This past Saturday, Harold Camping of Family Radio Ministries had predicted the Rapture and Second Coming of Jesus Christ. With millions of dollars spent on billboards, rallies, RVs painted with the date, planes pulling long banners, he had confidently predicted, "Judgement is coming!", even saying "the Bible guarantees it." Saturday came and went, and once again, Camping was proven to be a false prophet, just like when he claimed Jesus would return in 1994. He says his math was off back then. Now, he is saying that again, stating Jesus is returning on October 21st, not May 21st. And the cycle of insanity begins anew...
In recent years, there have been other predictors of the end of the world, such as the Mayan calendar alleged prediction. According to these proponents, the Mayan calendar runs out on December 21, 2012, so the world will end then. Cult leaders such as Jim Jones, David Koresh, etc., and cult movements such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, to name a few, have all claimed divine revelation of a coming Messiah and/or doomsday, none of which have come true.
And they never will. Apparently, none bother to read what Jesus Himself said of His return- "No one knows the day or hour, not the angels in Heaven, not even the Son. Only the Father knows." (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32, Luke 21:8) I figure, if you want to know when a certain someone is returning, ask them! So anytime someone predicts the date of Doomsday, Judgement, the Return of Christ, you can be sure of one thing- He ain't coming then. "The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not think he will." (Matthew 24:44)
Jesus did give us signs to look for, to show the time is near. The above chapters in the above Gospels quote Jesus extensively about what will be happening in the world when His time is drawing near. There will be an increase in false teachers and religions, an increase in wars and the threat of wars, natural disasters on the rise (sure has been a lot of that over the last decade), persecution of Christians will accelerate worldwide, signs in space, and the Gospel will be proclaimed globally, on a scale never before possible. In many ways, the signs sure seem to indicate the time of Jesus' return is drawing close.
So I conclude, rather than fret about details and dates, I'm going to live each day as if He is coming tomorrow. I'm going to love others, and give myself in service to reaching as many for Christ as I can. And I'm going to look at the world around me, no matter how dark and scary things get, and be hopeful, not despairing. "But when these things begin to take place, look up and be watchful, for your redemption draws near." -Jesus, in Luke 21:28
That's good enough for me.