According to the calculations of Harold Camping, a US-based octogenarian, the world will end on May 21st, 2011. Camping has been wrong about this once before, but on his second go he’s got a global community of believers following him, from California to Japan to Ghana. What have they got planned for the one-year-to-go party?
In terms of comments, if not exactly re-tweets, The Daily Maverick’s articles about the global sect that believes May 21st 2011 is the End of the World have been amongst our most popular yet. The first piece was published on January 5 this year, under the header “Only 501 shopping days to Armageddon,” and in it we suggested in a regrettably sardonic tone that church leader Harold Camping’s methods for calculating the date of The Rapture – a method based on numerology and certain biblical themes – might not be entirely foolproof.
As regrettably, we also pointed out in the article that although Camping had been wrong about the date of Christ’s return before, this previous error had no palpable effect on his standing. “On September 6th 1994,” we wrote, “a group of [Camping’s] followers dressed up for the Sabbath and filed expectantly into a war veterans’ building in Alameda, California. They prayed and held their open bibles to the skies, but nothing happened. Fifteen years later, the explanation of their leader that he simply got his sums mixed up is generally accepted.”
Photo: Khumasi, Ghana
The next day we (there’s no real “we” here, of course, it’s only just me, but editors sometimes need to share in the blame) received an email from a certain Michael Cook (who appeared to have a US-based email address) with the subject line: “2011 Warning in Pictures”. The body of the email contained around a dozen pictures of cars, trucks and billboards, and what they all had in common was their message – for believers, The Rapture is approaching, for non-believers, the End Days are nigh: May 21st 2011, your choice.
So on January 6 we published the pictures, and the sight of these everyday objects advertising the imminent apocalypse seemed to make an impact on our readers, because the story was still drawing comments some three-and-a-half months later. Two genres of opinion developed: those that fervently believed things would be different on May 21st next year, and those that did not. Of the former genre, scripture tended to be quoted a lot as proof.
Photo: Dominican Republic
Needless to say, an editorial decision was made to publish a third story, this time with more context and an interview with a believer. What The Daily Maverick found was that while there was no way to tell how many people worldwide followed Camping’s teachings, they were nonetheless broadcast in 48 languages to every continent on Earth. At the time of our enquiry, Family Radio, the official multinational media group that carries the Camping message, was looking for people to expand its broadcast range into not only Arabic, Armenian, Creole and Khmer, but Sindebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Shona, SiSwati, Tswana, Xhosa and Zulu too.
Back in January, Afrikaans was already a language of Family Radio, and we managed to speak to Johann Coetzee, a believer based in Nelspruit, who said: “At first I thought it was a false prophecy, but checking it myself, I started to realise there’s a lot of information in the Bible referring to time and judgment.”
Photo: Accra, Ghana
It is now May 21st2010, one year before The Rapture, and as we suspected the sect has expanded. Judgment Day billboards have gone up in Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Jamaica, a missionary trip has returned from Japan, and the “May 21, 2011 Judgment Day!” tract has been translated into Hmong and Italian.
As for the one-year-to-go-before-it’s-all-over celebrations, the sect doesn’t seem to have much planned in the way of fireworks or live concerts. It does invite you, however, to join the Yahoo discussion group entitled “Discerning Time & Judgment: May 21, 2011”.
Photo: Lagos, Nigeria
“This group’s purpose,” says the invitation, “is to share information from the Bible, which the Lord is unsealing at this time of the end, with individuals from around the world who, perhaps, have never heard the truths of the Bible. One of the big reasons for starting this particular group will be to discuss the events that the Bible declares will unfold on May 21, 2011, such as the resurrection of the dead, the rapture of all true believers, and the closing of the door of salvation to this world.”
Here’s one way to look at it: if the believers who’ve commented on our previous articles seems like people you’d like to spend all eternity with, then you won’t lose much by repenting for a year; if they don’t, then carry on as is.
By Kevin Bloom
Read more: Only 501 shoping days to Armageddon, Doomsday sect warns The Daily Maverick, Doomsday cult expands to SA, Africa and beyond, Family Radio website, EBible Fellowship website
Main photo: Ohio, US
No need for the NHI programme, no need to fix the potholes in the road, stuff Eskom and the Municipality, and because the courtcase is likely to be more than a year away, blow that annoying Car Guard away.
What's your list folks ?
Now, next to Harold Camping we have Pastors of the church who insist that Christ is coming as a thief in the night (although the Bible says He will not come as a thief to the believers- I Thessalonians 5:4). The same Pastors predict that God will not bring judgment on the church (although I Peter 4:17 says he will). So, when you go to church you won't hear about the 1290 days of the abomination of desolation or the 2300 days mentioned in Daniel 8:14--remember, we can't know anything about time (although God gives us this information). Moreover, your Pastor won't speak about the fact that God loosed Satan to bring judgment on the church (II Thessalonians 2:3, Revelation 20:7). But he or she will warn you to not listen to that old fashion no rock music playing station--Family Radio. Family Radio teaches that we can't divorce our wive/husband, we can't ordain homosexuals and women as pastors. Family Radio teaches that we must keep the Sunday Sabbath and we can't use it as a day for shopping or watching sports. Oh boy, this Harold Camping fella only bring us bad news!
I Peter 4:17* For the time is come that JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN AT THE HOUSE OF GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
If you have questions visit the Latter Rain group on Yahoo Groups.
From an Addendum in Harold Camping's book "1994?":
CAMPING: "While there is no Biblical sanction for this addendum and therefore, it carries no weight whatsoever, there is a very curious fact that shows up. During the twentieth century there are only six years that have the unique distinction of having the sum of the integers adding up to the number twenty-three. These are 1949, 1958, 1967, 1976, 1985, and 1994.
1 + 9 + 9 + 4 = 23
Curiously, the next year that has this characteristic is the year 2399, which is more than 400 years from now." [END-QUOTE]
What is curious to me is that 2011's integers do not add up to the number 23 (the spiritual number associated with heaven). Mr. Camping admits that his addendum "carries no weight" and yet he wrote it, on top of another 500 pages making a very strong pitch for his predicted year 1994, a date which also carried no weight. And here we are again, at another Camping one year mark.
The Bible tells us that the Lord will return as a thief in the night for ALL. Only those who are Christ's will not be OVERTAKEN by the thief (1st Thess. 5:4). The Bible's timeline ("Behold, I come quickly") allows for Christ's return on any day, including May 21st, 2010. Harold Camping and his followers are the "scoffers" (2nd Pet. 3:3) who tell us otherwise.
If May 21st, 2011 should turn to be the date of Christ's return in spite of Harold Camping's prediction, it will be nothing like he predicts it. The Bible is very clear. There WILL be a judgment day for ALL -including date predictors. The rapture comes after the final judgment process, not before.
If May 21st, 2011 turns out to be another Camping failure, it will not be a problem for him and his followers. They will continue to hold their heads high as they calculate amazing new timepaths to help us focus on 2399. That is, unless this is Family Radio's last year.
My second prophecy is that when it doesn't it will all be put down to some error in calculation or perhaps 'divine' mercy - none of these deluded losers will have the common sense to see or admit that this is just one big farce.
In 1985 is when I really started to study God's Word, and I only studied 10 hours a day for 4 years to find these things, these things are not difficult to see. I just read and waited to see Truth. God's Word is the only One Who states. Sanctify them through Thy Truth;Thy Word is Truth. (John 17:17) After finding the "Fig Tree in Leaf" Israel a nation again in 1948, I added 40 years to come to 1988, as I also saw the Abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12) and could see that it was the beginning of the 2300 evening mornings (Daniel 8:14) when the Holy Spirit had been "taken out of the way" (out of the churches) and that was the period of "silence in heaven about the space of half and hour" when no one was saved (Revelation 8:1) For me it was a deafening silence when I saw this in 1988 just before I left the last church I was attending, I could see that no one understood these things, but why me, I was just looking for Truth, and wondering about how far all the churches had fallen away. After the 2300 evening mornings would be the Latter Rain starting in 1994, exactly 2300 evening mornings later. I only wish I knew Mr. Camping in 1994, I would have asked him about the period of the Latter Rain/2nd Jubilee.
In 1987 I found 2 Peter 3:8 & Genesis 7:4 telling me that exactly 7000 years from the flood of Noah's day would be the end of the world. Well, this was in 1987, and I had two small children, did not want the world to end and HATED FINDING THIS, although it scared me to death.........no one was teaching this in 1987, NO ONE, EXCEPT GOD'S WORD. Well, I saw it in 1987 and came out of the church in 1988 a week before Easter Sunday. Saw that it was only God who gives a new heart, not by "accepting Jesus" or anything else that someone may do, including "searching the scriptures". No work at all of any kind.
I didn't run into this Mr. Harold Camping until 2005 when I was looking for a radio station to exercise to fast music. It was in March of 2005 that I found that I was proud to have seen all of these things about the "church age" being over, and the end of the world in our very generation. The Lord showed me that with knowledge comes pride. I loved the knowledge of the Truth and was worshipping knowledge of Truth rather than worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, and learned that only the Father seeketh such to worship him. I found that I too had fallen to the worship of knowledge of Truth, and that after all my searching of the scriptures, I didn't really want to abide in Christ, who does in our wicked hearts.......that is until He puts His Spirit within His child in His timing. That's being "born again", not one thing that we can do, even all the searching of the Truth will not do that!
