October 21?

What does it take for heresy to die?

Most know by now of Harold Camping and his prediction that Judgment Day was coming on May 21
and would continue until October 21. You may be also familiar with his teaching that God has judged the organized church and unless someone comes out of organized churches he cannot be saved. You would think that the fact that Christ did not come back on May 21 (Camping and those who believe his teachings, were not raptured as he predicted with the strongest confidence), Camping would admit his error, be discredited as a false prophet, withdraw from being a teacher on Family Radio, and people would stop listening to him. However, none of this is so. Camping did not admit his error as those of us who listened to his Open Forum on May 22, were to find out. Camping insisted that his dates and proofs were correct and that God just had not given him the full implications of what May 21 meant. Camping now insists that God did judge the world on May 21 but that it was a spiritual coming not a literal one. Camping also stated that the Holy Spirit has been removed from the earth and no one can now be saved that was not already saved. On October 21, he says, God will visit
the earth in final judgment, completely destroying it while rapturing out true believers. The saved will go to heaven while the unsaved will be simply annihilated (Camping does not believe in a literal hell).

As I have thought on these things, the question has arisen, why have I spent so much time thinking about someone whose prophesies have been disproven over and over again by time (Camping has predicted some 7 or 8 dates for the coming of Christ)? October 22 will come and again, Camping will face the embarrassment of having to explain how the end of the world has not occurred. Time will take care of this heresy, right? Perhaps so, in the eyes of most people, but if history repeats itself, Camping will have some explanation. His heretical teaching will continue. People will continue to be deceived.

What really hurts many of us is that a once sound Gospel ministry (Family Radio) has been taken over to propagate false doctrines. How did this happen and what are we to do to keep ourselves from ending up the same?

Indeed, there are many false preachers in the world today. Many are spreading false teaching without falling under the same scrutiny as Camping, whose nationwide billboard campaign declaring the end of the world caught the eye of the media in a big way. However, these other false teachers are just as dangerous. Many started out, as did Camping, in straight mainline Christian churches having orthodox doctrines, yet now make claims as outrageous as  those of Camping.  They function by and large without much public scrutiny. Others soft sell their heretical views pulling people in with
promises of a better life here and now appearing to be in agreement with mainline Conservative Christianity but seldom, if ever do they present a clear Gospel message. Believers in Christ need to be ever on guard to spot false teachings and warn of their dangers.

To spot the counterfeit, we must be thoroughly familiar with the truth. That is why I have made no sustained effort to refute Camping’s teaching here. We need to know the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ and proclaim it. 1 John 4:1-6 tells us to test the spirits to determine the truth in them. In this passage we are warned to consider what teachers say about Jesus, Scripture and the Gospel. Those who have fallen under the spell of false teachers have not considered what they are saying about Jesus Christ. They ignore the fact that false teachers do not proclaim that Jesus is  truly God, the
Son, but rather they call Him a son, or a god. In addition, false teachers water it down the Gospel, adding works to it, or even failing to mention it at all. When they exalt the Scriptures they only give lip service as they put their own interpretations over the truths found in God’s Word alone.

Let the reader search the Scriptures thoroughly considering those to whom he ought to listen.

[ Blogger’s
note: Read the companion blog: Test The Spirits]

Test The Spirits

[Blogger's note: As you read down the blog page newer blogs appear at the top and so on. I
submitted these latest two blogs so they will be read in the right order if you
read down the page. In other words, the blog titled “October 21?” ought to be
read first. These two have been written together, but “Test The Spirits” should
be read second.]

What does it mean in 1 John 4: 1-6 to test the spirits? These are dangerous times theologically. This is so evident as we witness the debacle Harold Camping (but also so many others) has caused. While sounding so knowledgeable or performing signs and wonders or being attractive in other ways, many teachers have left sound teaching and are teaching the doctrine of demons (1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;). Any teacher promotes either true doctrine supported by the Word of God or false doctrine which is initiated by demons. There is no middle ground. We are told to test the teachers by testing their teachings which demonstrate the true spirit within them. Unfortunately, false teachers are not always forthcoming with what they believe. Some slip false ideas in the middle of otherwise non objectionable content. John gives us some things to look for by as we examine the doctrines of those who would teach us.

 I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 5 They are
of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

The first test we see from this passage is a question. “What is being said about Jesus Christ?” Does this teacher teach that Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity? If a teacher is wrong or unclear on who Jesus is, he will be wrong or unclear on virtually everything else that is important. The doctrine of who Jesus is, lies at the heart of the Gospel. Only the Jesus of the Bible, God the
Son, could die for our sins, any other Jesus falls short. Any teaching that claims Jesus is a god (with the emphasis that we can be gods too), or a man on a higher spiritual plane, or an angel is teaching a lie. Camping’s teaching on this are, at best, unclear. He seems to be teaching that Jesus is God the Son but then makes statement that seem to indicate Jesus is a mode of God. In Revelation 7, according to Camping the archangel Michael is Jesus. So, is Jesus the Son of God, a mode of God or an angel?  Camping  is unclear. At best, he muddies the waters. At worst, he denies that Jesus is God, the Son. This ought to have been a clear warning bell to any who would follow his teachings.

