Harold Camping’s Prediction is Now Laughable (Follow Up)

This is going to be a very short post (for once), and the only reason I’m making a separate post rather than updating the first one is because the content here is very important, and I want to make sure that all of you see it.

 

Anyway, I have some new information regarding Mr.  Camping’s prediction, specifically his “calculation”.  In my last post, I stated, simply put, that Camping miscalculated his dates (which are incorrect anyway) and the true result of the equation of 7000 – 4990 = 2010, when Camping stated that it worked out to be 2011.  However, I realized a slight error in my calculation today – I admit!  However, it does not make him any more correct, or close to being correct.

 

As I also explained in part one of this post, the Anno Domini calender (Which labels years either BC or AD) has no zero year, and that 1AD is directly preceded by 1BC.  If there were a year zero, that would make an additional value.

 

When we work with number lines, even though the zero point is a zero, we still count that as a value.  See this example:

5-4-3-2-1-0-1-2-3-4-5

compared to

5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5

As we see here, when we add a zero point (in this case, a zero year) we have an extra value, which is, in the case of the Anno Domini calendar, a false value because it does not exist.  Count the numbers on both of those lines.  The top one has 11 numbers, the bottom one has 10.  (Before we go on, to avoid confusion, note that I did not do this on purpose, and these numbers have no relation to the “Camping Calculation”)

When I worked out the equation on my calculator (7000 – 4990 = 2010), it did not occur to me at the time that calculators work off of a number line with a zero point.  Therefore, there is an extra value here that does not apply to the AD Calendar.  So what do we do to find the true answer?  We subtract that value.

Now even though, as I stated above, zero has no value when looked at as only a number, it does when it is on a number line.  Since the number line that I need to use to find my true answer has no zero point, the zero point that the calculator used in it’s equation is throwing things off by one.  So what we do is this:

-4990 + 7000 = 2010 – 1 = 2009

or

7000 – 4990 = 2010 – 1 = 2009

Either way, the answer is the same.  Thus, Mr.  Camping is even farther off than I had previously assumed.  His equation, had he performed it correctly, would have a result of 2009, in this case, year 2009AD (As in, two years ago.)

Now, some of you may remember that I mentioned a cosmetic year zero, so to speak, which is synonymous with 1BC, that people use to determine new millenia and centuries, therefore making new millenia and centuries begin in “01” (1001, 2001 and 1801, 1901, 2001, respectively.)  As far as I can understand, this cosmetic year zero is just that – cosmetic – and it does not effect the placement of years on the time line.  However, even if it did, it would simply add one value to the equation, and therefore we would arrive at 2010 again.

In short, the closest Mr.  Camping could possibly come with his equation is 2010, not 2011.

If this is confusing to you, I apologize, and just remember this:

Mr.  Camping is wrong about the date of the Great Flood of Noah anyway.  Biblical Genealogy (like the specific, detailed one in Genesis), time-lines, and testimony place it roughly at 2350BC rather than 4990BC.  This fact about Mr.  Camping alone should remove all credibility entrusted in him.

God Bless,

-N

Inspiring Music that isn’t Actually Labeled “Christian”

We all want to be able to listen to music that possesses Christian messages, but sometimes we don’t want to be limited to Christian music.  While a lot of it is good, it all tends to be the same flavor, in a sense.  So I got to thinking and I came up with a fair list of songs and artists that possess messages that are similar to those found in Christian music (Aside from the up front and direct praise of God and Jesus, of course.)  Some very devout Christians think that any music that isn’t labeled “Christian” is therefore the polar opposite, secular, and therefore not worthy of being listened to.  If you’re one of these people, please, give these songs a try.  If you totally disagree with me, that’s fine, and I apologize for wasting your time.  I feel that one of the main morals of Christianity, though, is understanding.  I also think that we should not focus so much on giving others a chance to be understood, but rather, giving ourselves the chance to understand.  After all, there is only one judge, and it is wrong of us to assume that sort of position.  Check these out.  I’ll include a brief description of the song beside the title and artist.

