Harold Camping said the end was near. May 21st came and went. No Rapture. Now he says we are under the Judgment of God and the end will actually be October 21, 2011. Throughout this time I have heard many Christians say things like: “But the Bible says he will come like a thief in the night.” Or “No man knows the time not even the father.
This is known as the doctrine of imminence. It is true indeed Jesus says in Matthew 24:36-44 that no one knows the date or the time. And “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Also 1Thessalonians 5:2-3 Paul writes and says “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
So is it possible that you will be sitting here reading this blog sipping Starbucks and the next instant … poof, the Rapture?
No, that could only happen if you ignore Jesus own teachings about the end times and most of Revelation. Jesus says in Matthew:
Matthew 24:3-31 “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And 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 when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time. “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
1Thessalonians 5:4-8 “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.”
Revelation 6:12-13 “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.”
Do I know when the Son of Man will return? Do I know when the wrath of God will be poured out? Do I claim to know when the Judgment day will come?
No, I don’t know the day. I don’t know the hour and it will be a sudden cataclysmic event that will bring the Saints to Glory and destroy the wicked in a hell storm we can’t even begin to imagine. There will be no life as normal after the event. There will be none left to repent and turn to God. It will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. They will wish to die and not be able. They will scream in their agony and they will be destroyed.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness. There will be signs that must come first. Watch for them. The Anti-Christ must come to power. The Temple must be rebuilt. The “Abomination of Desolation” must occur. The Church must be persecuted, Christians put to death, families torn apart for the faith, brother against brother. Neighbors turning in their neighbors for being those hated Christians. Severe tribulation like none seen yet in all of world history. Then “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
We are told to look for the signs. We are not in darkness. We are in the light. We will see the end coming and be ready. The unbeliever will not see it. He will see the signs but dismiss them. He will hear our cries and ignore them. He will tear us apart and claim we are the evil in the world. We are the reason for suffering and if he could just do away with those evil Christians all would be good.
Watch my brethren. Look for the signs. And pray that He will return soon. When the Anti-Christ comes do not fear rejoice. When Tribulation comes, Rejoice. When your martyrdom comes, Rejoice. For heaven is near.
The end is coming. It will be here when the world least expects it. But Christians should not be surprised. Don’t be led astray by false prophets. Don’t falter, don’t fear. Stand fast my brethren Jesus will return.
