-establishment of National Israel in 1948, the emergence of the 'Gay Pride Movement', and the complete disregard of the Bible in all of society today as direct evidence of His return."

Camping has said he figured out the date by studying the Bible, which he says predicts the Rapture will occur 7,000 years after God's first warning about the flood. He said the flood occurred in 4990 B.C., on what would be May 21 on the current calendar.

According to Camping, a single day equals 1,000 years to God and God warned Noah about the flood a week ahead of time. Therefore, there is a 7,000-year gap between Noah's flood and the Rapture — which led him to May 21, 2011.

Should you be worried about May 21 and are you worried? One final note: Camping predicted the end of the world once before, in 1994, a mistake he believes he's corrected through a more careful study of the Bible.