The Harold Camping Dodge

OK. I am going to say it for the rest of us: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!  Let's be honest, most of you were thinking it, I am just having the guts to say it.  Today's Harold Camping interview was telling and predictable. He dodges pretty fast for an old guy.

1. Harold says he didn't fully understand what was going on May 21st.  He thought it was going to be a physical coming of the Lord but he misunderstood and it was actually a spiritual coming of the Lord.. Jesus is here folks we just didn't see of feel anything but the world is under Judgment Day.

2. New Date Now: October 21st.  Not that it really was new.  This has been predicted right along that the actual end of the world would happen on October 21st, 2011.  The problem now of course is ALL of us will be here when that happens including Harold and his followers.

3. Harold also says he is not responsible for what people did.  He is just a Bible teacher, what people do is their business.  The only one he has authority over is his wife.

All right.  Of course a 'spiritual coming' can't be proved or disproved but you would think that the 200,000 elect who are saved (got to love the doctrine of election) would have sensed something.

Now we all have another day to mark on our calenders - October 21st, 2011.  Ready for round two.  Here is Harold's chance to get even with me seeing I am up 1-0 so far.  I predict that once again nothing will happen on October 21st, 2011.  Hear that Harold, here is a chance to get your money back.  See you at the pearly gates to pay up if you win.

I guess Harold has never read James 3:1 - "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur stricter judgment."  Oh, do not get me wrong, the people that followed this and spent their money on it and wasted their time still are responsible, in my mind, for their foolishness, but Harold Camping is wrong about not being responsible.  When you teach the Bible you will be judged and judged harder for what you teach.  It is completely understandable because what is taught has the power to make or break a person's salvation.  Something every teacher and preacher should take to the pulpit is an element of fear and reverence for the effect God's word has on people.

And all of us thought this was over. See you in October Harold.   

The Aftermath of the Failed Rapture

In know, I know I am getting a little tired of it too, but the sad part of this predictable story is now unfolding. Reports of people spending their life savings on advertising, disillusioned followers people maxing out the credit cards and going on vacations to see some things before they are ruptured to be with Jesus. It has become a deafening roar of disappointment, bewilderment and pain.

Harold Camping refused comment and said he needed a day to think about it. He almost said he was going to have to live with it, but then changed and said he needed to think it out. Interesting change. The sixty six radio station Family Radio has dumped all references to Judgment Day.

If someone were to ask me what I think of all these people and do I feel sorry for them I would say 'No'. To state it simply there are so many passages of scripture that remind the believer to beware of false prophets, to not be taken for a fool and using money wisely. Jesus' own words of how no one knows the day or the hour except the Father should be enough for everyone to say this was very foolish. Maybe the money spent will be enough of a life lesson. The only exception to this is the ones who are young and new to the faith.

What will happen now? Oddly enough, people will still believe in him and the whole thing will indeed rally in some way. Just watch, the failure will be explained away, followers will be reassured and ultimately some other direction will be taken.

Thankfully, though some people will not buy it.

Hopefully I will only have to do one more post based on what the man says in his interview and then end this. Unfortunately for the people that believed this false prophet, the pain will be there for a long time.

To the False Prophet Harold Camping - Let Me Help You, Sir.

Well it is May 22 and we are ALL still here. No rapture and I want to send a message to Harold Camping to lend him a hand in these trouble times and hopefully educate everyone else why date setting and date setters for the end of the world and judgement day continue to fail.

1. Lack of Understanding: You fail to understand that there are some things that we are not supposed to know and that is OK. The reason God does not want us to know the date is very simple - motivation. If we did know the date we then would live like we want until near the end and then we would make our life right. It is our ignorance that keeps us watchful, praying and looking to the need for holiness in our lives. That is why it is ultimately left to one being - The Father God - to decide these things. Jesus says he is the only one who knows and I take Jesus' word for it. There are some things WE CAN"T KNOW.

