What is behind the popularity of Harold Camping?

Posted on May 20, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

Harold Camping and May 21

As many people know, Harold Camping has predicted that the rapture will happen on May 21. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that I will be writing a post the morning of May 22 thanking God for another day.

My purpose here is not to catalog a list of reasons why Mr. Camping is wrong. Others better qualified than I have done this. Many blogs and web sites have pointed out the errors in Mr. Camping’s methodology and Biblical interpretation.

Nor is my purpose here to catalog the teaching of Scripture on the Rapture. Again, others with greater ability have done this well. I can contribute little to the discussion.

My purpose here is to ask several questions which come to mind as I reflect on this prediction. I welcome your thoughts in response to these questions:

What is the driving force behind date setting?
Second, why are so many people believing this?
Is Camping providing an illegitimate satisfaction of a legitimate need?

What is the driving force?

Why is it that people feel the need to predict prophetic events? What is it in humans that causes us to crave this type of knowledge?

The thought strikes me that this goes back to the very first sin. In the Garden, we attempted to seize control of our own destiny, chosing to disobey in an attempt to become like God. In our fallen state, we desire knowledge that is reserved for God.

Pride plays a large role in this. Jesus tells us that no man knows the hour, it seems to me that it takes a large measure of pride to go against this statement and set a date.

The opposite of this is trust in God. This is the lesson of manna, a lesson that I find necessary to relearn often. If I am living in fellowship with God, if I am living in dependence upon him, if I am living as if Jesus can return at any moment, then I do not have to know when he will return. If I do these things, I will be ready.

Why are many so easily led astray?

Some are led astray because they want to have the inside track, they want the knowledge that will get them ahead of the people around them. Again, I would point to pride. If I have knowledge that others do not have, I can feel superior to them.

Another factor is the lack of Biblical teaching emanating from many pulpits in America. If the entire Bible was taught and pastors took seriously the call of God to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12), then there would be fewer people duped by false teachers.

Is there a legitimate need behind this?

I think that there is a legitimate need behind this phenomenon. That need is to be certain of our standing before God. The good news is that we can be assured of good standing with God without setting dates or other false assurances.

Romans 10:9-13 tells us that everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. Jesus himself tells us that he is the way to God (John 14:6). Through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we can be assured of our standing with God.

As a result, we don’t need date-setters or others who promise secret knowledge. We only need Jesus.

Last Thought

Jesus promised to prepare a place for us (John 14:2-3). When the time is right, he will return to take us there. I trust him to know the proper time – whenever it happens, it will be fantastic.

Four Lessons From the Resurrection

Posted on April 24, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

The four lessons

It is Easter Sunday 2011, the day which commemorates the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. I insert the adjective “bodily” to distinguish myself from those who would understand the resurrection story to be nothing more than a metaphor for renewal and hope.

In 1 Corinthians 15:14, the Apostle Paul tells us that without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” The Apostle tells us in Romans 1:4 that the resurrection of Jesus is a powerful declaration that Jesus is the Son of God. Belief in the resurrection is foundational to historic Christianity. If you do away with the resurrection, we have nothing to believe.

The question is, what difference does the resurrection make in my life? How can an event that happened close to 2000 years ago affect me? Does it really make a difference?

The answer is yes, it does make a difference and I am writing this post to remind myself and my readers of some ways that resurrection should change our minds and attitudes. Here are four applications that I would like to explore in this post:

Despair is never an option
Sin can be overcome
Renewal is available
The grave is not our final destination

Despair is never an option

I am grateful that Tony Campolo brought attention to a sermon entitled, “It’s Friday but Sunday’s Coming” by African American preacher S. M. Lockridge. The point is that no matter how bleak it looked on that first Good Friday, the events of the following Sunday made all the difference in the disciples’ outlook.

The resurrection demonstrates to me that no matter how bad things might look right now, God has the power to change me and/or change my circumstances. God remains in control and as I look to him, I can be assured that he will arrange the outcome according to his plan. Paul tells us this in Romans 8:28, but a few verses later in that chapter (Romans 8:38-39), he assures us of God’s love for us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of God’s power and love, I should never despair.

