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What Happened?
What happened to the followers of William Miller when Christ did not return on October 22, 1844? Did they go back to the Bible and the Churches?
No, many gave up on the Bible and Christianity altogether; many became enamoured with the Jehovah's Witnesses and their (false) prophecies, while others became Second Day Adventists under the "ministry" of Ellen White (who herself was very impressed with Miller).
What does this teach us?
It teaches us that the deceptive spirit behind Harold Camping's teachings will still be very active, even after May 21 comes and goes. He already has them in his snare. Only God can reach these precious people, deceived by the deceiver.
Let us preach the truth with compassion and boldness and pray for God to open eyes.
Comments
This video was really interesting. I actually have met Harold Camping a few times. It's really sad. This guy is off his rocker. Here in the bay area - there are billboards all over telling us that the world is ending. As a Christian in the bay area where people already think we believers are a joke, this whole business has really made it more difficult to share the gospel. I know a bunch of non-believers here who are having May 22 parties. It's really upsetting how much damage Camping has done here by both sucking in people who actually believe him and by damaging our reputation in this community.
One more note of warning. I was recently told by a close associate of Camping's that he has a wacky method for Bible study. We all know he is into Biblical Numerology but the interesting thing is that he never studies his Bible with anything but his Bible. He refuses to study Biblical Theology or the vast wealth of knowledge about the Bible and it's interpretation that we have been given over the last 2000 years. It's kinda like a man deciding to engineer a car without ever seeing one or reading about how a car works. We have a hundred years of people who have learned from their mistakes and now we have things like automatic transmissions and anti-lock brakes. Camping's refusal to tap into 2000 of knowledge has led him further and further away from orthodox beliefs. It's a warning to all of us Bible students. You should always spend time in the word prayerfully. You should try to figure out what the Bible says and what God is saying to you but you also should use the vast array of study tools at your disposal. We have men like Calvin, Luther, the church fathers and all kinds of Bible scholars to help us check our work. They don't all agree of every detail but they all agree that May 21, 2011 isn't the end of the world.
Posted by: anonymous | May 20, 2011 06:07 PM
I see all of this as an opportunity to share the truth as revealed in the Bible. Most of the questions I am getting are not from people who are being duped into thinking this man knows when Christ is coming. Rather, the questions are coming from unsaved people who don't understand the controversy. It is a great opportunity to share the Bible.
Posted by: David | May 20, 2011 11:38 PM