When I saw the first 2300 evening mornings in 1988 and came out of the churches, I knew that we had all fallen from the Truth of God's Word in all the churches, and I very proudly got out of the church.
Then 17 years later I found out that I too hated the Truth about the world coming to an end, for my family was just starting out, but I always hated the man made doctrines in all the churches, and was very glad and proud to get out of the man-glorifying man churches. Jesus said, "Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise"..........I always saw the churches as the BIGGEST BUSINESS in the world.
God's Word is not difficult, The Truth was not deliberatly sealed by God, but by man himself, man never wanted the Truth in the first place. Take a look at Isaiah 29:11 and Revelation 10:4 and you tell me who sealed the Word of God.
It looks like to me that the only thing that God very deliberatly sealed was whatever the seven thunders uttered in Revelation 10:4
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write:
and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
If all else was written in God's Word, then it looks to me like it was man who very willingly and deliberatly sealed the Word of God up to himself, never having wanted the Truth in the first place. Man would always rather glorify himself and his own man-made doctrines.
And I myself glorified the knowledge of Truth and became proud in my heart.
The Lord knows exactly how to bring about a completely broken and contrite heart. So, after all of this, what is more important, knowing that we are at the end of the world, or really knowing and abiding in Christ to do His will and not our own?
If, as you claim, the Rapture will come on the 11 May 2011, then you should have no use for your car, cash, house etc on the 12 May (the Lord will provide no doubt). And so I ask if you will sign over your claims on these assets to me.
In return, I will promote your cause as far and wide as I can, possibly getting even more people to sign over their useless worldly possessions. It's a win-win situation really.
Let me know your contacts details and I will gladly get in touch
But thankfully all the faithful can turn to http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/ to make sure that during the time known as ‘post-rapture’ their animals will be well looked after by loving non-believers.
you see... not all non-believers are bad.
Date setters have all one thing in common. A 100% failure rate"
Family Radio is not some special "divine organization" that its followers want people to think. Camping's calendar is 100% wrong and his false calendar has been the foundation of the false religion that they have been snaring people with for over 35 years....below are Camping's 10 failed date predictions. God is "setting them up" for another fall...
1. 1978 - Camping declares to his Alameda Church that the rapture would occur in 1978
2. September 6, 1994 - Camping prediction # 2 - Based on 1994?
3. September 15, 1994 - Camping prediction # 3 - Based on 1994?
4. September 29, 1994 - Camping prediction # 4 - Based on 1994?
5. October 2, 1994 - Camping prediction #5 - Claimed Christ was born Oct 2, in 7AD and would return exactly 2000 years later.
6. March 16, 1995 (Purim) - Camping prediction # 6 - Camping claims this is "Watch # 1" of a new wave of dates.
7. September 24, 1995 - Camping prediction # 7 - Camping claims this is "Watch # 2" - Camping claims that there is Biblical evidence of Christ returning "383 days" after September 6, 1994. Camping also claims that September 24, 1995 is 721 + 91 Ceros(A ceros is little over 18 years - 223 lunar cycles or revolutions. A ceros is the complete revoluation of the sun, moon, stars and planets) - Camping claims that these revolutions can predict the end. Camping also states that if you divide the 2300 days of Daniel 8 by the number "6" you get 383. Thus, according to Camping, you can add 383 days to September 6, 1994 and come to September 24, 1995. September 24, 1995 ends the magic 383 day period.
8. December 25, 1996 - Camping prediction # 8 - Camping claims that Christ will return on Christmas and that the Bible supported this.
9. April 3, 1996 - Passover (Watch # 3)- Camping prediction # 9 - Camping claims that there is Biblical evidence of Christ returning 191 days after September 25, 1995 on the Passover.
10. May 3, 1996 - Camping prediction # 10 - Camping claims that there is a 30 day grace period after April 3, 1996 which Christ can return.
Date setters all believe in the false doctrine of "progressive revelation" after the Bible was completed in violation of Revelation 22:18
Don't rely on the fact that others were wrong in the past. The fact is, no one (including Harold Camping) could not understand the timing of judgment until the "time of the end". At that time, God will unseal the information by increasing knowledge so that we will understand the time and details of judgment day (Daniel 12:4).
Da 12:4* But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
2Pe 3:5* For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
This is not a time for arguing. Please use this last year to read the Bible and pray for mercy. You don't have to go to church--you don't have to give one nickel to anyone. Wonderfully, the Bible teaches that God is saving a great multitude of people at this time. And His salvation is freely given by Grace. If you have questions about how to become saved visit the Latter_Rain group on Yahoo groups.
Re 7:9* After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Daniel 12:4,9 does not say "Harold Camping"
That is what you want it to say.....
What was closed and sealed to Daniel, was open and unsealed to John - Revelation 22:10
There are no "additional unsealings" after the Bible was completed - Rev 22:18
You, like the Branch Davidians, Jim Jones and the People's Temple, and the rest of the cults all think some "new unsealing" is being given to you.....and you all compete with each other to prove to yourselves and everyone else, that your cult is the "special divine cult" that has to be obeyed.
Daniel 12:4, 9 has nothing to do with Harold Camping, nor your Satanic Latter Rain board...to your dismay..
The Watchtower and the Campingites go hand in hand.
Here are some frightening similarities because the Camping Cult and the Watchtower cult....
1. Both groups claim they are the "divine organization" that has to be obeyed.
2. Both groups believe they have "special leaders" in the organization where they believe "special things" are revealed to them via "progressive revelation."
3. Both groups believe in annihilation
4. Both groups believe in date settings (and had numerous failures...ironically both groups predicted 1994 would be the end)
5. Both groups believe the church age ended. The Watchtower believed in ended in 1914. Only the WT's Kingdom Hall and Camping's Alameda Fellowship are the only "allowable" places to worship.....that is where they believe God comes down to man.
6. Both groups claimed a "Latter Rain" after their failed dates...which seems to be a common protective mechanism to protect the organization once a date fails.....
7. Both groups claim an "invisible" return of Christ.
8. Both groups massacre the Trinity. The WT denies Jesus is God, FR denies Jesus is the Son.
9. Both groups bewitch their slaves....
10. Both groups have disciples that all claim they follow the Bible, but the "organization" is the author and finisher of their faith. They believe to reject the "organization" is to "reject God."
Many times cults have similar qualities.....however, the Watchtower and the Campingites have almost identical qualities.
Both groups are apostate, both are false gospels...both violate Revelation 22:18
Their disciples are false prophets, and they and the ones they snare are condemned to a greater damnation in the eternal torments of hell...
2Pe 3:12* Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Strangely, the title of this article gives the impression that those looking for Christ's coming are involved with a "cult". If a cult refers to those looking for Christ's coming then yes all Christians are members of a cult. But I challenge the readers of this article to investigate Family Radio for yourselves. You will discover that the focus is on the Bible. Additionally, you will not find ONE scandal in Family Radio's 50 year history. But you will find many critics who don't like what Family Radio teaches (some are writing on this forum). They don't like FR because they teach against divorce, homosexuality, women teachers/pastors, signs and wonders and free will gospels. So, some may refers to Christians as "cult" members but they should also find that these Christians strive to walk humbly as they seek to obey God's word.
Notice that most of the responses either lack Biblical support or are rude/condescending. These traits should not found in the lives of true believers. A true believer must be kind, patient and long suffering. Moreover, a true believer will be looking and hasting for the day of God to come.
2Pe 3:12* Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Col 3:12* Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, KINDNESS, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Strangely, the title of this article gives the impression that those looking for Christ's coming are involved with a "cult". If a cult refers to those looking for Christ's coming--then yes, all Christians are members of a cult. But I challenge the readers of this article to investigate Family Radio for yourselves. You will discover that the focus is on the Bible. Additionally, you will not find ONE scandal in Family Radio's 50 year history. But you will find many critics who don't like what Family Radio teaches (some are writing on this forum). They don't like FR because they teach against divorce, homosexuality, women teachers/pastors, signs and wonders and free will gospels. So, some may refers to Christians as "cult" members but they should also find that these Christians strive to walk humbly as they seek to obey God's word.
1Ti 4:13* Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Sorry about that. The 2012 group is also a cult.
Timelines, the calendar and date predicting are what God refers to as "beggarly elements":
Gal 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
Developing a "Bible calendar" for the purpose of observing any date at all is completely contrary to the Bible's message of *GRACE* alone. Date setters walk by sight of a calendar, not by faith.
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
Date setters take much thought for not only the morrow, but for 360 more tomorrows.
Mt 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The original bible was cobbled together by the Council of Nicea from stuff written many years after the fact. It includes and sometimes rewrites bits of Gospels and other writings that fitted with their world view, and relegates others to the Apocrypha. As a result it is more like a political manifesto than a religious tome.
Since then it has gone through several incarnations, been translated through at least two or three languages to end up in the Authorised King James version.
To use the Bible as a source of literal truth, and as a basis of fact is as valid as using Mrs Beeton's Cookery book as the workshop manual for carrying out a service on a Ford.
Daniel 9:25* Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26* And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be CUT OFF, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Now, of course, these theologians could not have calculated the date 33 AD without some sort of calendar. In this instance, they used Biblical chronology along with certain Biblical principles to show that the 70 weeks equates to 490 years. And this 490 year period began in 458 BC when King Artaxerxes issued a decree to rebuild the temple in the seventh year of his reign (Ezra 7:8) . So, when we go from 458 BC to 33 AD we get 490 years.
When you consider the 2011 AD prediction you will find that many of the same Biblical principles are employed to calculate the date. In fact, the vast majority of the calendar information used to calculate the date of Christ's return is known by many Biblical scholars. Most agree that King David began to reign in 1007 BC or that his son Solomon built the temple in 967 BC. They also recognize that Israel's rebirth in 1948 AD is a sign from God that indicates Christ's return is near (Luke 21). So, the 2011 AD prediction is built on a very strong foundation of Biblical chronology. Problem is, the Bible says the wicked will not understand end time chronology. They won't understand the meaning of the 1290 days of the abomination of desolation--but the wise will understand these things.
Daniel 12:9* And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10* Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and NONE of the WICKED SHALL UNDERSTAND; but the wise shall understand. 11* And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety DAYS.
If you have questions about Biblical Chronology visit the Latter Rain group on Yahoo groups.
No one has to ask any pastor anything. Not everyone who understands that date setting is a hoax belongs to a church and everyone can read the Bible for themselves. I read my own Bible and my Bible clearly says:
Mt 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mt 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Mt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Zec 14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
Ac 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Re 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Believers are commanded to "watch" because the Lord will return as a thief. There is no need to watch if we know beforehand when the thief comes. Although Christ comes as a thief, the believers will not be OVERCOME by the thief. They are "worthy to escape".
Darrell Lockridge
The Source of Camping's Message
The network is marked by Camping's announcement that judgment day will be May 11, 2011. He says,”This is not a prediction. It is a fact.” He calls the Bible an “Engineering Handbook.” Listeners would be wise to learn what tools Camping brings to the process of Bible interpretation. We two founders of
Family Radio came from two separate academic backgrounds. Camping majored in engineering. I majored in English. Camping's training is based on numbers. My academic background is based on words. His chief tool for construction work was mathematics. To my English major I added three years of post graduate
work in theology. My career includes the founding of Grand Prairie Bible Church, Grand Prairie, Texas, theestablishment of a telephone directory publishing company, a newspaper, and a powerful Central California radio station.3 I left Family Stations after about five years to pursue my career in broadcasting and publishing.
My academic qualifications are not superior to Camping's. His academic qualifications are not superior to mine. He learned how to use numbers. I learned how to use words. He uses both numbers and words with skill. I am
skilled with words but my only claim to skill with numbers is that I taught the basics of math to our eldest son who has become a prominent CPA.
What is the significance of approaching the Bible through the number gateway as contrasted with interpreting the Bible through examining its words? Numbers can appear as words, and words can speak of numbers; however, the test of correct interpretation has to do with the nature of the document to be
interpreted. Is it an algebraic formula? If so, use “math” to interpret it. Is the document a product of words? Then, it should be interpreted as a verbal expression. Numbers are an analytical tool of human reasoning.
The Words of the Bible are God's tool of revelation and creativity. Whereas Camping does use words to express his view of the Bible, nevertheless his tool for interpreting the Bible is a “blueprint” he sees in Biblical history.
The Problem
To choose between numbers and words we need to learn which offers the better way to interpret: man's reasoning through math, or God's revelation through Word? If you accept Camping's Bible and live by his predictions of the future, you value maxims of human reason sourced in the thinking of men. If you accept
the Bible as WORD, you live in its light, reading it carefully. You apply its words to your life day by day trusting God's Holy Spirit.
We who choose the Word method will agree with Camping that it is only by the sovereign will of God that any of us will be eternally saved. We will agree that no work can save us. We agree with Camping that faith is a gift from God. We agree with the Bible when it says, “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me may not abide in the darkness” (John 12:46). I do not have the mathematical tools to contradict Mr. Camping's findings. However, I view the Bible as the “Word” of God, not the “Numbers” of God. I do not see the Bible exclusively as an engineering handbook, a book of numbers. It is the WORD. Its purpose is to reach our hearts and cause us to worship and to live in a way that honors the God of Word. Numbers are for the head. Words can best reach the heart. Both head and heart should be under God's control. The question is – which gateway can more accurately be used to interpret the Bible?
You can read the rest of this essay on wikipedia.
The New Testament Covenant between God and His Church, which is to be his Bride, is not based on obedience, but is based on Christ's statement that "On this rock I found my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against her."
Mr. Camping would have you believe that the Church has come under the control of Satan. If this is true, it makes Christ Himself a liar.
For more information, you can look up the rest of the essay, complete with biblical references, at the same wikipedia article/biography of Mr. Camping.
What is more important, to know the date of Christ's return, or to live each day of our lives with the integrity of Christ?
1Pe 4:17* For the time is come that JUDGMENT must begin at the HOUSE OF GOD: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Mt 24:15* When ye therefore shall see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the HOLY PLACE, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Daniel 12:10* Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11* And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the ABOMINATION that maketh DESOLATE set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Don't buy into all the internet critics. Read what Jesus said will happen at the time of the end. Don't put your trust in your pastors. Read the Bible and cry out to God for mercy. He is saving a great multitude of people right now!
Darrell Lockridge
The are no numbers in the Bible. When we read the word "seventy" we are reading words. We cannot understand the spiritual significance of these words without examining their usage in the rest of the Bible. If Jesus tells us to forgive 70 x 7 we don't need mathematical tools to figure out this equation. We understand that this equation means we always forgive.
Mt 18:22* Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
God expects us to understand the spiritual meaning of numbers. And He also expects us to know when these numbers are to be understood literally or spiritually . For instance, we know that the 7 days of creation were literal 24-hour periods. Jesus also tells us that there are 12 hours in a day (John 11:19). We use this information to understand when to keep the Sabbath (Sunday). We don't need a calculator to understand these things. When it comes to the 1290 days of the abomination of desolation, God says the wicked will not understand at the time of the end (Daniel 12:9-11). The wicked do not simply refer to the uneducated. No. Some of these people are engineers and some are highly trained theologians. The wise (true believers) understand these things because God opened their spiritual eyes to know time and judgment.
Daniel 12: 9* And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10* Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the WICKED shall understand; but the WISE shall understand. 11* And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Ec 8:5* Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Darrell Lockridge
Darrell Lockridge
But there is "one exception" to the rule according to Camping. Camping's personal Alameda Assembly where he preaches every Sunday, where Camping is "in authority" over his congregation. According to Camping and his slaves, the Alameda Fellowship is the holy temple where they believe God comes down to man. That is how the cults think.
The campingite false religion is based on a false calendar that has been the center of worship by the Campingites for over 35 years. It is the same false
One of the many false ideas of Camping's false calendar is that they believe the father of Moses is "missing" in the Bible. The reality is, the father of Moses is mentioned 4x.
"And ARMAM took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him AARON AND MOSES: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years." Exodus 6:20
"And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto ARMAN AARON AND MOSES, and Miriam their sister." Numbers 26:59
"And the children of Amram; AARON, and MOSES, and MIRIAM The sons also of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar." I Chronicles 6:3
"The sons of AMRAM; AARON AND MOSES: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons for ever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to bless in his name for ever." I Chronicles 23:13
Camping claims that Amram is not the father of Moses, and that the father of one of the most important Biblical figures is "missing." God mentions the father "in law" of Moses (Jethro) but the Campingites claim the father of Moses is "missing"
Amram is called the father of "both" Aaram and Moses, who were 3 years apart.
They had an older sister, Miriam
Amram can't have died in 3 different years, (one for Miriam, then again for Aaron, and finally for Moses)
Besides this, there are a dozen secular sources that say that Amram is the father of Moses, including the book of Jasher, the writings of Josephus(who owned the orginal scriptures from the very temple itself after Jeruslalem's destruction in 70AD, and the Dead Sea Scrolls)
There are hundreds of secular quotes in Camping's false book "Adam When? But he ignores all secular accounts that declare the father of Moses, confirming the Biblical account...
This one lone fact in itself destroys all of Camping's false dates and false calendars...
2Th 2:3* Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a FALLING AWAY, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;4* Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
10* And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11* And for this cause God shall send them STRONG DELUSION, that they should believe a lie: 12* That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
If we remain in the church, we too will come understand a strong delusion. This is why God commands the believers to "flee" when we see the abomination of desolation in the "holy place" (church).
Matthew 24:15* When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16* Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
In short, if you want to be saved during the great tribulation you must leave the church. Once out, just focus on reading the Bible. That is the ONLY hope of salvation.
Ro 10:17* So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
As to his assertion that the church age is over, well, here is what the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has to say about this claim:
Claims and counsel like this is why we wrote some months ago that "The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals has been gravely concerned about Mr. Camping's claims from their first airing. We, with Christians everywhere, affirm that the church is Christ's bride which he has promised to cherish and preserve until he comes again.
