Modern man likes to believe that he is immune from the superstitions and gullibility which plagued the less sophisticated. An examination of the proclamations of would be prophets in the 20th century, suggests otherwise.

In the early 20th century, prophecy teacher Michael Baxter of England pinpointed the arrival of Christ to come on March 12, 1903 between 2:30 and 3:00 AM. Whether the time given was Greenwich Mean Time cannot be ascertained as Jesus never showed.

The Jehovah's Witnesses announced that Christ would come in 1914, then in 1925, then again in 1975. During World War II, faithful witnesses were encouraged not to get married because the war was a sure sign of the soon coming of Christ. Until recently, the Watchtower taught that the generation that saw the events of 1914 would see the return of Christ, but with the extended passage of time, that teaching has been quietly dropped.

In 1978 Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California announced that the rapture was coming in 1981. Though the event never materialized as predicted, Chuck has remained in his post, convinced that he has the mantle of God.

Former NASA rocket engineer turned prophecy teacher Edgar Whisenant, became famous through a book entitled "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Occur in 1988". Whisenant predicted that Jesus would return to rapture His church sometime during the Jewish holiday of Rosh-Hashanah in 1988, which was from sunset, September 11, to sunset, September 13. When the September prediction failed, Whisenant updated the time to October 3. Now that date, too, has fallen through. Whisenant nevertheless remains undaunted: "The evidence is all over the place that it is going to be in a few weeks anyway."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he was wrong.

Prophecy expert Hal Lindsey led his followers to believe that the rapture was coming in 1988. At last report, the late great Hal Lindsey was still alive and well on Planet Earth, enjoying book royalties with his third wife.

Korean preacher Lee Jang Rim announced that the rapture would come on October 28, 1992. When it didn't happen, the Korean authorities put him in jail and many of his followers committed suicide.

Florida Assemblies of God preacher Benny Hinn predicted that the rapture would come in 1993, and also that God would destroy all homosexuals in America by 1994 or 1995 at the very latest. One need not be a prophet to discern that his prediction was queer.

Florida Baptist preacher Peter Ruckman stated, based on his inside knowledge of the King James Version, that the rapture was to come in 1990, give or take a year or two, and that the Millennium would begin by 2000 or earlier.

In 1997, Christian Media Network Owner James Lloyd made a bundle of money when he announced that New York City, Miami Florida, Los Angeles California, and Rome Italy, would be destroyed by a nuclear attack on July 4th, 1998. He later admitted through council in open court that he had been using drugs during the period in question.

In the late 20th Century, numerous authors, hucksters, and at least one self proclaimed "Watchman" announced that all computers on the planet would lock up on January 1st, 2000, in what they called the "Y2K" Crisis. Despite all the hype, nothing of the sort happened.

In the early 21st Century, several authors including Mark Hazelwood, Nancy Leider, and James McCanney announced that a mysterious "Planet X" would devastate the world when it would pass by planet Earth no later than May 15th 2003. The planet his since gone missing and images of it can occasionally be seen on the side of milk cartons.

In 2003, "Prophecy Figure" James Lloyd again "prophesied" that New York City would be destroyed and the "Ushering in the Great Tribulation" at America's destruction, first on June 24th, then on July 4th, 2003. He sold a lot of "product", but America is still here, and James is still selling his merchandise.

Since 1992, he has also maintained that Pope John Paul II would rule the world in "the Office of False Prophet" 

 Pope John Paul II passed away on April 2, 2005. John Paul II stubbornly continues to defy Mr. Lloyd by remaining dead to this very day! Since 1992, James Lloyd has maintained that the 6th Secretary General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros Ghali, would become the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations. On January 1, 2007, Korean Ban Ki-moon became the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations, thus killing Lloyd's Antichrist "prediction".

These false prophecies notwithstanding, could it be that Harold Camping is the exception to the rule? I am afraid not. In 1992, Harold Camping published the book 1994? in which he predicted the rapture would occur in September of 1994. Despite the obvious falsity of his previous prediction, he pushes forward with yet another prophetic faux pas, boldly going where too many have already gone before.

The Bible is clear as to the standard to which an ostensible prophet should be held:

Matthew 7:15-20

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Harold Camping’s fruit has already fallen from the tree. Those who eat of it should not complain when it turns sour in their bellies.

Behold, I have told you before