Well, given that the interpretation of Revelations that leads to pre-milennium dispensationalism (that interpretation which suggests that Rapture will happen first, then 1,000 years of unrest, then a return of Christ) didn't come around until the 19th century and that there are three other orthodox Christian views of Revelations (none of which come with a guarantee), I think Reverend Camping stuck his neck out. But it's his neck. I don't know how you read all the passages in sufficient detail to apply numerology to them and miss all the passages that state that the end will come "like a thief in the night" and that it is "only for the Lord to know". It's very clear, there is NO particular date and NO hidden message encoding the end. There is numerology in Revelations, and that particular numerology is a game that used to be played on names by first century Jews. Applying the rules of the game, the numerology suggests that Emperor Nero was the "anti-Christ" and further that "anti-Christ" isn't a title but a description of one who is against Christ (as Nero was - he used to dip Christians in tar and then light the tar to use the Christians as street lights). That's the understanding of Revelations that I think is correct. I don't think it's an end times story at all, but a commentary on Imperial Roman persecution of Christians.
- Zurf