Harold Camping’s Prediction is Now Laughable

As I was reading an article about Camping and his October 21, 2011 prediction, I came across a section that describes how he “calculated” this date for the end.  I read how he places the date of the great flood around 4,990BC, and assumes that Christ will make His return 7,000 years after that, so therefore, October 21st, 2011 is the date for the end of the world.  Even though it is common knowledge that the flood took place much later than 4,990 – actually in 2350BC – I thought, “What the heck?”  So I humored Mr. Camping’s theory and played along for a moment.  Obviously, the first step was to make sure that calculation adds up to 2011AD.  It was then, after spending but maybe 3 brief seconds tapping out the numbers on my calculator, that I came across the most shocking, disturbing, sickening, and hilarious discovery yet.

 

Are you ready for this?  Truly, prepare yourself.  This will change your life forever.  Here we go…

 

7000 – 4990 = 2010!

 

That’s right, regardless of what method you use, subtraction or addition, the result is the same!

 

7000 – 4990 = 2010

-4990 + 7000 = 2010

 

Is this not the most disgusting thing you have ever seen?  Of course, though, it is very funny as well.  I was fascinated by it all day, and it took a double-take to notice it for the first time.  I assumed since Mr.  Camping somehow managed to accurately fabricate every other one of his details, this would be the same.  I was very much expecting the result to be 2011.  What a beautiful surprise!

 

However, let us not forget that this man was also once a Civil Engineer…  This is scary, and may justify a call to action!  We should find out just what structures this man contributed to, and check them over for dangerous defects!

 

Anyway, now I will explain the calendar that was (or, at least should have been) used, because I know many of you want details, regardless of how giddy you may be.

 

The terms “Before Christ (BC)” and “Anno Domini (AD)” are very important terms to familiarize yourself with as a first step.  Before Christ, or BC is exactly what it sounds like; the years of history before the conception or birth of Christ.  They progress in a backward fashion, meaning, for example, 5,000BC was actually earlier than 2,000BC.  Consider it the “Negative” side on a number line.  Anno Domini, or AD, is a Latin phrase which means “In the year of our Lord”.  Thus, AD years begin directly after the last BC year.  An important note: Though this calendar does work like a number line with negative and positive sides, recognize that there is no zero year.  In other words, 1AD directly follows the year 1BC.  There is no year in between the two, since AD years begin immediately at the conception and/or birth of Jesus.

 

With this in mind, we arrive at two possible conclusions:

 

• Harold Camping is, in fact, the worst mathematician in history

 

• Harold Camping in fact has not studied the Bible as rigorously and devotedly as he claims.

 

See, the way Mr. Camping arrived at the number 2011 from that same equation, is he simply added a year into the mix that does not exist, so to speak.  That would be the zero year.  Even though zero has no value mathematically, in this scenario, it would be a space filler and would allow one to arrive at the number 2011.

 

Though there is no zero year, and one era begins immediately after the end of the era prior to it, sometimes 1BC is considered a metaphorical year zero to help with defining millenia.  For example, a new millenia actually begins on dates when the last digits are “01” (1001, 2001, etc.)  The same stands true for centuries.  True centuries actually begin when the last digits are “01” (1801, 1901, 2001, etc.)  So, in layman’s terms, even though 1BC is sometimes considered a zero year, it is strictly for simplicity’s sake.  Mr.  Camping is still wrong.

 

This, above all other things, should completely and totally disprove Harold Camping’s theory, and he should be dismissed, and in all of our prayers that God may have mercy on his deceptive soul when his personal judgment comes.

 

Just for clarity’s sake (and for a little bit of fun) I’m just going to make a quick, simple little list of all the false pieces of evidence that this false prophet used to spindle his false prediction.  Enjoy, and be at peace and free of worry, and may you find God’s grace today and every day.  Amen!

 

• The Doctrine of Futurism – Doctrine created in the mind of Francisco Ribera, Jesuit Priest, and not in the mind of God, in the 16th century.  Not in the Bible.

 

• The Doctrine of Annihilationism – Doctrine that says the souls of sinners and the unsaved will not be damned to eternal hell, but instead will be destroyed and cease to exist.  Not in the Bible.