• Broken, Beat, and Scarred – Metallica

The lyrics of this song are full of Christian references, as are most of Metallica’s lyrics after lead singer James Hetfield converted to Catholicism.  The lyrics in question include “You rise, you fall, you’re down then you rise again.  What don’t kill ya will make ya more strong through black days, through black nights, through pitch black insides.”  “Breaking your life, broken beat and scarred, but we die hard.”  Perhaps, firstly referring to death and redemption during the resurrection.  We are born, we live, we die, and then we will rise again when Christ returns.  Secondly, perhaps referring to the persecution that we Christians go through and will see more and more of, and the fact that we will never give up and that God will have us forever.

• The Day That Never Comes – Metallica

This song in my opinion is about a man(or woman) who is living life in a difficult situation, perhaps because of an abusive spouse or family member, and their hope is that Jesus will intervene, but after suffering for a while, they realize that they have to make the first step, and that Jesus is already waiting, and with Jesus, no physical torment can ever defeat you.  The lyrics are full of Christian-oriented hope.  Read below

“Born to push you around, you better just stay down. You pull away, he hit’s the flesh, you hit the ground.  Mouth so full of lies, tend to block your eyes.  Just keep them closed, keep prayin’, just keep waitin’, waitin’ for the one!  The day that never comes!  When you stand up and feel the warmth, but the sunshine never comes!  Push you ‘cross that line, just stay down this time.  Hide in yourself, crawl in yourself, you’ll have your time.  God will make them pay, take it back one day.  I’ll end this day, I’ll splatter color on this grey.  Waitin’ for the one, the day that never comes.  When you stand up and feel the warmth, but the sunshine never comes.  Love is a four letter word, and never spoken here.  Love is a four letter word, here in this prison!  I’ll suffer this no longer, I’ll put an end to this I swear.  This I swear, the sun will shine!”

• The Unforgiven III – Metallica

This is one of the deepest songs on my list, if not the deepest, as far as a Christian message.  You truly have to listen to it.  However, I’ll give you an idea of what I think it’s about so you’ll see it like I do.  I believe it’s about a young person worrying too much about pleasing people rather than God, and his vision becomes twisted and he starts blaming God for his life being very sub-par, and he finally realizes at the end that it’s not God who won’t forgive him, but rather himself.  Listen.  You truly have to.

• Until It Sleeps – Metallica

This song is confirmed to actually be about the lead singer’s mother who died of cancer, but when you listen to the lyrics, it seems that it could also be about converting to Christianity and accepting God in your heart and giving up all the sinful things in his past.

“So tear me open, but beware there’s things inside without a care, and the dirt still stains me, so wash me until I’m clean.  It grips you, so hold me.  It stains you, so hold me.  It hates you, so hold me.  It holds you, so hold me until it sleeps.”

• If Today Was Your Last Day – Nickelback

This is a song that is absolutely full of Christian lyrics and allegories.  Listen, and I’ll post the lyrics here.

“My best friend gave me the best advice, he said each day’s a gift and not a given right.  Leave no stone un-turned, leave your fears behind, and try to take the path less traveled.  That first step you take is the longest stride.  If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?  Would you live each moment like your last, leave old pictures in the past, donate every dime you had?  If today was your last day.  Against the grain should be a way of life, and what’s worth the prize is always worth the fight.  Every second counts, ’cause there’s no second try, so live like you’ll never live it twice.  Don’t take the free ride in your own life.  If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?  Would you live each moment like your last, leave old pictures in your past, donate every dime you had?  And would you call those friends you never see, reminisce old memories, would you forget your enemies?  Would you find that one you’re dreaming of and swear up and down to God above that you’d finally fall in love?  If today was your last day, would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?  You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars, regardless of who you are.  So do whatever it takes, ’cause you can’t rewind a moment in this life.  Let nothin’ stand in your way, ’cause the hands of time are never on your side.”

• What it’s Like – Everlast

Remember how I said there is only one judge, at the beginning of this post?  And how we should never judge and always try to understand?  This song gives three stereotypes of people that other people judge every single day.  Poor and homeless people, people who have accidental pregnancies at a young age and are judged for their decisions on whether or not to keep the baby, and people who are loosely involved with criminals, perhaps, people that are in love with criminals.  Then, after the examples, the lyric “but God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in their shoes, cause then you really might know what it’s like to have the blues” comes in.  Now, this one does have a bit of profanity in it.  However, it’s very easy to find a “clean” version.  Please listen.