Is Camping's description of the contemporary scene correct? It is an understatement to say that his assertion that "we see churches everywhere becoming more and more apostate" is inaccurate. However critical we may be about the church -- and the Alliance has been very critical of the churches and denominations of evangelical Protestantism, lovingly so, we hope, but critical nonetheless-Camping's assessment of the current situation is still exaggerated as well as myopic. Both in our country and throughout the southern hemisphere it is possible to find many of God's people in God's churches enjoying some amazing encouragements and exhibiting stunning faithfulness to the biblical gospel in the midst of daunting challenges. Camping's claim that present apostasy (to whatever degree it actually exists) warrants concluding that God is finished with the institutional church is wrong in principle. Granted, there are seriously disturbing signs of infidelity in the church, but no amount of such empirical evidence can outweigh God's promises to preserve his Son's bride and perfect her for his coming.
Much of what he cites as evil is indeed so: entertainment substituted for worship, unfaithful preaching, worldly expenditures of church resources, and bad theology. Of course, his own assessment of what is bad theology often reveals his own bad theology. Be that as it may, his argument is likely to draw the interest of those who have been alienated from the church. His views may be adopted by some as a way of justifying their own contempt for this or that local church and as a "biblical" excuse to disengage from all of their churchly obligations. To these, I would simply say, with Albert Mohler, "You have to love the church, before you can reform the church." God has not called us to love perfected saints in perfect communions in this fallen world. He calls us to love sinful saints in congregations that often fall far short of God's standards for his redeemed people. In John 13, Jesus himself explicitly calls us to this task.
Jesus Christ also gave gifts to the Church: pastors, ministers, teachers, deacons, etc.
I'm going to continue this in another comment so I don't lose everything by exceeding the character limit.
Then, of course, there's this idea of Mr. Camping having 'special knowledge' that is only available/visible to those who God has chosen to open their "spiritual eyes."
Gnostic tendencies
Camping's allegorical interpretation of the Scriptures approaches the Bible like a mystery novel or a perplexing puzzle.8 This pattern of sleuth-like hermeneutics, of finding almost undetectable clues in arcane places and then using them as the key to understanding the final unfolding of all things, reveals his Gnostic tendencies.9
There are always those with a hankering to know secret things and they are likely to be attracted to Camping's fantasies.
Here is what the Early Church Fathers said about such 'special knowledge' and a spiritual interpretation of the Bible:
Gnosticism is an error that has plagued the church from ancient times. Early Christian theologians such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Epiphanius condemned the Gnostics (who were so-called from the Greek word for "knowledge," that is gnosis) for leading Christians astray by claiming that there are deep, hidden meanings to the Scriptures that can only be discovered (often by allegorical interpretation) by those who are especially "spiritual." Camping has both said and implied that he is especially qualified to discover such meanings because of (among other things) the special way that he reads the Scriptures due to his training as an engineer. Yet already in Ephesians, Paul warns his readers not to let anyone deceive them with "empty words" (Eph. 5:6) and later, in his pastoral epistles, he condemns "quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth" (1 Tim. 6:4-5; cf. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:14, 2; Tit. 3:9-11). Peter is also concerned to confront and combat gnostic tendencies in his second letter.
I also wondered at the age of 10 in 1971 as I was sitting in church, if our hearts are the exact same as the hearts of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness and even though God always took care of them so that even their clothes and shoes did not wear out for 40 years, and yet, the Israelites ALWAYS turned their backs on the LORD, would we not do the same, having been given the same heart as they (Jeremiah 17:9). And why does Revelation 2&3 show that all 7 churches were already so far gone from the Truth.........the very clear warning for all seven churches start with the same phrase, "I know thy works"......when Jesus work is one work alone and all His alone.
My thinking at 10 years old in 1971 was, if my church is teaching me, "You must accept Jesus as your Savior, you must ask Jesus into your heart, you must do anything towards your own salvation" then how did Abraham become obedient in Christ never hearing the name Jesus?
My thinking at 10 years old in 1971 was, if Isaiah 9:3 says:
Thou hast multiplied the nation,
and not increased the joy:
they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest,
and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
Knowing that the wheat and tares were according to, "let both grow together until the time of harvest" (Matthew 13:30) and according to 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:(Rev. 2&3, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Isaiah 9:3) only HE (Christ "let the wheat grow with the tares until the time of harvest") who now letteth will let, until HE be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.
According to 2 Thessalonians 2:7 at some time, Christ is taken out of the way, when Jesus tells us this: I am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6)
So when was He taken out of the way?
Fig Tree in Leaf: Israel a nation in 1948, I think even those in the churches have recognized this. (Matthew 24:32)"know ye that summer is nigh" the time of harvest.
+40 more years of wandering comes to 1988
Daniel 8:13-14
Then I heard one saint speaking,
and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake,
How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice,
and the transgression of desolation,
to give both the sanctuary and the host
to be trodden under foot?
And he said unto me,
Unto two thousand and three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
The first 2300 evening mornings is the beginning of the last 23 years, the first of which is when the sanctuary is cleansed of "He Who letteth will let"..."until He be taken out of the way".
This is not difficult to see as some may teach.........let God be True and every man a liar.
If the Word was sealed up deliberately by God Himself, then HOW did I see it even in 1971 and got out of the church one week before Easter Sunday in 1988 by this very same knowledge of Truth? I see the reverse..........we sealed the Word to ourselves, never having wanted Truth in the first place.
Might as well base your life choices on the collected writings of David Icke or even Enid Blyton. They as close to reality as the tome these poor benighted fools quote.
Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life;
and they are they which testify of me.
And ye will not come to me that ye might have life.
I receive not honour from men.
But I know you,
that ye have not the love of God in you.
I am come in my Father's name,
and ye receive me not:
of another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive.
How can ye believe, which receive honour
one of another,
and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father:
there is that accuseth you,
Moses, in whom ye trust.
for had ye believed Moses,
ye would have believed me:
for he wrote of me.
But if ye believe not his writings,
how shall ye believe my words?
John 5:39-47
For 17 years after I got out of the church in 1988 after seeing these things I worshipped Knowledge of Truth and wanted nothing more to do with the Scriptures until 2005 when I discovered this Mr. Harold Camping teaching about the same things that I saw much earlier. Truth cannot lie.....the only thing sealed up very deliberately by God Himself was Revelation 10:4
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices,
I was about to write:
and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me,
Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered,
and write them not.
"write them not" .......all else that God wanted us to know He has written, even on our stony hearts so that all are without excuse but are willingly ignorant (Romans 1:20)
Isaiah 45:19
I have not spoken in secret,
in a dark place of the earth;
I said not unto the seed of Jacob,
Seek ye me in vain:
I the LORD speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
Assemble yourselves and come;
draw near together,
ye escaped of the nations;
they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image,
and pray unto a god that cannot save.
Isaiah 29:11
And the vision of all
is become unto you
as the words of a book that is sealed,
which men deliver to one that is learned, (a seminary student with a degree in theology, or man-learned doctrine) saying,
Read this, I pray thee:
and he saith,
I cannot; for it is sealed;
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, ( one not educated formally in man-made theology) saying,
Read this, I pray thee: and he saith,
I am not learned.
I'm just a real nobody, and saw and fled from the Lord after seeing this knowledge of Truth for three reasons:
1. I was afraid about the end of the world being here, that 7000 years from the flood would be the end of the world (2 Peter 3:8 & Genesis 7:4)
2. I was proud to come out of the MYSTERY HARLOT never having Trusted the man made lies because of what I saw in the knowledge of Truth.
3. Finally I fled from the Lord as I was not having being given a new heart until the Lord gave me a broken and contrite heart and showed me that I hated Him too and falsely worshipped the "knowledge of Truth".
So just like Nicodemus seeing Jesus, the Truth standing directly in front of him and still asked how is salvation possible, I praise the Lord for never having to ask how salvation is possible.
I was proud of all my "knowledge of Truth" and was exceedingly rich in wisdom, just saturated in the Scriptures, so I thought.
Matthew 19:23-26
Then said Jesus unto his disciples,
Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you,
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When his disciples heard it,
they were exceedingly amazed,
saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them,
and said unto them,
With men this is impossible;
but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:30
But many first shall be last;
and the last first.
I think quite possibly that I was one of the first to see this knowledge of Truth a long time ago even as a child, what was really going on with man-made doctrine, even before Mr. Camping was teaching to come out of the church as late as 2002........this..........this is so much bigger than even Familyradio.com
My question to all is WHEN did this MYSTERY BABYLON THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS become a HARLOT?
And what does the phrase, "Come out of her my people" really reflect?
What were we all doing with the GREAT MYSTERY HARLOT for so many years, as only the Lord had such great patience and longsuffering for the precious fruit of the earth?
According to Isaiah 9:3 "the joy not increased" with men dividing the spoil with all these different man-made denominations.
It is much more vile than we can even imagine what we did to Crucify to ourselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an Open Shame,(Hebrews 6:6), by our very own willingly ignorant self worshipping man-made man honouring lies.