 

• The Rapture Theory – A theory created by the “vision” of a 15 year old girl in Ireland in the 18th century, as well as the writings of John Nelson Darby, which says that true believers will be raptured away from the earth before the tribulation sets in.  Not in the Bible.  Was not practiced until the 18th century.

 

• The Doctrine of Predestination – A doctrine that suggests that before creation,  God already knew who, in all the years of the world, would and would not go to Heaven, and judged them prior to their birth.  Not in the Bible.  Not to mention, absurd, and goes against Camping’s own teachings.  First of all, if this were true, why would there be a need for a Judgement day or a Rapture?  Second, Camping said the door to salvation closed on May 21, 2011, and no one would be saved after that date.  How could there have ever been a door to salvation if everyone is “pre-judged” anyway?

 

• The Use of Numerology – Using numbers to calculate the end time.  This obviously did not work out too well for Mr.  Camping, and even if it had, another “date setter” false prophet said not too long ago that if his prediction for 2007 did not come to pass, numerology was the absolute worst, most unreliable method for predicting end times.  What is more absurd, is Camping completely changed important numbers from the Bible (The date of creation, the flood, etc.) and then when numbers continued to be problematic and not fit into his equation, he would pick random numbers and assign false, un-Biblical meanings to them, such as “5 is for atonement, 10 is for completeness, and 17 is for Heaven.”  No where in the whole entire Bible is this even implied.

 

• The Perversion and Twisting of Biblical Scripture – The first and foremost absurd example of this that comes to mind is Mr.  Camping’s statement that when the word “earthquake” is mentioned in scripture, it applies to humans, since humans were made of the dust of the ground(Gen. 2:7).  This theory is not supported or even mentioned anywhere in the whole Bible.  There are many, many other scriptures of which Camping has taught a mangled meaning, whether directly himself, or through doctrines and theories he believes in and teaches.  See my other posts regarding him for examples.

 

-N

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harold Camping and his Outrageous Predictions

If you have read either of my first two posts, you probably already know generally how I feel about Harold Camping.  However, one thing I haven’t done is explain in-depth who or what he is.  In this post I will first briefly describe Mr. Camping in an objective and unbiased manner, and then I will tell you why I feel the way I do about him.

Meet Harold Egbert Camping

Harold E. Camping is probably most well known for making predictions about when the end of the world will occur.  He is a broadcaster and president of the Family Radio network, based out ofSan Francisco,California.  He is currently 90 years old, and he recently suffered a moderately large stroke.  He was hospitalized for roughly 2 months, and was recently returned home where his wife is now caring for him.

His 2 most recent predictions of Christ’s return are probably the most well known, and definitely received more feedback and attention from people than any other.  The first of the two predictions pointed to May 21, 2011.  Camping said that on that day, the chance for salvation would close, true believers would be raptured, and the unsaved would be left here on earth for five months to suffer through earthquakes of unparalleled magnitudes, unparalleled levels of lawlessness, horrible natural disasters, and then face annihilation on October 21, 2011.

However, after May 21, 2011 came and went as any regular day, Camping told press on May 22 that he was “Flabergasted” that nothing happened, and that he needed time to think and pray, and that he would have more answers the next day when he returned to work.  When that day came, he said that all of the things he mentioned had taken place “spiritually” rather than physically.  He claimed that the rapture happened spiritually rather than physically, and that all of the torment and suffering is happening spiritually as well, and that October 21 would actually be the date of the physical rapture as well as the proposed “annihilation of the unsaved.”  However, yesterday, October 5, 2011, Camping was interviewed and he sounded incredibly less confident than before, saying that those things would “probably” happen on October 21, as opposed to before when he said that he “couldn’t entertain the possibility of a shadow of doubt that everything would come to a close on October 21.”

Why this Man is a Heretic, and a Deceiver

 

The reason I feel the way I do about Mr. Camping can actually be summed up very simply:  He is a heretic, a deceiver, and a false prophet.  Why?  First of all, as I have said in my previous posts, it is blasphemous and heretical in my opinion to accept and/or teach the theory of rapture, first of all.  The terms “Rapture”, “Futurism” or even the idea of such an event are not mentioned one single solitary time in the bible.  In the book of Revelation, we are warned not to add to the words of prophecy.  Read below.

