On the plus side, that's three days after my birthday so at least I'll get presents before everything hits the fan.
Some realize that God knows how and when the end of the world will come, so they wonder if He tells us. Rather than turning to the Bible as the source of all truth for these answers, they turn to the churches and religious leaders. They may be told that the end will not come until Antichrist rises as a political leader who will make them take the "mark of the beast." Many are told that God will rapture His people before a 7 year Great Tribulation after which Christ will set up a 1000 year reign from an earthly throne in Jerusalem. Others are told that Christ will come to rapture believers the same day he destroys the world. While just about every church has a different idea as to what the Bible teaches concerning the end, they all seem to agree on one thing; no man can know the day or the hour of Christ's return because the scriptures say that He is coming as a thief in the night. But are they correct? Can We Know?
This web site serves as an introduction and portal to four faithful ministries which are teaching that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that the date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011. Please take your time and browse through the teachings of Harold Camping, President of Family Radio.
To Camping's credit the first paragraph is largely accurate. Many current ideas about the "endtimes" are not biblical but are instead derived from the interpolation of particular passages. Often these interpretations take the quotes in question completely out of context to arrive at predetermined conclusions favored by particular Christian leaders vying for followers and their donations. However, by jumping on the rapture bandwagon Camping is doing pretty much the same thing. The whole "left behind" worldview is itself a modern interpretation that only goes back as far as the dispensationalists of the nineteenth century, and if there were any Millerites left you could ask them how well that 1844 second coming worked out for them.
Let me predict the real future for you. I'll be following the story, which means that on May 22nd of 2011 I'll put up a link back to this article and ask why nobody has disappeared. Then, on October 22nd of 2011 I'll put up another article pointing out that the world is still here. How do I know, you ask? No paranormal powers are required this time. Call it intuition, or maybe just plain common sense.
Fascinating stuff! Not to nitpick, but there *are* still Millerites, though they stopped calling themselves that in 1845. The Seventh Day Adventists are the largest of several successor bodies to that movement, and they have about 15 million members. Other, perhaps less reputable groups include the Church of God International and the Branch Davidians.
ReplyDeleteNear as I can understand their theology, they believe Everything Really DID Change in 1844, but that they'd just misinterpreted it, since it was the Heavenly Tabernacle that was cleansed and not the Earthly one.
Many early anthropologists and archeologists seemed to believe that post-Columbian Mayan culture was somehow "impure" and therefore not worthy of study. They would refer to the classical Mayans as a "vanished people" and opine that the culture had "deteriorated", since they no longer lived in the ruined stone cities. I think those attitudes are still with us, unfortunately.
I agree. The date is off. But, do tell, what is to be done about the bankrupt American Society and the wake of it's fall? See Europe 5th century.
ReplyDeleteHope you still have internet access and electricity and a car in 5 years.
I agree. The date is off. But, do tell, what is to be done about the bankrupt American Society and the wake of it's fall? See Europe 5th century.
ReplyDeleteHope you still have internet access and electricity and a car in 5 years.