By now you have all heard that Jesus is going to return May 21. Harold Camping, who earlier predicted his return in 1994, is at it again. In his earlier book, he hedged a little on whether 1994 was the exact time, but this time there is no doubt. He will not even speculate on what happens if he makes it to May 22 because there is absolutely no chance he could be wrong.
I have to hand it to him. Camping is not only bold, he also runs against the grain. Every prediction that I remember predicts Christ's return at Rosh Hashana in the fall. There is a certain logic to this: Christ was sacrificed on Passover. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the church on Pentecost (an early harvest festival). Therefore, it makes some sense to think that Christ would return on the Feast of Trumpets since trumpets are part of the second coming motif (not to mention the New Year/New Jerusalem parallel).
Camping, however, predicts a day in the spring. It's not even Pentecost. I have not read enough to know how he picks this particular day (nor am I really interested), but he gets points for being novel.
I am not here today to criticize a nut job (check out some of the other stuff he believes and you'll understand). I want to talk about our (and here I guess I am talking mostly to my Assemblies of God friends) approach to the second coming.
Our movement and others were founded in the atmosphere of the second coming fervor of the late nineteenth century. This is shown both in our continuing missions emphasis (which arose from the belief that the world needed to hear before Jesus came back) and the fact that 4 of our 16 doctrinal statements center on eschatology.
Even the early twentieth-century outpouring of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was explained in eschatological terms. Believing that tongues and the miraculous as common had waned after the first century, the understanding as to why it had been resurrected was the soon return of Christ. This is why you occasionally see references to the Latter Rain, an interpretation of Joel 2:23. Just as crops needed rain at the beginning (i.e., Pentecost), they also need rain just before the harvest (the Second Coming) Therefore, the fact that the Holy Spirit was again being poured out at the beginning of the twentieth century was proof that the second coming was very soon.
I have more thoughts for another post. Check back with me.
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Stamping Out Harold Camping
ReplyDeleteI don't care a fig for date-setters, especially those who predict when Christ will return. The current champion is 89-year-old, headline-grabbing Harold Camping of Family Radio fame.
Is Second Coming date-setter Harold Camping worthy of death? He already has a zero batting average after his September 1994 prediction fizzle and, according to the Bible, is a false prophet.
Nevertheless that California shaman, who should be ashamed, claims he's found out that Christ's return will be on May 21, 2011 even though Matt. 24:36 says that no one knows the "day" or "hour" of it!
A Google article ("Obama Fulfilling the Bible") points out that "Deut. 18:20-22 in the Old Testament requires the death penalty for false prophets."
The same article reveals that "Christians are commanded to ask God to send severe judgment on persons who commit and support the worst forms of evil (see I Cor. 5 and note 'taken away')."
Theologically radioactive Harold Camping and his ga-ga groupies (with their billboards featuring "May 21, 2011") should worry about being "stamped out" if many persons decide to follow the I Cor. 5 command.
The above article concludes: "False prophets in the OT were stoned to death. Today they are just stoned!"
PS - For many years Camping was not known as a pretrib rapture teacher. But now, for $ome my$teriou$ rea$on, he seeks support from those who believe in and teach an imminent, pretrib rapture which supposedly will occur SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE the traditional SECOND COMING to earth! For a behind-the-scenes, documented look at the 181-year-old pretrib rapture belief (which was never a part of any official theology or organized church before 1830!), Google "Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty," "Pretrib Rapture Diehards" and "Pretrib Rapture - Hidden Facts." These are from the pen of journalist/historian Dave MacPherson a.k.a the "Pretrib Rapture Answerman" & the "Rush Limbaugh of the Rapture" - author of the bestselling book "The Rapture Plot," an "encyclopedia" of pretrib rapture history (see Armageddon Books).
(above seen on net, submitted by Rose)
good start to getting back to blogging Dr Bob! Yeah, that guy's a nut job for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bob! But don't forget, it's all about Sukkoth!
ReplyDeleteI came across a sign in Sydney Australia a couple of weeks ago which said "Judgement was near"..it is a pity the bill board was on a property beside a Christian book store...and in fact had nothing to do with the store.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have heard of this guy- its very sad indeed. Ironically we passed the billboard on the way to a funeral of a well loved missionary.