Thursday, May 19, 2011

So the world's going to end this Saturday at 6pm, local time.

Mr. Harold Camping has been stirring up a bit of a storm for some time now with his predictions that the Rapture of the Saints will take place this Saturday, May 21, 2011.

You remember Mr. Camping right? He wrote in 1992; “The results of this study indicate that the month of September of the year 1994 is to be the time for the end of history” (1994?, New York: Vantage Press, p. 531).

Yes, his original numbers were a bit off and rather than let that humble him and cause him to be still and quit stirring up trouble, he's at it again.
There’s a lot of information that looks at the probability of 6 pm in any city in the world–when that great earthquake will occur. It could be that it might be just one great earthquake, but there is enough evidence in the Bible that says it will begin at one point in the world, and it could be at 6 pm—that’s a great possibility. Then as it gets to be May 21 in any other country—there will be a great earthquake there.
But we know absolutely, without any shadow of a doubt, that May 21 will be the day.

I've been watching him for many years now, kind of amazed at his presumptions about scripture. And I have to say that I really wish he wouldn't do these irresponsible things.

There are people who really believe with all their hearts what he is saying, so they give away their earthly goods, or quit their jobs in a blaze of glory. Then they wake up the day after with their hope demolished, with no place to live and no job to go back to. I understand that as a result some have even taken their own lives.


In a way he belittles belief in God by making it a mockery. He becomes an offence to the gospel, rather than letting the Cross be the offence. People push against God because of him, and it gives them an excuse to push, rather than letting them be offended by the claims of the cross on their lives.

The real difficulty is that as foolishly as he stands before the world claiming "...we know absolutely, without any shadow of a doubt, that May 21 will be the day," and as foolish as he makes faith look to the world, the fact is that there will be a day and a time when the end of things as we know them, will come. We just don't know when.


Jesus tells us a bit about it:
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.      Matthew 24


Even Jesus doesn't know the time it will happen, so he gives us good words to live by.
He says, live ready.

Live ready to go. At any time. Be ready.
That's the wisdom. Live your life ready to go at anytime.

Possibly even this Saturday at 6pm.

3 comments:

  1. CTV am even had a bit on this. He is not doing the seriousness of the world situation any favours.

    Of course I won't need to worry about my fatigue from the flu lasting much longer at least.:)

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  2. Yep, have heard quite a bit on Hank Hannographs radio talk show about Harold Camping...930 CJCA @ 4:00.....there's school kids that our kids know and are interacting with that really believe this, or are very worried about tomorrow...

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  3. I think it's bizarre how Harold Camping could declare with certainty that his date of May 21 was bible-based, yet how he could try to explain away how Jesus said that no-one knows the day or hour. His organization's website has an explanation of how Matthew 24 was true for that era, but now the bible has been unsealed ...
    http://www.familyradio.com/graphical/literature/nomanknows/nomanknows.html

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