A startling news story swept the world in year 2011 when preacher Harold
Camping proclaimed that May 21 would commence the rapture of true believers and
set off the beginning of the end of the world. His followers abandoned their
careers and sold all their earthly belongings in preparation, while scoffers
held “end of the world” parties as
the declared deadline came and went without incident. According to Camping,
“God’s wrath was supposed to begin in New Zealand and then race across the
globe, leaving millions of bodies wherever the clock struck 6 p.m.,” the Los
Angeles Times wrote. “But the hours ticked by, and New Zealand survived.
Time zone by time zone, the apocalypse failed to materialize” (May 22, 2011). Camping
made a similar prediction in 1994, but it received little publicity and was hardly
the media furor that erupted in year 2011 year. This time, the story headlined
newspapers around the globe. Why?
Our country Ghana was not spared the “end of the world”
news either, when sponsored Billboards predicted the end of the world and even
a prophet’s prediction caused people to travel up north to meet Christ.
Today’s world
Well, have a look at our world. It’s plagued with wars
and rumors of wars. The Middle East is in turmoil, Western nations are in the state
of massive debt crises and the entire globe is being pummeled in an
unprecedented wave of natural disasters. “History making” and “record breaking”
seem like commonplace phrases these days. In a world spinning further and
further out of control, perhaps the idea of “the end of the world”—or that people would look for a way off this
sinking ship, isn’t so crazy after all.
Critics of Mr. Camping have rightfully pointed to Matthew
25:13, where it says, we cannot know the exact day or hour of Christ’s
return—only the Father knows that. But does this mean we should ignore Bible
prophecy altogether and just focus on principles of Christian living, simply
because of the failed prediction of a man?
In Matthew 24:3, Christ’s disciples asked Him for signs
of His coming and of the “end of the world”—meaning the end of the age of man’s
rule over man. The disciples understood that Jesus was about to leave for
heaven. They also knew He would come again, as He promised in John 14:3, to
establish the Kingdom of God on Earth, headquartered in Jerusalem. They just
didn’t yet know all the details of the events leading up to His return—so they
asked Him for signs.
Signs
Notice! Jesus didn’t ridicule them for asking about the
end of the world, like so many theologians undoubtedly would today. Instead, He
gave them specific signs pointing to His return! He warned about widespread
religious deception first—people who would come preaching that Jesus is Christ
and would deceive many with that message. “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo,
here is Christ, or there; believe it not,” He said in verse 23 of Matthew
24. This statement alone reveals how confused religious leaders are about where
Christ is. The Bible warns against blindly accepting what men say about Christ
or His return. It’s what the Bible says that matters.
Notice verse 26: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you,
Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret
chambers; believe it not.” Some people today believe Christ is already
here—that He returned secretly. Others, like Camping’s followers, believe in a
secret rapture, when true believers are whisked away secretly while everyone
else is left behind to suffer through the plagues of the Great Tribulation.
Beware!
Jesus said don’t you believe it! When He comes, as it says
in Revelation 1:7, every eye shall see Him! Matthew continued, “For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be” (verse 27).
In Mark’s Gospel, we are admonished to learn the parable
of the fig tree—in that when it brings forth leaves, you know summer is near.
“So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that
it is nigh, even at the doors” (Mark 13:29). No man can know the day or the
hour. But we can know—we will know—when it is near, if we are
prayerfully watching world events.
“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the
time is” (verse 33). Because we don’t know the day or hour, don’t bother
watching. That’s what men say. God says it’s precisely because we
don’t know the day or hour that we watch and pray! Bring God into your watching, in other words.
“Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of
the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the
morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping” (verses 35-36). The word watch
means to be awake, vigilant! It means to pay attention and be active. How can
we watch without a proper grasp of prophetic events?
God’s Love
Why would Jesus give so many different signs pointing to
His return if He didn’t intend for us to balance our spiritual diets with a
healthy portion of biblical prophecy? No one needs to be confused or in doubt
about the chronology of end-time events: It is clearly spelled out for those
who are willing to let the Bible interpret itself (2 Peter 1:19-21kjb).
God doesn’t want us to stop doing the work so we can set
dates. But neither does He want us to ignore prophecy or say in our hearts, “My lord delayeth his coming” (Matthew
24:48).
The pace of prophetic events marches on inevitably and
without delay. Mankind’s experiment with self-government is about over. How do
we know? Because the events Jesus Himself prophesied to be a sign of the
end of the age and His soon-coming return are now coming to pass—exactly as He
said they would.
Should Christ appear now, where would
you stand (2corin. 5:10)? Take the opportunity, now that you live, to determine
your future with Jesus Christ. The time is now! (Read John 3:16,
Revelation 3:20, John 1:12) Amen!
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