In my last article on Harold Camping, we discussed how Mr. Camping has used the bible to crunch numbers and spin allegory to set dates for the second coming of Christ. While he said in 1994 that he was only 99% sure he was accurate, this time he is sure he is 100% accurate. In fact according to Mr. Camping to question the accuracy of the date of May 21, 2011 is to question the infallibility of the bible. Let me just make a comment on that. The infallibility of scripture has nothing to do with Mr. Camping’s date-setting. And when May 21, 2011 comes and goes like an ordinary day, it will not be the fault or error of scripture but the fault and error of Mr. Camping who has misused the scriptures for his own purposes. In my last article I made it very plain why Mr. Camping cannot be accurate in terms of his predictions. But today I want to follow up on that by examining what he did as a result of one failed prophecy.
In 1994 after Sept 6 came and went like an ordinary day, people scoffed indeed, but not at God-at Mr. Camping. No doubt Family Radio suffered tremendous embarrassment and humiliation after 1994. Many loyal listeners and supporters began to pull their support and to abandon family radio. According to some reports, there were some who were so disappointed they committed suicide. Others had quit their jobs and even sold their homes. There was tremendous pressure at this point for Mr. Camping to either step down from his position or to make a public apology. However Mr. Camping was too proud to admit he was wrong. While others had suffered loss and humiliation for their belief in his prediction, Mr. Camping indeed suffered no personal loss himself, accept a wounded ego. His response to this mess would make it abundantly clear who he really was. As his critics from within the church mounted for a public apology, he would make sure they suffered. After 8 years of trying to recover his image from 94, Camping finally came out with an explanation for his error. According to Camping:
“When we carefully examine the great tribulations of the Bible in the light of this one-third, two-thirds principle, we discover that A.D. 1994 fits perfectly into God’s plan. The year 1994 is 2 times 1290 years after the year 587 B.C., which was the year that God brought about the total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Let us look for a moment at the arithmetic. We must add 587 to 1994 and subtract 1 because there is no year 0 in going from B.C. years to A.D. years. Thus, 587 + 1994 – 1 = 2580 years = 2 x 1290 years. Thus, the entire period from the Great Tribulation Jacob experienced in 1877 B.C. to A.D. 1994 is 1877 + 1994 – 1 = 3870 years. The 1290 years from 1877 B.C. to 587 B.C. is one-third of this 3870 years. The 2580 years from 587 B.C. to A.D. 1994 is two-thirds of this 3870 years. The fact that in the year 1994 there already existed great evidence that the time of the Great Tribulation was here convinces us that we have correctly applied this one-third, two-thirds principle…In parallel fashion then we could conclude that 1994 was the official end of the church age, which ended the first phase of the Great Tribulation.” (P. 128, Camping, H, The End of the Church Age…)
Ah yes- “do your arithmetic”, Mr. Camping asserts. To cover up one error of botched up numerology, he employs the same method now to argue that in 1994 Jesus didn’t come back, but what did happen was that the church age came to an end and that the last and final great tribulation began upon the human race. He backs up his theory, by three pieces of evidence.
- Apostasy in the church: Mr. Camping asserts that every church in the world is completely and utterly apostate. His model is simple. Israel was the OT church. They failed God and he decreed complete judgment on Israel. Therefore the church which is the NT church and the vehicle of the gospel has to have a day of judgment (For judgment is to begin with the house of God).
- Success of Family Radio: While the churches are languishing in apostasy, Family Radio has remained faithful and pure to the gospel and have been very successful in their ministry relative to the church. The amazing thing is that from 1994- 2002, Family Radios support and listenership had declined while Camping had published false reports.
- The Bible: He then appeals to several apocalyptic verses in the NT and OT to affirm his position. (The Olivet Discourse Matt 24, 2 Thess. 2, Rev. 13, 18, 21) Through hermeneutic acrobats and spiritualization of the text, it all comes together.
