Hello Friends. Our celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, for another year is over. However, it should live on in our hearts and minds every day and not just one week out of the year. That being said though, I am going to return to the subject matter I had been posting prior to this Easter. That being Harold Camping and his end time predictions of judgement.
These questions remains.(along with others) Was he a false prophet? Or was he just a man that was misled and thus misled those that followed his predictions? And is there anything we can find out about what happened to those people that believed him, once his predictions failed to come true? What did he have to say about his predictions after none of them came true? Also, what does wheat and tares in that video mean?
In today's post however, I would like to discuss what a false prophet is, according to what the Bible says about it.
It is interesting that the term false prophets does not appear in the old testament. However, they are there when we look closely. In Jeremiah 14:14 we find this for instance:
Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
So we know that the difference between a false prophet and one that is truly sent by God, is where and by whom do we get their information from. Are they from God or not. Because if they don't line up with his word, then they are false.
God warns us in Jeremiah 23:16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
And in that same chapter, this in verse 21:I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
The Bible has much more to say about false prophets and one great place to find scriptures that speak to this, is at: What does the Bible say about false prophets? | GotQuestions.org
There you will find scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments about what they are. And along with what information is given there, the following is also stated as to how we can spot them:
"Another difference between true prophets and false prophets in the Bible is motivation. True prophets are motivated by loyalty to God above all else, whereas false prophets are motived by self-interest and a desire to be popular among the people (1 Kings 22:13–14). While Jeremiah foretold the grim truth of coming desolation upon Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4), the false prophets promised peace (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11). Naturally, the people of Judah preferred the pleasant messages of the false prophets: “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies” (Isaiah 30:10, NLT).
Often false prophets were hired for payment or spoke their messages for financial gain: “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD’s support and say, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’” (Micah 3:11; see also Nehemiah 6:12–13; Jeremiah 6:13–14; Ezekiel 13:19; 2 Peter 2:1–3)".
I think the most compelling scripture that gives us the most important reason to stay away from believing any false prophet is what Jesus said in Mathew 7:19-23:
Every tree that brength not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
In the video Wheats and Tears (Amazon.com), a man by the name of Harold Camping made three predictions about judgement day (Christ's return to earth) that did not come true. Can it be said that he was a false prophet? Do any of the scriptures above allude to that, or was he just someone that was mislead and really believed what he was predicting?
It would seem that yes, he could be called a false prophet. Because what he predicted, not once or twice but three times-certainly did not come true. He took his own view point, and ran with it, and it did not come from the mouth of God.
It is said that he made millions of dollars, toting his end of world predictions. CNN was one such report on May 19, 2011: (see: May 21 End of the World: Harold Camping's $72M business - May. 19, 2011) If you don't always trust CNN, there are other reports as well. 90 year Old Harold Camping spends 3 million dollars to ruin families and mock Jesus and False Prophet Harold Camping made Millions on Doomsday Scam are a few. And as we know, the internet is the internet and we can't always trust it. So I have to say to you this: Believe what you will about what the news says. But always believe what the Bible says, because when all else fails, the word of God will keep us safe from the wolves that are out there.
At the center of it all, Camping's organization, Family Radio, is perfectly happy to take your money -- and in fact, received $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009. Camping founded Family Radio, a nonprofit Christian radio network based in Oakland, Calif. with about 65 stations across the country, in 1958.Doomsday minister Harold Camping dead at 92
So how much money did Camping generate for himself out of all of those millions of dollars?
I have to admit, I have not found an answer to that particular question yet. However, if his radio program brought in that much money, it would seem that he may have acquired a good chunk of it.
And if so, it would also be true that he was probably in the business of predicting lies instead of the truth, for personal gain. But he did seem convinced about his predictions and he was able to lead people to the same conclusions. Who really was Harold Camping?
Was this end time fallacy the only thing that pointed to him being a false prophet or did he have other teachings that were false as well?
That is tomorrows question where we will find out just what he did believe. In the mean time, you may want to find out more about his talk radio program here: Harold Camping - Wikipedi
Thanks for coming today, Friends. Have a blessed day
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