Doomsday cultists warn The Daily Maverick

We published an article on Tuesday under the header “Only 501 shopping days to Armageddon”. The piece was generally about a recent perceived surge in millenarianism, but was more specifically about a sect in California that has judgment day pegged as May 21st 2011. The sect was quick to react.

“2011 Warning in Pictures”. That was the title of the email that arrived in Kevin Bloom’s in-box last night. Yesterday, our writer put together a piece about millenarianism that focused on media evangelist Harold Camping and his 2011 doomsday predictions. Camping, wrote Bloom, had been wrong about the Second Coming once before (September 6, 1994), but fifteen years later his followers were betting that next time (May 21, 2011) he’d be right.

So to prove their devotion, or perhaps to encourage Bloom to start repenting, the email arrived. The body of the email contained many pictures of cars, trucks and billboards. What the pictures had in common was the content of the advertising displayed on the vehicles and billboards: for believers, the “rapture” is approaching; for non-believers, the end of the world is nigh. Your choice.

Here are some of the photos:

Wednesday 6 January, 2010
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Be afraid! Be very afraid! Not of Camping (the pun is hilarious). He's right, of course. But of Bloom (the pun is mildly droll). He's just blooming dangerous (that's so weak, it's eschatological - sorry, scatological).
JudgMENt day, according to one photo? Guess us women all get off scot-free then!
Who is this Jesus fella anyway? Crazy religious folk, all of them.
I dont see any black people in any of these pictures - guess we also "get off scot-free"...sorry for all you whites. It was nice knowing ya'll - well at the best of times. Managed to inform Juju about this and he is really pleased at the possible outcome...You really have to love these American religious fanatics
If you're worried about judgement day, is it really smart to commit sacrilege against a piece of classic two-tone Americana?
The Daily Maverick has confirmed it will be running a live vlog with streaming video (thanks to YouTube) of the apocalypse with expert commentators providing cataclysm-by-cataclysm analysis. The publisher is trying to set up an interview with Jesus (which will be available as a podcast after the event). Menzi Simelane will be answering SMSes about Judgement Day, the divine prosecutorial process (which is unlike the one in SA, he says) and eternal damnation as appropriate in terms of SA's Constitution. Zwelinzima Vavi (not to be outdone) will speak on the "Wages of Sin".
No one can deny that Christ's coming will be like the days of Noah. Mt 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
God has structure history in a way that ensures the end the world will come 7000 years after Noah's flood. And since God told Noah the time of the end, He will also tell the true believers the time. And they will warn the world as did Noah. Btw, the rapture will be on May 21, 2011 and afterwards the unsaved will be tormented on earth for 5 months and then the earth will be destroyed by fire on October 21, 2011. Visit www.familyradio.com to learn more.
Mathew 24:36 (Jesus speaking) "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."
Its quite clear that these people don't read the bible.
Spot on, seems they missed that passage in the bible, plus the Rapture is a rather modern American piece of mythology.
At least we have Tom Cruise to save us!
I think this is a great Marketing Ploy...its all over their website too. Picture this: People are fearing fire and Brimstone and going South for eternity that they devote more time/money/effort into the church (www.familyradio.com) hence boosting Divine Revenue. When the Rapture doesnt happen and the church resets the doomsday day and launches a New Fear Induced Marketing campaign for their "revised" doomsday date...
I'm surprised Stephen Grootes or Tim Cohen haven't "joined the dots": Municipal elections are due in 2011 and the ANC "will rule til Jesus comes". Obviously Harold Camping knows the date of the elections: 21 May 2011.

Let's wait and see, shall we. ;)
It's one thing to be skeptical--it's quite another to scoff. Sadly, many scoffers perished in 4990 BC outside of Noah's ark. Many more will perish 7000 years later--on May 21, 2011. Prepare thyself to meet God.

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

the world will be a better place without these fundamentalists.
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD