Harold Camping and the Stillborn Apocalypse

Radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted that the Second Coming would occur in September 1994.

Edmund D. Cohen

schatology—the study of the last events before the end several such predictions placing the end in 1988, because that of the world—is a time-honored requirement in any year came the symbolic number of forty years after the EChristian theology curriculum. The drastic biblical end- founding of the State of Israel.s When Pat Robertson's time scenario culminating in the fiery destruction of the present prediction of the end in 1982—based on a purported direct Earth, and its replacement by new heavens and a new Earth revelation by a voice—failed to come true, he felt exercised exclusively for Christians with new, glorified superbodies,' to redeem the world himself by becoming president of the has often inspired commotion, especially toward the ends of United States.6 the millennia. The recent, widely reported prediction by radio evangelist In the United States, historically the most influential form Harold Camping?—that the Second Coming would occur in of has been premillennialism, which filled in gaps September 1994—on its face does not seem particularly in the biblical end-time information so as to have a scenario unusual or important. The Camping episode is, however, very calling for a thousand-year golden age between the Second different from all the other cases where an end-time prophecy Coming of Christ and the fiery end of the world. Premil- was uttered and failed. I find the episode uniquely helpful lennialists typically preached resignation regarding all that is in understanding other developments in conservative wrong in the world, and counseled patient, passive waiting Christianity, and it has bearing on some issues of special for Christ to return and correct it.2 From the end of World interest to secular humanists and skeptics. War II until the collapse of the Soviet empire, American Once respected and well-accepted in Christian funda- fundamentalists generally identified themselves as premillen- mentalist circles, Camping has been ostracized to a much nialists. But the seeming correspondence of an all-too-possible greater degree than other failed date-setters before him. nuclear war with a biblical end-time scenario brought on an Somehow, he embarrasses his peers more than he would have escalation of eschatological speculation, and a frenetic a few years earlier. The fundamentalists have good reason reshuffling of scenarios. for wanting Camping to be forgotten without the implications In 1970, Hal Lindsey set forth what became the generic, of his case being understood. It falls to secular humanists not to let that happen. born-again end-of-the-world scenario in his best-seller, The Late Great Planet Earth.3 It furnished a common frame of arold Camping, now seventy-three years old, is president reference for discussing the confrontation between capitalist and general manager of Family Stations, Inc., operating and communist societies as a cosmic drama wherein heavenly H a chain of thirty-nine listener-supported Christian radio and hellish forces were locked in a final struggle with a stations scattered through the most populous areas of the predetermined cataclysmic outcome. The presence of an actual United States. These stations relay uniform programming fed nation of Israel as a player in the drama—converting to to them by satellite from the headquarters in Oakland, Christianity en masse at the last moment in some renditions . The programming is also broadcast on shortwave8 and being massacred in the final Battle of Armageddon in from Okeechobee, Florida. Atmospherics permitting, the others—helped lend an air of reality to such Armageddon network nominally fulfills the "Great scenarios.4 Commission": "And this of the kingdom shall be From time to time, some prominent figure in fundamentalist preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and Christianity will come forward to commit himself to a specific then shall the end come."9 All of the programming on Family prediction of the impending end of the world. There were Radio is designed to keep the self-indoctrination of the Christian ongoing. The teaching is strictly Calvinist-Reformed, Edmund D. Cohen is the author of The Mind of the Bible- and the music, while often bathetic, is never vulgar or totally Believer (Prometheus). tasteless. The success of Family Radio seems partly due to the relief it affords from the angry right-wifig polemics and

Winter 1994/95 35 jangling "Christian rock" music now normal in Christian radio. Bible, and even that particular verse provided for opening Camping began Family Radio in 1959, after having made up and unsealing at the actual time of the end. Camping's enough money from his building contracting business to be steady and unsensational demeanor over the air became a a full-time volunteer. Although trained as a civil engineer rather false façade, concealing his brooding over his felt obligation than a pastor, he became a uniquely accomplished self-taught to join the disreputable ranks of the date-setters. From time Bible scholar, deepening his knowledge while conducting his to time, callers would ask him when the end might come. one-and-a-half-hour Monday through Friday call-in show, With words more artfully chosen than they appeared to be "Open Forum"10 at 10:00 P.M. E.S.T. Using the same method on the surface, Camping would say that he would be very as John Calvin—taking "the Bible alone and in its entirety" surprised if the turn of the century came before Christ's return. as his sole authority—he would meticulously take into Camping finally went public as a date-setter in 1992, by consideration every verse that applied, as well as recurring releasing his book, 1994?12 Its long, technical argument defies themes and symbolism, to arrive at his formulations of what concise presentation, and it would be easy to get so absorbed the Bible teaches, and what is demanded of believers. Such in the theological details as to neglect the more important a method inevitably produces different doctrines than the ones psychological significance of the episode. We can cover a few most popular in present-day fundamentalist Christianity. highlights to get an idea. Doctrines such as predestination, God's unilateral election of The one historical event that fundamentalist Christian who will become a genuine believer, infant baptism performed eschatologists—Camping as well as the premillennialists13 — by sprinkling, etc., place Camping at odds with most of the agree to be biblically significant is the founding of the State Christian fundamentalist establishment. Much of the call-in of Israel. The parable of the fig tree,14 a tree in leaf but not show amounts to biblical counseling, and affords a rare close in fruit (i.e., prospering temporally but not becoming converted look at that baleful practice taking place." The result has to Christianity) and ultimately cursed by Jesus, is generally generally been austere, devoid of gimmickry, and often understood to apply to the return of the Jewish people to downright harsh. Israel, and their resumption of national life there. The Camping also developed a keen interest in Bible chronology. An inordinate amount of Bible text is devoted to genealogies, to the number of years a certain person lived or a certain "Camping has been ostracized to a much king reigned, and to other apparently irrelevant asides that greater degree than other failed date-setters state definite periods of years. Camping reasoned that God before him The fundamentalists have would not have put so many time-markers in the Bible without a reason. By arranging all the time-markers in chronological good reason for wanting Camping to be sequence, and using some known historical events and forgotten without the implications of his case astronomical phenomena to confirm the correct conversion being understood. It falls to secular human- of these into our current Gregorian calendar dates, Camping was able to assemble an unbroken chain of stated periods ists not to let that happen." of years from the alleged six-day creation to known historical events, and fix 11,033 B.C.E. as the year of creation. In similar occurrence is identified with the last days, and its date reference fashion, Camping was able to place the birth of Jesus at 7 is the one piece of extra-biblical date information to be given B.C.E., and his crucifixion at 33 C.E., according to the time- equal dignity to the ones in the Bible. markers embedded in the Bible. Because much of what is written about jubilee years—the For their own sake, these are prodigious intellectual Old Testament custom of forgiving debts, releasing slaves, accomplishments. Camping has gone beyond John Calvin in and restoring property every fiftieth year—is identified with distilling concise doctrinal statements from the Bible, and the end, Camping reasoned that the end should occur in a successfully done what James Ussher—best remembered for jubilee year. So, because the first year that would have been a faulty Bible chronology placing creation in 4,004 B.C.E.- a jubilee year under Old Testament customs subsequent to attempted unsuccessfully. There is nothing nearly so well done 1948 is 1994, that year became a candidate. in contemporary fundamentalist establishment seminary An array of intriguing number-of-years relations falls into academia. If Camping had stopped at these, he would have place around that year. Nineteen ninety-four makes exactly remained an almost endearing, anachronistic senior sage on two thousand years between Christ's first and second comings, the margins of fundamentalist Christianity. three thousand years since the anointing of David, and four Camping tells how twenty-two years ago he began noticing thousand years since the birth of Jacob, to name a few. biblical information pointing to 1994 as the final year. He Nineteen ninety-four would be the fiftieth jubilee year since knew very well that all previous date-setters had been proved the custom's inception in 457 B.C.E.-a jubilee of jubilees. wrong in the end, and had ended up badly. For a while, Still more number relations pop out if we take into account he focused on Daniel 12:8, 9, hoping to get off considering the final tribulation period described in Matthew 24. Because his new-found knowledge as "words ... closed up and sealed much of what is written about the fast of trumpets—occurring till the time of the end." But many other scriptures require on the first day of the seventh Old Testament month, or the believer to share and to teach what he discovers in the September 6 in 199415 —also Rosh Hashanah—is identified