“I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

Revelation 22:18-19

 

I don’t know about you, but I consider the belief and teaching of the rapture – which, again, is not mentioned once in the bible – could definitely be defined as adding words to prophecy.  To make matters worse, Camping not only teaches one rapture, but two.  One “Spiritual” one that happened on May 21, and one “Physical” rapture that is supposed to happen on October 21.  Perhaps the moderately large stroke Mr. Camping suffered shortly after making his prediction could be defined as a plague.  I will not say that, but it is food for thought.

As if that isn’t bad enough, he also takes away from the words of prophecy.  Remember earlier in the post when I mentioned that Mr. Camping said the unsaved would be “annihilated”?  There is more to that statement than face value.  You see, he believes that instead of the unsaved going to hell to receive eternal torment (Like the bible teaches) that they will be “Annihilated” by the definition of the Doctrine of Annihilationism, which says that when unsaved humans die, they do not go to hell, but rather, their soul simply ceases to exist.  They basically die and that’s it – nothing more, nothing less.  Every single bible that I have read says that on judgment day, all people will be judged by whether they have lived a life of sin, or whether they have repented and therefore had their name printed in the book of life.

“Then I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it; from His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Also another book was opened, which is the book of life.  And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.  And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Revelation 20:11-15

 

Nowhere there does it say that those who do not have their name written in the book of life (those who are unsaved) will simply cease to exist.  It says they are cast into the lake of fire, which is synonymous with hell.

So since Mr. Camping has also taken away from the words of prophecy, I will say that he will have his share taken away from the tree of life (book of life.)  What we should be doing is praying for this man.  However, it gets worse.

Mr. Camping is not only a heretic and a false prophet, but he is a deceiver.  There are many, many cases where this is only evident.  The first and foremost example is the fact that only after guaranteeing his followers that judgment day would occur on May 21, 2011, he willingly took donations from them.  He knew he was incorrect, because the period of revelation, that is, when God speaks to humans or sends angels to speak to humans, has long been closed!  Yet he still sat back and watched his followers empty retirement and savings accounts and sell off every single material possession they had and send the money to the advertisement fund for the false doomsday date!  Not to mention, these people also alienated their families, friends, and loved ones because of this man’s deceptive ways.  These poor people now are forced to live lives that may never be fully restored to the state they were in prior to this false prophecy.  To make it worse, Camping and the Family Radio Organization refused to return the money back after this prophecy failed, only commenting, “We’re not at the end yet.  Why would we send it back?”

Before I move on to the next part, read this statement that is currently posted on Family Radio’s homepage:

“We always look at the word ‘earthquake’ to mean the earth, or the ground, is quaking or shaking violently.  However, in the Bible the word “earth” can include people as well as ground.

 

In Genesis 2:7 we read:

‘And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground…’  Thus the word ‘earthquake’ can also be understood to teach that mankind shakes.

 

Therefore we have learned from our experience of last May 21 what actually happened.  All of mankind was shaken with fear.  Indeed the earth (or mankind) did quake in a way it had never before been shaken.  God had come spiritually to bring judgment upon the whole world.”

 

Now, read this, copied from an article on Real Truth Magazine’s website:

“May 21 came and went like any other day—nothing happened.

 

Realization began to dawn on Camping followers: no rolling earthquakes starting in the South Pacific and crossing the globe—graves still closed—and true believers still here. The prophecy failed. But some things did happen.

 

A distraught 14-year-old Russian girl scrawled a note in her diary: ‘We are not righteous people, only they will go to heaven, the others will stay here on Earth to go through terrible sufferings.’

 

The writings, obtained by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, indicated the prediction that ‘Judgment Day’ would arrive Saturday, May 21, 2011, was too much to bear. Her final entry said, ‘I don’t want to die like the others. That’s why I’ll die now.’

 

On May 21, she hanged herself.

 

A Taiwanese man reportedly also committed suicide by jumping to his death. A California woman attempted to kill herself and her two daughters weeks earlier, slitting their throats then her own, in an attempt to escape Earth’s doom.