• Not Afraid – Eminem

Yes, that’s right.  Eminem made my list.  I know he has gotten a bad wrap (Pun? You decide) in the past, particularly with Christians, but this is something completely new and different for Eminem.  It’s his story about giving up drugs, alcohol, and other negative indulgences and accepting God.  Just listen to it, you’ll be surprised, I guarantee it.  You will, however, want to listen to the clean version of this one as well.

• Sorry – Chris Daughtry

Though this song is primarily about a man changing himself for a woman he loves, it is also about accepting God and giving up ungodly things from his past.

“There’s no excuse, no explanation, believe me if I could undo all I did wrong, I’d give away all that I own. ” “If I told you I’ve been cleaning my soul, and if I promise you I’ll regain control, will you open your door and let me in, take me for who I am, and not for who I’ve been?”  Listen.  This is a touching song as well.

• Open Up Your Eyes – Chris Daughtry

This is a very bittersweet song.  It’s about a man dying and going on to Heaven, and his wife living her life as good as she can without him, and then finally dying as well and seeing her husband when she arrives in heaven.  The song also praises heaven for it’s beauty and peacefulness.

“For the first time, you can open your eyes and see the world without your sorrow and no one knows the pain you left behind.  All the peace you could never find is waiting there to hold and keep you, welcome to the first day of your life, just open up your eyes.”

• Tennessee Line – Chris Daughtry

This is a very touching and heartfelt song as well, and is full of Christian lyrics.  It’s about a man giving up his past and accepting God and deciding to follow his own heart, which has Jesus in it, from now on rather than trying to please humans.

“I open my lungs to breathe in forgiveness and love.  Haunting me now, reminders of how I used to be.  On down the road, my troubles are sure to follow, looking out the window, hell if I know where I will go, so I’ll just keep on driving.  On my way to LA, looking into the rear view as the roads fade away.  I’ve sworn off my past, the first to last bad call that I ever made.  Tell me how to make right every wrong turn that I’ve learned so this can all end tonight.  The Tennessee line just changed my mind, and it’s my heart I’ll follow this time.”

• One Last Breath – Creed

This, again, is a song about a man finding out that he thought he was doing the right thing by pleasing everyone around him rather than pleasing God, and now he is close to death, and even though he asks for forgiveness from God, he’s afraid it’s too late, and he would take even no afterlife at all if it meant not going to hell.

• Storm To Pass – Atreyu

For anyone that knows Atreyu, I know it’s just about the hardest thing in the world trying to imagine one of their songs containing Christian lyrics, but this song makes very large reference to the return of Christ / the end of the world.
“Will lightning strike our sins away, or is our future looking grey?”

• Becoming the Bull – Atreyu

This is a song that looks at the negative side of Christianity, that is, if you’re not a Christian, and the kinds of troubles you have to face without Christ in your life.

• Spoken Word Poem – AFI

This is a strange thing, because this “song” was written right around the time David Passaro, the lead singer of AFI gave up his faith, yet this poem is written as if to tell what the world will be like for those who are alive and remaining at the very end of the great tribulation, prior to Christ’s return. It’s actually spoken word, but it’s very disturbing to listen to, so I’ll copy the lyrics here.

“We held hands on the night on earth.  Our mouths filled with dust, we kissed in the fields and under the trees, screaming like dogs, bleeding dark into leaves.  It was empty on the edge of town, but we knew everyone floated around the bottom of the river.  So we walked through the waste where the road curved into the sea and the shattered seasons lay.  The bitter smell of burning was on you like a disease.  In our cancer of passion you said, ‘Death is a midnight runner.’  The sky had come crashing down like the news of an intimate suicide. We picked up the shards and formed them into shapes of stars that wore like an antique wedding dress. The echoes of the past broke the hearts of the unborn as the ferris wheel silently slowed to a stop. The few insects skittered away in hopes of a better pastime. I kissed you at the apex of the maelstrom and asked if you would accompany me in a quick fall, but you made me realize that my ticket wasn’t good for two.  I rode alone.  You said, ‘The cinders are falling like snow.’ There is poetry in despair, and we sang with unrivaled beauty, bitter elegies of savagery and eloquence. Of blue and grey. Strange, we ran down desperate streets and carved our names in the flesh of the city. The sun has stagnated somewhere beyond the rim of the horizon and the darkness is a mystery of curves and lines. Still, we lay under the emptiness and drifted slowly outward, and somewhere in the middle in the wilderness we found salvation scratched into the earth like a message. ”

