Just a few minutes ago I learned by way of a New York Times news article entitled "Make My Bed? But You Say the World's Ending" that some self-proclaimed "prophet" by the name of Harold Camping has claimed that
Jesus Christ will return on Saturday, May 21, 2011, the Rapture will occur,
and then during the next five months, after true Bible-believing Christians have been spirited from the Earth, the world is going to be bombarded with plagues, earthquakes, wars, famine and other calamities, before it meets its final destruction in October of this year.

My gosh . . . here we go again! Being quite familiar with the prophecies of
the Books of Daniel and Revelation, as well as with the prophecies of Jesus Christ that are found in the Gospels, and with additional prophecies that
are found in a few of the Epistles, I fully understand the current end-of-the-world hype. However, based on my personal understanding of said prophecies, I firmly believe that Harold Camping is dead wrong in his assertions, and that he is seriously misleading his followers by way of his erroneous broadcasts on his Family Radio Network.

According to the article in question, Mr. Camping has won thousands of
converts across the United States since he first began making his end-of-the-world predictions. The power of his doomsday message is such,
that it has resulted in serious divisions occurring between members of the
same family; that is, between those family members who embrace Mr. Camping's claims, and those who don't.

What I find so sad about this situation, is that similar to what I wrote in
my 2007 series "Sorry . . . Jesus Is Not Coming At Any Moment!", this is not the first time that Harold Camping has made such a prediction. The article states that Camping made a similar prediction in 1992, when he claimed that Christ would return in 1994. Well, obviously, we all know how that went. I'm still here; are you?

Now, as a Bible-believing Christian who has been reading and studying God's Word for over forty years, I too believe that everything that is stated in
the Scriptures will indeed come to pass in God's chosen time, but I honestly
do not believe that the time is now, as Harold Camping claims. If you want
to better understand why I say this, then I encourage you to read some of my articles which deal with the topic of eschatology -- that is, Endtime prophecies and the end of the world -- that are found on our Endtime
Prophecy Net website.

One would think that rational people would stop and think to themselves,
"Hey, this man has been wrong before, so why should I trust him now?"; yet
in spite of this fact, Mr. Camping's Family Radio Network broadcasts have
still attracted thousands of followers, including what one would think to be hard-working, clear-headed American parents.

As I fully explain in my articles, the Bible is filled with verses which
warn us of false prophets. In fact, it even tells us how we are to respond
to such false prophets. Consider the following verses:

"But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I
have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other
gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall
we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in
the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
Deuteronomy 18:20-22, KJV

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by heir means; and
my people love to have it so: and what will e do in the end thereof?"
Jeremiah 5:31, KJV

"For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not ent them, saith
the LORD."
Jeremiah 29:9, KJV

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:15-20, KJV

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many . . . For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs
and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Matthew 24:11, 24, KJV

"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."
Mark 13:22, KJV

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also
be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works."
2 Corinthians 11:13-15, KJV

"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
2 Timothy 3:13, KJV

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears;"
2 Timothy 4:3, KJV

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
2 Peter 2:1, KJV

"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

In conclusion, while I do not doubt Harold Camping's sincerity as a Bible-believing Christian, as I said, I do believe that he is in serious
error by claiming that Jesus Christ will return on May 21, 2011 -- at which time the Rapture will occur -- and that the unbelieving world will then experience five months of calamities -- or God's Judgements -- before it
comes to an end in October of this year.

Harold Camping is simply a misguided man; and I can't help but think that rather than advance the cause of Christ, his erroneous teachings are going
to do the exact opposite. In other words, when his predictions fail to materialize beginning on May 21, 2011, it will result in even more people hardening their hearts, mocking our faith, and being harder to reach with
the Gospel of Salvation. With good reason the Apostle Peter wrote the following:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after 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 the creation."
2 Peter 3:3-4, KJV

Mr. Camping, I hope that you are prepared to be publicly humiliated, and
that you are willing to take your place along side of the many other end-of-the-world false prophets who have come before you. Didn't American Christians learn anything from the year 2,000 fiasco?

Oh wait . . . doesn't the Mayan Calendar predict that the world will end on December 21, 2012? For my thoughts on that issue, please refer to my
three-part series entitled "2012 - New Age Deception And Psychobabble".

I'll see you on the othe side of May 21, 2011.



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