 

Other stories began to unfold, less tragic, but still painful. Some now face bankruptcy. They had quit their jobs ahead of an expected ‘rapture’ and emptied retirement accounts and savings in order to send all the funds to the Judgment Day group. Others had alienated family and friends through their fixation on the ‘end of the world.’

 

Terror. Panic. Hysteria. Suicide. Financial ruin. Embarrassment. Depression. Disillusionment. Anger. Confusion. Feelings of betrayal. Thousands—many thousands—wrote us describing their feelings.”

 

Undeniably, yes, people were “shaken”.  However, it was not because of God returning spiritually to judge the entire world, it was because this heretic terrified many who heard his false prophecy that was based on false doctrines!  Do you realize what Harold Camping has accomplished here?  Ruination of the lives of his followers, and he couldn’t even give a sincere apology for that!  All he had to say when confronted with these deaths and misfortunes fueled by his predictions, is this:

“I don’t have any responsibility.  I can’t be responsible for anybody’s lives.  I am only teaching the Bible.  I am not teaching what I believe, as if I am the authority.  I am just simply teaching what the Bible says.”

 

Undeniably, it was ultimately the choice of the individual whether or not to play along with Mr. Camping, but he could at least send out a sincere apology to the people effected.  Not only is this incredibly insensitive and cold, but he is straight up lying in this statement!  He claims he is not teaching what he believes, but he truly is.  The predictions were wholly based on Harold Camping’s own personal beliefs, plain and simple.  Let’s review what this prediction was based on, in detail:

• Numerology
• The Doctrine of Futurism
• The Doctrine of Annihilationism

None of these things are mentioned or supported in the Bible, and belief in these things is not encouraged in the Bible.  How, then, I wonder, might Mr. Camping be “only teaching the Bible”?  He cannot.  He is a heretic, a deceiver, a false prophet, he is partly responsible for suicides and attempted homicides, he is fully responsible for the destruction of many of his followers’ lives, and he is a bastard.

This man must be silenced.  However, we must not approach the situation with violence of any kind.  Not physical, emotional, or verbal.  The way we will silence him is to not give him control over us.  We cannot buy into his carnal and deceptive schemes any longer.  We must see the true light.  We must see it for ourselves, and if we know any friends or family members who are being lead away from the truth by this man or any man like him, we must do what we can to keep them from being deceived as well.  For this man does not know more than Jesus, nor does any man.  We should pray that God has mercy on his soul when judgment does come for him.

May you find God’s grace every day in plentiful proportions.

-N

Explaining Salvation

In my last post, I expressed my views on the Doctrine of Futurism.  I basically stated that my opinion regarding that doctrine is that it is blasphemous and unbiblical to teach – as well as believe in – a rapture-type event.  It is biblically impossible as well, despite believers citing biblical scripture in attempt to prove the doctrine true.

Some of you however may feel as though I have alienated you and that I feel that Christ’s return and subsequently, salvation and redemption are hopeless as well.  This is me clarifying such an interpretation and stating that, while I very well am a preterist Christian and that I very well do not accept the Doctrine of Futurism, I certainly do believe that we Christians that are living now will be saved and will go to heaven.

Some of you may ask how it is possible to work to disprove one doctrine, yet still teach and believe in another, especially when the two said doctrines go hand-in-hand.  The answer is really quite simple.  The Doctrine of Futurism is just that — a doctrine.  A biblical contingency created in the mind of a human who is not a prophet, and therefore a contingency not created by God.  The idea of salvation and Christ’s return however, are not doctrines.  They are prophecies.  They are future events that were revealed to God’s prophets by none other than God Himself.

To put it simplistically and directly to the point, the rapture is false and the product of a false prophet, while the return of Christ and salvation and redemption is true, the product of God’s mind.

In fact, one reason I am so determined — dare I say verging on zealous —  to disprove the rapture theory is because I want as many Christians to be saved and redeemed as possible.  “Oh no,” you may be thinking, “what is this new twist?”  Well, it truly isn’t a twist.  Remember now that neither of these terms; Futurism or Rapture appear once in the New Testament, or in the bible at all for that matter, and then read Revelation 22:18-21…

“I warn every one who hears the words of prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, [19] and if anyone takes away from the words of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. [20] He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! [21] The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.  Amen.”