God's Word declares it.
Isaiah 45:19
I have not spoken in secret,
in a dark place of the earth:
I said not unto the seed of Jacob,
Seek ye me in vain;
I the LORD speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
The verse from Daniel that you are fond of quoting refers to the Temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, rebuilt and resanctified and then destroyed again by the Romans again in 70 A.D.
It does not refer to the churches of today.
And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
In 1994, Mr. Camping still had to learn about the period of the Latter Rain of Christ which began after the first 2300 evening mornings of the Great Tribulation, although I could see it coming, it was too scary for me and I rejected what I was seeing. Rejecting the last 17 years of the Latter Rain of Christ and the end of the world is not at all an unreasonable thing to reject in my heart of stone.
Isaiah 53:3
He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief;
and we hid as it were our faces from him;
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Is this not true for the "church age" too, "we hid as it were our faces from him"?
I despised and rejected Him seeing even the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, and "He who letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way".
For a long time, I had pleasure in the unrighteousness of seeing this knowledge of Truth.
I'm seeing something much differently even now concerning May 21,2011 date of the rapture and literal bones and ashes coming out of the ground to be shamed as I think that would be some type of sign that an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after. No sign except for 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth, is God's Word written on man's stony heart so that all are without excuse already (Romans 1:20)
I'm still studying these things out in the Word of God and so far, for the last 153 days, I see a great catching of fish that no man can number.
The locusts/horses of Revelation 9:7 have to be the same horses as in Jeremiah 8:6........
Just as the scribes and Pharisees could not see the end of their man-made Temple made with hands, loving the praise of men rather than loving God with all their heart, soul and mind; neither do we want to see the end of what was made with our very own wicked hands and hearts. We have the same hearts of stone as in the Old Testament, always having turned our backs on God.
Lynn Arnold commented:
neither do we want to see the end of what was made with our very own wicked hands and hearts.
So, are you saying that it was we ourselves who made the Earth and not God? Because it is the Earth that will be destroyed during the Great Tribulation, (which, by the way, happens after the Judgment Day, not before), according to the Bible.
No, of course I'm not suggesting that we made with our own hands the Earth.
Most don't want to see that it is the end of the church age and that satan has been standing in the Holy Place beginning May 21,1988. Our very own wicked hearts deceived us to worship man made doctrine.
God's Word says this in John 7:16
Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine,
but his that sent me.
Always giving all glory to His Father.
Again, if you are searching for a 'deeper spiritual meaning' in the Scriptures, rather than reading the verses that are in plain speech, then you are using "Gnosticism," which is a false doctrine prevalent in the 1st and 2nd centuries. It was the Gnostics who came up with the idea that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married.
Interpreting scripture is a tricky business.
I have heard mentioned quite often this idea that the scribe made an error in transcription and the capital S in Son of Man was supposed to be a small 's,' so that it didn't refer to Christ but to Satan.
It is virtually impossible for that error to have occurred. That Mr. Camping could even suggest such a thing shows up his ignorance on how the Bible was/is translated and how the King James version came into being.
There were over 40 church elders and bishops working on the KJV in King James' time. The Bible was divided up between 8 groups of 5 church people who reviewed the original manuscripts very carefully and then each translation was reviewed even further for errors by the entire group.
Read up on your church history before you believe the word of one man about the translation process. Mr. Camping's use of English is not that good, either.
But what about the Bible's glorious statements about the church's invincibility and permanency-statements such as Christ's promise at Matthew 16:18 that "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"? In his paper's second chapter, Camping attempts to undercut these promises by distinguishing between what he calls "the corporate external church" and "all those individuals who personally have become saved." God's curse is on the former. The latter are still "safe and secure." -Now, don't be confused by this! Christians have always distinguished between what the Reformers called "the visible and the invisible church" (although other Christians did this in different ways and often with different terms). That is, Christians have always acknowledged that there is an invisible communion of the saints that transcends time and place and culture and even death. This-the church universal-consists of all who are God's children by grace, as they are found both in heaven above and on earth below. We also affirm that there is a visible church on earth consisting of believers and their children. Yet the Reformers did not attempt to pit the one against the other. They did not postulate a radical discontinuity between the visible and the invisible church. God intends for his church to be visible; and so a believer's connection to and membership in that visible church is vital. But Camping has sundered the visible church with its divinely given orders and ordinances (ministers, elders, deacons, sacraments, commission, government, discipline, etc.) from the invisible church with its individual members. According to him, the former has ceased while the latter continues.
The reformers mentioned above are the church leaders who developed Protestantism after Martin Luther posted his article at the door of the Catholic Church.
You don't throw out the baby with the bathwater, which is what Mr. Camping is doing by telling his listeners to get out of their churches.
I'm not interested in what man has to say or teach about God's Word.
The Word of God has always taught me the exact opposite of what man has taught. That's why when Mr. Camping teaches that the Word of God was sealed deliberately by God Himself until the time of the end. I must disagree that God Himself sealed up His Word because of Isaiah 45:19, Isaiah 29:11, and the only thing that God did very deliberately seal up was Revelation 10:4.....what ever the seven thunders uttered as the instruction was to write them not.....for it was never written...by God clearly revealing this, God is telling us that all else is very plain and open and that it is we who are willingly ignorant of The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one is any different, we are all guilty, and according to Romans 1:20 we are all without excuse. Take a look at Isaiah 29:11 and you tell me who it looks like sealed up the Word of God..... the one asking is either not learned or is learned and says the Word of God is sealed. This makes no sense to say that God very deliberately sealed up His Word. Let God be true and every man a liar. We were all the ones who very willingly and ignorantly sealed up the Word of God to ourselves, never having wanted Christ in the first place. What does Christ say in John 15:22-27.
You seem to be more interested in what the "Alliance of Confessing Evangelical Ministers" has to say than what the Word of God has to say, when Jesus said, Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.
Church is BIG BUSINESS. BIG GLORIOUS MEGA CHURCHES, BIG POWERFUL POLITICAL CHURCHES, You pay money to a Harlot don't you? This is more of a shame that most could ever begin to imagine. Who is this MYSTERY BABYLON? the world? only some churches, what about choosing Christ, like the choice is ours to make? Nonsense. Utter Foolishness. We are all children of satan until the Lord gives us a new heart and we don't know what day or hour this occurs. I do believe that is what Mark 13:32 is referring to, the day or hour of one's own salvation. Christ ever liveth to make intercession, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me and he that cometh to me I shall in no wise cast out.
Revelation 18:4 "Come out of her my people"
Now what about Mystery Babylon the Mother of Harlots who's drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus?
What about Isaiah 9:3? the joy NOT increased.
Why so many different denominations and so many different creeds. I didn't even know what the word hermeneutics meant when I first heard it in 2005 from Mr. Camping. I only studied the Word of God and waited for Truth.
The bottom line is there is only One Truth, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism.
Let God be True and every man a liar.......oh, and I don't see "the son" of Mark 13:32 as satan. I see "the son" as Intercessor waiting on the Father in that verse Who ever liveth to make intercession.
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
The first 7 churches were already so far gone "I know thy works" is stated for each church, as the Word of God was being penned, add to that hundreds of years, something that started out so glorious with 3000 saved on Pentecost at one time, and then by Revelation 2&3 all 7 churches are this far gone?
Really, it's not difficult to see, it's Truth. Plain and open so that all are already without excuse and may remain willingly ignorant. I know that I was willingly ignorant even though I saw the Truth, I couldn't be obedient in Him until He changed my heart. I had nothing to do with that. I only hated Him without a cause as in John 15:25.
God's Word has always been plain to me, which has always led me to never trust what man is teaching about God's Word, but to go right to the source of Truth, Truth Himself.
Sanctify them through Thy Truth;
Thy Word is Truth. John 17:17
I'm not interested in what man has to say or teach about God's Word.
The Word of God has always taught me that MOST of the doctrines I was taught by my church pastors and then later, by Harold Camping were man's tradition handed down through the ages. Mr. Camping is also starting many new traditions of his own today. He teaches that the seals have been opened for him, while the church pastors couldn’t care less what the seals mean. However, the Bible tells ME that the seals were opened for John on Patmos in 94 A.D. so that he could behold the visions. When you read those passages, every vision of John's was preceded by the opening of a seal.
Lynn is also experiencing many visions of her own regarding the guilt of all believers sealing the Word of God. Isaiah 45:19 and 29:11 do NOT tell us that “we” (believers) sealed anything. The Isa. 29:11 passage states that the spirit of deep sleep was poured out by God and that the book became “AS” a book that has been sealed, which is parabolic language. The Bible does not say one word about believers "sealing God’s Word to ourselves”. Lynn is making up stories, a common practice in the online harlots' houses she also gathers in. God does not use the seals to illustrate mankind’s rebellion.
Lynn states: “We were all the ones who very willingly and ignorantly sealed up the Word of God to ourselves, never having wanted Christ in the first place. What does Christ say in John 15:22-27?” Everyone, please read John 15:22-27 and tell us if you read there that the believers sealed up the Word of God. Yes, it's true that we are always sinners in need of deliverance, but Lynn's seals theory is pure nonsense.
