Molly Advises me on False Prophets
Well it looks like Harold “I can predict the end of the world in 3 notes” Camping has missed his prediction again. The “Rapture of the Church” didn’t happen as he so confidently predicted and once again we have to look elsewhere for the spot on prediction of the end time except that even Jesus said that “no one knows the day or the hour, not even him.” I think that Jesus, had it right…no one knows except the Big Guy, his “Father in Heaven.”
However as a Christian, even an apostate type as some people in my former church referred to me I still believe the Creed where it says that “He (Jesus) shall come again to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Of course nowhere in the Creed or for that matter Scripture does it give a date, time, year, decade or even millennia when this will happen despite the best for profit predictions of Mr. Camping, Hal “The Late Great Planet Earth,” Jack Van Impe, John Hagee and the hundreds if not thousands of for profit prophets running about, Christian, Jewish, New Age, Jehovah’s Witness, Adventists of various types and even Apocalyptic Atheists. Yes my friends the End of the World is a money making operation especially when it doesn’t happen as predicted.
Since I was born in 1960 there have been well over 100 predictions setting the date or year of the Rapture, the Second Coming, Armageddon or the End of the World as we know it. It is a money making industry and the more outlandish the prediction the more money is to be made.
This time was Harold Camping’s second attempt, his first swing and a miss being back in 1994. Now with Camping having to go back and recalculate so he can make another prediction to attempt to make more money as Edgar “88 Reasons for 1988” and “89 Reasons for 1989” Whisenaunt did and as Hal Lindsey continues to do every time that he screws up. Heck Tim LaHaye has made a mint on his “Left Behind” series of religious fiction books and movies. It’s shameful.
There is an old joke about the passage in the Book of Revelation about why there is a 30 minute silence in Heaven mentioned in Revelation Chapter 8. The joke is that the reason there is a silence is so that the prophecy teachers can correct their charts. I’m sorry but anyone that claims to have cracked the code on the end times is a false prophet and I don’t care who I offend in saying this. So let me say it again. Anyone who claims that they have cracked the code concerning the end times is a false prophet. Back in the Old Testament false prophets got the death penalty and we crushed by heavy stones or in the case of the prophets of Baal that Elijah challenged got turned into cinders, poof and they were gone. Even Jesus had some harsh words for these kinds of knuckleheads and he was pretty loving and forgiving if I recall correctly.
Tonight I was in line waiting to get into Harbor Park to see the Norfolk Tides when Camping claimed the Rapture was to occur. Well it didn’t happen, the Tides won 8-6 over the Louisville Bats and up in Boston the Chicago Cubs defeated the Boston Red Sox by a score of 9-3. The Cubs may have won but they didn’t win the World Series so according to my understanding of the end times it isn’t time.
One of the funniest things I saw tonight was a man carrying a sign which said “Worst Rapture Ever.” Now I don’t know if it was the “worst ever” but it had to be up there, especially for those that screwed up their lives and blew their fortunes promoting this heresy thinking that it was really going to happen the way that they said that it would. Personally despite being a pretty big grace of God advocate I think that there is a special place in Hell for those that perpetrate such falsehoods under any pretense on people seeking hope in a chaotic world. Who knows maybe they’ll get a place alongside Adolf, Saddam and Osama in this year’s South Park “Christmastime in Hell” episode.
I think that these kind of for profit prophets do all kinds of damage. I think that they cheapen what Christians refer to as the “Blessed Hope” something that is both hopeful and holy although it is veiled in mystery is a time where justice and mercy embrace. The actions of such people mock that hope and drive people away from God. In fact such predictions by these charlatans are embarrassing, irresponsible and reprehensible.
May that sounds harsh and I actually mean it to be. Camping and others like him should be shunned by any responsible person. Unfortunately there will be more like him and others will set dates because that is where the big money is to be made, making a profit out of “prophecy.”
God help us.
Peace
Padre Steve+
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 