 

        Since neither term used to describe the rapture, or even the idea of the rapture appears once in the bible, surely anyone who teaches or believes such things is adding to the words of prophecy in the bible, and will receive punishment for doing so.

Before we move on, I would like to tell a story in relation to the last section.  Many of you are familiar with Harold Camping, the Family Radio preacher.  He predicted that May 21, 2011 would be the beginning of the end.  In fact, he said that the rapture would occur that day and that the chance for salvation would close. He also said that during the five months after that day, the world would be bathed in blood and rocked with earthquakes of unparalleled magnitude, with bodies being ejected from graves, and then at the end of the 5 month period – October 21, 2011, the earth and universe would be destroyed.

Not long after May 21 passed as any other day, Camping suffered a stroke and has been hospitalized since.

Now, it would be inappropriate of me to be so bold to suggest that this incident may be punishment for adding to the words of prophecy, but is it not fascinating?  Is it not food for thought?

What is also worth mentioning, though this may or may not be a direct punishment or plague from God, is the fact that the lives of many of Camping’s followers are now wrecked and beyond repair.  They alienated family and friends and loved ones, they emptied their retirement and savings accounts into the fund to advertise “the beginning of the end”, and there are some reports of suicides catalyzed by Camping’s prediction.

Again, I cannot and will not say these things are punishment from God, but again, this is definitely food for thought.

Another reason I am sickened to see people teaching and believing the rapture theory is because of the collateral damage it has on those souls.  Just think about it.  When a person is taught to believe in the coming of a day when judgment will take place in an instant, that person becomes fearful, and you would too.  The rapture theory teaches that if you are not saved and living “perfectly” in the moment it occurs, you will not be allowed into heaven, and you will be left behind (this is where the book title came from) to suffer on earth and then for eternity in hell.  Being taught to believe such a thing creates stress and pressure on a person – especially children.  It has been shown in many ways and on many occasions that if a person is pressured to do something quickly, the performance of that person is below par.  This stands true with a relationship between a person and God.

When a person is force-fed this nonsensical doctrine – especially in childhood – living up to the requirements of that doctrine come before living up to the requirements of Christ.

Here is a clearer example of what I’m talking about.  If parents force a child to get A grades in all his or her classes and on all his or her reports, the child consequently starts to believe that getting that A is the most important thing, even if it requires cheating.  The child starts to believe that getting an A must be accomplished – whether he or she actually understand the class or assignment or not.

When a child is taught to believe in and anticipate the rapture, that child forgets that he or she should first believe in and understand Christ and have a good, deep relationship with Him.  The relationship will be sub-par in the scenario of one being taught to believe in the rapture.  This is bad, yes, but it gets worse.  Let us not forget that the rapture is a worldly and carnal thing, and Jesus is our heavenly savior.

In short, if a child is forced to believe in the rapture, he or she is consequently being forced to believe in a worldly thing before believing in our savior.

Also, we have the issue of Christians becoming jaded and perhaps eventually turning their backs on Jesus.  How might this happen?  Well, consider this example that will strike a nerve in everyone.  Imagine working at a new job, and putting in all the effort and enthusiasm you possibly can, anticipating your pay check.  Your boss says that you will be paid in two weeks.  This sounds wonderful, so you keep up your effort and enthusiasm, wanting to impress your boss.  Two weeks and a day later, you have yet to receive your check, despite it being promised exactly one day ago.  You inquire what the situation is, and your boss tells you that there was a problem with the business bank account, and therefore your check will be delayed by a day or two.  You feel a bit discouraged, but you figure it could be worse and continue on as you have been. Three days after that, you still have not received your check and you are starting to feel a hint of doubt in the pit of your stomach.  You inquire once again, and your boss gives you the same story.  “One day now.  One day.  I guarantee you it will be here in one day.”  Wary, and questioning if you should even carry on, you muster up your will and decide “What’s one more day?”  Well, the next day comes and goes.  Still no paycheck.  You inquire once again, feeling very doubtful, and because your boss refuses to admit he is a phony or a flake, he gives you the same story.  You decide that you are spending more money on gasoline to get to work than you are making, so you turn your back on the boss, and quit your job.

