Peace and grace to each of you in Jesus name!
After the last article entitled "Israel, Egypt and Armageddon", I am pleased to thank new readers in the countries of Egypt, Netherlands and Hong Kong. Also the United Arab Emirates and Trinidad & Tobago. By helping me with referrals to your friends, the Lord has now provided people reading this blog in 46 countries of the world.
Why do I do this? Simply because I truly believe the message of the Bible and I know from the study of Biblical prophecy that we really are getting extremely close to the second coming of the King of this universe, Jesus Christ. I have spent 26 years as a pastor and I simply cannot stand the thought of one single person becoming lost through NOT knowing Jesus Christ and having a relationship with Him. I do not publish this blog for a purpose of personal notoriety but rather, because the message of the Bible is the only GOOD NEWS that this world has today. So, thank you one and all for helping me get that message out to everyone on this planet that I possibly can.
P.S. Ssssssh! It is supposed to be a big secret. Did you know that several million people go to church on the internet today? That's right, the audience for a blog of this nature is potentially in the MILLIONS. Did you also know that our generation of Christians has a far greater level of responsibility than any other generation since the cross of Christ? How can that be you say? Well for starters, this is the very first EVER generation of believers that has the responsibility of taking the gospel to a worldwide population that now approaches 7 BILLION human beings.
Have you ever wanted to get involved somehow? Wanted to know that your life will make a difference? You can! You can begin by helping me with this blog or even writing one yourself. Think about it folks.
Now, as some of my Jewish friends would say, "oy vey" what a mess, there are so many false prophets these days! Matthew chapter 24 verse 11 is part of an end times prophecy spoken by Jesus Himself. "Then many false prophets will arise and deceive many".
I spoke to you about this in the last article entitled "Israel, Egypt and Armageddon" I will get back to that theme in the next article that is on the drawing board entitled "Pharaoh to Facebook". However right now I feel the need to discuss yet another false prophecy that seems to be "upon every tongue of the land" these days.
Last week we were on a 1400 mile round trip to visit relatives in California. I was shocked to see huge billboards advertising "Judgement day and the Rapture of the church coming up on May 21, 2011". Further investigation indicated that " the end of the world through fire would happen on October 21, 2011". You may remember that just last week I spoke to you about NOT buying into these last days date setters such as those pushing the Mayan long count calendar predictions that the world will end in December 2012. Well, here we go again!!!
In researching this statement that the end of the world will occur on October 21, 2011, I discovered that a well known radio Bible teacher is making this claim plus it's companion statement that "Judgement day will begin with the Rapture of the church on May 21, 2011".
Anyone reading my blogs will already know that "the Rapture" is a term used to describe the events of both the Biblical books of First Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 13 through 18 and Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 1 through 12. Sometime soon I will write an article describing why, although the word "RAPTURE" is not in itself in the Bible we read today, it is a Biblical term having been derived from the Latin translation of the Bible.
Basically it is a word used to describe what will happen when Jesus comes to take members of His church to heaven where they will reside with Him for eternity. This is a separate event from the Second Coming of Christ although many Bible expositors choose to call the Rapture part A of an event that culminates in part B which is the second Coming of Christ separated by a period of time that will differ by 7 years depending upon which teacher you are listening to.
As far as I am concerned the important thing is that they will both occur, not arguing over terminology or numbers of months or years. I have my own ideas about the timing of the Rapture and it is based upon many years of Biblical study. And yet I have friends who have studied just as long as I have who have come up with a different timetable. We sometimes joke with one another over our differences but I do not allow this to separate me from my brothers in Christ.
While I certainly believe that Biblical terminology is very important, civil discussion pleases God far more than angry finger pointing and division over specific words or date's. Hmmmm! Did you know for example that the word BIBLE is not in the Bible? And yet we all know that it is the Bible don't we? The word responsibility is also not in the Bible! And yet we all know that the Bible is a book of responsibility . We human beings can certainly make a relatively straight forward, simple document (the Bible), more difficult than it was ever intended to be.
Actually, There is a secondary reason for my publication of this blog; While I teach the Biblical prophets, I try and do so from a position of exhortation. There are so very many teachers these days that are "majoring on negative minors" that many people, even within the church seem sad, confused and downright depressed. If we teach the whole counsel of God, rather than taking things out of context, we see clearly emerging, a Divine plan for mankind that brings hope like nothing else can.
Todays article will deal with exactly that! I have entitled it "BEWARE---false prophets abound" because right now that is exactly what is happening. So pull up a comfortable chair, pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and join me while we take a look at this latest heresy.
