This is extremely interesting. It could be that Jehovah is testing the world by these events. It's so complex.
The WTS served as God's "temple" from 1886-1996. Now the temple are the actual anointed ones. Camping understood that the "end of the church age" occurred c. 1994. That has to be inspired.
In previous times, Jws made predictions of dates that were not quite accurate. Like 1874 for the second coming, which was not accurate, but it is still the right date for when "Michael stands up" (Daniel 12:1) and thus the beginning of the "parousia" of Christ. 1914 also is wrong for the second coming or the end of the gentile times, but it is the correct date for the beginning of the "last generation" of 80 years that would see the messiah arrive prior to 1994. The Christ arrived in 1992!
So in some strange way, the dates are underscored but not specifically for what they expect. All that to say this, it is still not clear that this notice did not serve some God-given purpose, as the followers are still saying.
We are in the period where the temple has been dismissed and the WTS has become apostate. This is the period where God pours out his holy spirit on all kinds of people, old and young, men and women, and they are like the stars that give spiritual light. Camping was one of those ones. But like a star appears in a background of darkness, each has their own little star of truth but not the entire truth. Camping has some divine inspiration but a lot is not shown to him. Case in point, he doesn't realize Christ returned in 1992 and certainly expecting the rapture prior to Armageddon isn't what the Bible says.
So from the spiritual point of view, we have to presume the prediction served a special purpose. I'm hoping to begin the millennium officially on December 21, 2012. Might not happen, but it would be a great date for that event.
In the meantime, seems to me we are on the brink of the UN taking over world authority. We wince at the idea that the US will give up its sovereignty, as prophesied, but Obama is already making sure the US does everything with UN cooperation and is forcing the other UN nations to carry their financial load as world peacekeepers. So the idea of the giving up sovereignty to the UN is already happening. Once the UN takes over and becomes the 8th world power, which is how they are already acting since the US is deferring to them as far as world events go, the Armageddon will come shortly after that.
So everything is occurring on schedule and as God plans, but with lots of twists and turns. As Camping also notes, those dates might have been spiritually significant dates but not earthly significant dates as far as what was to be expected. Even so, Camping has all on high alert that the end is near and we can see who believed him and who didn't, who is paying attention and who is not.
Maybe this entire end-times scene is to be understood from the vantage point of the elect and the rest of the world will be in puzzlement and darkness?
LS
