The Last Word on Harold Camping...

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve all been made loathsomely aware of the doomsday prediction of Harold Camping. The news media was quick to pick up on his ruminations about the end of the world partly (I think) because it gives them opportunity to ridicule Christianity in general. I’ll admit that I, too, made fun of Mr. Camping as the day of his prediction drew near. To not distance yourself from his foolishness made it too easy for people to lump you together with him, since he claims to be a Christian and follow the Bible. I also joked about his prediction because it was incredibly presumptuous on his part, setting aside the sheer heresy of making such a claim. It was either laugh at his overt arrogance or boil over with anger for the shame and reproach he was bringing on the name of Christ. I chose the first over the latter for the sake of my own sanity. Of course, he is not the first to lay claim to possessing an inside track to God’s sovereign timetable, nor, I'm sure, will he be the last. Unfortunately, there always seems to be somebody waiting in the wings that thinks God has given him a special knowledge that has been withheld from every other diligent student of the Bible throughout the ages.

Now that Mr. Camping's mathematically deciphered “doomsday” prediction has passed (though he's now changed the date to be October, 2011), I feel compelled to make one final, clarifying statement about this whole matter before closing the chapter on him and moving on. 

While I believe that Mr. Camping and all others like him are to be dismissed out of hand whenever they make such ludicrous predictions, I do not want people to also dismiss the biblical truth that one day Christ will return. The Second Coming of Jesus is as theologically true as the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, the virgin birth, the sacrificial and vicarious death of Jesus, the bodily resurrection of our Savior, the infallibility/inspiration of the Bible, etc. There will be a time when Christians are caught out of this world followed by a terrible time of judgment known as the Tribulation (Revelation 4-19) before Christ establishes His Kingdom on earth. That's the eschatology that I believe is systematically revealed in Scripture. Though good theologians may debate some of the finer points of the doctrine of the Second Coming, ultimately, they all affirm the orthodox position that He will come again. The primary problem with Mr. Camping (and others like him) was that he presumed to know the exact timing of end-time events when God has clearly indicated that no man knows the day or hour they will occur (Matthew 25:13).

There are numerous references that affirm the biblical truth of the Second Coming. For instance, when Jesus ascended back to Heaven following His resurrection the angels said He would come again (Acts 1:11). Jesus Himself told His disciples that if He went away He would return for His followers (John 14:1-6). Paul speaks about the coming of Christ being a comforting hope for the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and the writer of Hebrews says we should eagerly await His return (Hebrews 9:28).  John says that those who are expecting His coming will spiritually prepare for it (1 John 3:1-3) and he also closes the Revelation with a prayer for His coming, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). I wholeheartedly affirm what the Scripture teaches...one day Jesus will answer John’s prayer. Until that day, you and I should be busy about the Lord’s work seeking to glorify Him and leading others to faith in Him.

Don’t let yourself be deceived by any person who says he knows the exact timing of our Lord’s return, but neither let yourself be cynical about the promise of His coming.