Chapter 25 Doomsday 1982

In Christianity, Jesus' return to the earth has always been an enduring prophecy.Perhaps the most talked about of these prophecies is evangelist Pat Robertson's prophecy that Jesus would return to Earth in the 1980s. The Atlantic once reported that Robertson's prophecies were based on the records of the Bible, especially 1 Thessalonians. "First Thessalonians" said: "Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven, accompanied by the voice of the 'archangel', the sound of God's trumpet, and the people's shouts of joy. After that, we who are alive and remain will be with them. We will be caught up together in the cloud and meet the Lord in the air. In this way, we will be with the Lord forever.”

At the same time, the prophecy also pointed out that people who have no religious belief will be trapped in a lake of fire with Satan, where they will experience the torment of this eternal life.The fire will destroy the entire earth and after that recreate a new heaven and a new world.Believers of God and those who have been redeemed in this disaster will live in this peace. In America, Pat Robertson is a household name as he was a major philanthropist, successful businessman, educator and famous author.And once participated in the presidential election of the United States with George Bush in 1988.

At the same time, he is an evangelist and the founder of the Christian Union, and he is also the owner of a TV station and hosts the TV show "700 club", which is loved by many people in American Christianity.There is also a God-related story about his TV station: the time is 1959, and Pat Robertson's family was still living in New York.On this day, he claimed that he saw a vision from God, asking him to go to Virginia to buy a TV station for $37,000.So in November of that year, Pat Robertson left New York City with his wife and children and drove to Ted Ward, Virginia.This is also where God manifests visions.

After a long search, Pat Robertson found a TV station that was about to go out of business.He told the TV station owner that he was sent by God.But Pat Robertson had only $70 in his pocket at the time, so a bargain started between the two. Mr. Pat Robertson said, "Hi, I'm Pat Robertson, God let me buy your TV station." "Oh, yes, then, how much will God pay?" "37,000 US dollars. And it will take 6 months to raise funds. You have to guarantee that you will not sell the TV station to others within 6 months." To everyone's shock, the seller finally agreed to Pat Robertson's demanding request.And, his original asking price was as high as $250,000, but he sold it for less than $40,000.Since then, Pat Robertson has hosted the show "700 club" on his own TV station.Although he is an evangelist and founder of the Christian United Church, he has never promoted evangelical content on his shows.

However, everything changed on one day in May 1980.On this day, he announced to the world through "700 club" that he had just received God's instruction. He said solemnly in the program: "I assure you that this world will usher in the final judgment at the end of 1982." Doomsday Judgment is interpreted in the Bible as that only God’s chosen people—Christians can enter heaven with God, and the abandoned people will go to hell.When Robertson's words were broadcast to the world through television, it caused panic in the world.Many of Pat Robertson's followers followed him, waiting for the final judgment to come.

However, this statement has drawn opposition from other religious leaders.Many bishops of Catholicism and Puritanism believe that Robertson's remarks do not conform to the original meaning of the Bible, because it is recorded in Matthew Chapter 24, Section 36: (Doomsday Judgment) No one knows the day and hour, Even God's messengers don't know, neither does Son, only God knows.In other words, even if Robertson is a prophet, he will never be able to know which day the day chosen by God is. What is even more strange is that after he announced the prophecy of the end of the world to the whole world, many believers sold their properties according to his instructions and gathered around him from all over the world.But Robertson himself did not give up the TV station, let alone a little bit of his property.

When the bells of Christmas 1982 struck, everyone breathed a sigh of relief that the final judgment predicted by Pat Robertson did not happen.Human beings still live in the world as usual and spend Christmas happily. When the time finally crossed the Judgment Day of God predicted by Robertson, the believers reveled that they had survived a catastrophe, but those non-Christians did not go to hell because of their beliefs. The more ironic thing is that Robertson is still living his happy life. The "700 club" program was broadcast as usual, and he never mentioned the original prophecy, and the rich income brought by the TV station never distributed to believers who could not afford to eat.