Is Everything Going Down on May 21?
"And now, we have no option. We can't say 'maybe' 'it's possible' 'it looks very probable...' No way! We have to say this is what the Bible teaches! This is fact! May 21, 2011 is the day of the Rapture, it is the day that Judgment Day begins..." -Harold Camping
It would be nice if Harold Camping was written off as yet another Bible math junkie with way too much time on his hands, but unfortunately the May 21, 2011 Rapture Day billboards and pamphlets have way too many people camping out on Harold’s prediction.
Of course someday someone might get lucky enough to make an accurate calculation for Judgment Day, but in my humble opinion, that someone is definitely not Dr. Camping, and here’s why:
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You may be wondering among yourselves, "How can we tell the difference, whether it was GOD who spoke or not?" Here's how: If what the prophet spoke in GOD's name doesn't happen, then obviously GOD wasn't behind it; the prophet made it up. Forget about him (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
The Bible teaches that any and every prophet from God will predict future events with 100% accuracy. If there is even a hint of inaccuracy, the dude was discredited as a fraud.
How’s this for a *hint* of inaccuracy?
"When September 6, 1994, arrives, no one else can become saved. The end has come."
-Harold Camping (1994)
Yep, 1994 rolled around and the main thing I remember from that year was Tag Team’s Whoomp! (There it is)…but definitely no Rapture that year Harold…
So we forgot about him…until I was driving down the street a few weeks back and saw the second coming of Harold’s predictions, which AGAIN directly contradict some clear statements by Jesus:
Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows (Matthew 24:35-37).
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8).
According to Jesus - (you know, the One who will be commanding the actual Rapture), no human being will know the “day or the hour” of His return.
Now I’m no prophet, but I think I have it on good authority to encourage you NOT to worry about the end of the world on May 21.
Perhaps even better, I would counsel you not to worry about the end of the world on any day! The Biblical teachings about the Rapture are designed to cheer you up - not freak you out:
So let's do it-full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching (Hebrews 10:22-25).
The “Big Day” of Jesus’ return is a reality to be sure, but instead of frittering away priceless time in an attempt to make money warn people that they best not make dinner reservations on May 21, why don’t we treat every day as the one where Jesus might call us home?
And why don’t we fulfill our God ordained mission to be Jesus’ witnesses in whatever little corner of the planet He has planted us instead of obsessing about the world looking like one of the “are you kidding me” scenes from the movie 2012?
Here’s my unbiased and totally non-mathematical prediction for you my friends. If you decide to take your salvation and calling seriously, you will live as though Jesus died yesterday, walked out of His grave today, and is returning tomorrow.
Living like that probably won’t get you interviewed on radio and television, but it will make an eternal difference in the lives of the people you love as you live out THE Cause by sharing the message of the gospel!
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
Ask your friends what they think about the May 21, 2011 prediction and what they would do if they truly thought it was going to be the end of the world. This will give you a great opportunity to share why everyone can be ready for Judgment Day every day because of what Jesus did on the cross.
Accelerant: Fuel for THE Cause
Pray: Father, one day you will give the command and Jesus will return just as He promised. Until that day, I pray that you will give me the opportunity and desire to share the gospel. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus, and empower me to live as though you died yesterday, rose today, and are returning tomorrow.
Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Get: Venti Jesus Please. Pick up a copy of this short, quick read and share it with a friend who doesn’t know Jesus. Venti Jesus Please captures a conversation between three friends at their local Starbucks – an atheist, agnostic, and Christian. Listen in on their real and raw conversation as they talk about life, God, truth and relationships.