Church is BIG BUSINESS. BIG GLORIOUS, POLITCAL MEGA CHURCHES *AND* Family Radio is ONE BIG GLORIOUS, POLITICAL MEGA PARA CHURCH. Who is this MYSTERY BABYLON? The world? The church? Only some churches? Following men like Harold Camping and other Bible teachers? What about choosing Christ?
Lynn asks, “Why so many different denominations and so many different creeds?”. Uh, Lynn, have you noticed that you, yourself, have different creeds than the pastors AND Harold Camping? Lynn wrote: “Oh, and I don't see "the son" of Mark 13:32 as satan. I see "the son" as Intercessor waiting on the Father in that verse Who ever liveth to make intercession.” Yes, we know that Jesus is the Intercessor, so I’m guessing that what you meant to say is that you believe that Mark 13:32 is one of the verses Mr. Camping and other date setters have “rescinded” on account of all of Mr. Camping’s opened seals. Lynn, please tell us about all the other differences between your beliefs and Mr. Camping’s. We are not to leave the churches because there are many different creeds. We were never supposed to create our litle Temples in the first place. We were ALL commanded to go into the world - not into "church homes". The so-called "church age" ended when the veil was rent.
For both Lynn and Elizabeth: There is more than one harlot: Jeremiah 5:7: "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses."
The error that Mr. Camping and apparently Lynn, too, is making, is that these Old Testament verses somehow relate to our day and time. That is an allegorical interpretation that is not correct. See below for the difference in the two covenants God had/has with His people.
Camping emphasizes, correctly, that the church is "the New Testament Israel." But God's covenant with his people in the New Testament era is decisively different than his covenant with the nation of Israel in the Old Testament era. And that difference means that the primary parallel that Camping draws between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church is illegitimate. Camping's entire argument for God having abandoned the church because of her apostasy turns on the assumption that God's keeping his covenant with his church is conditioned on their continued obedience, just like the conditional covenant he had with Old Testament Israel. But that assumption is false! The old and the new covenants differ at precisely this point-that while the old covenant was conditional the new covenant is not. It is unconditional, "everlasting" (Jer. 32:40), and "permanent" (2 Cor. 3:11). Paul tells us that the covenant that God struck with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai after the Exodus was a "ministry of death, carved in letters on stone" (2 Cor. 3:7). It has now been "brought to an end" (2 Cor. 3:7). The author of Hebrews tells us that the old covenant's faults were the occasion for the new covenant (see Heb. 8:7), a covenant that is "better" than the old covenant "since it is enacted on better promises" (Heb. 8:6). It is enacted on the promises that God the Father made to God the Son before time began, promises that include giving to the Son his own people (see John 17:2, 6) as well as giving him all authority in heaven and on earth (see Matt. 28:18), including the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit to save and sanctify those who trust in him (see Acts 2:33 with John 3:5-6 and 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2).22 The new covenant, inaugurated with Christ's blood (see Heb. 9:11-28), ushers in a new era, the era of "the ministry of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:8) that, unlike the ministry of death inherent in the old covenant, secures "an eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12) for those who believe.
Yes, April, I understand about the seven seals.
1) "ek" (Strong's 1537) and;
2) "kaleo" (Strong's 2564).
"Ek" means "out of" and "kaleo" means "to call", or "to be called" or "to name". I do not glean anything about "gatherinig", "congregating" or "assembling" in the word we have translated as "church".
Therefore, whenever I hear of or think of the phrase "church age", I think of the age of Christ's elect who are called out of the the world. Period. The "church age" is a man-made phrase which today means "Christ's elect who are called out of the world and assembled together in various locations". The idea of many local imitation temples planted all over the world for both wheat and tares to gather was established long before Harold Camping declared that the church age was over.
Believers can either go into all the world, or they can take many spiritual verses literally and plant churches. Many of us failed the test, but many of us saw the light and departed out. Still others simply found new ways of playing church, which means they never really departed out. I would suggest that the true believers are always in the process of departing out as God breaks us of our trust in all men and their traditions.
Jer 5:7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
All the NT passages that seem to say "set up little Temples" have deep spiritual applications which are dismissed in favor of the literal meanings. The test is in the Book and we will either understand the spiritual application of all the "church" verses or we will continue to attempt to mend the veil that was forever rent by God.
OT covenant: THE LAW (literal, visible, rituals, demonstrations, prophets, temple worship, gatherings)
NT covenant: GRACE ALONE (spiritual, invisible, preachers with the whole story, "go ye into all the world")
If we are able to see, hear, touch, taste or smell it, it is not grace alone. Anything we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell is about us, the world around us and what we are doing in the world to make ourselves feel righteous and holy. Can you see your church on the corner? Can you hear your preacher recycling all those worldly sermons and the organ and the choir singing? Can you feel the communion bread in your hand? Can you smell the tempting aromas wafting into the sanctuary as the women prepare the pot luck luncheon? Can you taste the wafer and grape juice or wine? If so, RUN! If you are under the covenant of grace, you should not be involved with all that rubbish.
The "church age" was actually the "grace age" and it looks like it may very well be over.
Ec 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
If the peaceful time to love takes place in this life, then so does the hateful time of war. The time of peace was the salvation age when the believers were sent into the world, not into local "church homes". The time of war comes after the time of peace.
So 3:2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
I believe that the "scattered age" is now here. It is the age when God's elect understand that judgment has come upon them "first". It is the age when the end-time representatives of Christ's body recognize their weakness in following and trusting pastors, both inside and outside the corporate churches.
Ps 42:9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Harlots' houses include the Family Radio fellowships and all online "teaching" groups with spiritual leaders.
Please read Isaiah 2.
However, I think your definition of ekklesia is wrong. ekklesia means 'assembly.' Greek is a very tricky language and kaleo isn't part of ekklesia, whatever Strong's may say.
Isn't our word "church" really from the Greek word "kuriakos"? This word is found in Rev. 1:10 and 1st Cor. 11:20 and it means "the Lord's". The words "sunago" and "sunagoge" (i.e., synogogue) are also used frequently as "assemble" and "assembly".
Below is an excerpt from an article (I don't know who the author is) which helped me understand "ekklesia" much better:
The Ekklesia
Revelation from the Father in heaven is the only way to come to a full understanding and experience of ekklesia. Unless the Father in heaven reveals who Jesus is, then we cannot even begin to be built up into the ekklesia. No preaching, Sunday school teaching, or religious activities can be substituted for direct revelation of who Jesus is.
Flesh and blood cannot reveal who Jesus is. Jesus is the Savior, Christ the Lord! Three Magi from the East recognized the birth of the Christ from the stars. They began a long journey, following a star, leading them to Bethlehem to bring gifts to the Messiah. Shepherds were in the fields, tending their sheep, and angels appeared to announce the birth of the Christ.
Do you get it?
The first ones to come to Jesus did not know to come except by "non-flesh and non-blood" experiences — stars and angels! The pattern remains today. Without direct revelation of whom Jesus is we cannot come to Him as the Messiah!
That’s right! Christ means Messiah.
Therefore, to clearly understand the ekklesia, the body of Christ, we must have direct revelation of the Christ — the anointed one who is coming to rule — the Messiah. It is upon this foundation, Jesus as the Messiah, that the ekklesia is built.
Ekklesia is only used twice in the Gospels, where as Christ is used 54 times. The focus of the gospels is to establish the Christ, His work and His function. Later, after Jesus’ ascension, the Acts of the Apostles would begin building up the ekklesia. The Epistles expand the revelation of the rock —which is Jesus — and the building up of the ekklesia upon this rock!
Therefore, we must start our journey by discerning a full and clear view of Christ Jesus.
The text:
Mt. 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
In introducing his study, Darrell outlines the two questions he hopes his study will answer:
1) Will the thief break into the house of the goodman because he was not watching?
2) What type of treasure does the thief (Christ) come to steal from the goodman's house?
These are not the right questions that should be asked. In fact, they are rather mind-bending. The one simple question that needs to be asked by the date setters in regard to Mt. 24:43 is:
1) Does the thief come for ALL, or only those who reject the Camping date prediction?
Here are some questions of my own for Darrell to consider as he prepares his study in defense of date predicting.
Darrell, In Mt. 24:43, why does God use the phrase "and would not have suffered his house to be broken up"? Why doesn't the verse say, "and would be caught up to heaven"? OR, "and would prevent the thief from coming"?
What about the corresponding verses from Luke 12? Will they be part of your study on the "goodman of the house"?
Lu 12:38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.: 40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Why are all the watches given as a possiblity for the thief's arrival if we are to know the precise timing? How do you explain Luke 12:40? Here it is again:
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Have these verses been "rescinded", Darrell? (I have heard Mr. Camping use that word in one of his own studies.)
Darrell, do you believe that "watching" for the thief means "knowing the date" or "knowing the times and seasons"? If so, did you stop watching when you realized that May 21st, 2011 is part of the gospel? What is the difference between the watching by a believer in May 21st, 2011 and a non-believer?How has the word "watch" (sober, alert, vigilant) changed from the time it was spoken by Jesus and recorded for us?