36 FREE INQUIRY with the coming of Christ, Camping reasoned that that date reference—excusing failure to deal with the issue of knowing should be the end of the final tribulation period. On that and announcing the end when the conditions for its occurrence day, he concluded, some impressive supernatural event should have been fulfilled—turns out, on closer reading, really to signal the beginning of the end. Also reasoning that the final be saying something completely different.16 For all their tribulation should be 2,300 days—shortened from twenty-three training in Hebrew and Greek, seminary academicians rarely years—the beginning of the final tribulation period falls on study Bible texts critically enough to pick up such details. May 21, 1988. With that date in place, the additional relation And if they really took their Bible "inerrancy" and "infallibility" of exactly 13,000 years from creation to the beginning of the as seriously as they pretend, could they really have dismissed final tribulation period pops out. The foregoing is a tiny Camping's stupendous conclusions as cavalierly as all of them fraction of the dauntingly complex web of calendar relations did? set forth in 1994? Studying them is a bit like studying unicorn Another feature that held constant during the 1992-1994 anatomy or Klingon grammar. One can take it much farther period was the curious mixed message Camping conveyed than there is any use in going. as to acting on the expectation that the end of the world As for the date when Christ would actually return, Camping would come so soon. The calm, slightly cheerful but otherwise was not quite sure. But he regarded the day of atonement— unemotional tone of Camping on the air clashed with the September 14, 1994, or the feast of tabernacles—September sensational import of his words. His voice conveyed neither 27, as likely candidates. Camping repeatedly declared himself glee nor dread. He took great care to counsel the listeners "99.9 percent sure" that the end would not tarry beyond not to behave differently than they would if they thought September 1994. the end would not come for a hundred years. After all, an So, the stage was set for some very interesting radio listening individual could die any time, making the timing of the world's during August and September 1994, as the fatal dates end irrelevant for him. Camping offered no reasons, biblical approached. or otherwise, for that incongruous advice. He would also always qualify the prediction, saying it depended upon whether rom the introduction of 1994? in 1992, through September or not he had done all of his calculations correctly. Since F1994, there was hardly an evening on "Open Forum" his argument involved the convergence of many lines of without some rude, stupid person who had never before evidence, and not just one linear deductive sequence, the bothered to qualification listen to the was some- program cal- what dis- ling in ex- ingenuous. pecting to I did not catch Camp- get the im- ing by sur- pression that prise with Camping Mark 13:32: believed in "But of that his gut what day and .. he so obvi- Apocalypse hour know- iiomor row ously be- eth no man, lieved intel- no not the lectually. To angels . . . understand neither the how that can Son, but the be, one must Father" [my remember italics]. that, for the What would Calvinist follow is typ- more than ical of what for other happens Christians,. when un- feelings are thinking crit- to be dis- ics—lay- trusted. people as well as seminary academicians—come up against Having one's actions be based totally on intellectualized Camping's careful attention to detail. The preposition of obedience to scripture, suppressing and denigrating anything refers to the character of that "hour," not to its timing: i.e., spontaneous or natural, is the goal of the Calvinist Bible- of could have been correctly translated "about" but not "when." believer's devotional efforts. Having one's "sinful nature" balk What all Christendom has always assumed was a time at the truth is to be expected. That muting of the message—

