Hello,
John and Doves,
If you
ask me [and I know you have not], I think God is making fun of those who
absolutely refuse to think that a loving God [Hey! What about God's
unapproachable holiness?] can come to the point of actually judging a fallen and
rebellious world.
By the
time the Father sends the Son to pick up the Bride of Christ, there will have
been so many warnings that it will be literally impossible for the unrepentant
evildoer to believe that the Day of the LORD has actually arrived, and so to be
saved from the Great Tribulation. Imho.
In
this respect, I believe brother Harold Camping is being a faithful
Watchman. [See Ezekiel, chapter 33.]
Baruch
HaShem Adonai,
Mike
C.
________________________________________________________________________________
Robert Belanger
(16 May 2011)
"Challenging
Denominational Doctrines"
Dear Doves,
We are hearing about the May 21,
2011, announcement from Mr. Harold Camping that this day will be the beginning
of Judgment, earthquake and rapture of true believers. I wanted to know more
about this prediction and what was it's basis and give myself the data needed
to form an opinion concerning the truthfulness of it.
To obtain
firsthand information, I have been reading Mr. Campings books and brochures
and listening to the Open Forum on the radio program called Family Radio.
Access to these materials, which are free of charge, can be had at the web
site www.familyradio.com.
My conclusions, so far, are that Mr. Camping
is a very sincere believer in the Bible and in the salvation purchased for
mankind by Christ's death and resurrection. The text materials are very
carefully written and well thought out. The conclusions presented there are
quite different from the traditional denominational teachings on many
doctrinal matters, however. The first reaction can be to reject these new
conclusions, simply because they are at variance with existing church
teachings.
However, to be fair, and to be open to new knowledge,
especially as new knowledge is being released by God in these last days, it is
incumbent on us to reserve our judgment until we truly understand the new
information and have moved beyond shock and anger.
I am in the process
of reaching such an understanding. I am listening to the questions and answers
on the Open Forum radio program that is easily available on the web site. Mr.
Camping is patient, polite and persistent as he answers the listener's
questions. After hearing him speak, and reading his printed material available
on the web site, I am slowly forming my own opinion concerning the teachings
he espouses, based strictly on the Bible.
I will not attempt to
summarize his positions here. To do so would go against what I am trying to
communicate, i.e., that each of us needs to personally evaluate his teachings
by coming into first hand contact with the material and the voice and
personality of this teacher.
While I personally find myself agreeing
with much of what he has to say. I am not yet completely comfortable with the
analysis that led him to the timeline of history that he promotes, including
the May 21 and October 21, 2011,dates for the rapture and annihilation of the
universe, I do enjoy listening to him and can report that he deserves serious
attention by anyone interested in understanding the teachings in the Bible,
since his views are based on extensive research into Biblical teachings from a
comprehensive viewpoint.
However, if you are comfortable with your
church teachings and are not at all open to challenging views on many
doctrinal issues, you may not find his teachings appealing at all. On the
other hand, if you have found denominational teachings questionable, or
incomplete in some way, you may find his teachings helpful in reaching your
own conclusions regarding your Christian beliefs. In the final analysis, each
person must decide for themselves what satisfies there personal criteria for
truth, rather than accepting the conclusions of others.
YBIC,
Robert
Belanger