Playing the “End is Near” Fool Again

Harold Camping of Family Radio fame (“Open Forum”) is at it again! Hasn’t learned from this last failed prediction of Christ’s return – remember 1994?! Well, apparently Mr.Camping has re-done his math (literally!) and this time he is saying the end is coming on May 21 of this year. And his followers are gungho about getting the message out (hence the picture of the billboard here). This past weekend major media outlets starting carrying the story, including this one in the San Francisco Chronicle (see the link at the end of this post). Here is part of what this report said about Camping’s latest forecast:

By Camping’s understanding, the Bible was dictated by God and every word and number carries a spiritual significance. He noticed that particular numbers appeared in the Bible at the same time particular themes are discussed.

The number 5, Camping concluded, equals “atonement.” Ten is “completeness.” Seventeen means “heaven.” Camping patiently explained how he reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.

“Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D.,” he began. “Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that’s 1,978 years.”

Camping then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days – the number of days in each solar year, not to be confused with a calendar year.

Next, Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses 51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals 722,500.

Camping realized that (5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500.

Or put into words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven), squared.

“Five times 10 times 17 is telling you a story,” Camping said. “It’s the story from the time Christ made payment for your sins until you’re completely saved.

“I tell ya, I just about fell off my chair when I realized that,” Camping said.

This is, of course, all very sad. And wrong. Not only because Mr.Camping used to be a respected Bible teacher of Reformed persuasion. I used to follow his program for a while, because the man knew his Bible well and answered people who called in with straight Scripture. But then he started to drift from the organized church, from the Reformed confessions, and then from the very Word of God he purported to teach. His prediction about Christ’s return in 1994 was a case in point. That a man who seemed so humble and submissive to Scripture would resort to such predictions which flatly contradict God’s Word is beyond me. Jesus Himself stated that no man knows the day and hour of His return (Matt.24:36). The Bible Camping claims to love and follow labels him a false prophet for his false and foolish predictions.

What I do know is that Christ is coming, and coming soon. He told us so in many places (Matt.24,25; 1 Thess.5; 1 Peter; 2 Peter 3; Revelation). So let not people in the world or in the church make Camping’s prediction a reason for laughing off the Lord’s return and resting comfortably as if He will never come. There is a day of judgment drawing near and Jesus Christ will be that Judge (2 Tim.4:1; Rev.20:11ff.). To Him all will give an account (Romans 14:10-12). And Christ will render to every man according to his work (Rev.22:12). And His reward is either eternal life or eternal death (Matt.25:31-46).

That makes the truth of Jesus’ second coming very serious. Something we ought to be zealous about and speaking about, not the fools that follow the foolish Camping. Something we ought to be praying for, hoping for, living for (read 1st and 2nd Peter again!). Are we? Or have we become callous and indifferent to the end too? At the least Camping’s latest prognostication should make us get our hope right. Is it?

Biblical scholar’s date for rapture: May 21, 2011.

Remembering the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version, 1611-2011 – Links and Books

This year, May 2 to be precise, marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible. This is still my Bible of choice, though I use several versions for study and comparison. It is also the version the PRCA (Protestant Reformed Churches in America) use in her public worship and corporate life. This ought to make this year’s KJV anniversary meaningful to us. I wonder whether we will be sponsoring any special events relating to this; it certainly would be appropriate (does anyone know?!). But even if you no longer use the KJV, or are unfamiliar with it, you ought to acknowledge its anniversary and the historical, linguistic, and spiritual significance of this most popular, most printed English Bible.

As the anniversary approaches, I thought it fitting to include a new link to a website devoted to this event. You may find it under the section “Bibles and Study Info” on the right hand column of my blog. At the link you will find plenty of information about the history of the KJV. Under this section you will also find a link to the Trinitarian Bible Society. They are also commemorating the 400th anniversary with special events and publications. Check on their page from time to time for this information as well (Because the TBS has a local office here in Grand Rapids, MI, I suspect there will be some special events in this area. As I get wind of them, I will pass them on to you.).

 

In connection with this 400th anniversary several special editions of the KJV are being produced and printed. These you may also find at Christian book sites and stores. A special site which is producing and selling three facsimilie reproductions of the original 1611 KJV is “www.greatsite.com” (world’s largest dealer of rare and antique Bibles).

 

In addition, I would like to point you to a new book published last year in time for the KJV’s 400th anniversary. It is titled, The Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611-2011, and is written by Gordon Campbell (Oxford, 2010). I have included a link to the book as it is advertised on “Christianbook.com”. At this link you will also see other books listed about the history and importance of the KJV. Though I have not read or even seen a review of this book yet, I am impressed with its description. Here is a blurb published about Campbell’s book on the website:

Though it would have surprised the original translators, the King James Bible is one of the most influential literary documents, and arguably, the most important religious document in the English speaking world.

Produced during the height of Shakespeare and Donne’s careers, the King James Version of the Bible has long been revered for its eloquence and poetry, and as the most beautiful of all English translations. Now reaching its 400th anniversary, it remains a frequently used and controversial translation, especially in America a country whose religious conceptions have been shaped by the KJV since its inception.

This book, The Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611-2011 written by leading Renaissance literature authority Gordon Campbell, is a comprehensive history that tells the intriguing story of how the KJV Bible from its inception to its existence today as both a religious authority and literary masterpiece.

The story of course begins with King James himself, the commissioning of the work, the gathering of scholars who would produce it, and of course, the politics that lay behind the work of translation. The textual history of the Bible from the first edition in 1611 to the Oxford University Press edition published in 1769 and considered the modern standard, is traced and reveals a fascinating transmission process by subsequent generations who edited and interacted with the text through the 17th and 18th centuries. In the end, the editors only added fuel to controversies surrounding the KJV both in their day and our own.

The 19th and 20th century history the KJV is then presented and pays particular attention to the revision controversies in 19th century England, and the continuing impact of the Bible on the emerging American continent whose religious mind had been shaped by the KJV since its inception, and who continues to revere and read the KJV more than any nation in history. The American life of the KJV is, of course, the spring board for discussing the KJV in the modern world, and its relevance and place in a globalized society which Campbell discusses in the final chapter.

Finally, The Bible: The Story of the King James Version includes illustrations and appendices containing short biographies of the translators and a guide to the 74-page preliminaries of the 1611 edition.

Click on this link to see more info about Campbell’s book and to order it at a discount:

The Bible: The Story of the King James Version, 1611-2011: Gordon Campbell: 9780199557592: Christianbook.com.