I am so getting ready to rant ! So there is this arrogant lunatic named Harold Camping who believes that he knows more than God. It would be amusing if not for the many lost souls who instead of cracking open a Bible, reading it , and believing it blindly listen to his craziness and follow him. Many of these people have sold everything they have , cleaned out their savings and spent all their money on spreading his perverted message . His message ? Well that he can predict the day of Christ's return. He KNOWS the day that the world is going to end, judgement day. Except that he was wrong in 1994, and he was wrong about May 21, 2011. Make no mistake, the world, christians and sinners alike will see Christ return someday but the Bible is clear : No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36. Hmmmm, the angels and Jesus live in heaven with God and even they don't know when its gonna happen.
Here is what bothers me most about this whole fiasco. I wonder how many hundreds of thousands of people haven't studied God's word enough to entertain the notion that Camping was right. How many panicked and decided that if he was right they were going to hell? How many said a generic cookie cutter prayer asking God to forgive their sins believing after that they were good to go? How many were counting on that fire insurance to usher them into heaven and spare them the fire of hell? Do you think any of those people even knew what they were doing? Did they, thinking that time was rapidly running out, sit down and count the cost? Chances are the answer is no. Why would they? They would only have to be good for what , 24 hours or so? I wonder how many people got "saved " on Saturday only to return to their sinful ways on Sunday . Getting saved isn't just saying a prayer and then taking up a pew on Sunday mornings . "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this : God has made this Jesus whom you crucified , both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36 " But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have." 1 Peter 3:15 Being saved involves making Jesus Lord. "Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. " Luke 9:23-25
Making Jesus Lord involves commitment. Many say they want to follow Jesus but the kingdom of God is not about comfort , pleasing people or putting our hands to something we can't finish. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes even his own life-he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 " He said to another man, Follow me. But the man replied Lord, first let me go bury my father. Jesus said to him Let the dead go bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Still another said, I will follow you , Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus replied, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. " Luke 59-62. This is a life long commitment we are talking about here. God isn't interested in half -hearted emotional decisions . He wants forever just as he is willing to give you forever. "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness , than to have known it and then turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: A dog returns to its vomit and a sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing int he mud." 2 Peter 2:20-22. God ain't playing. He takes salvation very seriously and we should too. Its the difference between eternity in heaven and eternity in hell.
Want to go to heaven? "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who say " I know him" and does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word , God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2 :3-6 Notice it doesn't say some of the commands, or only the commands you feel like obeying.
Ok, enough preaching.Maybe there is one positive thing that has come from Mr Camping. He has opened doors for discussion and made people want to learn more . The only way to be prepared is to open your Bible and read what God has to say. What are you waiting for? Crack it open. Christ could return at ANY minute. If he came RIGHT NOW what would he find you doing?
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