The result? Camping has stated that because the institution of the church has ended in 1994, God’s wrath is on the church. No Christians should attend church anymore, or partake of the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, there should be no more elders or deacons, and no more church discipline or other institutional arrangements such as marriage in a church. Any person who would not listen to this warning would incur the wrath of God, according to Mr. Camping. When questioned by several church bodies for his belief, he would simply say, “This is not my teaching- it is the bible the bible the bible” Family Radio then had a tremendous turn around in their finances after 2002. From operating in the red, they now were operating in the black. Why? Simple. One caller called Open Forum in summer 2003 and asked Camping, “I have attend church for 10 years and have always paid my tithes. What should I do now that the church age has ended?” Mr. Camping replied, “…from now on you should send your money to ministries ‘like’ Family Radio”
A Response- Any rational person and any spiritual person can easily see that such claims and outlandish statements are based purely on the mind and imagination of Harold Camping. While he asserts that these teachings are not his teachings, but the bible’s, that is nothing but a cover up. I have been a Christian long enough to know that there are many people out there who will take scriptures out of context to use as proof texts for whatever doctrine they like. I found this especially true in people with an obsession with end times theology. The truth is – The bible is the inspired word of God. There is an objective real meaning to the text in the scriptures. There was an original meaning to the original audience, and there is a more general meaning to a larger audience ie. The church. This meaning of the scriptures has not changed. God is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Heb 13:8) Therefore his word is unchanging. But with Harold Camping, the meaning of God’s word is changing on a daily basis. As “new information comes in” he modifies it, and in many cases changes the meaning or ignores the true meaning. What is so devilish about Camping is that he twists and changes the meaning of scripture to a large degree and then does it under the guise of being reverent to the Word of God.
So let’s examine some of the Depart Out doctrine that Camping has taught. It will take me time to examine this teaching. So I will do it in parts. For one thing, the numerology is without question is outside any orthodox or reasonable method of interpreting. By Mr. Camping’s standards “rule for interpretation are only found in the bible” However there is no precedent or rule that sets a model for such complex and intricate “arithmetic”. God is not concerned about his people being good mathematicians he is concerned about us being good theologians (theology = the study of God)
- Churches apostasy. There are indeed many churches that have fallen away from the pure gospel. Anyone who reads sliceoflaodicea.com will see this is true. However each individual local church stands or falls on its own merits. There are probably millions of local churches in the world. And I am sure that like Elijah’s day “there are many who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” God has his remnant. And there are still many local churches that have remained faithful to the pure preaching of the gospel and have remained faithful to pure doctrine. Camping’s assertion that ALL churches collectively are apostate is not based on any evidence. Is Camping Omni present or omniscient? Only Christ is Omni-present and omniscient and knows those churches that are faithful and not (Rev. 2-3). Furthermore since the church age began there have been apostasies in the church. Just in the NT alone there are allusions to Gnosticism, preterism, spiritualism, asceticism, modalism, and all other heresies in the church. There were divisions, people striving for power and such. Camping is basing this claim on the limited experience he has had. Not to mention that he was ousted from his church as an elder. But the church has endured 2000 years of heresies and of apostasies. Just think of how long the church was in darkness during the long reign of Romanism? But still the church triumphs. Perhaps the problem lies in Camping’s ecclesiology. He views all the local churches of the world as forming one aggregate church, “The corporate external church”
But just because a group of people meet together and call themselves a church does not mean they constitute a church. Therefore you cannot 
lump all churches together in one aggregate. For example. In Rev. 2-3, Christ admonishes each local church for areas where they need to reform. He also commends certain churches for their faithfulness. But there is a warning in Rev. 2:1-10 to the church of Ephesus that is very revealing. Vs. 8 “I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent.” The lamp stand is the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit which is empowering that local congregation. If they fail to get their priorities in order, Christ can withdraw his Spirit from the church leaving it an empty building. The people will still meet, ordinances will still be celebrated and preachers will still preach, but when the lamp stand is removed it is too late. “Ichabod” has been written over the door of the church for the glory of the Lord has departed. Clearly the church of Ephesus did fall. There no longer remains a church there today. But what is important to realize is that Ephesus was an individual local body that was an express manifestation of the church universal. When she failed to accurately represent the church universal, she was left for dead. Her failure did not reflect the other churches, because they stood or fell on their merit as well.
