Doomsayer confused as world doesn't end (Meet the man who spent his $150,000 savings to warn us)

New York Post ^ | 05/22/2011 | Heather Haddon & Douglas Montero

[SeekAndFind]

That's a Wrapture.

When the world did not end at precisely 6 p.m. yesterday, Doomsday prophet Robert Fitzpatrick's fragile grasp on reality crumbled.

"I don't understand why nothing is happening," said Fitzpatrick, flipping through his Bible for clues to why Rapture failed to show up on time.

"It's not a mistake. I did what I had to do. I did what the Bible said," he said, looking increasingly disheveled and confused as he stood in Times Square before mocking crowds.

A kooky Christian cult predicted that corpses would line the streets and deadly earthquakes would swallow up sinners beginning at 11:59 p.m. Jerusalem time on May 21, 2011.

Fitzpatrick, 60, a retired MTA engineer who became the city's self-appointed siren of the Apocalypse, spent $140,000 of his life savings on 3,219 bus, subway and commuter-rail ads trumpeting the coming "global earthquake" and urging sinners to repent to Jesus.

Fitzpatrick is a follower of Harold Camping, 89, an Oakland, Calif., evangelist who promised that on Judgment Day the righteous would be sucked up to heaven while sinners -- even children -- were to rot among fires, earthquakes and tsunamis engulfing the Earth. People would slowly die off until Oct. 21, 2011, when God completely KO'd the earth and all of its inhabitants.

Even cynical city dwellers got into the spirit of Doomsday, with New Yorkers hawking T-shirts, holding Judgment Day parties and Mayor Bloomberg deadpanning that he'd suspend alternate-side parking if the Earth crumbled.

Fitzpatrick's self-published tome on his predictions, "The Doomsday Code," earned $1,400 in royalties, he said. But his publicity stunt wasn't about getting checks. On Judgment Day, after all, money wouldn't matter.

[SeekAndFind]

APOCALYPSE NO! Amid guffaws, Doomsday "prophet" Robert Fitzpatrick (center), who spent $140,000 on Rapture get-the-word-out ads, counts down the seconds to the realization that it isn't over till it's over -- and it's NOT over

Yesterday, the doomsayer ate a simple breakfast of toast and righteous "Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Cereal" at home and boned up on the word of the Lord with his blue Bible. He tossed a few peanuts to squirrels in his back yard, though all the animals were supposed to die later that day in a "fireball."

[SeekAndFind]

This is what he did during the “expected final days” ( the poor deluded man )...

1) Visited his sickly mother in a Staten Island nursing home one last time and prayed to reunite with her when they went knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door.

2) After 6 p.m. came and went, Fitzpatrick blamed himself for the wrong date with Doomsday, as “God is never wrong.” He schlepped on the R train back to the Staten Island Ferry and pondered his next step.

3) Finally said : “I didn’t water my plants, I didn’t do my dishes before I left. I didn’t expect to go back home,”

(Didn’t say a word about Harold Camping and the money he spent warning people).

[Mr. Mojo]

Doomsayer confused

Understatement of the weekend.

[cripplecreek]

"It's not a mistake. I did what I had to do. I did what the Bible said,"

Actually I think I more closely followed what the bible says. I enjoyed the day that God has made.

[Oztrich Boy]

Yesterday, the doomsayer ate a simple breakfast of toast and righteous "Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Cereal" at home

Today, he ate crow.

[arderkrag]

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

In other words, it's been going on since He left and will go on until He returns.

[Jeff Chandler]

This personal interpretation end times left behind nonsense only feeds the liberal stereotype that Christians are simpletons, buffoons, and morons.

What makes it difficult for the rest of Christianity is the fact that those who subscribe to personal interpretation end times left behind nonsense are.

[Brett66]

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

LOL! Very good!

[SeekAndFind]

“If by the Apocalypse, they meant Sunny and Warm with a high of 73 degrees, then they’re RIGHT, THIS IS THE END!!”
— Jim Carrey

“If you can’t think of a rapture joke, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world”
— Adam Sandler

“I’m suspending alternate parking in New York City on that day”

— Mayor Michael Bloomberg

[Brett66]

Even better:

[calex59]

It’s insane nut cases like these that give all Christians a bad name, because left wing idiots take the actions of one or two people and attribute them to all Christians. Whereas when most muslims are violent and many commit murder the left excuses them.

[cripplecreek]

God doesn’t want us to be fearful. God wants us to be happy and when the time comes it will be without warning.

[PLD]

If he bothered to read the Bible he would see that it says not even the angels in heaven will know the time..

Someone should have gone to where he lives and placed clothes like someone just stepped out of them on his lawn..Then it might have made him go under ground and not try to prophecies again.. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36

[happilymarriedmom]

My attitude about all this has been, if it causes one non-believer to open a Bible or to question their own beliefs, then thats a good thing. And many now know about the Rapture so when it does come and they realize the Christians were right, they will go to their Bible to find out whats coming next and hopefully repent.

[cripplecreek]

The left might want to take a close look at muslim end time prophesies. Their “savior” is supposed to crawl up out of the earth and wash the world in blood.

[Outlaw Woman]

This is the first time I've heard I've heard of this man; I thought Camping was the one who made the prediction but didn't really follow this story until it became national.

It's very very sad that this man was so deluded. An obviously well educated man fully believed that the end was going to happen and I think the saddest part of that story is the report stating he said:

“I don't understand why nothing is happening,” said Fitzpatrick, flipping through his Bible for clues to why Rapture failed to show up on time.
“It's not a mistake. I did what I had to do. I did what the Bible said,” he said, looking increasingly disheveled and confused as he stood in Times Square before mocking crowds.

It's too bad that a Christian didn't, at that point, offer the man compassion & love & assurance.

As to the cynics, it's all fine and good that they carried on like the heathen that they are but I bet some of them were just a tad bit anxious before yesterday. And at the end, the true end, they will still be mocking and partying and will be caught unaware. Tragic.

[Liberty Valance]

bump to the top!

[basil]

Poor guy...he apparently fervently believed what he believed.
He kind of reminds me of the obammy bots—they were absolutely sure that they had found their savior.

[Steamburg]

Exactly how is this different from AlGore except for the government funding and that Nobel Prize of course?