MJ & Doomsday

The world's frettin' over 'Stormageddon'!

by Firpo Carr

The Firpo Files

May 26, 2011

With storms ripping through mid-America and other natural disasters tearing holes in the fabric of our global society, it seems the curtain is about to fall on all humanity. The

According to one Internet news source, "Nearly 1,200 tornadoes have swarmed the United States this year, according to preliminary numbers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Four of these storms have been rated at the highest tornado strength, an EF-5. The death toll from these tornadoes has likely topped 500, a number not seen since 1953."

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Michael Joseph Jackson went to people's doors telling them that the end is nearer now than ever before. (Luke 21:5-36; Romans 13:11-14) But, was the Gloved One a calamity howler? Before answering this question, let's take a good look at Harold Camping.

Calamity Howler: In case you haven't heard of Harold Camping, a preacher based in Oakland, California, he predicted the world would end this past May 21, 2011. By all accounts, he may have been off a little. While some things doubtlessly ended then, it doesn't appear the world was one of them. The Christian Science Monitor offers this elucidating commentary:

"As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

"Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before global cataclysm struck the planet, said Monday that he felt so terrible when his doomsday message did not come true that he left home and took refuge in a motel with his wife.

"His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions--some of it from donations made by followers--on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 recreational vehicles plastered with the Judgment Day message."

Serious students of the Bible recognize that no one on earth knows the exact day of reckoning. (Matthew 24:36) Though predicting with precision the exact moment the meltdown occurs would be elusive for angels and humans, Jesus did reveal a number of clues that, when woven together like distinct patches in a quilt, make for a big picture.

It looks like one patch identified by the apostle Paul is being sown in.

"Peace and Security": "Whenever it is that they are saying: ‘Peace and security!'", writes Paul, "then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3, New World Translation) For decades, long before the advent of the Internet, Michael Jackson and the rest of Jehovah's Witnesses predicted the United Nations would at some point--near the end of the world in its present form--adopt the expression "Peace and security." 

In explaining a mysterious symbolic beast of Revelation some three and a half decades ago (Revelation 17:10, 11; see also Daniel 7:17, 23, 24; 8:20-22), the Witnesses wrote:

"This composite political power is here represented by a ‘beast,' this one having ‘seven heads,' to represent the seven previous world-dominating ‘kings' from which it has sprung. But it also has ‘ten horns.' (Rev. 17:3, 7) What they represent and what they do are very significant.

"The ‘ten horns,' continues the prophecy, ‘are ten kings, who have not as yet received a kingdom [in the prophet's time]; but for one hour they will receive royal authority along with the beast.' (Rev. 17:12, Berkeley; NWT) The prophetically complete number of ‘ten kings' represents the totality of political governments today that are ruling for a short time along with the U.N.

"During this short period, like ‘one hour' compared to past history, conditions would be such that, for the first time, though disagreeing on almost everything else, they would finally come to ‘have one purpose; they give over power and authority to the beast [the U.N.]' in a human scheme for establishing global peace and security.-Rev. 17:13, Berkeley; NWT."

Fascinatingly, the first tab on the homepage of the UN is labeled, "Peace and Security" (http://www.un.org/en/index.shtml). Is this labeling coincidence or significant? Contact the Witnesses for the answer.

Selective Destruction: Abraham, God's friend, knew that it was "unthinkable" for Jehovah to "sweep away the righteous with the wicked." (Genesis 18:23-25, NWT) Be righteous my friends. Peace and blessings to all. Amen.