I was rooting for Harold Camping. I mean, I think he was wrong, showed a horrible inability to interpret the Bible, seemed to misunderstand the gospel, and showed a stubborn and arrogantly willful ignorance of his own fallibility, but I would have not minded one bit if the world would have ended.
Let me clarify: I really love this world (not in the “do not love the world, nor the things of the world” sort of way), and I have high hopes for my own future, but, number one, this world really is royally messed up, and number two, the next world is going to be way more amazing than we can even imagine. What’s not to like about the end of the world?
Of course, there is a huge sense of tragedy that comes with the cosmic cataclysm. I do believe that it will be a pretty rough (to make a small understatement) for a lot of people. There is a sense of relief, then, to the world not ending. God continues to patiently wait for more to repent before he finally and fully makes all things right.
But there’s also a huge sense of tragedy among those Christians who were misled by Mr. Camping. In the first place, there are those who sold everything and used up their life savings waiting for the end. They have lives to piece back together again. What was supposed to be a tragedy for the rest of the world has now become a trial for them.
But more importantly, I’m seriously scared for the spiritual condition of those who were led astray by this false prophecy. Now they have to piece their spiritual life back together again. Many will wonder, was it Harold Camping who failed, or was it that the Bible was proven false? this non-event will (no doubt) send many genuine Christians into a serious time of doubt, and perhaps some level of falling away. For this, God will hold Harold Camping responsible.
This is the first tragedy of the non-apocalypse, but the second is perhaps more significant. The perceived failure of God to deliver on his promises has delivered yet more ammunition to those members of society who are already quite willing to make fun of God and Christianity. Our primary objective as Christians is to glorify God, but this event has instead given non-believers yet another opportunity to drag his name through the dirt and ridicule him for his non-existence. The greatest evil of Harold Campings teaching is that he provided yet another opportunity for people to mock God. This is doubly dangerous, both for Camping, and for those who take advantage of the opportunity to mock. This is the ultimate tragedy of the non-apocalypse.