Things are raging where this topic is concerned. During my entire ministry life if I did not agree with another minister on a particular subject I felt that I needed to talk to that person on a personal basis not through public argument. I still feel that way and I do not believe that God is made happy by public arguing and criticism. And yet as a pastor, I am very concerned when a "BIBLE TEACHER" steps across a line that may through false teaching, mislead multitudes.
James chapter 3 verse 1 is a very stern statement directed toward anyone who wants to teach God's Holy Word. I think of this myself every single time I write or preach the gospel. It says "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement"! In other words, as a pastor/teacher, I am more accountable for what I teach than those for whom it is taught. That is a big responsibility and should never be taken lightly.
Sadly there is a lot of false doctrine being published right now. For example in the past many teachers have tried to predict dates for both the Rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Christ. ALL, have met with dismal failure! Since we are "all gentlemen---and gentle ladies" of course we would not possibly want to label anyone a false prophet. After all some pretty impressive guys from past church history have made "date setting" mistakes but in the long run we appreciate their life's work.
Martin Luther, the great church reformer, predicted Christ's return 300 years in the future of his prediction. That meant that he believed Christ would return between 1830 and 1850 AD. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist denomination predicted a date for Christ's return in 1836. Although both were wrong, no one today considers either of those theological giants to be "false prophets"!
During the 1800's, a famous missionary by the name of John Wolf taught that Christ would return in 1847. He actually made this statement to the United States Congress in 1836. Also he was invited to give this message to the legislatures of Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.
Many other famous people, several still alive and teaching to this day have set dates that have proven to be false. I respect some of these men tremendously and believe that if you really read what they actually said, you will find more accusation than substance. However there is one man who wrote and spoke frequently that Jesus would return in 1994. Of course it did not happen. That man is a radio teacher by the name of Harold Camping. Normally I would not call a man out publicly but in this case many of his statements are absolutely fallacious and are misleading many.
To be fair, I have no doubt that Mr. Camping loves God every bit as much as I do. He has been teaching on the radio for many years. I have no doubt that he believes what he is saying but it is he who is now once again predicting the Rapture of God's elect people and the judgement of the world on May 21, 2011. Also, the complete end of the world through destruction by fire on October 21, 2011.
I have read through Mr. Camping's dates and extremely convoluted mathematical equations. While I certainly respect a scholarly attempt by another man of God, I simply cannot agree with his deductions. So, I tell you here and now my friends and readers, the world will NOT come to an end on October 21, 2011!!!!!!!
In order for anyone to come up with a date like that for the end of the world, they would have to completely ignore several books of the Bible not withstanding both the prophet Daniel and the book of Revelation. Mr Camping certainly quotes both those sources but does so out of context to the circumstances he is discussing.
Rather than take the time to completely debunk this theory (which would take volumes that you would most probably never read to begin with), let me just give you the crux of the biscuit (country term for the "real scoop").
First of all, this theory is based upon Mr. Camping's belief that:
1). The church age ended in the year 1988. Mr. Camping states " On May 21, 1988, God finished using the churches and congregations of the world. The Spirit of God left all the churches and satan, the man of sin, entered into the churches to rule at that point in time".
2). "At that moment in 1988 the great tribulation began which would last for a period of 23 years. Therefore, the great tribulation will end on May 21 of 2011. That day will represent two things: First, it will be the day that God will judge the world. Second, it will be the day that God comes to Rapture (take away from the earth) His elect people." On that day, May 21, 2011 God will raise up all the dead that have ever died from their graves. Earthquakes will ravage the whole world---!"
3)."On October twenty first, 2011, God will destroy the entire world by fire."
??????? You know it is not my desire or intention to ridicule Mr. Camping but honestly, these conclusions simply cannot be justified in scripture. So let's just take a little stroll through scripture and then you decide for yourselves. Before we do, a question? Why is it even necessary for me to discuss this in a public forum?
For starters, this is not just some little thing printed in the fourth section of a small town news paper. These dates are printed on humongous public billboards and are appearing in various media sources. Many people are reacting to these dates with real fear and trepidation and it is potentially going worldwide. There are some reports of people selling their homes based upon these predictions. This is something that has to be addressed and I am not the only one doing so. Unlike some other pastors and scholars however, I want to do this without personal ridicule or insult. As always, I stress that you should ALWAYS confirm what you are being taught by verifying what the Bible has to say about any subject. That includes whatsoever you read or hear including from your own pastor or myself.
The writings of this man are extensive so I will confine my remarks to the three categories listed above. I can provide more for anyone who asks.
1). Did God on May 21, 1988 finish using the churches and congregations of the world? Did the Spirit of God leave all churches and did satan enter into the churches to rule from that point forward----for the past 23 years?
