In an earlier blog I talked about Howard Camping and the fact that I have learned from him and that I feel that I have actually grown stronger in my spirituality. I also said that I don’t believe in his thing about the world coming to an end on October 21, 2011, which is something that he was saying long before much of the world even heard his Rapture words.
For some reason the story of Noah came to mind a little bit ago, and then the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Why they came to mind is something that I do now, then I began to think about Howard Camping. The story of Noah has been around for centuries, and one of the things that I remember about it was that he tried telling people what God was going to do, but they wouldn’t listen. Over and over he told people, but they just wouldn’t listen. Then there is the story of the boy, and even though the town did listen to him a few times, when their really was a wolf nobody listened.
Now I wonder about Howard Camping? Yeah, I know that he was wrong in the 1990s, and that things didn’t go as he said that they would this past May, but I wonder if he could be right about what he says is suppose to happen on October 21, 2011?
Now I know what the Holy Bible doesn’t give an exact date as to when the Rapture will occur, but I am sure that it will happen, but I wonder if we are all missing the real point in that we really need to get our act together and live as though it will happen at any moment? Think about it. If the Bible did give an exact date, why wouldn’t we just go out and do the things that we wanted to do, then days before ask God for forgiveness? What real purpose would it serve to live a life in Christ now if we knew that on a certain date it will all end and that we could be forgiven just by asking for forgiveness a few days before?
Maybe the real message that Howard Camping was trying to get through to us is that we really should be living our life in Christ now? The lessons that I heard today in church seemed to have a theme that was around sin, mainly our own sins. Sit back and think about your life for a moment. Think about the ways that you have treated others. Think about the wrongs that you have done in life. If the Rapture were to come today, and you found yourself standing before God and your ancestors, how would you go about explaining the wrongs that you have done to others in the things that you did to them? Things like Apologizing for YOUR actions. You really can’t blame others for the things that YOU choose to do, as they were YOUR actions.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not claiming to of never to have done anything wrong to others. Believe me, I have done some stuff that I really regret and feel sorry for that I wish that I could make up to people in some kind of way. But with the help of the Holy Trinity, I think that I am trying my best not to hurt others in any way. Oh I know that I may screw up at some point, but I think that I am a far better person by being able to say that I am sorry to someone when I do error and not blaming things on others.
Oh I know that people will say that he should give all of the money back to folks who gave money to him, but I think that in this case if the world doesn’t come to an end on October 21, 2011, that he should offer to pay back monies to those who gave it to him if they should request it. The thing is, I don’t think that many people will demand any money back. I think that some will look at it like paying the lottery or betting on other things like a business stock, and they will simply accept it as something that didn’t work out. I think that some will not want their money back, as they will feel that they gained something in there life. Maybe someone stopped doing drugs and committing crimes because of the words of Howard Camping, and now live a life where they are following the teachings of Jesus and leading a Christian life. Wasn’t that money worth it?
Maybe he does have it right, and we are being like those who didn’t believe in what Noah was saying. Maybe God has put the date into the Bible and we are just to ignorant to see it, you know, like when you are looking for the salt shaker all over the table only to discover that it has been right in front of your plate the entire time.
Maybe he does have it right, and we are being like the towns people who didn’t believe the boy when the wolf really came. Howard Camping has given several dates on things that people believed only for nothing noticeably happen.
But what if this time he is right, you know like those that you didn’t believe who said something would happen and it really did? Are you really ready for the world to come to an end and to face God to explain the wrong things that you have done to his creatures upon this planet? Are you prepared to look the person in the face that you did wrong to only to discover that person is really Christ returned?