Sin can be overcome

One of the best short descriptions of what Jesus accomplished on the cross is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus took our sin and gave us his righteousness. The resurrection proves that Jesus has the power to accomplish this. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17 that “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” The converse is that if Jesus has been raised then we can be freed from our sin.

Ultimately, sin will be overcome when Jesus returns, but until then sin is being overcome in believers. God is working.

I should never think that there is any sin that the cross and resurrection cannot overcome.

Renewal is available

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 tells us that “in Christ shall all be made alive.” Not only can our sins be removed, we can be renewed in our thinking and in our behavior if we are in Christ. The resurrection demonstrates the power of God to bring renewal. In Christ, I have the power available to become what God has intended me to be.

I should always remember this and be doggedly, unrelentingly, seeking from God this renewal.

The grave is not our final destination

In John 14:1-3, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to prepare a place for them and that “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” This is true for all believers.

The resurrection proves that Jesus has the power to live up to this claim. He will come and take us to himself and we will dwell with him.

I should always live with the knowledge that this life is not all there is and that any struggles now will be forgotten in the glory that is to come.

What lessons have you learned?

My Response to a Rob Bell interview

Posted on March 18, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 8 Comments

A friend asked me to comment on an interview with Rob Bell that can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vg-qgmJ7nzA. I thought that I would post my response here with some minor edits. These points were stream of consciousness and not in any logical order:

I believe Rob Bell is genuinely trying to be helpful to people
I believe that Rob Bell unnecessarily muddies the theological water and causes confusion.
Everything I know about Rob Bell, I’ve learned from the few web clips I’ve seen in the last week or so. I would say that he is one who cares for people, is concerned about ministering to them and doesn’t want to offend (these are all positives). However, every strength used to excess becomes a weakness. To avoid confrontation when it is required, is no longer a positive. I want a doctor to care about me deeply, but I also want him to give me an accurate diagnosis and treatment regimen. He has to tell me the bad news for me to get better. This, I think is where Rob Bell fails, he doesn’t want to give the bad news for which we know The Cure.
Jesus talked about eternal punishment – “Woe to you Chorazin . . . Tyre & Sidon would have repented, etc.”
Luke 16 shows Jesus’ view about eternal blessing / punishment – Story of the rich man and Lazarus – Jesus thought eternal punishment is a real possibility
Paul tells us in Romans 1 that the problem is not the lack of truth but the suppression of it. I heard a thought attributed to C. S. Lewis that may be helpful: In the end there are two categories of people, those who say to God “Thy will be done” and those to whom God says, “thy will be done.” I believe that there will be no-one who stands before the judgment seat of Christ who will be able to say, “you didn’t give me enough data on which to choose.”
I think we should keep Mark 9:40 in mind “For the one who is not against us is for us” before we throw Rob Bell under the bus. We need to clearly teach what Scripture says about Heaven and Hell, pointing out where Rob deviates from Scripture, being careful not foment a personal attack on Rob Bell or apply labels to him.
How do you attribute justice to God if there is no Hell? Do we really want to believe that Hitler, Stalin, Nero and Pol Pot are in Heaven given the lack of evidence that they ever repented? Choice always implies a consequence. Romans 1 tells us that at some point, God just lets people go in the direction that they want to go. Do we really think that people will shake their fist in the face of God in this life and then repent in the next?
I’m OK with the idea that there will be surprises about who is in Heaven when we get there. The church has been too cavalier with applying litmus tests to faith over the years. I don’t know if you remember the “Lordship Salvation” discussion a while back. Some argued that you are not truly saved unless you acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of your life. Others argued that one could be saved and then move toward understanding that Jesus is Lord. Much of the discussion was theological nit picking and navel contemplation. We argue over the fine points of theology while people who don’t believe are dying without Jesus. So while I am frustrated by Rob Bell’s waffling on eternal punishment, I have to applaud his desire and efforts to bring people into the Kingdom of God.
Rob Bell is accountable to God for what he teaches. Are there people who will go to Hell because they have false security as a result of Rob’s teaching? Perhaps, but I should be far more concerned about whether or not I’ve made the most of the opportunities God has given me. I have failed often and need to be tolerant of the failures of others.

Am I off base on any of this? Please feel free to comment below.

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