The Bible says: Matthew 28:18-20 (Jesus speaking) "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (NOTE): The Lord is speaking to the churches here when He continues by saying " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, (my capitals) I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE." No where in all 66 books of the Bible (39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament) is there one single word that tells us that God ever gives up on His people or abandons His church.
First John 4:13 "By this we know that we abide in Him (JESUS), and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit". No where in the word of God is there the slightest indication that the Lord ever removes from us what He gave, "the Holy Spirit"!
As far as satan is concerned he is described in the Bible as a thief and a liar. 1 Peter 5:6-9 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; Because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world".
The Apostle James, giving direction to the church regarding sin issues has this to say: James 4:5-7 "Or do you think that scripture says in vain", "The Spirit who dwells within us yearns jealously"? But he gives more grace. Therefore He says" God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble". Therefore submit to God. (Capitals added) RESIST THE devil AND he WILL FLEE FROM YOU! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you-------!" And yes I did intentionally use lower case letters for "devil" and "he". Capitals in that instance are reserved only for GOD! If the devil will flee from you because you as a believer resisted him------so much for his ability to be in charge of the churches.
Does that sound like God is willing to abandon the church worldwide and turn it over to satan? EVER??? I think not, but you decide!
P.S. folks. The past 23 years has seen one of the greatest church movements and times of evangelism of all time, with millions upon millions being led to Christ. There are about one and one half BILLION followers of Christ on the earth this very moment and growing exponentially by the day in every culture and nation on earth. If satan, the arch enemy of God and His people were in charge, do you really believe that would be happening? Common sense prevails here!
2). Did the great tribulation really begin 23 years ago in 1988? Will God Judge the world on May 21, 2011? Will that day also signal the immediate Rapture of the church?
Let's take that in reverse order: I think it would be wonderful if the Rapture happened on May 21, 2011 (this year)! That would mean we have only 80 days left (Today is March 2) before we all begin spending eternity with our King Jesus. There is however a small problem. Jesus is speaking once again in Matthew chapter 24. It is called "The Olivet Discourse". He spends lots of time talking about THE END TIMES all the way up to and including the end of the tribulation years. In Matthew chapter 24 verses 29-36 Jesus is speaking about His own coming. Verse 36 says "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only"!
The bottom line is that NO MAN can predict what the angels themselves do not know. So much for knowing the exact date of the Rapture of the church.
Will judgement day for the world be on May 21, 2011? As always the final authority is the Word of God. Revelation chapter 20 verses 11-15 makes it abundantly clear just exactly when judgement will be meted out on mankind. This is after the final battle of Armageddon in Chapter 19 verses 17-21. It is after satan is finally thrown FOREVER and EVER into the lake of fire (chapter 20 verses 7-10 of Revelation). The final judgement of all mankind is done at the very end of the book of Revelation and is called "THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT". This happens AFTER the 1000 year physical reign of Jesus Christ on this earth (Revelation chapter 20 verse 4).
So, have you all enjoyed the last 1,000 years of Christ's physical reign upon this earth from the City of Jerusalem? Hmmmm? Well don't feel bad because everyone else on the earth has missed it as well. The reason is because it has yet to occur. If that is the case then judgement cannot happen on May 21 2011. No matter how well advanced a persons mathematical skills, it is impossible to crunch 1000 years into the next 80 days.
3).Will God destroy the entire world by fire on October 21, 2011? No, no no no, No!
There are 22 chapters in the final book of the Bible. It is the book of Revelation. That book is commonly agreed upon by most scholars to be a record of the events known as "THE GREAT TRIBULATION". There is some disagreement among scholars about the exact length of time of these tribulation years but based upon Daniels prophecies (particularly chapter 9 verses 1-27, the seventy weeks prophecy), there is a very good possibility that this entire book of Revelation from chapter 5 onward, spans the very last of Daniels "weeks" which we know to be periods of 7 years each. NOTE: 69 weeks of years were completed precisely on the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (the triumphal entry), Matthew chapter 21 verses 1-11.
Regardless of the exact amount of time involved, no where in the Bible can it be construed that the great tribulation lasts for 23 years. Also, it is not until the second to the last chapter of Revelation ( 21 verse 1), that the earth is destroyed and replaced by a new one. (John speaking) "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea".
Now to wind this up please allow me to tell you that if the world is scheduled to be destroyed on October 21, 2011, then God decided to leave out LOTS of key scriptural PROPHESIED events that must take place prior to the end of the world. While I cannot list them all, please consider the following and then you decide for yourselves if you have seen these things take place.
