Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Billboard Over BQE Reminds Us: Only 17 Days Until The Apocalypse!
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 4, 2011
Modified May 19, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 4, 2011
Modified May 19, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In the pantheon of controversial billboards, there seem to be a few which are very good at rattling people into hysterics, from ones which are adamantly anti-abortion, to the pro-atheist signs, to the Calvin Klein orgies. And then there are the Apocalyptic billboards, which have been springing up across the country all year in anticipation of Judgment Day. And now, one of these specters of the End Times is hovering over the BQE.
Sometime in the past week, the above billboard went up on the BQE, promoting Christian radio station WFME 94.7; the call letters stand for "Where Faith Means Everything," but it is better known as FamilyRadio. The date is based on the radio ramblings/preachings of Harold Camping; there is a five-month judgment period after May 21, just like when you apply to buy a handgun. The world won't be completely obliterated until Oct. 21.
Although Camping has been predicting the end of the world for a long time (he previously thought the end of the world was coming in 1994), it's still a bit odd to see one of the billboards in Brooklyn. It's one thing when one goes up in, say, NJ, where we heard about the story of Edwin Ramos, a follower of Camping who constructed his own sign, ruined his business, and alienated his entire family in the pursuit of...being right? Warning people? The whole thing reeks of desperation and sadness to us. Shouldn't that kind of delusion be left in LA?
Tagged
apocalypse
billboards
bqe
judgment day
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Manhattan neurologist charged with sexually abusing 2 patients, DA says
Prosecutors say Dr. Tariq Lamki abused two patients during appointments at a medical practice near Stuyvesant Town.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 5:43 p.m. ET
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
The Port Authority is replacing its ramshackle Midtown Bus Terminal. Riders will face years of headaches as the work is finished.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
News
Years of bus headaches start Thursday as Port Authority advances Midtown terminal work
The Port Authority is replacing its ramshackle Midtown Bus Terminal. Riders will face years of headaches as the work is finished.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
and
Carol Chen
ICE admits to using Roxbury, NJ warehouse site to process immigrants
By
Mike Hayes
Dolan's offer: Donations to Blakeman for Knicks tickets
By
Walter Wuthmann
NYC officials call for Target boycott, say ICE staged at Marble Hill lot before shooting
By
Ryan Kost
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .