A little over five months ago, Harold Camping and his followers combed through the countryside telling everyone that the Judgment Day was going to happen on May 21st, 2011. When the morning of May 22nd rolled around, everyone raised an eyebrow toward Camping. In response, the doomsayers then claimed that God have given a brief period of grace, but both the Judgment Day and the destruction of the world would happen five months later on October 21st, 2011. Well, obviously that date, too, has passed by without incident. Now folks are raising both eyebrows toward Camping. Harold Camping and his followers have since removed any doomsday predictions off of their radio show website (familyradio.com) and have basically left well enough alone. Once again a Judgment Day prediction has proven to be nothing but empty chatter.
It seems people need another reminder of at least three Scriptures:
“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 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” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (1 Peter 3:10-11).
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36).
Do people think the Lord is joking in these passages? I couldn’t help but think about God’s reaction would be when people found out that Camping’s predictions were wrong. I imagined God standing and saying, “See, I told you so.” God has made it very clear in the Bible that we will not know when Judgment Day will be. It’s sad that people try to get around this. The problem is, people constantly try to get around many of God’s other commands and not just this one.
The Lord isn’t kidding when He gives us a command, whether it is about Judgment Day, baptism (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21; etc.), or any other command (Matthew 7:21-27). Our role is not to question or to look for a detour, but to obey. After all, when Judgment Day does finally occur, we will be judged by Jesus’ words and if we followed them or not (John 12:48). It’s time we stop trying to get around God’s commands and just do them.
Brett Petrillo