1). The Prophet Daniel speaks of the person we believe will be the antichrist in chapter 7 and chapter 9. If our understanding is correct this evil man will begin by signing a peace pact with Israel and her neighbors for a period of 7 years. The math is complicated but it is listed in Daniel Chapter 7, Chapter 12 plus Revelation chapter 12. Have you seen any peace accords in the Middle East that actually worked? Have you seen anyone step onto the world scene that can be definitely identified as the antichrist?
2). Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 speak of an unspeakable war against Israel which is lead by a Northern king. All the nations involved in this war are listed and can be traced to modern countries and territories. This is the very first generation in which the required militaristic and economic alliances are forming that would allow the run up to this massive war known in the Bible as the war of "Gog of the land of Magog". Chapter 38 verses 11-14 states that at the time of this war Israel will be at peace and "Israel is an unprotected land of unwalled villages". Does that description fit Israel today?
Have you seen Israel living in peace as an "unprotected land of unwalled villages" at any time during your lifetime so far?
Chapter 38 also says that God's fury will arise during this war (verses 18-20) and all living things will quake in terror at My presence (says the Lord); Mountains shall be thrown down, cliffs shall tumble; walls shall crumble to the earth. God goes onto to say in Chapter 39 verse 2 that He will destroy 85 percent of this invading army in the mountains. NOTE: some modern Bibles do not include this percentage. I quote here from the TYNDALE Living Bible, Copyright 1971. Some original king James versions render the original Hebrew in verse 2 as "Leave one-sixth of you"! One way or another this huge army coming against Israel is utterly destroyed.
Have you seen an earthquake or war of this magnitude anywhere around Israel so far?
3). Isaiah chapter 17 prophesies the total and complete destruction of the city of Damascus. Damascus was first mentioned in the book of Genesis (the very first book of the Bible) and has been continuously occupied ever since. It has never been completely destroyed but that total destruction must also take place prior to the destruction of the world.
4). The book of Revelation chapter 6, the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) is loosing the seal judgements upon the earth. Remember these are not the final White Throne Judgement we spoke of earlier. In fact chapter 6 is the very first chapter of Revelation that signals very bad news for the people of the earth during the Revelation years. There are another 16 chapters to go of pure misery AFTER chapter 6. Think about this for a moment please. The fourth seal that is released is DEATH.
Verses 7-8 "When He (Jesus) opened the fourth seal. I (John) heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "come and see"! So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was DEATH, and hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword. With hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth"!
That my friends is what the years of the great tribulation will be like. In just the fourth seal judgement 25 per cent of the entire worlds population are headed toward death. At todays population figures that would be about 1.75 BILLION people. Have you seen in your lifetime anything happening that even approaches that level of devastation? No? Then under no circumstances will the world be destroyed by fire on October 21, 2011.
It should be noted here that there are no Biblical prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled prior to the Rapture of the church. It is an event that many scholars believe to be IMMINENT in nature. In other words it could happen at any time including prior to my completing the next sentence of this article. NO ONE knows when the Rapture will happen. There are however, lot's of other prophetic events that do need to take place before that the second Coming of Christ. Not to mention the destruction of the world by fire.
False statements about what the Bible actually says and date predicting hurt not only those who fall into the trap of believing these false teachers BUT---------------! The false teachers themselves are in big big trouble.
Matthew Chapter 7 verse 15
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits"!
How is it possible for certain people to arrive at this kind of erroneous conclusion regarding Biblical prophecy?
Because there are two VERY different approaches to the study of the Bible. One is the literal interpretation. These people (of which I am one) believe that God said exactly what He meant in the Bible and that He meant exactly what He said. We believe in the truth of Timothy, chapter 3 verse 16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work".
There is however a group of Biblical scholars that believe in an ALLEGORICAL approach to the study of the Bible. The definition of an allegory is "a story in which people, things and happenings have a different or symbolic meaning". It means that these people are giving symbolic meaning to what they read in the Bible rather than a literal interpretation. When that system of study is adopted where the Bible is concerned then the student is free to place any value that makes sense to him upon the Words that God wrote through His Holy Prophets.
God however is extremely literal in what He has said in the Bible. Amos, chapter 3 verse 7 tells us just exactly how important God considers His Holy prophets to be: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he reveals His secret to His servants the prophets".
Allow me to leave you today with another quote from the book of Revelation and you decide if false teachers are in big trouble with the Lord! Chapter 22 verses 18-21. "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the Holy City and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says (the next part is written in red letters---Jesus Himself speaking), Surely I am coming quickly". Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. AMEN.
Once again I tell you friends. Read and believe what the Bible says. It will never betray you and will always give you hope. So, am I calling Mr. Camping a false prophet? Ask me again on May 22, 2011 and also on October 22, 2011. On the other hand you probably won't have to ask will you?
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