Please share your study with us, Darrell. Another verse I would like you to explain is Luke 21:36. Is the escaping and "stand[ing] before the Son of man" referring to the rapture? Have you done a word study on the word "stand"? I don't believe this word relates to the rapture.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should OVERTAKE YOU as a thief.
Darrell, Did you ever study the word "overtake"? It conveys an important aspect of the warning about the thief in the night. "Overtake you" in 1st Thess. 5:4 is similar to "he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through" in Mt. 24:43 and Luke 12:39.
The believers will not be "overtaken" by the thief. Their houses will not be broken through by the thief who comes in the night for ALL. The true believers are worthy to escape all these things and they will STAND before the Son of man.
When it comes to this "secular evidence" that is needed, George Smith, Pioneer Assyriologist said:
"Above the date B.C 763 there is NO POSITIVE PROOF OF ANY ASSYRIAN CANON DATE."
SO, remember...when Camping says "this all came from the Bible," all his dates and calendars need the "foundation" of secular evidence...
And when you see people like "Lynn" and others start claiming how they saw some internal vision of something happening in 1988, ask Lynn what verse shows the abomination of desolations took place in 1988, and Lynn willl be deafening silent....because Lynn has no verse for that....just her "warm and fuzzy feelings" via progressive revelation...
Christ vomited the church out in Rev 3:16....it was apostate in the first century, but the church age didn't end. Did God's judgment come upon this church? Of course it did. It is absurd to say that God never judged a church "until 1988"
The RCC church was apostate during the days of Martin Luther. Luther and other reformers called it the whore of Babylon....but the church age did not end.
Apostasy in the church has been there since the beginning....but the church age does not end...it ends the last day when Christ returns...not when "man" makes the determination it ends based on "a false calendar."
There is "no new unsealings" happening to any of these people...whether Camping or any of his slaves.....everything was unsealed when God completed the Canon - Rev 22:10, Rev 22:18.
When we look at the apostasy of Family Radio and their disciples:
1. The denial of eternal torment with the annihilation lie. The Campingites want you to think sinful mankind has the same fate as the "flowers and butterflies."
2. A denial of a conscious resurrection of the unsaved. The Campingites replace that with a resurrection of rotten bones and teeth.
3. A denial of Total Depravity. The Campingites made that "go away"
4. All verses of torment, anguish, and weeping and gnashing of teeth, the Campingites claim it has no application on all unsaved humanity, but only applies to the enemies of Harold Camping..
5. 10 failed date settings, in violation of Rev 22:18, Matthew 24:36 and Acts 1:7-8. Date setting is evil rebellion against God. # 11 is on the way to FR's ruin.
6. The Campingites continued attack on the Cross, as the Campingites become just like the false pagan religions of the world, who also deny the atonement of the Cross took place in 33AD.
7. A denial of a "visible" return of Jesus Christ. The Campingites make the glorious, visible return that every eye will see, something as "not real" and make it "invisible."
8. A denial of all humanity standing before Christ on the Last Day. Make Christ's return as "invisible" and that is the first plot in the "conspiracy" to make all standing before Him "go away." The Campingites take away the "real" Judgment Day and replace it with a judgment upon rotted bones.
9. The church age ends the Last Day. There is no verse that says the church age ended in May 1988. That comes by progressive revelation witchcrafts out of Oakland, California.
10. The absurd teaching that the Alameda Assembly where Camping preaches is the only "allowable" place to fellowship. This is where the Campingites believe that God comes down to man.
11. The belief that "progressive revelation" continues today after the Bible was completed....and that God has "chosen Family Radio" and their slaves to deliver it. The faith was "once delivered" to the saints - Jude 1:3. Not "continuosly delivered" via people "unnamed" in the Bible, such as Camping.
The fact is, Family Radio and all those who support them, are more apostate than the churches.
Satan takes his seat in Family Radio.
Flee out of Family Radio before it's too late
LOCKRIDGE: "In short, we have discovered that the goodman is identified with the scribes of the church. Unfortunately, this language indicates that those in the church will not know the day or hour because they are not watching (i.e., carefully reading the Bible). Ironically, these scribes are supposed to be experts in questions dealing with the law of God."
This can't be true, because I am no longer part of the church and I don't know the day and the hour. Does Darrell believe that everyone who is out of the church will believe in May 21st, 2011 by the time it arrives? Here, in one little snippet, Darrell not only assigns a completely false spiritual meaning behind the "goodman of the house", he also defines "watching" as "carefully reading the Bible". What all Campingites know that most of the rest of us do not is,
"watching" means...
"carefully reading the Bible plus Harold Camping's books"
which means...
"knowing the date"
which means...
"salvation".
Do date setters who now believe they "know" still need to "watch"? If so, what else are they watching for?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnXXds1OWY&feature=related
1. A cult is run by a charismatic leader who claims to have special knowledge that no one else has.
2. A cult seeks to cut its members off from family and friends by denying them access to same. Scientology does it by actually physically separating the person by putting them in a small room with no access to phones, cell or otherwise. Mr. Camping does this by a very subtle means: he just says, "Don't listen to that person, their spiritual eyes are not opened."
3. A cult must use its members as slave labor by sending them out on phony mission trips to recruit new members because 80 to 90% of the people who join a cult recognize it as a cult and leave within two years. Mr. Camping sends his people out to other countries (which trips the person has to pay for him/herself, never mind the fact that Family Radio is worth millions and by proxy, Mr. Camping, so FR could pay for the trips itself) and to large gatherings in the States, to hand out his brochures.
4. Members have an inordinate love of the leader.
Here's an explanation of the 'worth millions' per Mr. Palmquist, Mr. Camping's former partner in FR:
How Family Radio began
The network began life in April 1958, when I met Civil Engineer Harold Camping. I enlisted his financial support to start a Christian radio station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Camping then owned Camping Construction Company.2 My wife Dolores and I had recently returned from Nome, Alaska, where
I worked with a group seeking to build a missionary radio station to serve Siberia. I wrote and filed Articles of Incorporation for Family Stations, Inc., and I negotiated tax exempt status in a personal meeting with
IRS executives in Washington, D.C. On February 4, 1959, our small staff began operating Radio Station KEAR, San Francisco. With $20,000 down, monthly payments created a $100,000 asset. That spot on the dial later was sold to CBS for $1,000,000 plus a replacement FM station serving the San Francisco Bay
area. The replacement station was recently traded for a powerful AM outlet in a transaction creating a multimillion dollar cash surplus now being used to promote Camping's message. Family Radio monthly expenses are supported by listener gifts, but the pool of cash from these sales has allowed Camping to purchase time on outlets around the world. So, in many languages his message is influencing millions of listeners.
April,
My info on ekklesia is from wikipedia. Ekklesia is the Greek word for 'assembly.' It originally meant the assembly of elected citizens who ruled Athens. I will have to check on your deriviation.
Another date-setting cult can be researched on wikipedia using "Great Disappointment" in the search area.
However, in 2002, when Mr. Camping announced the "end of the church age," these same ministers found their submissions to FR edited without their permission or knowledge as FR had removed all mention of churches, pastors, ministers, priests, elders, deacons, etc.
My college classes included several journalism courses and editting someone else's work without their express permission is not acceptable behavior. It is another indication of the intellectual dishonesty displayed by FR.
As I have said before, all of Mr. Camping's calculations are based on secular evidence. The Bible specifically warns about relying on the calculations of man for Biblical prophecy.
Mr. Golda, I would appreciate knowing what your source is for the 10 dates Mr. Camping has previously said would be THE DATE that have all come and gone? This is just in case someone asks me where the info came from so I can show them.
Here's more of what Mr. Palmquist has to say on the subject, as well as some relevant verses from the Bible:
Harold Camping has good intentions. His life is dedicated to the study of the Bible, and he wants his life to glorify God. We should applaud his intent. However, his teaching has created problems in the lives of many
listeners to Family Radio. Some are reputed to be refinancing their homes to receive “free money,” never intending to repay the mortgage because “after May of 2011, it will not matter.” Others are said to be spending irresponsibly, using up what God has entrusted to them. Immediate gratification in the teenager is the gateway to drug abuse. The attitude of “I want it now” on the part of someone who should be seeking to please and glorify the Lord is an act of greed, not worthy of a good steward. A faithful servant will not want
to meet the Lord on Judgment Day with empty or soiled hands. Do you believe Camping when he says that the Church Age has ended? Do you believe with Camping that we are living in the Great Tribulation? Do you believe May 21, 2011, will be the Day of Judgment? If so, try finding proof of these beliefs by
restudying the Bible's words. Whatever you conclude, ask if your day to day behavior matches Bible values.
