“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Working from the premise that deception is a product of confusion about truth, this passage foretells of a great confusion in the world; a confusion that not even the elect would escape save for the supernatural hand of God. Though we have our fair share of false prophets in these days, we have not yet seen from them, as far as I know, “great signs and wonders”. But we are most certainly living in a time of great confusion. That said, it makes me ask if we are living in a time of unprecedented confusion? I don’t know, but consider a few things.
Harold Camping's recent folly is but the latest of many such follies. One of the saddest commentaries on Camping's prediction is not that he ignored clear scripture, or that he had to torture scripture to make it agree with his hair-brained numbers game, but instead it is the amount of confusion he has wrought. Such nonsense plays right into the hands of the mockers of Christianity. Such deserved mockery brings about wide spread confusion.
Christmas Carol Quiz
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Originally from 2006, I thought I'd float this one again ... because it's
fun. These are popular Christmas carols. Can you figure out their normal
names?
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Posts
11 comments:
Scripture promises skeptics to our belief in the return of Christ. It's such a horrible shame that people clothed in "Christian" garb are the ones most readily producing such skeptics.
(Funny thing. I didn't believe for an instant that Camping was right, but I sure wished he had been.)
I like to expose false teachers and fight their ideologies, but sometimes I think their followers get what they deserve. People like Camping, McLaren, Currie, etc. are so transparently false that people should know better.
So many things attempt to make a mockery of our faith and THE TRUTH of Christ. The word does predict it will grow worse. I often say to Mickey and think it just can't get any worse, but it does. ALL of us need to be alert and on our guard.
That said, it makes me ask if we are living in a time of unprecedented confusion?
Possibly.
I tend to think that one of Satan's most powerful weapons is confusion. The closer a lie is to the truth, the more destructive it can be.
Even the first century church had to deal with false rumors that the resurrection had already occurred, heresies regarding the nature of Christ, legalism and licentiousness. Much of what we see in the various cults and false prophets of our time appears to be an amplification of the errors the apostles fought so hard to keep out of the Church.
If nothing else, the recognition that wolves run in packs ought to keep Christians on our knees and not wandering from the relative safety of the flock.
Heather
What is really sad is how many people blindly follow a man because they need something/someone to believe in; without checking to see what the Bible says.
You're so right about how Camping helped the mockers of Christianity step it up...as if many had given 3 seconds of time to his preposterous predictions?
I figured it was the safest day EVER because the SCripture's so clear nobody will know the time or day :-)
Stan
Interestingly enough, if May 21st had been the day I think I would have thought "what a coincidence".
Susan
I agree that sometimes the confusion doesn't seem like it could get worse. I of the opinion that societies have to have a frame of reference to keep from flying apart. I'm thinking that the remainder of my life I will get to see first hand if my opinion has merit.
Heather
I can't agree more. I listened to Camping on my drive home in the evenings. I was amazed by how much I agreed with what he said, which, I think, was much worse. The extent to which truth is intertwined seems to be a major factor. Some deceptions only have a smidgen of truth, like those named by Neil above and others like Oprah and even Obama. On the outside, for those who live their lives emotionally as opposed to thoughtfully, these wolves are angels of light.
Mary Lee
Very insightful. Romans 8 says "For those are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who are according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit." Setting our minds on the things of the flesh causes us to be let away by strangers dressed in the flesh because we don't have the eyes for spiritual things.
Z
I think it was the billboards that turned this from the rantings of an aged kook to a national embarrassment. I for one, because of the many signs I passed bringing it to mind, was caused to think about it often. Good point, it probably was the least likely day ever. As I responded to Stan above, I think my first thought would have been, "what a coincidence", had Jesus returned on that day.
While most of the Church agreed that Camping was nutty. I would suggest that the return of Christ is something to be looked forward to.
Imagine my surprise when the guest preacher at the church I was at indicated what a relief it was that Christ did not return.
So Stan, you're right on. Didn't for a moment think Camping was right, but kind of disappointed that we're still waiting.
Don't you think that the minute someone sets a date God just kind of says "Well I guess it won't be the 21st."
There's always been nuts walking around with sandwich billboards proclaiming 'The End is Near'.
And there are a lot more nuts with sandwisch billboards to come. I tend to just ignore them. When the end comes, it will come, and there's nothing really anyone can do about it.
"I would suggest that the return of Christ is something to be looked forward to. "
Me too.
Fred
Well... there's really not nothing we can do. We can prepare ourselves and look longingly for that day.
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