Deceiving and Being Deceived

Harold Camping, founder of the Family Radio religious group, once again proved himself to be a false prophet. In 1994, he predicted the return of Christ. When his prophecy failed, he said he made a mathematical error. Recently he made another prediction: May 21, 2011. Again he failed, and atheists across the world are now celebrating and making fun of Christians and Christianity.

People who believed Camping no doubt have had their faith in God shaken. But the only faith lost should be in Camping himself because God said, “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deut. 18:22).

The actions of men who make predictions of Christ’s coming are harmful to the cause of Christ. In Camping’s case, it was especially destructive because of the extent of the publicity. In view of the teaching of the Bible regarding when Christ will come again, we have to wonder why Camping made the prediction and why anyone would follow him or even listen. When asked why his prediction failed, Camping told a reporter, "I'm looking for answers."

The Bible has the answer. Jesus said, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Mt 25:13). In view of such a clear statement we have to wonder why anyone took Camping seriously. Were Camping’s followers and supporters not aware of what Jesus said? Perhaps they were also not aware of God’s warning regarding false teachers and their responsibility to “search the scriptures” (John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 1 John 4:1) to verify what others are teaching? Or have they become like God’s people of old concerning whom Isaiah spoke: “They are always rebelling against God, always lying, always refusing to listen to the LORD's teachings. They tell the prophets to keep quiet. They say, 'Don't talk to us about what's right. Tell us what we want to hear. Let us keep our illusions'” (Isa. 30:9-10 GNB).

Preachers have a solemn responsibility to teach the truth. Some claim they are “called to preach” in some special way, and this results in many concluding that these preachers can be fully trusted. Nevertheless, the only way one can be sure a preacher is telling the truth is to study the issue himself. The fact that more than 1,000 denominations exist today attests to the fact that preachers are misinterpreting the inspired word of God.

Here is one prophecy that has indeed come to pass: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:13). Wisdom demands that we study the Bible for ourselves and not trust the predictions of any man. This latest fiasco of Camping is a good reminder to us all.