2. Lack of the Compassion of God: It not that you just don't have an understanding of God's compassion, you do not have it yourself. 2 Peter 3:9 shows this as it points out that God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance. This verse points out God's patience toward people, a patience date setters do not have. Had Jesus actually come yesterday how many people that did not have an opportunity to accept Christ would have perished? To God these people deserve our love and a chance at repentance, not our "bye, tough luck for you."

3. Lack of Concern for New Christians: The real danger of doctrines like this the effect it has on the young and ignorant believer. The 'children' they cause to stumble. Before preaching anything pastors and church leaders should really ask the question of how what they are preaching is going to be perceived by new Christians. When it comes do date setting, this is particularly devastating when you set a date for Jesus' return and then it does not come to pass. Loss of faith in Christ and the Bible is an inevitable result.

Ultimately, the main reason you fail is your focus is on yourself and not others. You want to escape but you do not want to face your fears and live in this would with the same compassion as Christ. You draw attention to yourself at the expense of others.

You have my pity.

I hope and pray you develop enough humility to fall on your knees and beg forgiveness and come to a realization that you do not know everything you need to know. There are lessons to be learned from this event that you need to learn and they have nothing to do with looking at the Bible to find a date of Jesus' return.

Hope this helps.

Doomsday Eve or I Predict May 22nd

Hey it is May 20, 2011 or Doomsday Eve according to 89 year old Harold Camping. I tried to recall today how many times in my life I have heard predictions of the rapture or Judgment Day and those predictions have been wrong, but for the life of me I could not get a number because there were so many to remember. I know one thing though everyone of them has been wrong.

In part, people keep doing this because everyone wants to know when and it is desire that causes people to have some whacked out interpretations of Scripture to justify their belief in setting dates. WeCanKnow.com is a great one for this May 21st, 2011 thing and if you scroll to the bottom they will give an explanation that some can know because they are not caught unawares like other Christians by the thief in the night. So lets add another motive to these people. Spiritual pride, they can't be wrong and they are more spiritual than the rest of us Christians.

My response to this is very simple. There is a great leap of logic from saying some will not be caught unawares to setting a date. The watchman on a wall is not caught unawares, not because he knows the date of the enemies coming but because he stays alert at ALL TIMES. There is a great difference between this and coming to the wall when on the day you have determined that the thief is coming.

The final thing to say is Matthew 24:36 - "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." What still boggles my mind is how many date setters ignore this. On the We Can Know website there is no mention of this verse. I know I looked and if your going to make such a claim you better have this verse up there to explain it away to prove your point, and low and behold, it is not on the homepage at all.

For me the open theist, I do not sweat this stuff anymore. Mostly because I don't believe prophecy works like a crystal ball. I also take 2 Peter 3:12 seriously about 'hastening the coming of the day of the Lord". In short God does not have a calender in heaven with doomsday circled. He is watching things relationally and the day will come simple when he decides the time is right and some things are not in his control like how humans react. Like a farmer watching his crops he will wait till all is ready and all have had a chance to reject him or accept him and he sees no other options for people to be saved then he will send Christ. He is looking for a situation, not a day. There is something Peter says we should be doing and none of it has to do with setting a date and sitting in room and waiting for his return. "Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless." (2 Peter 3:13). That's everyday, not just the day before you think he is coming

It is also interesting to note 2 Peter 2 is entirely about false prophets which Peter condemns in the harshest language. Basically if you look at Deuteronomy 13 and 18 the tests for a prophet there are two things that make one a false one: 1) what he predicts does not come to pass or 2) he counsels the people to worship idols, he is to be put to death. Can't really do that these days but we should treat Mr. Camping as if he was dead because he has done this one before predicting Jesus' return on September 6, 1994. He was wrong so why anyone is giving him credence this time around is beyond me.

One thing that has been fun to watch is the entrepreneurs who will be the only real winners on this one with all the bumper stickers, t-shirts and other stuff with 'May 21, 2011 Judgment Day' on them. I predict that on May 22nd they will be laughing their way to the bank and only regretting that the day came so they can't make more money.

OK. Here is the throw down: Mr. Camping predicts that Jesus is rapturing the saints on May 21, 2011. I predict that the sun will rise on May 22nd, 2011 and nothing will have happened. Let's see who the real prophet is.