{"id":1458,"date":"2011-05-10T09:21:56","date_gmt":"2011-05-10T16:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2011-05-10T09:47:28","modified_gmt":"2011-05-10T16:47:28","slug":"preaching-may-15-%e2%80%9cthe-end-is-now%e2%80%99-may-21-%e2%80%9cvery-near%e2%80%9d-and-the-good-shepherd-harold-camping-joel-c-rosenberg-and-that-whole-crowd-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/?p=1458","title":{"rendered":"Preaching May 15: \u201cThe end is now\u2019 (May 21), \u201cvery near,\u201d and the Good Shepherd: Harold Camping, Joel C. Rosenberg, and that whole crowd[1]"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>1.\u00a0\u00a0 The New Testament in five independent places states the end will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:43; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; 16:15) and in addition that we do not know the time of the end (Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:32).\u00a0Why do those who claim to take the Bible seriously not take these passages seriously?<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0 Rosenberg, Camping, \u2014 and all those with the same general approach \u2014 insist on the Rapture.<\/strong> When it is pointed out that no one in church history dreamed of such an idea between the time of the New Testament and about two hundred years ago (in spite of Hal Lindsey\u2019s claims), those with this point of view lose their tempers.\u00a0The evidence is simply not there for their reading of this \u201cRapture\u201d idea into the Bible. They are not taking the Bible seriously, but reading into it what they wish.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0 Rosenberg claims to have a basis for his predictions because he forecast the fall of the Twin Towers. But a non-religious novelist had done this years before Rosenberg.[2]<\/a> And it is a common idea.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0 Why is there such a market for this kind of thinking?\u00a0That I have an \u201cin\u201d with God?\u00a0 That I can manage the future?\u00a0The key<\/strong> point:\u00a0Anything that takes our focus away from the truth of the gospel, Christ and him crucified, is immediately suspect (Galatians 1:6-9; 2:5, 14; 1 Corinthians 2:2).\u00a0Anything that takes away this focus is of the Evil One (2 Cor 11:14).<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0 Millennialism is widespread, in general history as well as in other religions.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0 Millennial thinking is always beyond criticism because it is an appeal to the future.\u00a0To which the answers are:<\/p>\n

a.\u00a0\u00a0 See Deuteronomy 18:21.\u00a0Biblical prophecy is an ancient question, and the \u201cproof\u201d is in what actually happens.\u00a0That Deuteronomy 18:20 then says those who are incorrect are to be put to death seems to be overlooked.<\/p>\n

b.\u00a0\u00a0 We shall see what happens on May 21.\u00a0It does not seem to bother this gentleman that he was wrong before.\u00a0Nor does Hal Lindsey\u2019s error seem to bother him and his followers.\u00a0Church history is full of such claims, and their errors, down through the centuries.\u00a0Let the buyer beware!\u00a0Why should this be any different?\u00a0The proof of the pudding is in the eating.\u00a0In the meantime, we keep our focus on Christ and his cross and resurrection.<\/p>\n

Lutherans are a-millennialists \u2014 that is, if there is one, we\u2019re for it.\u00a0Until then, keep the focus, the Gospel.<\/strong>\"\"<\/p>\n

7. \"\" For Rosenberg proof the end is \u201cvery near\u201d is Gog and Magog, i. e., Ezekiel 38-39 (Russia). All that is stated in these chapters is that this from the \u201cNorth.\u201d\u00a0The best studies suggest that this is the ancient empire of Lydia in Asia Minor (known to scholars of ancient history) but how the empire of Lydia is related to Tubal, Meshech, Gomer, and Togarma is difficult to sort out.\u00a0At the time of Ezekiel, Gog seems to have become more of a cipher for a general foe from the North.\u00a0Other places in the Bible referring to Gog are at different times and in different contexts\u2014great sport for scholars, but until one learns the ancient languages, like Akkadian and Ugaritic, as well as Hebrew, of course, one cannot really take part in this sport.\u00a0Amateurs do not show up very well playing this game.<\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Good Shepherd<\/strong> says: \u201cMy sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.<\/strong> My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father\u2019s hand\u201d (John 10:27-29).<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n[1]<\/a> Harold Camping has predicted the end will come May 21, 2011. Joel C. Rosenberg has stated that the end is very near. Millennialists are always present, but they are more vocal at the moment.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Dale Brown, Storming Heaven<\/em> (New York: Berkeley Books,1994).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1.\u00a0\u00a0 The New Testament in five independent places states the end will come like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:43; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 3:3; 16:15) and in addition that we do not know the time of the end (Matthew 25:13; Mark 13:32).\u00a0Why do those who claim to take the Bible […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1458"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1464,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458\/revisions\/1464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crossalone.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}