Faith & Reflection
On the afternoon of May 20th a friend texted me asking me what I thought of Harold Camping’s “Judgment Day” prediction for the following day of May 21st. I don’t like texting (probably because I’m not very good at it) so my answer was comprised of just one word - “Baloney”. My friend is a great texter...so undaunted by my terse response he replied, “OK...but why do you say that?” I was trapped. He knew very well that the preacher/teacher part of me could not resist such a challenge. My thumbs will never be the same and I still don’t care much for texting but my answer, somewhat modified, can be found below.
Predictions of the return of the Lord Jesus, God’s judgment upon the world and the end of the world are not new. There have been dozens, perhaps hundreds of them. Most have been largely ignored or mocked, but a few of them have gathered interest, followers and momentum. More than one religious group or cult has in its history an embarrassing date setting event. Several well known leaders including Pope Innocent III and Charles Wesley were guilty of some erroneous date setting.
The test for authenticity of these various claims is incredibly simple. If the Lord Jesus did not appear and or if the world is still here, obviously the claims were false. However, some seeing that their predictions had failed and thinking themselves to be quite clever and people to be fairly gullible told those who would listen that Jesus had indeed returned. But He had done so in the heavenlies where the event could not be observed.
The simple truth is that this whole profusion of false claims and confusion of failures could be avoided by simply taking Jesus at His word. In Matthew 24 Jesus mentioned several signs and events that would precede His coming and the end of the world. He then suggested that these signs are merely, “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8). Later in the same chapter He said very clearly, “No one knows the day or the hour...” (Matthew 24:36). And that was my answer to my friend’s valid question of “Why do you say that?”
While I am not impressed with the date setters, I am equally disturbed by those who mock the concept of the Lord’s return and a day of reckoning. The Bible says plainly that both will occur. In fact the admonition from Jesus is that we should, “...be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Mathew 24:44).
I have just one question in closing. Are you ready when He comes?
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church