Tomorrow, May 21, 2011, Will NOT Be the End of the World or the Rapture

Many are abuzz with the prediction made by Harold Camping that the Rapture will happen tomorrow, May 21, 2011, at 6 p.m. Some media erroneously say that Camping has predicted the End of the World because they do not understand that there is a difference between the two events.

Just in case you or any of your friends or family are worried about tomorrow, let me reassure you. Better, trust Jesus Himself that neither the Rapture nor the End of the World will happen tomorrow.

How can I be so sure? Easy. The Bible tells me so. In Matthew 24:36 Jesus tells his followers, "No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come--neither the angels in heaven nor the Son; the Father alone knows." The day and hour this passage refers to is the return of the Son of Man, often referred to as the Rapture when the Lord comes to catch his followers--first, the dead; then, the living--up to heaven.

The day and time of this event is so privileged that only the Father knows it. You talk about top secret information. The Father has not even shared it with His beloved Son. And, Harold Camping thinks he is privy to it?! I would bust out laughing at the very idea if such predictions were not so harmful.

All Camping and his followers have done is hold Christians and Christianity up for ridicule and derision by unbelievers. Some mentally unstable people might be so frightened that they harm themselves or others. Others who are searching for a spiritual way may be disillusioned and persuaded to give it up when nothing happens out of the ordinary tomorrow. Weak or new Christians, who may not know enough about Bible prophecy yet, may lose their way.

The Rapture, a seven-year period of severe tribulation and a world leader worse than anything the world has ever seen, the last batte of Armageddon, and the end of the present world are all coming. The Rapture could happen in the next 30 seconds, 30 minutes, 30 hours, 30 days, 30 weeks, 30 years...Nobody knows when.

There is nothing left that has to happen before the Rapture, according to Bible prophecy. From my studies of Scripture and observations of world events, I agree with those who expect the Rapture to come sooner rather than later. Jesus told His followers, "Let the fig tree teach yo a lesson. When its branches become green and tender and it starts putting out leaves, you know that summe is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the time is near, ready to begin..." (Matthew 24:32-33)

What are "these things" Jesus is referring to as signs for His believers that the season of His reappearance is near? He details them in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. They include:

• Impersonators of Jesus or false Messiahs who mislead many
• Wars and rumors of war
• Ethnic strife and revolutions
• Famines and plagues
• Earthquakes everywhere
• Persecution and hatred of Christians, even from their own family members and friends
• Falling away of the faithful
• Dissension and betrayal among Christian believers
• Practicing Christianity becomes a capital offense
• Many false prophets who fool many people
• Love will grow cold due to the spread of evil
• The Gospel of Christ preached worldwide
• Especially difficult times for pregnant women and the mothers of young children
• Strange and terrifying things coming from the sky
• Strange phenomena happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars
• Roaring seas and raging tides causing despair among nations
• Heavenly bodies driven fom their normal courses

Sounds pretty scary, huh? Or, it sounds like the nightly news. I have many friends who can no longer bear to watch the news on television or read the newspaper. They tell me it is just too depressing, upsetting and frightening.

Should you be afraid when you see these things happening? Well, the Gospel is from the Greek word for "good news." So, no, Jesus told His followers, "When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvaton is near" (Luke 21:28). If you are a believer in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then rest confident in His Love and Mercy. Be glad and rejoice that you may have the privilege of seeing with your own eyes what generations of believers have hoped to experience. What a great and glorious day that will be when "the Son of Man will appear coming in a cloud with great power and glory" (Luke 21:27) "like the lightning which flashes across the whole sky from the east to the west" (Matthew 24:27).

If you are not yet a believer, then His harvest is still ongoing. It is not too late, even if the time is drawing near. You, too, can look forward to His return if you sincerely repent of your sins, seek His forgiveness, and accept the gift of His Love and Mercy. He stands at the door of your heart, knocking. God is such a respector of your free will that the handle to open that door in on your side, not His. All you have to do is use that handle and open your heart to Him. Jesus and His Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Maranatha. (Come, Lord Jesus.)

A Republican Politician’s Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was a young Republican politician. He was a well-educated lawyer with Ivy League credentials. After serving in his State Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was seen by all as a rising star, with great potential to lead his Party into the future.

This young Republican decided to run for President. Party elders were ecstatic. He was the darling of the media, normally hostile to all politicians, especially Republicans. His appeal was strongest among women and young voters. Campaign appearances seemed more like rock concerts than political rallies.

His presidential aspirations seemed unstoppable. He won more states and was well ahead of his opponents in the primaries. He was the man of the hour to just about everyone.

Then, disaster struck. The press became more curious about his background, perhaps spurred on by stories and rumors spread by his opponents. Their attention became focused on his church and its pastor.

This Republican superstar was a member of a mega-church in a mainstream Christian denomination. The church was located in a predominantly white lower working class neighborhood. Many parishioners had been hard hit by factory closures, off shoring of jobs, N.A.F.T.A., falling housing prices, layoffs, and unemployment. Crime, drug usage, school dropout rates, and broken marriages were on the rise.

The church’s motto, imprinted on a sign in the vestibule, was “Unashamedly White and Unapologetically Christian.” On its website, the Church proclaimed, “We are white Americans and remain true to our native land, Europe, the cradle of civilization.” Bible courses at the church emphasized the Aryan roots of Christianity and claimed whites were God’s chosen people. White America was the true Holy Land. Citing Scripture, the pastor preached that Moses was an Aryan prince and his wife, a peaches-and-cream blond. Jesus had blue eyes and white skin.

To join the church, members had to pledge their allegiance to The White Value System. This was a document written by a church committee. It addressed the economic needs and struggles of the church’s white members. “These white ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools or wherever whites are gathered.”

Among the pledges required by this church’s White Value System were:
1. To make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the white community
2. To allocate regularly a portion of personal resources for strengthening and supporting white institutions, and
3. To pledge allegiance to all white leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System.
The worth and validity of all activity would be measured in terms of positive contributions to the general welfare of the white community and the advancement of white people towards economic freedom.

When news of his membership in this church was announced, there was an outpouring of outrage. Republicans and Democrats alike, along with the press, demanded the candidate abandon his presidential campaign. They called for his immediate resignation from his Senate seat. The Republican Senate leadership stripped him of all his committee appointments. Voters in his home state launched a recall effort if he did not resign. The American Bar Association vowed to disbar him.

It is a sad tale, but his membership in a Euro-centric church finished his political career. He became a social pariah. No law firm or major business would hire him, despite his Harvard credentials. His wife divorced him, his children denounced him, and his parents disinherited him. The last time anyone saw this former Republican rising star, he was pushing a grocery cart with all his earthly goods to his campsite where he lived.