The coming of Christ to judge the world has been a much talk about issue among the Christian and other religious circles for 2000 years ago till date. As the clock ticks, the years elapse and the expectation of His much acclaimed second coming draws closer and closer.
3: ¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a FALLING AWAY FIRST, AND THAT MAN OF SIN BE REVEALED, THE SON OF PERDITION;
Though the message of the second coming of the Messiah is virtually not mentioned in most Christian circles any more, few churches are still committed to the thundering of this event. So many people have come out with facts and figures in the form of dates to tell people when to expect the both Catching away also known as the rapture, and the final judgment day.
One of such advertisement centered around the judgment day are billboards which were mounted by Family Radio.com. These Billboards are mounted at strategic places having this inscription: Judgment Day, 21stMay 2011. The Scripture attached to this inscriptions is Ezekiel 33:3 (If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;) another of such claims is that 11th November 2011(11-11-2011) is the date we should expect end of the world. Internet pages have been bombarded with such advertisements. The brain behind this prediction is Harold Egbert Camping; the same man who proclaimed the Lord's return would be in 1994!
But the big question is: How true it this inscription? Can judgment Day occur at just any time as proclaimed by most Christians? Is it going to be on 21st May 2011 or 11th November 2011?
As a bible student and the columnist for the “Apocalens” (Apocalyptic lens-a page in our newspaper called The Microscope) I have taken my time by God’s grace to study the coming of Christ which I received by revelation from God to ascertain the truth of the matter.
The first point of call is the Holy Scriptures. That is the only tool to disprove or approve a revelation.
Lets quickly open our scriptures to Galatians 1:8-9 (8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9: As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed-KJV). This was Paul’s message to the people of Galatia. That it does not matter the number of vision that someone has or the number of Angels that gave them to the person. So far as it contradicts the scripture, let the person be accursed.
Basing on this we can quickly turn to II Thessalonians 2:1-4:¶ Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, {unto him: or, around him}
2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Earth to face Judgment on 21st October 2011? |
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. The man of sin is also known as the prince in Daniel 9:26 (And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (The Romans) 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). This scripture was fulfilled after Jesus died. The Romans burnt down Jerusalem under the Reign of Emperor Nero and Titus.
From this scripture (II Thessalonians: 1-4). Christ can never come until there is a falling away and the man of sin be revealed (note: not men of sin) who would sit in the temple of God claiming to be God.
It signifies one day the son of perdition who would be the mastermind behind the popularly acclaimed mark of the beast: 666 according to Revelation 13:17-18 (17: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six) must go and sit in God’s temple which would be situated in Jerusalem- Israel. When you talk about the temple, two things come to mind; the literal temple in Jerusalem which was destroyed by the Roman Empire in AD 70 and now has the Mosque of Omar, also known as the Dome of The Rock presently resting on its foundation. The temple can also mean our body which is the spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?). Careful study shows that this temple being described here is the literal temple. Because the Antichrist is not omnipresent to sit in everyone’s heart.
This raises another issue; before Christ must come there is a need to rebuild the literal temple of God in Jerusalem first (this would come into play after a battle between the alliance of Russia probably China and the Arabs against Israel. Israel will defeat these nations miraculously for the Dome of The Rock to be destroyed to give way to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Known as Solomon’s temple). This battle is popularly known as the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war or the Third World War) then the Antichrist will step on the scene. The current chaotic state of the Arab world is gradually building into this Great War.
Moses and Elijah identified as the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3-13 would also come on the scene to preach to Israel about Christ. This would bring a revival into Israel for them to believe in Christ. As described in Hosea 6:1-2 (1: ¶ Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2: After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.)
The two days stands for the two thousand years period (II Peter 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day) which God would stop dealing with Gentiles and begins dealing with the Israelites (Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26: And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28: As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
29: For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance) whiles the third day is the thousand years of Christ’s reign. When the last Gentile is saved the Gentile era would be over!
It is after the antichrist, who would sit in the temple of God comes; that the much expected rapture will occur for the great tribulation to be ushered into play for those who could not go through the rapture to be tested.
Furthermore, Christ is supposed to come to earth and rule in the temple of Jerusalem for thousand years. During His reign Satan would be locked in the bottomless pit also known as Tartarus (Isaiah 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Revelation 20:1 ¶ And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2: And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3: And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4: And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and REIGNED WITH CHRIST A THOUSAND YEARS.
5: But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.)
After the temple of Jerusalem is built we still have 1000 years to wait for the final judgment day! Let the scripture speak for itself: (Revelation 20:11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. {hell: or, the grave} 14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire)
Ladies and Gentlemen, do not ignorantly say Christ would come at any time! God has a time line. Events must occur. Until those events occur we cannot mount up billboards and quote any day for the judgment day.
Nevertheless I want to assure my dear readers that we do not have more than 25 years to the rapture! In subsequent posts I would explain by scriptures why these assertion.
Other heresies of Harold Camping
- Harold Camping proclaimed the Lord's return would be in 1994!
- Harold Camping now proclaims the Lord's return will be on May 21, 2011!
- Harold Camping teaches that the world will end in fiery destruction on October 21, 2011!
- Harold Camping (Family Radio) has aired Mormon advertisements!
- Harold Camping taught that NO ONE was saved between 1988 through 1994!
- Harold Camping teaches that the church age ended in 1994!
- Harold Camping teaches that the Holy Spirit is NO LONGER working in the church!
- Harold Camping teaches that EVERY church in the world is apostate!