Winter 1994/95 37 the tacit suggestion that believers should not expect to be As the other key dates in September approached, Camping able to assimilate the prophecy on an emotional level—surely was able to repeat the easing of the let-down by deferring helped keep the fear the callers were expressing from the expectation to the next key date. Probably without mushrooming into hysteria. realizing it consciously, Camping had hit on a brilliant and There were a procession of callers in the days leading up psychologically sound strategy of desensitization. By having to September 6 who expressed anxiety that they might not the expectations be built up and let down several times in yet be saved. Camping would counsel them to get on their such a controlled manner, being let down became part of knees and beg God for . (Why that could help when his followers' normal routine, and it no longer perturbed them. God supposedly had already decided, before the creation of After the third build-up and let-down sequence was the world, which persons would become saved is a question completed on September 29, and what should have been the Calvinists are never able to answer convincingly.) A few called time for admitting error was at hand, Camping seemed to in to ask if they should lay in candles, emergency rations, sense that one more build-up/let-down cycle would be or special items for infants. One man called in to confess desirable. The previous night, a lady who called in suggested his unsatisfactory attitude: he had a young wife and a small that the anniversary of the birth of Jesus might be the elusive child whom he loved very much the way they were, and he date. Camping was not immediately receptive to that idea. was not able to work up the requisite enthusiasm for their But on September 29, he warmed up to it, and opined that transformation into another form of life. Camping counseled October 2 was the most likely date for Christ's birthday. When the man to get down on his knees and beg God for forgiveness that date also went by, he adopted the view that the time for the sin of loving his family more than he trusted God. of the end was not relevant for believers after all, and that The tension was further diffused one night in, a comic being ready for the end regardless when it may come is the moment when Camping took a few minutes from the calls important thing for Christians. Except for patient listening to retract and to express embarrassment about a mission tour as a few dissatisfied callers dressed Camping down about the offer that he had scheduled for October and thoughtlessly failed prophecy, the topic of the timing of the end of the announced the previous night. What I had thought would world quietly vanished from the agenda of "Open Forum." develop into dire personal crises for Camping and his more involved followers was playing out more like a protracted Throuhroughoutghout Camping's career, the usual motives of the practical joke. During August, it all reminded me of Orson religious broadcaster—greed, lust for Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast. political power, procurement of compliant people to gratify The only departure from this relatively harmless, farcical tone during August was the caller who identified himself as a penitentiary inmate serving a long sentence. Exuding "I cannot imagine how [Camping] might have malicious glee, he gushed about how a power higher than arrived at anything remotely like the date- any governor or president would now commute his sentence setting episode without the Bible. Rather, I indirectly, since he had become saved. That made me think of people in especially wretched life situations who might be imagine that he would have made some listening and feel cruelly let down when the false hope of significant, constructive contribution to deliverance was dashed. An outpouring of anguish and some society, but for his having gotten himself suicides could have resulted. mired in religion." As the summer continued, Camping's own demeanor became lighthearted, as if he were happily anticipating the adventure of the last day. That was the only time I ever heard vices or concealed perversions—clearly were not his motives. him crack jokes. He became more spontaneous, and his on- Even during the date-setting episode, the lack of serious harm air technique improved to the point that he sounded like a resulting to anyone except Camping himself points to professional broadcaster. As the fateful September 6 date enigmatic motivations, strikingly different from those of any neared, Camping evinced some giddiness and confusion, other high-profile leader. What obscures Camping's probably due to his coming on the air after spending all day motives is that they do not rise directly from his psycho- responding to reporters' phone calls and doing radio talk- pathology, as they do in cult leaders whose motives are more show interviews. transparent. September 7 passed without the predicted display of With practically any dynamic religious cult leader other supernatural signs. Under that pressure, Camping proved than Camping, the religion furnishes little more than a brilliantly resourceful. In his effort to