Now what will happen?
It’s been 10 days since Harold Camping of the Family Radio empire predicted that the world was going to end on May 21st at 6 pm [time zone irrelevant]. He predicted that on that Saturday the world would see the second coming of Christ and the rapture of some 200 million souls. The rest of earth’s population would be left behind to suffer all manner of horrible demise, culminating in the earth being consumed by fire on October 21st.
Well, we’re all still here, so Mr. Camping’s prediction didn’t turn out as he predicted. So what does Mr. Camping do now? You guessed it... he made a few minor adjustments to his prediction and continues on to a new date for the end of the world.
Here’s the latest on Family Radio evangelist Harold Camping’s “revised” prediction. In a special radio broadcast Monday May 23rd, two days after the failed end, he said his predicted May 21, 2011 Rapture was actually “an invisible judgment day“ where all of humanity were judged by God. He said he had come to understand that May 21st was a spiritual, rather than physical event. He went on to say....
“We had all of our dates correct,” said Camping, clarifying that he now understands that Christ’s May 21st arrival was “an invisible spiritual coming” ushering in the last five months before final judgment is executed and the destruction of earth.
Camping carefully walked listeners through his numerological timeline, insisting that his teaching has not changed and that the world will still end on October 21, 2011. “It won’t be a spiritual coming on October 21st,” Camping said, adding, “the world is going to be destroyed all together... it will be very quick.” Doesn’t he realize Oct. 21st is smack dab in the middle of football season?
Now, just for fun let me toss out a couple of Bible verses that seem to suggest Mr. Camping ain’t no way no how able to make such predictions. First lets look at a passage from the Old Testament... a time when lots of guys were going around making predictions in the “name of God” and getting people all stirred up. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22 we find this advise: “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him..."
What does that passage say to you? I thinks it simple and straightforward. If someone makes a [false] prophecy – something that doesn’t happen as predicted, and they have claimed to be a prophet of God, which is exactly what Mr. Camping by his audacious predictions and “special knowledge” claims to be... then they are a false prophet and are not to be listened to. Does Mr. Camping set himself up to be the prophet of God? He most certainly does.
Let’s take this reasoning one step further. Consider the blunt words of Matthew 24:36. Please check your Bibles... the words in chapter 24 are in “red” meaning they are the directly spoken words of Jesus, the Messiah; God Incarnate; God the Son, known to mankind as Jesus, the Christ. Here’s what He himself said on the matter Mr. Camping seems to know so much about... “when the end will come.” Matthew 24:36 says... "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Wait a minute... NOT the Son? Only the Father? Wow! The savior of mankind... the central figure in the Bible’s message... the author and perfecter of our faith... the originator of the plan of eternal salvation... He doesn’t know the day or the hour when HE will return... HIS “own” second coming???
The Bible, our only record and authority of what God has done in the past and will do in the future makes it very clear that Harold Camping was and continues to be wrong. His use of numerology to make his predictions is nothing more than fortune-telling which God condemns. Mr. Camping has no special knowledge... no hotline of new prophecy being uttered exclusively to him by God.
I suspect that many of his disciples—some of whom quit jobs, sold homes and took other drastic actions, confident of his prediction—are feeling pretty frustrated right about now. It would be easy enough simply to poke fun at Camping, but I keep thinking of those gullible followers who made life-transforming decisions on the basis of the foolish teachings of their spiritual leader.
What do we learn from all this? For one thing, it is a reminder that "concerning that hour no one knows" regarding the second coming of Christ. Not even Jesus, who is seated next to the Father. Anyone who claims to know and predict such things is either foolish or a premeditated liar.
Situations like Camping’s failed prediction give sincere truth bearing Christians a black- eye. Here’s a "Christian leader" making outlandish assumptions and bringing ridicule to Christian people working hard to save souls and teaching them how to live in anticipation of Christ’s return. What happens as a result of Camping’s goofy stunt? Many in our culture who might have been thinking about their spiritual circumstances, are put off by all the hype and embarrassing failure. Further, along with the help of eager media organizations, Christians are once more viewed as a bunch of crackpots and the “second coming of Christ” is nothing more than a myth.
Lessons to be learned... Be careful what you say publicly, because you carry the reputation of your church and the ministry of Christ in everything you say and do. Your words are powerful.
Finally... this whole episode is a reminder that every spiritual leader—whether an elder-pastor or pulpit preacher or someone in other influencing roles — needs to be accountable to others. We all need others to give us wise counsel, to help us see when we are going off the deep end, into error or frivolity.
The millions of dollars given to Camping’s Family Radio could have been better spent for Kingdom causes such as preaching the gospel to unreached peoples and doing what God expects... caring for those less fortune than ourselves and watching out that we don’t get polluted by false teachings like those of Harold Camping. (James 1:27)
Until next time, when we explore... Why intelligent people get caught up, fervently and passionately, in believing predictions about the end of the world?
