According to Harold Camping, President of Family Radio, that is precisely the date that Jesus is going to come back to rapture His church. He also opines that God will destroy the world on October 21, 2011. You can check out all his predictions and pronouncements by clicking here.
Mr. Camping now stands in a long line of others who have predicted the time of Christ's return. To see just one list of failed predictions, check out this website. What's amazing to me is that people are still trying to predict the date of Christ's return, even after so many failed attempts. What's even more amazing to me is that people are still listening to those that would attempt to predict the time of Christ's return.
What does the Bible say about the time of Christ's coming? Here are just a few samples from Scripture:
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Matt. 24:24).
"Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or "look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:26-27).
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matt. 24:36, emphasis mine).
"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming" (Matt. 24:42).
"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matt. 24:44).
"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming" (Matt. 25:13).
All of these passages can be found in what is commonly referred to as "the Olivet Discourse" - an extending teaching by Christ in which He spoke specifically to believers concerning the end of time. Clearly, if Christ wanted us to know the date of His coming, He would've surely given it to us somewhere within these verses. Not only did Jesus refrain from providing us with a date, but He said time and again that no man would know the time of His coming. I could've also written out a number of other passages that indicate the very same thing: Mark 13:32, Acts 1:7, 1 Thess. 5:2, 2 Pet. 3:10, and a host of others.
Probably the most often used illustration of Christ's coming employed by Jesus and the other writers of Scripture is "a thief in the night." Has your home, car, etc. ever been broken into? If you had known when the interloper was going to break in, you probably would've been there waiting on him - guns locked and loaded. That is precisely the point that Jesus made in Matt. 24:43. Just as you didn't know when the thief was going to come and steal your things, so we don't know when Christ will come and rapture His church.
So, if you ever hear anyone offer a prediction about the coming of Christ (other than the fact that He is coming), be sure to turn him off as quickly as possible. He is a false teacher and you will be misled if you continue to ingest his false teachings. While we don't know the day or hour of Christ's coming, we praise God that He will return: "This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). When the Day of Judgment comes, I earnestly hope you are counted among those who "have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8).
No comments:
Post a Comment