Once again the end of the world has been predicted and not come to pass. Christian broadcaster Harold Camping claimed on Saturday, May 21, 2011 we would experience earthquakes, raptures, and various other end time events. Unfortunately for Camping and his followers, but fortunately for us, this did not happen. No more than normal catastrophes occurred – just the usual mayhem that befalls us every day.
Of course, this isn’t Camping’s first failed forecast. He first said the world would come to an end in 1994. He is not alone in his suppositions. Over 200 such projections have been made through the years and so far nothing has manifested in the way speculated. Such radical thinking does nothing but give Christianity a cult mentality. Cults think they have special knowledge others don’t. “I know something you don’t know, so listen to ME!”
Yet, wanting to interpret biblical prophesies seems a reasonable desire. After all, there is much prophecy in the bible. But the purpose of prophecy is not God providing some sort of jigsaw puzzle we are meant to piece together so we will be able to know when certain foretold biblical events will occur. God didn’t sit in heaven and decide, “I’ll make these prophesies so complicated that only a very few will be able to figure them out and be saved and too bad for everyone else.”
In the midst of biblical prophesies God always puts scriptures encouraging us not to worry about these things. Fear not! (Daniel 10:12, 19) Yes, some bad things will happen but God reigns supreme. He and the saints will be triumphant. The good guys win in the end.
God stresses that we don’t know nor are we meant to know when these things will take place. (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32) Our job is not to know the future. Our job is to know God and stay close to him (Matthew 24:44), because he will take care of our future. I predict that if you draw close to the one who holds your future in his hands, your future with him will be assured.
