Remembering harold

Harold Camping was ridiculed last decade because he said the world was ending on May 21, 2011.

It didn’t, nor did his new date, but Mike Bain from Christian Voice New Zealand discusses why he admires a man thought by many to be foolish.

In the early part of the last decade, the Christian Community and its associated bookshops were awash with end times prophecies and books.

Names like Jonathon Cahn, Perry Stone, John Hagee, Joel Richardson, Mark Hitchcock, even David Jeremiah all have written books outlining the end is nigh.

A decade on, if you go into a bookstore, you’ll still find updated accounts of the end times from these same authors and some new ones.

Not for a minute am I mocking them

Never have any of them written or said they knew the world as we know, it was going to end.

But honestly, there came a time when I think even students of eschatology were over it.

Someday, there might be an actual person who accurately predicts judgment day.

If they do, it will be a fluke and it wasn’t the quasi-scholarly elderly pastor Harold Camping who crisscrossed the U.S. with the date of “May 21 2011”

Harold didn’t learn the first time.

Much to Camping’s wife’s disgust when May 22 arrived Harold realised, he made an error of judgement, but he wasn’t deterred he made another prediction, which again was wrong.

I think this is when Mrs Camping put her foot down and said “enough. “and took his computer away from him.

Harold like Chan, Hagee, Stone, Hitchcock Richardson, and Jeremiah have read in God’s word, the Bible and compared today, to the time when GOD himself said “enough” and opened the floodgates of heaven and let it rain for forty days and forty nights.

All of these watchmen I’m sure have a very good knowledge of the bible and are careful not to set a date because they’re aware of some very important facts.

The most obvious was in answer to the burning question of when.

Jesus himself clearly states in Matthew “concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father, but he did give the apostles an indication,

³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

But let’s look at the other important fact about the timing of the end.

In the days pre flood what was the task God gave to Noah?

If you said Build an Ark? You were only part right.

While building the ark, Noah, Noah’s wife, Noah’s family, and their wives were steadfast in their belief in GOD.

Their witness to everyone around them spoke volumes as a witness to their belief that the earth and every living thing apart from who and what was onboard the Ark would be destroyed.

Likewise, Jesus talked about when his fathers will to put an end to the wickedness. lawlessness self-indulgence, sinful and did I mention. “Godless” culture we see today, he has set a task for those to survive.

You see in Olivet discussion with his apostles Jesus spoke of a composite sign, you know the one Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. and so forth, and all these things will be seen in one generation.

Many older Christians have seen many days when this has been fulfilled.

And we ask, why the return Jesus has not fulfilled.

The answer is simple.

Like Noah had a task to build an Ark

We, you, and I have a task.

Jesus words are recorded in Matthew 24 :9 says things will be rough for all believers “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. ¹⁰ At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, ¹¹ and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. ¹² Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 

¹³ but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

And here is the task 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So here is my question to you.

What have you done today to further the work of the great commission Jesus speaks about in Matthew 28?

Who have you told about Gods forthcoming kingdom?

Have you let your light shine or is it dimming because you have allowed yourself to be wrapped up in the foliage of today’s culture?

I said at the outset I wasn’t mocking the likes of Jonathan Cahn, John Hagee, Perry Stone, Mark Hitchcock, Joel Richardson, David Jeremiah, or anyone else who acts like the watchmen on the cities walls and brought attention to the ugliness surrounding us.

They have made it possible through their writings to draw attention to the forthcoming kingdom.

You know I admire the courage of Harold Camping.

Harold’s mistake was putting a date on the end, for which he was mocked, humiliated, and discredited just like Noah and the early prophets we read about in the Old Testament.

I admire Harold because 1/ He ignored his wife’s suggestion he kept quiet and lived to talk another day and 2/Harold was selflessly prepared to draw attention to what will be a catastrophic event which will catch many by surprise.

Its up to us now to ensure we must fulfil our task, it’s not like we have to build an ark or anything like that.

 All we are being asked to do is at the very least tell someone about Jesus Christ today about his love, his mercy for all who accept him.

Its so simple,

Be bold like Harold

Let nothing stop you -tell someone today.

You owe it to them.