Wrong Again!

Well , the prediction of the Rapture and Judgment Day on May 21st once again proved to be wrong. The day has come and gone with no disappearance of Christians and no apocalypse! The simple truth of the matter is that Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no man knoweth…” No one should have been duped by this prophecy, as the Bible tells us that when someone makes such predictions, you can tell if he is a true prophet of God if what he says comes to past. Harold Camping made a similar prediction back in 1994 that did not come to pass. No one should have taken him seriously this time either. The truth is, even he did not fully believe his own prophecy. I read of persons and groups who offered to buy all of the his personal and ministry assets for prices anywhere from one dollar to a million dollars (his ministry is worth a lot of money!). He certainly would not need any of it if the Rapture were to truly take place on May 21st. He would not sell. He should at the very least have made some provision for that wealth to go to help feed the poor and hungry during the tribulation, or something like that. He should have done what he asked so many of his followers to do. Sell everything to get the Gospel out.

On Wednesday, May 18th, I preached a message titled, “What if he is right?” I did not believe he was, but I challenged the church give thought to how they would live if Jesus truly was coming that day. If we knew our last day on the Earth would be that Saturday, would that change the way you live the next couple of days? The truth is that Jesus could come again at any time, but most Christian are calculating that he will not come today, or tomorrow, or anytime in the near future. How can you tell they are doing that? By the way they are living today!! If we really believed he were coming soon, as He said, we would be doing everything we could to live right and reach out to others with the Good News that Jesus loves them and wants to save them from their sin. If the Rapture did take place on the 21st, many of our friends, neighbors and loved ones would be in Hell today, and we would be standing at the Judgement Seat of Christ giving an account of how we lived our lives for God. Many would be just like me, ashamed at how little I had done for Jesus.

That message continues to challenge me today. I hope it will challenge you as well. If that truly was the day of judgment, how would you have fared with God? Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Would you be saved, or left behind? Are you living for Jesus each day, or would you be ashamed at His coming? May we take this to heart in the days ahead…..remember, He IS coming again!