This very thing happens to Christians when a false prophet comes along promising and guaranteeing rapture.  You are enthusiastic at first, and you cannot wait.  Jesus saving you, being reunited with your dearly departed loved ones, all of this taking place quickly and painlessly…  What’s not to be ecstatic about?  However, the first date that the promised rapture was falsely prophesized to occur on passes as any other day.  You feel slightly discouraged, but the false prophet promises that he miscalculated and that the true date is very soon.  You become recharged with anticipation and start feeling excited again, but the new date comes to pass as any other day as well.  You feel sick to your stomach and start to doubt that it will happen at all, but the false prophet assures you that he was only off by one day, and that only hours remain before the rapture occurs.  Despite the lack of previous enthusiasm, you find yourself contented with that deep down, so you begin reading your bible and praying, and you wait.  You wait, and you fall asleep.  You wake up, and you find that everything is the same, that you are not reunited with your dearly departed, that you are not in heaven, and that Jesus didn’t return.  Everyone is still here.  It is and has been a completely normal day.  The false prophet continues on with his deceptive, carnal ways because false prophets never admit they are false, and he promises that it will happen soon.  However, you are broken inside, and you feel empty.  Hardened.  Jaded.  “This will never happen.  What kind of raving idiot is this guy?  What kind of raving idiot am I…?”  However, since you do not know the false prophet that promised all of this is in fact false, you do not only turn your back on him, you turn your back on Christ, God, and all of Christianity, with the feeling that everything is a grand scheme.  An manmade, illustrated deceptive piece of crap, and a poorly illustrated one at that.  However, the true return of Christ and the resurrection of the righteous is still coming someday, even though it is vacant of a rapturous precedent.  You are in a terrible, hopeless situation now, because you have cursed God and Christ because a false prophet has lead you astray.  Cursing God is blasphemy, and blasphemy is one sin that cannot be forgiven.  The false prophet will be damned, and you with him.

While this all may seem like a case of dramatically blowing things out of proportion, I feel it is not, and I pray that you feel the same way.  This deception is a very serious issue and it is up to us to fix it.  Christianity is being perverted by these teachers of Futurism, and it has a horrible effect.  Please, if you know anyone who believes in this nonsense, talk to them.  Do not try to force them, but try to reason with them.  The blind cannot see and therefore require guidance to reach the light.

-N

My View on the Doctrine of Futurism

My view on the proposed Futurism / “Rapture” doctrine is that it is one hundred percent false.  The first and foremost reason for this is because the doctrine was conceived in the mind of a Jesuit priest named Francisco Ribera in the sixteenth century.  It was not conceived in God’s mind, nor was it revealed to one of God’s prophets.  In the sixteenth century, reformists such as Sir Martin Luther believed that the Roman Papacy was the antichrist, and the Roman Catholic Church was the Harlot of Babylon.  In order to both change the minds of the reformists and deflect the focus of the public off of the Roman Catholic Church, Ribera presented the Doctrine of Futurism, which is referred to in modern times as the “Rapture Theory.”

What Does This Doctrine Say?

 

The Doctrine of Futurism basically states that before the beginning of the seven year tribulation (Which IS in the Bible) described in the Sermon on the Mount of Olives by Jesus Christ Himself, that God’s true believers will be “Raptured”  — or “Caught Up” into the air to meet Jesus and be saved from the world wide, unparalleled sufferings that are to come.  However, the Jesuit priest did use biblical scripture to support his theory, even though neither term (Futurism or Rapture) appears one single time in the Bible.

If There is Scripture to Support it, it Must be Real, Right?

 

Absolutely wrong.  While biblical scripture is cited to support the theory, the said scripture was actually just conveniently misinterpreted.  The scripture 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17 reads…

“For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17]  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

It is easy to see how this could be twisted around to support such a theory, but this scripture actually disproves the theory of a rapture-type event.  The passage is actually referring to the resurrection.  When you read from verse 13 on to the last verse of the chapter, this becomes evident.

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. [15] For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. [16] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

 

        Paul is answering a question that the Thessalonians asked him about the followers of Christ that had died and not participated in the resurrection of the righteous.  He refers to the followers as having fallen asleep, rather than dying.  That metaphor is clarified in verse 16.

