Harold Camping is the latest in a long line of would-be prophets who by virtue of cleverness or supposed special knowledge have thought themselves an exception to Jesus’ words in Matt. 24:36; only to be embarrassed and exposed as false prophets when the predicted day arrived.
Sadly, such predictions do not seem to have the desired effect either. I think the preacher supposes that his date-setting will precipitate an immediate revival of religion. But instead of causing secular people to flock to faith, it seems to give occasion for unbelievers to ridicule the whole idea of Jesus’ return. They certainly are not led to repent and prepare for the day when Jesus will return.
But in spite of the adverse climate created by a preacher such as Camping, it is very important for believers to continue to affirm the Bible’s words regarding the central truth that Jesus will return. Our job is to replace errant teaching that leads to confusion with clear teaching. To that end, I am including a link to a sermon visual I wrote that gives a more orthodox exposition of Jesus’ second coming and how we should respond to that firm expectation. As Paul put it, “We wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 NIV). We do not know the date, but we are expecting his return.
I believe one of the key lessons in Scripture from the teaching about Jesus’ second coming is this. Since He is returning, we are ultimately accountable to him for how we live. So as we remind ourselves of the truth of his coming and watch for it, living in expectation of it, we desire more and more to live out our faith with diligence from day to day so that we do not need to be ashamed at his coming.