save the rest of his vocabulary for strivings that, if they had never found religion theory despite the non-occurrence of the signs, he focused as the vehicle for their expression, would have found some on the word "immediately" in Matthew 24:29. The underlying other. It is not difficult to imagine any of the leaders of the Greek word eutheos could also be translated "shortly" or well-known Bible-based murder-suicide —Jim Jones, "anon," allowing for the signs to come soon but not David Koresh, or Luc Jouret—without their Bible parlance. instantaneously. That permitted them to accompany the They would have been about like Charles Manson. Nor is Second Coming, later on in the month of September. it very difficult to imagine Pat Robertson without his religious

38 FREE INQUIRY vocabulary: he would be more or less like Lyndon LaRouche.t7 to understand how he could be as oblivious as he appeared But for all the time I have spent listening to Camping, I cannot to the scathing publicity he was receiving. When his prophecy imagine how he might have arrived at anything remotely like failed, he rationalized that getting the general media to cover the date-setting episode without the Bible. Rather, I imagine a little bit about , damnation, and the end of the world that he would have made some significant, constructive might at least have gotten people interested in those topics. contribution to society, but for his having gotten himself mired The consequence that he might have brought his beloved in religion. Gospel into disrepute seemed not to perturb him. Camping's psychopathology was totally Bible driven. His obtuseness on that topic showed most clearly when Others who become fixated on the Bible typically develop callers would bring up the topic of false prophets. The only depression or anxious generalized emotional distress as a offense that the Bible regards as more serious than others, result. Camping's ability to immerse himself in that content giving rise to stepped-up punishment in hell, is being a false and seemingly not suffer those detrimental effects always prophet. Since receiving divine revelation in a dream, vision, amazed me. But doing so eventually took its toll on him in voice, or tongue during the church age is the height of apostacy a different way. The Bible content grew into a personal delusion for Calvinists, Camping settled on that as the criterion for for him.18 He was less "creative" than other cult leaders, in false prophecy he safely did not meet. Yet, by his own that he did not invent the content of his delusions. Rather, standards, the danger that he might be one of those who he found it by studying the Bible. What makes his case truly "bear ... bad fruit"21 or who "lead the elect astray"22 should unique is that the Bible scholarship involved in it is genuine. have given him some pause. His ease with what should have His conclusions do arise from the Bible language he so carefully been a grave issue for him amounted to belle indifference. studied, and he undoubtedly did uncover things that were After a lifetime of harshly criticizing faith healing, divine in the minds of the men who concocted the Bible. He did relevation in dreams, visions, voices, and tongues, and every not have a choice about the content of the delusion, or its other sensational religion gimmick, he finally resorted to a timing. The preoccupation of someone else who lived long gimmick just as sensational. But he did not see it that way. ago, about the world ending two millennia after the first At some level, he must realize that the spectacle he put coming of Christ fixed how Camping's date-setting episode on is likely to have enabled many young people raised in would play out. strict fundamentalist churches to give themselves permission to see the absurdity of the beliefs in which they were raised. Perhaps Camping did by this round-about means a thing that "He must realize that the spectacle he put he could never have brought himself to do directly. Indirectly, on is likely to have enabled many young peo- he cut some followers whose minds were not totally dead ple raised in strict fundamentalist churches loose from conservative churches and told them—in deeds rather than words—"go forth and get a life." to give themselves permission to see the ab- The Camping date-setting episode has a genuine element surdity of the beliefs in which they were of tragedy lacking in the downfalls of various crass religious raised." hucksters. He was someone of real worth, who might have realized a very high potential, but was brought low by a tragic flaw. Although he took care to cover up the more grandiose Or maybe he did realize his potential after all. Down aspects of his idea about his own role, they did show through. through the years, skeptics and freethinkers seeking to resolve When he would talk about his own situation as like unto the supernatural truth claims of the Bible have either focused those of Noah or Jonah—and on one occasion even John on internal text