What is May 21, 2011 Rapture?

May 21, 2011 Rapture was Harold Camping's failed doomsday prediction that turned into a wave of online jokes, image macros, and Rapture Bombing photo pranks in the days around the date[3].

Where did May 21, 2011 Rapture come from?

The prediction came from Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping, who used his Family Radio show to preach that the world would end May 21, 2011 after his earlier 1994 prophecy failed[1].

What does May 21, 2011 Rapture mean?

The term covers both Camping's specific failed prediction and the sprawl of memes it spawned, from #iftheworldendsonsaturday tweets to atheist-run pet-care services for the left-behind[2].

How do you use May 21, 2011 Rapture?

People typically reference it through Rapture Bombing photos (empty clothes staged on the ground), Family Radio billboard parodies, and jokes about post-Rapture looting or pet-sitting[3].

Is May 21, 2011 Rapture still popular?

It's a classic 2011 reference rather than an active meme; Camping followed up with an October 21, 2011 date that also passed, and by the next year both had faded from regular use[1].

May 21, 2011 Rapture

2011eventclassic

Published September 6, 2026

May 21, 2011 Rapture was a doomsday prediction by Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping that flopped and turned into a viral online joke. In the days around the date, Twitter hashtags, Reddit pranks, eBay insurance auctions, and pet-care services for the left-behind swept the web, spawning image macros and Rapture Bombing photos that outlasted Camping's prediction by months.

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Overview

The May 21, 2011 Rapture meme was a swarm of jokes bolted to Harold Camping's failed prediction, not a single image or catchphrase. Cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal drew a comic titled 'How is God Handling the Rapture,' picturing a bumbling deity running the event from a computer, while FAILBlog collected image macros of Family Radio's billboards and Facebook filled with tongue-in-cheek events like 'Post Rapture Looting' and 'Being alive, May 22, 2011, Day after doomsday'3.

Beyond the joke pages, atheist-run outfits including After the Rapture Pet Care and Eternal Earth-Bound Pets U.S. offered to feed and shelter animals left behind by saved Christians. The After the Rapture site started as a conversation between a Christian and her atheist friend before turning into a real registration service for believers who wanted pet plans in place2.

Origin & Background

Platform

Family Radio (prediction) / Reddit and Twitter (viral spread)

Creator

Harold Camping

Date

2011

Harold Camping, an 89-year-old Christian broadcaster on American public radio since 1961, spent years telling Family Radio listeners the end was coming1. He first put a date on it in a 1992 book titled '1994?' predicting a September 1994 apocalypse; when that flopped, he revised to a May 21, 2011 Rapture followed by an October 21, 2011 physical destruction of the world3.

How It Spread

Momentum built the week before the date. A Reddit thread titled 'Operation Rapture' on May 19 circulated an image telling readers to pile clothes on streets Saturday morning to fake a mass ascension; by May 20 Twitter feeds carried #iftheworldendsonsaturday alongside the Spanish-language #findelmundo, and an eBay seller listed a $100,000 post-Rapture life-insurance policy at a $19.99 starting bid. One format that outlasted the day was Rapture Bombing, where people staged empty clothes on lawns and sidewalks as if the wearer had vanished, a gag that celebrities including comedian David Copperfield and pro skater Tony Hawk joined3.

May 21 came and went. Camping told reporters he was 'flabbergasted' and stayed secluded in his Alameda, California home for two days before holding a press conference where he claimed the date had been a 'spiritual coming' or 'invisible judgment day,' with the physical end still coming on October 21, 20111.

The failure fueled more coverage than the countdown itself. Christian Post ran a piece the following week questioning whether Camping, who suffered a stroke that June, was showing signs of Alzheimer's disease as he pushed his revised October date1.

How to Use This Meme

Rapture Bombing is the main visual template: photograph a pile of clothes arranged on a chair, sidewalk, or lawn as if the wearer instantly vanished. Text formats typically use #iftheworldendsonsaturday or the Spanish #findelmundo alongside a mundane weekend plan, and image macros commonly overlay Family Radio's May 21 billboards with 'FAIL' seals or a corrected date.

Frequently Asked Questions

References (4)