Quote from Forum Archives on May 18, 2011, 12:25 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
Welcome to the 7499 new subscribers since January 1, 2011!!
There were 4010 new subscribers during 2010!!

05.18.11

The Sky is Falling!

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My
Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the
Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so
also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the
field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at
the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do
not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of
the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched
and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. - Matthew
24:36-44.

Most of us heard the story of Chicken Little, or Henny Penny when we were
children. An acorn fell on the little chicken, and he then believes the sky
is falling. Of course, the sky was not really falling; but still, in some
stories the chicken is able to gain some followers as he goes to tell the
king. Sometimes the sky does fall, as in things fall out of the sky like an
acorn, or a plane, or a meteorite, and even satellites sometimes. However,
that does not necessarily mean that the end of all things is near.

By now many of you have heard of Harold Camping, the owner of a network of
radio stations known as "Family Radio (Family Stations Inc)." Harold has
been proclaiming loudly in his own way that the sky is falling. According to
Camping, the sky will fall, the world will end as we know it on May 21st. He
actually paid for a full page ad in USA Today, and on billboards across the
country, to make known his prediction. Much like Chicken Little, Camping has
picked up some followers along the way. One of Camping's followers is
60-year-old retired New York subway worker, Robert Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick
has used his life savings of $140,000 to spread the word about the impending
end of the world as we know it event on May 21st.

Reportedly, Camping's prediction is based on Biblical dates and
calculations. This includes the exact date of the flood during the time of
Noah, and the exact date of the crucifixion. 2 Peter 3:8 is also involved
which states, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." The
number of days from the crucifixion until May 21, 2011 results in the exact
number of 722,500. Camping then has somehow determined that the numbers 5 x
10 x 17 x 5 10 x 17 = 722,500, and that each of those numbers have a
specific meaning. Camping believes that the meaning of those numbers along
with the time indicates the world ends on May 21, 2011.

Immediately, you can see some problems with Camping's method of prediction.
First, no one knows the exact date of the flood, or even the exact date of
the crucifixion although that may be more closely calculated within a few
years (There is still much debate about the year of the crucifixion.).
Second, is the subjective nature of determining numbers to be multiplied
equaling 722,500. The bigger problems for believers are that Camping's
prediction directly contradicts two statements of our Lord Jesus. Jesus says
in Matthew 24:37, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, but My Father only." Jesus also says this in Matthew
24:44, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect."

While I do not personally believe that Camping's prediction is correct, I do
believe that there is nothing Biblically preventing the return of Jesus (the
rapture) at any time. The more important question for all believers is this:
If Jesus were to return today, or May 21st, or 20 years from now - will we
be ready?

Here are some other devotionals that I have written about the rapture and
the end times, which you can easily find at the Burning Bush website:

Until Jesus Returns 02.28.11
Is Now the Time 03.18.09
Imposters 03.06.09
Overcharged 03.02.09
Deceivers 03.20.07
Are You Ready? 08.16.06
What If? 08.15.06
The Shock of Your Life 07.28.06
The End is Coming 07.25.02

Copyright © 2011. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the
devotionals on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush
website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began
writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first
devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison
facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

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