What the Bible really Says about the Church
Ecclesia- This is the Greek term that is used in the NT for our English word- church. The word is an interesting term. It means, Called out and gathered together. Any scholar of NT Greek will ascend on this basic definition. Based on this definition we must look at what the NT teaches us about the nature of the church. Let’s use Matt. 16:18 as our reference point. “I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” What is Christ referring to here? This same word is used also in Acts 19:41 “He dismissed ‘The Assembly’” It is the same word used throughout the NT. But in its first use by Jesus, there is a connection to the LXX usage of the word to describe “The Assembly of God’s people” in the OT. There is further indication of this in Matt. 18:17 where Jesus instructs us on church discipline, he is clearly using the LXX again and even quoting the Law: Jesus is making it very plain that just as the Nation of Israel, were God’s people, he is making it clear that the NT church is an extension of the People of God. The church is therefore built, and designed by Jesus Christ, for his purpose and his glory. Therefore Jesus being the architect of the church has a blueprint and we must follow it because it is his church not ours. Thus we have a pattern in which we ought to conduct ourselves.
The Bible’s blueprint- This is what happened in the bible as we trace the origins of the church. Acts 2:42-47 sets the blue print for what would be the church. The people of God who were called out of the world, would gather together, break bread, sit under the apostles teaching, and pray. Throughout the book of Acts the themes is that the gospel would be preached, a church planted in that city and elders established in that city. (Acts 8,13-14, 17-18, 19-20) In 1 Cor. 1:2 Paul addresses the church in this fashion- “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” For Paul the church in Corinth is “The church of God” it is the local manifestation of the universal church- “with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” As bad as church that Corinth was Paul still referred to it as “The church of God.” The bible also tells us in 1 Tim. 3:15 f “I delay; you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” Paul is exhorting Timothy on how the affairs of the church are to be conducted. In this exhortation he describes the church as 1) the household of God. Now remember what it says elsewhere- 2 Tim. 2:20-21 “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.” This is clearly teaching us two things- first the local church is the household of God, and also that in his house there are vessels of honorable purpose and dishonorable purpose. This means that in the local church there will always be true believers and unbelievers. 2) The church is the pillar and buttress of truth. God had established the church for one main purpose- to glorify himself by using the church as the vehicle and fo8undation to prop up his truth. It is through the church that the great commission is carried out and practiced. It is through the church that the truth of Jesus is Christ is proclaimed by faithful preachers and teachers. It is through the church that the truth is defended against heresy. However I will add- that when a church fails to preach the truth, they are no longer a church.
The Great Commission- We all know what the great commission is. It is in Matt. 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” According to Mr. Camping, only Family Radio is carrying this out. But lets’ examine the teachings of the Great Commission.
- Christ commands we make disciples. Notice evangelism doesn’t stop short with sharing the gospel, but continues in disci0ling the individual converts. The primary focus of the Great Commission is in discipleship. Evangelism and discipleship are inextricably bound. Where does discipleship take place? In the church which Christ builds. Discipleship is built upon the “one another” relationships that are fundamental to the church. Family Radio may brag about all the tracts they distribute, but what good is it if people are not beings disciple? Where will they be discipled? Through Family Radio? What if they do not get Family Radio?
- Baptism- It is clear that Baptism is fundamental to carrying out the Great Commission. By Camping saying this is a shadow, is to brazenly omit parts of the Great Commission. It is to subtract from God’s word.
