MAY 21, 2011 PREDICTION – END OF THE WORLD ? – WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS ?

                                                                       “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.”

Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:36 KJV

    A radical Christian group has determined that the beginning of the end of the world will occur this week. But is the math correct? Most of us roll our eyes when we stumble across an apocalypse theory. But Family Radio has proclaimed May 21, 2011, as the veritable Judgment Day, and the prediction has a lot of attention. How could the network come up with such a specific date? NewsFeed crunched the numbers to see if the calculations could indeed signal the second coming of Christ. Does 2011 makes sense? I don’t think you can be serious. It’s just another example of pseudo-religious bunk by people trying to interpret the bible to fit in with their own crackpot ideas. This time the perpetrator is Harold Camping. Here is his ‘calculation’: “The number 5, Camping concluded, equals “atonement.” Ten is “completeness.” Seventeen means “heaven.” Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011. Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.,” he began. “Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that’s 1,978 years.” Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days – the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year. Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500. Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500. Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.” In other words, its total numerological nonsense. Add, subtract and multiply various numbers until they give the result you want. Taking this evidence into account, Camping and his crew predict that earthquakes will shake the world at 6 p.m. on May 21. But many non believers of the prediction, particularly religious ones, refute Family Radio’s claims using other biblical evidence. After all, would God truly reveal his plans in a calculated manner? And it seems that not even Camping truly knows. After all, he predicted the same situation before — in 1994 — and 17 years later, we’re still here. He later blamed that failed prediction on a miscalculation. Will he have to draft a similar excuse after Saturday? Almighty God warned his people Israel that there would be false prophets and Christ’s deceiving the masses of people in the world. In the Old Testament in the book called Deuteronomy God says: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.” Deuteronomy 13:1-4 KJV  Its a test, to see whether we will cling to the true God, or go after the gods of India Native America, China, Islam and Others. If that person does a miracle in the name of a false God, then he is a false prophet. For there is a great spiritual force called Satan the Devil, and he has his own religions out there, and he gives them power to do great things. The Bible says that the great false prophet: “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9 KJV  So this is the great test God has put towards us. To cling to the truth, or to go after a lie, the false religions of this world. Why does God want us to go through this test? So after close examination of these religions as we are commanded to do, The Bible says, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 KJV  Then we are to come to the conclusion that the Bible is the word of God, and that the God of the Bible is the true God. And in the end we will “love your God with all your heart and with all your soul. The Bible presents God’s work of redemption as an ongoing process. Throughout the Old Testament, He leads His chosen people toward truth and righteousness. The final phase of the process of redemption began with the first coming of Jesus and will culminate in the events surrounding His Second Coming. There will be a final judgment of all people, living and dead. The faithful will receive new spiritual bodies for eternal life; the wicked will be cast into hell. There will be a final defeat and destruction of all evil — Satan, sin, suffering and death. The kingdom of God will come to its fulfillment at last. Jesus left no doubt that He will return again to complete His mission of salvation for mankind. The Bible says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” John 14:1-4 KJV  The Bible tells of many events that will occur before the Second Coming and which will be signs that the end is near. There will be wars, famines, earthquakes, false prophets, persecutions, and an increase in wickedness. The Gospel must first be preached to all nations. The temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed. (The temple was in fact destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.) Many of Jesus’ followers expected Him to return within their lifetimes, and that expectation was supported by several passages such as: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Luke 21:32-33 KJV  On the other hand, passages such as this one place the Second Coming much farther in the future: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14 KJV  The event, when it happens, will be swift and unexpected: “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:43-44 KJV  Over the past 2000 years there have been countless attempts to interpret current events according to the signs in the Bible. There have been innumerable predictions that the Second Coming was imminent. All have been wrong. Because no one knows when Jesus will come again for the final judgment, we must always be prepared. Jesus’ Parable of the Ten Virgins speaks directly to the need to be spiritually prepared for the final judgment, and a number of His other sayings make the same point. The Parable in the Bible says, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:1-13 KJV  While we are still living, or until Jesus comes again, we have every opportunity to repent (change our ways from evil to good). But in the end we will all be judged. Everyone, the still living and the resurrected dead, will face God’s judgment. Even those who profess Christianity will be judged by the deeds they have done in life. Those who have lived righteous lives will be granted eternal life; those who have lived evil lives will be condemned to eternal punishment. The righteous who are granted eternal life will receive new spiritual bodies that are in some ways similar to the old earthly body and in some ways different. The Bible says, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 KJV  The final result of the Second Coming will be fulfillment of all the promises of the kingdom of God. Satan will be destroyed, and there will be no more sin, suffering or death. The Son of God died and rose again, and His resurrection is the guarantee that God will bring us up and out of the ground: A thinking, feeling, remembering, recognizable person will live forever. Living forever means living out the thought of eternity that God has placed in our hearts; meeting again one’s believing loved ones lost through separating death; living in a world without sorrow; seeing our Lord who loves us and gave everything to unite us to Him forever. So why not give your heart to Jesus Christ today before it is too late, for He is the One that died on the cross and shed His blood to pay the penalty for your sins so your could have that free gift of eternal life. Amen

By: Jeff Ellinger

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