As the 2015 Children's Day was celebrated in Nigeria on May 27 and I was…
Thursday, 20th October 2011, brought to an end months of hunting for Libya’s strongman; and the longest-serving leader in both Africa and the Arab world, Moammar Gadhafi. Ironically, his fall came just hours before the date declared by Harold Camping as the God-ordained day for the end of the world!
Harold Camping had announced to the whole world that, by some insight into the divine scriptures, he had discovered that the day determined by God to wipe out our world was October 21 2011. Despite the cries of mainstream churches and the secular world that has erred since the books shows no one knows the date, Harold held to his guns. Of course, when May 21 which he announced to be the day of rapture never happened Camping was said to have taken a more neutral stand in a recent podcast when he said,
“I do believe we’re getting very near the very end. Oct. 21, that’s coming very shortly, that looks like it will be, at this point, it will be the final end of everything.”
“Probably there will be no pain suffered by anyone because of their rebellion against God”
“I really am beginning to think as I’ve restudied these matters that there’s going to be no big display of any kind. The end is going to come very, very quietly.”
Anyway, today is October 22 2011 and here I’m at my desk writing this article. Of course, I woke up this morning to discover that once again Harold has miscalculated or maybe God has changed his mind since most of us have decided to beg for forgiveness of our sins and the sins of the whole world! Indeed he is merciful God!
But come to think of it, was Harold Camping really wrong with his predictions?
Don’t you think maybe he somehow missed the details and therefore misapplied his calculations to something else?
Frankly, I’ve been thinking about this after considering the happenings of the last couple of days. As much as I try to push the thought out of my mind yet I want to believe that indeed our old world, as we used to know it, has just ended and we have begun a new one!
Please remember Harold just modified his stance when he said the October 21 date may come without any real big display of any kind and that the end is going to come very, very quietly!
Believe me, am being serious here. The demise of Gadhafi coming just hours before the 21st October date announced by Camping, is prophesy come true! You know, prophesies can sometimes throw a surprise if we’re not open minded enough!
The end of Gadhafi is indeed symbolic of the end of a world for leaders who wants to toy with the destiny of those who gave them authority to lead them. It is the end of political despots and those who believe they and their cronies have the prerogative of rulership and therefore want to lord it over their fellow men!
I write this from the perspective of an African where these forms of political desperadoes abound. Indeed Gadhafi is far better than most of those who are still holding on to power right now in the African continent. These ones have held on to power enriching themselves while their fellow countrymen live in abject poverty. I really do hope that they have read in between the lines and know that their era is gone.
A new world has begun not only for the Libyans but for the whole of Africa, if not the whole world. Indeed, this year has witnessed some unprecedented happenings not only in the Middle East but both in Europe and the Americas. From occupy Wall Street to the Greek riots, from the London riots to the Middle East uprising, it is clear that the divide between the people and the political elites is widening by the day.
But it is time to make it clear that the world has changed. Power indeed belongs to the people and where any one person or a group of persons decides to misapply this, the consequences is grave.
What am I really saying here?
It is simply this, why the Libyans are celebrating a new world for their people, we should also be celebrating the end of political despots that have over ran the continent of Africa. Let’s celebrate the end of an era when political leaders believe they have the prerogative of power over the people who elected them. Let’s celebrate the end of a world order where democracy was the rule of the few by the few and for the privileged few!
Welcome to our new world!
Firstly, about the end of the world. I don’t think that people will ever know their last day in the world. People are too stupid to undestand it. Sorry, but he has not right to declare anything at all.
Secondly, the death of Cadaffi. When I saw the videos and the pics and then the dead body of him, i realized again that we are people too cruel by our nature. He is dead and any actions to the dead body doesn’t symbolize anything at all.
@DiNaRa,
Very good points there. Sometimes we as humans really want to show we know more than others and this most times can put us in the wrong corner. Harold after a few earlier attempts should have spent more his time preparing his congregation to know that the end can come any time instead of trying to put a date to the end of the world.
The greatest wisdom should be that of living as if today is your last!
About the brutality to the dead, it is simply the result of the animal instint that is in every one of us. These people have passed through a whole of things that has blinded them to reason. Yes, he is dead and gone any other thing you do is useless.
