If you haven't heard, you probably will.
False prophecy maker Harold Camping has made his latest prediction of the rapture of the Church.
He claims the Church will be raptured on May 21, 2011, and as his website says, "The Bible Guarantees It".
Of course "the Church" according to Camping is pretty much that tiny band of the Church that follows Harold Camping on his Family Radio, and mocks that world-wide Body of believers who don't follow Harold Camping, calling them false believers.
While there certainly are likely many false believers in the world, the standard for "false believer" surely can't be "not believing Harold Camping".
Anyway, I don't usually devote space to the odd false prophet, but I thought I'd just make two statements on the subject. One to born-again Christians, and one to non-Christians.
To Born-Again Christians:
Please don't sell all your stuff or liquidate your bank account or quit your job in preparation for May 21. There are those who will literally be destitute after May 21 because they listened to this false prophet (I want to say "nut job", but it's actually more spiritually insidious than that).
Some are listening to Harold even though they know he previously did the same thing. He will not be a false prophet because of May 21. He is ALREADY a false prophet!
Don't be one of those who believe him.
Hold fast to the awesome and wonderful truth that our awesome and wonderful Lord and Savior will indeed return at the right time. But don't listen to the pathetic false prophet Harold Camping.
To Non-Christians:
Please don't make stupid illogical decisions about Jesus Christ because some who claim to follow Him do stupid things.
Jesus Christ is Lord and God and Savior and worthy to be believed in and followed. And those who believe in Him really do have eternal life, and really do have their sins forgiven.
Jesus really was born of a virgin and is the Son of God, and died on the cross for our sins, and was buried and rose again on the third day.
And those who refuse His love and reject Him really will experience the wrath of God.
He really does offer salvation as a free gift, by grace through faith, to everyone who believes in Him.
And He really will return to Earth in judgment, and to take believers in Him to live with Him in Heaven forever.
It could happen today, or May 21, or many years from now.
The Bible does not specify "when". In fact, it says no one knows the day or the hour. But the day and hour will come.
You would be a fool to deny that because of Harold Camping.
Update: My online friend Dan Phillips has made a distinction worth noting. In this blog post he rightly points out that technically Camping is not a false prophet, since he doesn't claim direct revelation from God, but is indeed a false teacher, because he is destructively interpreting Scripture.
As Dan says in his article, "This, of course, is not a demotion. Being a false teacher is plenty bad enough. As Peter said, 'false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction' (2 Peter 2:1)."
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5 comments:
That's a great, no nonsense response to this silly so-called prophecy. :)
Appreciate ya, Joel. Thanks.
Robert Rowe
If May 21st 2011 is indeed the end of the world, and that Harold Camping's 'biblical predictions' are accurate, then Jesus Christ himself, in Matthew 24, lied to us.
Robert Rowe Pretty simple. Here are isolated verses to prove my case.
Matthew 24:3-16
(3) And as [Jesus] sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
In verse 3, [what] shall be the signs to prove Christ is returning, and the end of the world.
(4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
In verse 4, first commandment given! Let no man deceive you.
(5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
(6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
(7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
(8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.
In verses 5-8, we see these days as the beginning of sorrows.
(9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
(10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
(11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
(12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
(13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
(14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
In verses 9-14T, Jesus is talking about the times of the gentiles.
(15) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
(16) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Here are the key verses. Has the abomination of desolation taken place yet? No it has not. It is part of the third temple construction in Israel (that hasn't happened yet).
Since the third temple hasn't been built, May 21st cannot be the date.
Terry,
I will simply echo Joel's words.
Wonder what he will tell the congregation on Sunday?
It is sad Camping has so many followers. Hopefully, after 5/21, their eyes will open and they will see Camping for what he truly is. Deut. 18:21,22 says “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared," NLT.
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