It's the End of the World as We Know It

(and I feel fine*)

If we are to believe Harold Camping and the Family Radio Network, this will be my last blog post. According Harold, this Saturday, May 21 is the date of the rapture – when all believers (past and present) will be taken up to heaven while the rest of the population are left behind. But those left behind won’t have too much time to worry about what happened – the world, the entire universe will cease to exist on October 21, 2011.

You’ve probably seen the signs about the end of times – I’m not referring to the ones referred to in the Bible, but the actual billboards, flyers, newspaper ads, and painted minivans around North America. Harold Camping has quite a following. Many people have sold their homes, quit their jobs, cashed in their savings so they can spend their last dollar informing as many people as they can that the end is near. And this Saturday at 6pm, they will expect to be raptured.

So how can Harold be so certain of the date and time of the rapture? Apparently, he has been chosen by God to correctly interpret the clues given to us in the Bible so we can know this date. And he is certain of this date – this time. He previously predicted the end would come in 1994 but he missed a clue in Jeremiah. But this time he’s really sure he is right, and many people believe him.

I haven’t met anyone who believes Harold. All the Christians I know who know anything about the Bible, will be able to quote Matthew 24:36

“But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

These words were spoken by Jesus, and I’ll take His word over anything that comes out of the mouth of a man.

In my opinion, people like Harold Camping, while their intentions may be honourable, are actually doing more harm than good. Predictions from religious leaders about the date of the second coming of Christ have been made many times before, each one claiming they were 100% certain, and yet they have all been wrong. Like the boy who cried wolf too many times, most of society stop listening to these people and write them off as fanatics. When May 21 passes us by and nothing happens, people will just chuckle and move on with their lives. Except for those who took Harold seriously enough to quit their jobs, sell their possessions and have spent all their savings. I fear for what they may do on May 22 when they realize they’ve been misled.

In similar situations in the past, some people have committed suicide – some believing they needed to release their souls from their bodies to make the celestial journey, others who believed they weren’t worthy of being raptured and took their lives to spare themselves living through the “end times”, and others simply because everything they believed in was a lie. Most won’t take this extreme approach, but they will be disappointed and they may assume everything in the Bible is a hoax and never return to having a close relationship with God.

I’m not sure I understand the fascination of knowing the exact date of Christ’s return. I’ve always lived my life knowing that He could come back tonight, next week, next month, next year, or long after I have left this earth. And I could die today, in 5 years, or in 50 years. There should always be some sense of urgency with our spiritual lives – we can’t keep putting off getting ourselves right with God and sharing our faith with those around us. But we shouldn’t put a specific date on the calendar and create a false sense of urgency that everything must get done by this Saturday.

What do you think? Can anyone know the date of the rapture? Would you go as far to say that Harold is a false prophet? What are your plans for Sunday? I plan to be at LIFE Church. I hope to see you there.

Jac

* The title reference is from a song by the group R.E.M. recorded in 1987.