inconsistencies that Bible-believers are able the Baptist—his real opinion of himself as someone of to explain away, or attacked the plausibility of miracles claimed comparable dignity to a major prophet in the Bible became to have occurred long in the past, long since beyond the reach evident.19 It was also clear that he regarded practically all of empirical investigation. But Camping used biblical methods of fundamentalist Christianity except for himself and his to derive an important prospective testable premise from the followers as apostate.20 He and his followers, like the little Bible. He put the premise to the test, and it failed. Camping party in Noah's Ark, were the only true believers of their labored for many years, and ended up doing what skeptics time and would be the only contemporaries to go to heaven. have long labored in vain to do: he produced affirmative The heady experience of operating a worldwide broadcasting evidence that the Bible in its most essential truth claims is empire plays into this delusion, since, from that lofty vantage false. That was not what he meant to do, but that is what point one can think that one has personally fulfilled the "Great he did. If the Bible were true, then the world ought to have Commission." Pat Robertson's date-setting episode was very ended in 1994. Q.E.D. similar in this respect. The entire Camping episode reflects personal motives that Notes were rather benign, and in peculiar way, admirable. All along, Camping was tellingly blind to some of the obvious 1. 1 Corinthians 15:42-55; 2 Peter 3:12, 13. 2. There have also been postmillennialists. Their scenarios called for implications of his actions. As a professional broadcaster with the thousand-year golden age to be ushered in by the believers unaided, years of experience being sensitive to contributors, it is difficult and to end with the Second Coming. Older postmillennialism forms part

Winter 1994/95 39 of the background of liberal Protestant social activism, seeking to make the same as the traditional Jewish calendar that makes the present year Christianity compatible with such American civic values as self-reliance 5755. and belief in progress. 0nly during the last thirty years or so has post- 16. Matthew 24:36, 37 is a companion verse. Another verse, Acts 1:7, millennialism become identified with the reactionary theocratic views of does refer to believers not being able to know when foreordained events the "Christian Reconstructionist" leader Rousas Rushdoony. His revisionist are to occur. In that verse, Jesus addresses his apostles. Since they lived postmillennialism heavily influenced Pat Robertson's "Dominion Theology" long before the end times when the mystery would be revealed, there is which seeks to overcome a long tradition of separation of church and no contradiction in their being unable to know while believers living in state. the 1990s can know. 3. With C. C. Carlson (New York: Bantam Books, 1970). It called In addressing the issue of Jesus being unable to know while the Father for the Israelis, after re-occupying East Jerusalem, to fight and win a war knows—even though they are both God—Camping repeatedly said with the Soviet Union. The European Common Market would unify, and something that I never heard him say in any other context. A number be ruled by a charismatic dictator who would turn out to be the Antichrist of times, he would spin out his own parable about a criminal who went in disguise. The dictator would conclude a peace treaty with Israel, which before a judge to be sentenced to flogging. The judge would not explain would then build the Third Temple and resume animal sacrifices there. the details of the sentence, but instead would remand the prisoner over The dictator would then enter the Temple, and proclaim himself God to the jailer, who knew exactly how many lashes to administer, what kind Incarnate. Then the Soviet Union would invade Israel, expecting the of whip to use, how hard to lash the prisoner, and other such details. dictator's ties to Arab countries to discourage him from joining in on Israel's Each time Camping would tell it, he would add a few more gruesome side. But he does join in, and together he and the Israelis rout the Russians. embellishments and the story would get a little more lurid. Camping The Russians then unleash their nuclear arsenal, and just as the world apparently derived muted sadomasochistic gratification from it. Previously, is being destroyed, Christ returns. he had always carefully refrained from picking up on the sadomasochistic Its various publishers claim 18 million sales of Lindsey's book. When content contained in the Bible itself. asked about such a scenario during the 1984 presidential campaign, 17. See John Taylor, "Pat Robertson's God, Inc.," Esquire, November President Ronald Reagan admitted he had been intrigued by it. Many 1994, p. 76. Christian leaders spouted variations of its Armageddon scenario. See 18. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed. generally Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More (Cambridge, Mass.: (Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994), p. 296 ff., Belknap Press, 1992). sets forth criteria for delusional disorder, no. 297.1. In particular, it specifies 4. The collapse of the Soviet Empire and the geopolitical changes in "Grandiose type: delusions of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, its wake strikingly failed to fit any of the then current eschatological or a special relationship to a deity or famous person" p. 301. 0nset in scenarios. Lindsey and other sensationalizers were thrown into confusion. middle or late life is typical of the disorder. Eschatological speculation fell out of fashion for a few years. The current 19. Camping averred that the period from the first time when Family furious political activism of the Religious Right, and the occurrence of Radio went on the air, February 4, 1959, to September 6, 1994, was exactly two cult mass murder-suicides in consecutive years, are undoubtedly 13,000 days, corresponding to the 13,000 years from creation to final connected with this upheaval in the lifelong eschatological expectations tribulation. He took that correspondence as evidence of his enterprise's of the persons involved. divine mandate. I checked the calendar calculation, and got only 12,998 5. One Christian book to that effect, Edgar C. Whisenant, 88 Reasons days. Why the Will Be in 1988: New Expanded Edition (Nashville: World 20. To make the period from May 21, 1988, to September 6, 1994, Bible Society, 1988) sold over 2 million copies. Hal Lindsey also favored correspond to the final tribulation period, Camping dismissed the usual 1988 as the likely final year. understanding of "tribulation" as figurative, and he identified the decline 6. Because recent achievements in the Middle East peace process do of teaching the true Gospel as the particular horror making that historical not meet with his eschatological expectations, Robertson vehemently period a "tribulation." With incongruously youthful overdramatization, he disapproves of Israeli Prime Minister Rabin's peace agreement with equated his own experience in a church that he had belonged to for many Palestine Liberation 0rganization Chairman Arafat. 0n January 7, 1994, years that forbade him to teach any more after he declared himself a date- Robertson's The 700 Club reported a trip to Israel by Ralph Reed, head setter with the killing of the two witnesses in Revelation 11. of Robertson's domestic political arm, the Christian Coalition. Reed's 21. Matthew 7:15-23. telephone report was carried over the air: he had met with conservative 22. Mark 13:21, 22. • members of Rabin's Knesset coalition. The Rabin government, Reed gleefully reported, was about to fall, and Likud would return to power and quickly disavow the peace agreement. Roberston received this news Charitable Gift Annuities with equal glee. The Rabin government did not fall. A meddlesome attempt In today's economic environment you may wish by Robertson's minion to intervene in Israeli politics would appear to be to consider the advantages of a Charitable Gift what was afoot. 7. An story on Camping ran in many newspapers Annuity with the Council for Democratic and during late summer 1994. See the Los Angeles Times, July 30, 1994, p. Secular Humanism. B12. Benefits to you include: 8. 5985 and 9505 kHz. 9. Matthew 24:14. Family Radio also does considerable foreign • Guaranteed income for life language broadcasting over shortwave. • Partially tax-free income 10. Also broadcast in purchased time on an additional twenty-seven non-Family Radio stations, and on cable television in the • Current charitable income tax deduction Bay area. Send in coupon for more information to: 11. For example, he does not shrink from counseling the wife of a spouse abuser or child abuser that she may not leave: she must obey and be submissive, even if that leads to the martyrdom of herself or her children. CODESH Likewise, he does not shrink from telling someone who becomes a parent Charitable Gift Annuities Information out of wedlock that he or she may not marry the child's other parent and create a family for that child if either has a living former spouse. P.O. Box 664 • Amherst, NY 14226-0664 12. (New York: Vantage Press). The following year, he published a sequel, Are You Ready? (New York: Vantage Press, 1993). Together, they comprise Name 955 concisely written pages. Address 13. Camping is an amillennialist as opposed to a pre- or postmillennialist, since his scenario does not include a literal thousand-year golden age. He City perceives the five mentions of thousand-year periods in Revelation 20 as referring to irreconcilably different periods of time that do not tie into State Zip any other Bible chronology. Date of Birth Daytime Phone 14. Matthew 21:18-22; 24:32, 33. 12/94 15. Note that the calendar presupposed in the 0ld Testament is not

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