In short, these biblical verses that were and still are used to support the Rapture theory actually disprove such an event when read correctly.  They refer to the resurrection that will take place at the return of Christ, not a secret rapture that takes place 7 years before the return of Christ.

Fair enough.  But I’m still not convinced.  What else do you have?

 

The first and foremost body of proof that comes to mind is the scripture that says God is the author of peace and not confusion; 1 Corinthians 14:33…

“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”

 

        In the Rapture theory, Christ’s followers will simply disappear and their bodies will cease to exist.  Imagine this happening now, in these days with automobiles, planes, etc.  In just one short moment, people would disappear out of their cars while driving, pilots of airplanes would vanish, leaving the planes unpiloted, etc.  Does this sound to you like an event that would create peace and understanding, or an event that would create confusion and panic?  Even in biblical times, such an event would still cause confusion and panic.  Imagine if you were living back then, and you were talking to your friend out in the field one day, and suddenly, out of nowhere, your friend vanishes into thin air?  Would you say “Hm…  Oh well.” And continue on with your day, or would you be very, very confused and panicked?  I know I would not be at peace.  I would be confused and panicked.

 

        Next, we have the fact that the Holy Bible is a book of God’s word.  God’s word is truth, and truth cannot be contradictory.  During Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount of Olives, he describes what current times will hold for his followers and believers during the Tribulation preceding His return. Read Matthew 24:1-14.

“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. [2]And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ [3] Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?’ [4] And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. [5]For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many, [6]And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. [7]For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. [8]All these are the beginning of sorrows. [9]Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. [10]And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. [11]Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. [12]And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. [13]But he who endures to the end shall be saved. [14]And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’ ”

 

        If Jesus bothered to warn His followers of what things would be like during the end, why would he “rapture up” all of his followers beforehand anyway?  The entire sermon would be for nothing, and I highly doubt that Jesus would give an amazing sermon like this for no good reason.  He was warning us of what we should prepare for.  Why would He give us such a serious heads up if we wouldn’t experience it anyway?

 

I Know People Who Are Hopeful that the Rapture is Realistic, Though.  It Was Their Only Hope.  What Do They Have to Hope for Now?

 

Just because the rapture does not exist does not mean salvation does not still exist.  Yes, we Christians will be persecuted like never before, and will have to live through prejudice and hatred when the end comes, but in my personal opinion, that will make salvation even sweeter.  Simply put, we are still guaranteed salvation, nonetheless, no matter what we go through first, and that is what we should be hopeful for.

Also, I would like to mention that since the original composition of this post, I have done some additional research, and found that Matthew 24 has already been fulfilled.  It was fulfilled in 70AD when the Roman Armed Forces destroyed the temple inJerusalemand executed all people who refused to convert away from Christ’s teachings.  Hence, “There will not be one stone here left upon another” and, “They will deliver you up to Tribulation and kill you.”

A key part of the scripture that supports this belief comes slightly later in Jesus’ sermon, after he tells the parable of the fig tree.  He says “Now, learn the parable of the fig tree:  When it’s branches are tender and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place.”

Notice how Jesus says “this” generation and not “that” generation.  The destruction of the temple came roughly within 40 years after the time the sermon was given.  Therefore, this chapter cannot accurately “set the table” so to speak for what end times will be like.

As for the Futurist interpretation of this, they basically feel that the temple will be rebuilt and destroyed a third time, this time by the antichrist.  They feel that everything named here will occur a third time prior to the rapture.  So even if the rapture was real, there are several things that must happen first.

• Israel must once again disobey God

The fig tree is a symbol that represents Israel, specifically, Jerusalem.  He cursed a fig tree and commanded it to never bear fruit again.  After cursing the tree, the tree immediately withered.  Remember the parable of the fig tree? “When its branches are tender and it puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near, and also that He is near.”  Now read Matthew 21:18-22

“In the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry. [19] And seeing a fig tree by the way side He went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only.  And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. [20] When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?”  And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will be done. [22] And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

 

So in other words, when Israel begins disobeying God, the end will be near.

• The temple must be destroyed and rebuilt again

• The antichrist will resume the daily sacrifices in Israel, and then he will be revealed for what he truly is.

Then, and only then, if the rapture were even real, would it happen.

-N