For Christians that haven't been paying attention to the news, they might be a little surprised to learn that Jesus is scheduled to come back this weekend.
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| One of Family Radio's billboards proclaiming Judgment Day on May 21, 2011 |
Of course, the media has picked up on this, publishing numerous articles mocking his claims about Doomsday and the Apocalypse. At the same time, atheists and skeptics are planning to hold "Rapture Parties" in ridicule of Camping's prediction.
As a Christian looking at this story, I'm honestly not so concerned about the hardcore non-believers who already reject the Gospel or those who boast publicly that God doesn't exist. Let them mock us and make fun of us. That's what they are already doing. That's what the Bible promises they are going to do - with or without failed Doomsday predictions.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:19, King James Version)
No. The people I'm the most worried about are those Christians who blindly follow Camping and false prophets like him, with absolutely no clue what the Bible really says about these events.
I'm concerned about those that have pumped millions of dollars into his ministry - not to truly spread the Gospel or help the poor and hungry - but instead to draw attention to his claims. I'm concerned about those who will permanantly be turned away from Jesus and the Christian faith when his predictions fail to come true. I'm concerned about the true preaching of the Word of God falling on deaf ears, because the average church-goer can't decipher between what's right and wrong.
Why can't Christians just pick up their Bibles? This is what Jesus himself says about His return:
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32, King James Version)
What other way could this scripture be interpreted? Does Camping believe he is priviledged to information from the Father that even Jesus didn't have? Or perhaps God just decided to change His mind and give mankind an exact date anyway.
If you want another reason to completely ignore Camping and his Judgment Day prediction? How about the fact that he did the same thing more than 15 years ago, proclaiming to the world that Jesus was coming back on Sept. 6, 1994.
It didn't happen. So obviously, this man is not hearing from God.
Why are the people of God still listening to his predictions? Why aren't they "discerning between truth and error" when he speaks his supposed revelations?
Yes, we need to spread the Gospel to unbelievers. Yes, we need to urge them to repent. And yes, Jesus is coming back someday to judge the world. But Christians need to be more careful when getting caught up in the excitement of prophetic words, especially when they clearly don't match up with the Word of God.
The Bible is already holy, perfect and complete. Let's learn what it says first, then worry about what men are saying.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6, King James Version)
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