The servant in the parable (Matthew 25) was entrusted with a “talent” but he had nothing to show when the lord of the house returned, because he drove that asset into the dirt. Dirt suggests a picture of deficit spending. The unworthy servant created a deficit by what economists call “opportunity loss.” What was the fate of that servant? The lord of the house called him “unprofitable.” Whether you accept Mr. Camping's teachings or not, you should live each day in accord with Biblical ethics, passionately wanting the Holy Spirit to control your life to be profitable to Him. We should:
1. Take care of the resources God has given us.
2. Avoid greed and materialism (see Matthew 6:19; Luke 12:13-21, James 5:3 and 5:5, I John 3:17).
3. Practice honesty and faithfulness when we buy and sell goods, applying fairness and freedom of choice.
4. Earn Profit. The faithful servants used the entrusted talents to make other talents and the returning lord of the house condemned the servant who in fear of the householder's return buried his talent in the ground. Knowing the Lord will return, we should spend each day seeking to increase contentment and prosperity with the financial resources He has entrusted to us. We should not (in fear) divest ourselves of anything. Fearing the Lord's return would displease Him at the Day of Reckoning. He wants us to welcome Him.
5. We should give to others, imitating God’s mercy and love through helping support spiritual activities and evangelism, thus bringing others into the kingdom.
6. God knows our hearts. We should glorify Him by developing the attitudes He delights to see.
7. If others work for us, we need to think of them as equal in value as human beings made in the image of God, and our heart’s desire should be that the job bring them good and not harm.
8. We should conduct our borrowing and lending with honor, refuse to over-extend ourselves and use money belonging to others as a sacred trust obligating us to repay as agreed.
9. We should demonstrate trustworthiness and faithful stewardship, honesty, wisdom, love, and mercy.
A Friend is Coming
The Bible tells us the reason for Creation was that God wants companionship with friends. He sacrificed Jesus on the cross to make it possible for us to be His friends. He is such a friend that He took upon Himself the sin punishment we deserve. This is the Gospel, the Good News. That is why He created us in His image.
We are told that His return will be “as a thief.” Our Lord is not a thief. His coming will be “like” a thief. Does a thief phone in advance to tell you he is coming to visit? No. A thief is “like” a close friend who does not need to phone in advance. Friends walk up without warning and ring the doorbell. Friends expect your friendly face to appear. The “doorbell” of the coming of the Lord is “the Last Trump.” When you hear that sound, what will you hand over to the Master of the house? “Sorry but it is all gone, Lord” or “You blessed me with much. Here is the increase.”
In conclusion, if you lack faith, you can try to use numbers to support your beliefs. However, if you live by faith content yourself with the Word written by God, trusting His Word to give purpose and enthusiasm to your life. If we live by word, not numbers, it is not that we abandon reason. Instead, we recognize God's revealed reason and we structure our lives upon His presence and power in our lives.
One day at a time, live to God's glory. Those like myself may disagree with Camping's numerical view of Bible interpretation, but all of us can agree that we should live today for God's glory in the Light of His Word, with watchful integrity.
I do know for a fact that some of Mr. Camping's followers have taken their children out of school, sold their homes, resigned from/quit their jobs, reneged on loans, etc.
I wrote the post on the 10 failed dates, as I have been listening to FR since the early 80s. One error was made. It was Christmas 1994 instead of Christmas 1996. Matt Tuter, who works for Family Radio, and controls the Open Forum program, confimed my list and has all the video to it. He made the correction about Christmas 1994.
In his own words:
"I wanted to offer a correction. The December 25th date "8" was for 1994. I still have the video tape when he said it, 40 minutes into the Open Forum on December 20th 1994."
He rejects Camping and his date settings and confesses that Camping's gospel of progressive revelation is false. In his own words:
"In addition to Revelation 22:18 I like to present Galatians 1:8&9 to those that believe in progressive revelation"
Below is the updated list:
1. 1978 - Camping declares to his Alameda Church that the rapture would occur in 1978
2. September 6, 1994 - Camping prediction # 2 - Based on 1994?
3. September 15, 1994 - Camping prediction # 3 - Based on 1994?
4. September 29, 1994 - Camping prediction # 4 - Based on 1994?
5. October 2, 1994 - Camping prediction #5 - Claimed Christ was born Oct 2, in 7AD and would return exactly 2000 years later.
6. December 25, 1994 - Camping prediction # 6 - Camping claims that Christ will return on Christmas and that the Bible supported this.
7. March 16, 1995 (Purim) - Camping prediction # 7 - Camping claims this is "Watch # 1" of a new wave of dates.
8. September 24, 1995 - Camping prediction # 8 - Camping claims this is "Watch # 2" - Camping claims that there is Biblical evidence of Christ returning "383 days" after September 6, 1994. Camping also claims that September 24, 1995 is 721 + 91 Ceros(A ceros is little over 18 years - 223 lunar cycles or revolutions. A ceros is the complete revoluation of the sun, moon, stars and planets) - Camping claims that these revolutions can predict the end. Camping also states that if you divide the 2300 days of Daniel 8 by the number "6" you get 383. Thus, according to Camping, you can add 383 days to September 6, 1994 and come to September 24, 1995. September 24, 1995 ends the magic 383 day period.
9. April 3, 1996 - Passover (Watch # 3)- Camping prediction # 9 - Camping claims that there is Biblical evidence of Christ returning 191 days after September 25, 1995 on the Passover.
10. May 3, 1996 - Camping prediction # 10 - Camping claims that there is a 30 day grace period after April 3, 1996 which Christ can return.
Date setters all believe in the false doctrine of "progressive revelation" after the Bible was completed in violation of Revelation 22:18.
Nice to know where I can steer her for the facts.
There are two verses in Numbers, (I don't remember them off-hand) that refers to how to identify a false prophet. Of course, in those days, a false prophet only had one chance--if his prediction failed, he was put to death.
Another set of verses in Thessalonians, I think, (Bible is at home), about the people who are 'raptured' away show 2 men working in the field--one is taken and one is left behind; and two women at the well, drawing their family's water for the day, one is taken and one is left behind.
What these verses have in common, besides the obvious, is that these people are going about their daily routine, not sitting piously in church/temple waiting for the end. Another illustration that mankind is not to know the date of Christ's return.
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow NOT, NOR COME TO PASS, that is the thing which the LORD hath NOT spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it PRESUMPTUOUSLY: thou shalt NOT be afraid of him" Deuteronomy 18:22
Camping along with many speak falsely in the name of the LORD. He is to be rejected.
Camping said this in 1993 about his 1994 date-settings:
To WAIT and SEE of Christ's return is indeed to be in the fall of 1994 IS NOT ENOUGH....those who "waited to see" would be caught without salvation. It would be guaranteed that they would have to face the Judgment Throne of God, be found guilty of their sins, and plunged into hell forevermore" Harold Camping - Are You Ready, Preface, Page 1
So, Camping has the same line back in the early 90s on his failed dates back then.
So, what Camping and his slaves are saying is that whatever date Camping declares, past, present or future, one must believe it, because he is the authority...
That authority is to be rejected...
Besides Camping setting dates in rebellion against God, he makes the "real" return of Christ "go away....Camping says in his Satanic book "We Are Almost There:"
"However, NOWHERE does the Bible teach that on the day of the rapture the unsaved of the world will LITERALLY, PHYSICALLY SEE JESUS" Harold Camping, "To God Be The Glory." (Chapter 5, page 54)
Camping makes Christ some imaginary parable and not real...
The Bible says "every eye will see Him" - Rev 1:7
Camping makes the "rapture of Family Radio" a visible event for the world, but the return of Christ as "invisible."
That is Camping's lame attempt to "take away" the glory of Christ and glorify his satanic organization instead...
Another thing Mr. Camping is doing to take away the glory that belongs to Christ and to God is to separate the wheat from the weeds. That task belongs to God and Christ alone. We are not to judge who is worthy of salvation, but are to let the weeds and wheat grow up together.
I have a suspicion that those who follow Mr. Camping want the Rapture/Judgment Day to come for their own personal reasons, whether it's bad health (hey, if I get a new resurrected body, I won't have to deal with {insert medical problem of choice) and if the world is gone, I won't have to pay off my loans, worry about having enough money for my retirement, etc., or deal with any other financial problem.
I feel that these people are to be pitied. I hope God opens their eyes before it is too late.
Excellent word choice, i luv it....!
(Act 24:5 and 6) For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
spreading like "varkmasels" (pork measles)....!
Harold Camping has not studied the different Hebrew words used in Gen. 7 for "same day" (v. 11) and "selfsame day" (v. 13). He has tied these verses together to falsely claim that the flood started on the same day Noah entered the ark. Verse 13 states that Noah and his family all entered the ark together on the selfsame day. It does not teach that the flood waters started on the same day Noah entered the ark. The spiritual meaning of the seven day warning given to Noah before the flood waters began is purification, consecration, dedication, sanctification. It is NOT a special time clue for the purpose of date predicting.
www.atheolous.blogspot.com
This is after Mr. Camping has claimed, repeatedly, that the scribes made an error in translation and the 's' in "Son" should have been a small 's,' meaning the son of perdition or Satan.
Apparently, that interpretation was a mistake and this new interpretation is correct.
Let's look at this for a moment. If the New Testament Church is the Bride of Christ and the 'bride' is now the 'son,' does that mean that the Bride of Christ is now male?
Also, this means that the New Testament Church, the body of believers, does not know the day or the hour of Christ's return.
Since the Campingites claim to know the date of Christ's return, does that mean that they are not the Church, the body of believers?
I have known that Mr. Camping just makes things up as he goes along, but really, people...