- Instruction- Again Jesus makes it clear that part of his plan for the evangelism of the world is to teach those who embrace Christ the things that Christ has taught his disciples. In fact he idea of instructing is bound up in the word disciple. The word disciple itself means: to be a pupil or student. When we look at the original word in the Greek here it is Kateccheo, which is where we get our English word, catechism. Or catechize. It simply means to teach Biblical truth in an orderly way. This instruction is based on that which Jesus had taught them in the three years of ministry he spent displacing them. Thus the idea of discipleship begins with Jesus and is passed on successively to each generation of believers. Where does this instruction take place? In the church where God ordained elders, and teachers instruct in the word of God.
It is so clear in the book of Acts that the Great Commission was carried out with great success. As church after church was planted, God would give the increase adding new believers. And he is still doing the same today. We may live in an area where there is no sound church to be found, but that doesn’t mean God is not raisng up churches in other parts of the world where the Great Commission is still in effect. For Mr. Camping to dice up and modify the Great Commission is a clear offense of subtracting from God’s word. Family Radio has NOT substituted the church in some “third covenant”. The church is the household of God and is the building of God, and will endure forever.
Christ is glorified through the church forever- Eph. 4:11-12 “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” Because Christ is building his church, he therefore appoints and gifts men for the purpose of making us participants in the building process. The apostle Paul sees himself in this light- 1 Cor. 3:9-11 “For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The building is again- the church. And Christ is actively building his church through those who are called to be ministers, and the gates of Hell will not prevail. Satan and all his forces cannot bring the church to an end. Though many churches may fall into apostasy, Christ is raising up new churches all around the world. Though Satan may bring persecution agai8snt a church alike he did in Rome in the early church, the church will not be vanquished. Although the church may suffer through times where wolves in sheep’s disguise corrupt and mislead people, the church through Christ will be victorious. The church is Christ’s bride, and cannot be defeated. To say that Satan will take his seat in the church worldwide is to blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit. The church is not man’s work, it is Christ’s, and the gates of hell will not prevail, against it, Satan will not take his seat, nor will Christ give up on his bride. That is why in Eph. 3:20-21 it says- “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
God is glorified through the church and that will continue for all generations until Christ returns.
Let us continue to gather together. I have heard Mr. Camping faced with Hebrews 10:25 several times and in each case he is inconsistent in his interpretation. But every time he is consistent in doing major damage to the text. In Heb. 10:24-5″ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The purpose of going to church is two fold- to worship God, and to build one another up. The 2 greatest commandments are this fulfilled- Love God with all your heart mind soul and strength, and to love one another. We cannot fulfill part 2 if we are no part of the local church. We cannot pray with one another, exhort one another, reprove one another, or bear one another’s burden. There were some in the days of the early church who “were in the habit” of not meeting with the saints and this is censured by God. God wants us to be part of the assembly he is building, and glorifying himself through. The Ecclesia is the called out and gathered ones. That is the church, and we do well to be part of it. I love the church, why? Because Christ loves the church- Eph 5:25 “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” And I love the things that Christ loves.
Finally- Blaspheming the Holy Spirit- For anyone to say that every local church in the world is dead, that satan is ruling in every local church, and that the Holy Spirit is no longer operating is to blaspheme God. Matt 11:31 “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”
In the context of this verse- The Pharisees were attributing the work of Christ to Satan. Because they rejected his ministry, they rejected anything that was done by Christ as either misleading or the work of the devil. This is what Harold Camping has done. Because he has rejected the church as God’s work, he now attributes it to the work of Satan. He clearly rejects any merits to conversions in the local church, or any works of Christ in the local church, and instead says Satan is working in the churches. I am afraid Mr. Camping has committed the unpardonable sin. And anyone who would agree with him whole heartily is also guilty. IF you have even a doubt in your mind- repent and return to your fist love and perhaps you may find mercy.
Next Time- The Success of Family Radio and the apocalyptic passages.
