Harold Camping, doomsday preacher, dies at age 92

Harold Camping, the California preacher and radio evangelist known for his doomsday prophecies, died Sunday at age 92 from injuries sustained in an earlier fall.

Camping first predicted the world would end in September 1994 but blamed the failure of that Judgment Day prediction on a mathematical error. He then predicted the Rapture would happen in May 2011, a prophecy he revised, saying he had been off by five months. After that last failed prophecy, Camping stepped back from some responsibilities at the Family Radio Network, which he founded in 1958 and later served as volunteer president and general manager. He also posted an audio message on the Family Radio website apologizing for questioning the salvation of those who did not believe in his doomsday prophecy. Seeking to understand why the expected Judgment Day failed to materialize, Camping said he had been “checking my own notes more carefully than ever,” and “there is other language in the Bible that we still have to look at very carefully.”

Camping shared other controversial teachings via the Family Radio Network, including the idea that Christians should stay away from organized churches and listen to the radio and attend home churches instead. Camping is survived by his wife of 71 years, according to a statement from Family Radio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.