Most of us in the Eugene/Springfield area have seen the Family Radio billboards advertising Harold Camping’s Judgment Day prophecy: Jesus will return on May 21, 2011 and the world will come to an end on October 21, 2011.
And it’s not just a local thing. You can see Camping’s message around not only the nation but the world.
It is always important when someone makes claims about what the Bible says, that you read the scriptures yourself, to confirm if what they are saying is true or not. On Camping’s billboard, he said, the Bible guarantees it” when referring to Judgment day on May 21st.
The Bible actually says something very different. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So if anyone tells me to “save the date” for this, I’m pretty skeptical. On top of that, Camping predicted the end of the world previously, in 1994. If you’ve set a date for the end of the world before, and it obviously didn’t happen, we are not going to take you seriously. Consider these words from Deuteronomy 18:21-22. “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”
The truth is that Judgment day is not something to fear. For if we know and love the Lord then we don’t need to worry at all about when that day will come for we know that our lives and our future are held in the hands of God. I love the words of Jesus found in John 10:27-29: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
It is in God’s love for us that we find our comfort and security. We know that one day Jesus will return, it may be during our lifetime and it may not, but it is certainly not for us to worry about. I think of the old phrase, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
Do you have questions or concerns regarding what the Bible says about your future? Are you concerned about where you stand with God?
Please feel free to join us for worship, Bible study, and/or fellowship, to discover God’s love for you, and the plan He has for your life.
Senior Pastor
Northwood Christian Church
Springfield OR 97477
541-746-2790
Sunday Morning Worship Times
8:15 am - Contemporary Worship9:45 am - Contemporary Worship 9:45 am - Sunday School for all ages
11:15 am - Traditional Worship