• This Time Imperfect – AFI

This comes directly after the poem on the same track, and is a continuation of the same idea.  Listen to it.  These songs remind us of why it’s good to be strong believers.

There are many, many songs out there that are not labeled Christian, but that are Christian in essence, and that remind us of why it’s good to be Christian, and how bad the other option is.  Please keep an open mind and don’t judge one another.  We are all children of God, and just because some children are disobedient to their Father doesn’t mean we should be the ones to judge them.  That will all be taken care of.

-N

An Argument with an Atheist

As we all know, it’s difficult being a Christian at times.  Perhaps the most annoying obstacle we all come across is atheism.  Not that it’s tempting, or appealing, but atheist can really be scatter-brained at times.  I can’t speak for any of you, but I know that personally, I would never give one the pleasure of beating me down, but that might be easier.  They can just be plain annoying.

A couple days ago, I asked a conversational question on the website Yahoo! Answers regarding the rapture theory which I have been heavily discussing lately.  I placed it in the Religion and Spirituality section of that website, obviously, and the first person to “Answer” my question was a loud-mouthed atheist.  My question was, “What proof do you have that a rapture does or does not exist?”  and this person said “Your claim buddy.  You better show some proof first, otherwise you just look like a raving lunatic.”

Even though it isn’t necessarily a requirement of Christians to stand up for themselves, being the kind of person I am, I promptly began writing a response.  I must say, I’m happy with my self, and undeniably, God gave me power and strength in that moment.  I think I made an argument that most of us want to, but either are afraid to, or don’t know exactly how to.  Here’s what I said:

“Irrelevant.  And I honestly don’t need to explain myself.  But if you’re referring to proving the existence of God, I used to be an atheist too.  But my atheism and atheistic way of thinking lead to my current faith in Christ and God, really.  The critical thinking which I possessed, and that you surely possess, made me ask, even if the Darwin/evolutionist theory and the big bang theory are correct, why did it happen?  There’s no obvious scientific reason.  If everything originated with one grain of sand, how did it come to be that the grain of sand got where it needed to be?  Gravity?  Solar wind?  Fair enough.  Why is there gravity?  Why is there solar wind?  How did these things come to be?  Even the all-logical atheistic physicist cannot fully prove how gravity  is created.  Even if we could, the question remains, what came before that?  Just as the fact remains that there always was something before the last thing.  There’s something bigger than any given thing, setting everything in motion.  There is reason, without reason.  God does not need to have reason.  Don’t bother asking me how God got there to set everything in motion.  I can’t answer that.  Just like you can;t answer how gravity is created.  Neither of us can answer, or prove our theories, but you have faith just as much as I do.  Also, I need not say this because of how much deeper the subjects  I have already covered are, but don’t waste my time saying that God is not visible, touchable, or measurable, therefore is not real.  Love is not visible either.  Electricity is not visible.  However, there are bi-products of all of these things.  Two lovers embracing is a bi-product of love.  A mother coddling and nursing her baby is a bi-product of another form of love as well, yet “love” itself cannot be seen touched or measured.  Plasma energy undeniably is a bi-product of electricity, though electricity itself cannot be seen.  Everything around you, every last thing including yourself is a bi-product of God, in a sense, though God himself cannot be directly seen, touched, or measured.”

The atheist never responded.

The reason I decided to share this with you is because I pray that it can inspire you.  I know you are already inspired by Jesus, but confronting an atheist can still be intimidating.  I hope I can inspire you to lead in that confrontation, and come out of it feeling good and blessed as I did.  While we may not be placed here to convert every atheist we come across, it isn’t bad to stand up for yourself and for Christ.  Just keep it peaceful and as righteous and as Jesus like as you can.

 

-N