I have heard such kind of declaration many times from different people and all are wrong all the times, I don’t know what they want to prove that they’re are sick people and like to do this just for some publicity.
I heard about Gadaffi and knows him as a cruel ruler over many decades in Libya. People don’t like him that’s what the video showed, Let’s hope that Libya and Africa can live peacefully and achieve all success which they haven’t till now.
@Aaron,
It really be difficult to know why many of these people make these types of declarations when from the holy book it is clear that no one knows that date. I think what we should really do put in our best in every thing we do knowing the end can come for us any time!
About Gadhafi, I’ll echo an Amen to that hope! The truth is many of our leaders are too selfish that once they get in to power to are blinded to sufferings of the masses. But like I said in the post, I do hope this is a new beginning for the land of Africa. We do hope the primordial understanding of our leaders that national leadership is their family affairs as in the days of our fore fathers when kings only came from certain families, is truly over.
Great post! Thursday, 20th October 2001, i guess you need to correct the date above! I n my opinion may be he meant that the end of the for Qaddafi!! lol.. Jokes apart, but yes the video footage was disturbing, but look at this man, after ruling a nation for 40 years, the greed of the power kept him alive and even forced him to sleep in a drainage line..
I agree with DiNaRa, we are really cruel by nature, forget Qaddafi, if you will look around or read in the local newspaper you will see a few who have killed the other person just for a small gree too.
@Grant,
Oh thanks for the correction. That was a slip of the fingers! 🙂
Indeed, the pictures were really disturbing. But if you’ve ever witnessed a mob action then you’ll understand the action of humans sometimes. Don’t forget that those young men have been trigger happy over the past few months. In fact, the blame is on Gadhafi who after 41 yrs decided to sacrifice both his children and himself in order to stay in power. Who told him that he is only one who have the wisdom to rule Libya? What stopped him from stepping aside and becoming a state man advising the younger ones on what to do to carry the country on?
On both sides there are blames both the greatest of the blames goes to Gadhafi and especially his sons who failed to advise their father but instead continued to support him to the end!
declaring end of the world is not in any human hand. Its a duty of God who had to decide when to end that world. the sudden death of Gaddafi really disappoints me about American policies about this world. Americans can react to any cruelty made by Israel. why they can,t speak against them. they just wants to rule this world with their cruelties and bad war impacts. the death of Gaddafi really hurts me that how rebels torched him and what they are doing after his death even he is no more and they are keep going tortured him. that is shameless for UN and other humanitarian NGO,s.
@reeha,
Glad to see your comment here Reeha. I quite agree with you that it is only God who can tell us when the world will come to an end. Unfortunately, in his own wisdom, he has decided to keep the date from us. Many has tried “fixing” the date for us but all of them has always ended failures. But let’s not be ignorant that even the scriptures says that all of these will happen. So it does mean that that Book has some message for us which we must not over look!
About Gadhafi, I understand your feellings. Even while I wrote this post I was very conscious of the fact that as an African, I must show my respect for him not just because he was an african leader but as an elder. Besides, it is not really good to speak evil of the dead!
But some how we mustn’t forget the fact that it is what you sow that you reap, if not in this earth then definitely in the world to come. Gadhafi indeed did great for his country, like I said in the post he did much much better than most of the political leaders in Africa today. But all of these he has contributed in destroying because of his own personal craze for power. After 40 yrs of rule he could have honorably stepped aside and allowed democratic principles to take their course.
Is it about America wanting to rule the whole world? OK, America may have their own agenda but the greater blame is on my dear african leaders whole are driven by selfishness and creed. It is simply a matter of when you are unable to settle your family matters, your neighbours will end up telling you what to do in your home!
Sorry, I’m only writing from the perspective of an african who knows where the shoe pinches!
@Chadrack, Thanks for your inspiring remarks about me. I agree with you that its really evil thing to say anything about dead body however about Gaddafi I think he is a great man of his age and right now. Its American policy who disaster U.K economical growth and world economy also.
The death of gadhafi sure help a lot of country,he is the one responsible for the crisis that is happening around the world, I think that he is the most destructive dictator, I never seen the actual footage of his death, but the news almost told everything.