Yesterday evening I read that he had succumbed, and perusing some of the comments made concerning this made me sad. Indeed - I am quite frequently stunned at my own reaction to someone's death. Ever sense I lost Mom and my brother Scott I guess I feel death more sharply. And don't think for a minute that I am or ever was a follower of Mr. Camping. But the comments I read were not warranted. Though Mr. Camping's repentance of his predictive ways was less bold and sharp than I would have desired, he did repent.
And what comes to my mind was that there are 2 possibilities for him. Two possibilities which lead to only one response, humble sadness. And that is distinctly NOT the response I was seeing in those comments. Possibility one is that he was not truly repentant and that he, having led many down the path of deceit and disillusionment now is facing God's wrath - in which case we as believers ought not celebrate. Or secondarily his repentance may have been as genuine and humble as a believer can have - in which case a response would certainly not be the snide comments I read yesterday.
Should we be offended at a supposed believer making terribly false/wrong claims and shaming the name of Christ? YES! A thousand times over! Yet if his repentance was true - and we cannot know except by evidence that he stopped his predictive ways - then I believe we ought as believers to have a more subtle muted response to his passing. There but for the grace of God go I.
The following is a Facebook note written May 23rd, 2011 - immediately after the last failed 'prophecy' of Mr. Camping. (LINK:https://www.facebook.com/notes/dave-cox-ii/harold-camping-is-a-prophet/10150186485610869)
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Harold Camping IS a prophet. But not just any prophet... He's a false prophet. People who knew of the failed 1994 prediction knew - and no one should have been deceived. But many were, sadly. And many more will now be jaded, and become mockers, scoffing. Sadly, though the Scripture warns us about false prophets and many anti-christ’s in the last days, this incident will simply bolster the opinion of many who do not agree with Its' beliefs.
Anyone can be misled, and we should not treat those who were Camping followers with contempt or pity. But as for Mr. Camping himself, he ought to repent of this, publically and boldly, since he boldly and very publically proclaimed these things.
I mentioned in the subject of this note, that Mr. Camping is a Prophet... a false prophet. One interesting irony is that he IS helping to fulfill at least this prophetic statement, from 2nd Peter 3:1 - 4, "Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”" Just like Caiaphas the high priest who prophesied that one should die for the nation (speaking of Christ), though Caiaphas did not know the truth of the very thing he prophesied. Nevertheless, Mr. Camping's failed prediction will fuel the scoffers' fire.
Truly the end days are upon us, but who would dare to manipulate the plain teaching of Scripture? Matthew 24:36 says, "“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." The whole of Scripture tells us we should be preparing, yet not with a particular date in mind. We are told of the seasons. May we be wise and gain our wisdom from the Lord, and not our own schemes.
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