The second test to give any teacher is what do they say about the Word of God? 1 John 4:6 clearly
warns against those who differ from the teachings of the apostles. Those who add to the Bible are false teachers. While adding openly by proclaiming new revelation or covertly by maintaining that they have the exclusive ability to explain it, they add to Scripture undermining its authority. Camping has done just that. While stating he only looks to the Bible to prove his statements he spiritualizes a lot of text that is meant to be taken literally, leaning heavily on allegory and supports his views through his system of biblical numerology to promote his views. While it is evident that numbers in the Bible often have special significance, to base one’s theology on a system that nowhere is supported in Scripture puts one on very shaky ground, and then to continue to lean on this extrabiblical support of his views in spite of the the fact that his system caused him to repeatledly make false predictions (7+ different times for the comimng of Christ), is a travesty. Warning bell number two.

The third test of a false teacher is "what do they say about the Gospel? The Spirit of Truth,  speaks the Truth and that is the Truth of the Gospel. False teachers are those who deny that we can come to Christ by faith alone in what he did for us at the cross. Some add works to the Gospel. Some say he saves by grace, but we must keep it. Some confuse the issue telling us that Jesus did not purchase our pardon at Calvary, but in hell where he suffered at the hand of the devil. Camping teaches that Jesus paid for our sins in some mystical way before Creation and that Calvary was just a demonstration of what He did in eternity past. In addition, he denies that just anyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved, but states we are saved only if God so chooses. His tract entitled, “I
Hope I Will Be Saved” urges that any one desiring to be saved to “beg, beseech and to plead” and if God plans to save you he will do it in His time. A person, according to Camping, waits on the Lord carefully and prayerfully, reading the Bible. The fact that this tract has been pulled from Family Radio’s website demonstrates further how Camping limits the Gospel by denying that anyone can now be saved since God has judged the world on May 21. Camping  has thus destroyed the message of the Gospel that states thatwhosover, shall call, shall be saved.” In addition, Camping now closes
the Gospel’s invitation despite God’s clear indication that any time we have before He comes is because He is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance (2Peter3:9). Warning bell number three.

The events of recent days shows us what happens when we do not test the spirits. This blog is not an attempt to attack anyone, however Camping has repeatedly attacked the Church, the Bride of Christ. He has also done much damage to the Gospel message. The message of the Cross must remain clear. Those who claim to preach the Truth must stand the scrutiny of that Truth. I do not doubt that Camping is a sincere man, but his teachings do not hold up to the test of Scripture. We are to watch out for false teachers no matter what form they take. We need to continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

May 22

May 22^ndis right around the corner. I am waiting. Not so I can gloat and say, “I told you so” to all those who are trusting in Harold Camping’s prophecies, but to pick up the pieces. Our focus ought not to be on of who was right and who was wrong, but rather on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son because it is His desire that none “should perish, but that all should come to repentance                (2 Peter 2:9).” We ought to seek how we can help those who have been swayed by Camping’s false doctrines to find significance of the true Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Camping’s date is not the most important issue here. It will come and go, and I do not have to claim any special unction from God to say so. However, the damage that has been done to the local church and the preaching of the Gospel will continue long after May 22, as long as people adhere to Camping’s teachings. The fact that Camping has set seven previous dates for Christ’s return and has been wrong seven times, has not deterred his followers. If Camping holds true to form to what he has done before, he will simply regroup and eventually we will hear of a new date he has set. Consequently, the damage he has done will in all likelihood continue.

We need to not gloat at this man’s failure, but rather point out the truth of the Gospel that “Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord, shall be saved (Romans 10 :13)”. Camping’s gospel is uncertain for he says you may call but God may or may not save you. The Bible clearly says “Whosever.” We need to continue to spread this truth and not add to it. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).” One can ask, “But how do I know if God has chosen me to be saved?” The answer is that He has chosen the “whosoevers” of this world that will come to Him. One can have this certainty. There is salvation in Christ to any that will come.

False teachers will come and go, but the Gospel is here to stay until Jesus comes. The Church--the Body of Christ remains and needs to continue to proclaim this message, "But as many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." The question to all is are you a "whosoever" who will receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If so, then come unto Him and God has promised to do the rest. This is the Gospel we must preach if we are to reach a lost and dying world.

But, what about those who have followed the false teachings of Camping? They mostly are sincere
in their beliefs. Many have put life on hold expected that they will not be here after May 21. Some have sacrificed life savings, family relationships and their futures because of their beliefs. Many will wake up on May 22 disappointed, disillusioned and destitute. How do we convince them that it was
not God that let them down, but rather a false teacher when they have already exchanged the truth of God for this lie? How do we convince them that they can be reconciled to the Body of Christ through the Blood of Christ?

Indeed, May 22 will not be the time to say, “I told you so.” It will not be the time for gloating that we were right and they were wrong, while it will be clear that once again Camping has shown himself a false prophet. It will be the time to show Christ’s love that is expressed so clearly in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We must reach out in God’s love helping as we can, sharing this truth, that it is not that we are saved by convincing God by repenting long enough and hard enough (as Camping teaches) but that God simply wants us to receive His Son into our lives. God does the rest.

What Went Wrong?

During my high school and college years I felt it was a privilege whenever I was able to listen to Family Radio. The programming of Family Radio was sound—good Christian music, Bible reading and sound biblical teaching. Living in the Catskills, we could not get the programming but had to wait until we were visiting friends or relatives in the New York City area. Listening to Family Radio was a real treat. When I went away to college and then served as a home missionary I was in an area where I could get Family radio all the time. I was encouraged in my walk for Jesus Christ. 

Lately, however, the ministry of Family Radio has changed. Its president, director, CEO or whatever title he goes by, has taken over most of the teaching ministry and promoting his own peculiar endtime views. He denounces the organized church, and has set May 21, 2011 as the date for
Christ’s return. Apologetic Index, an encyclopedia listing cults and cultish ideas, now lists Camping and Family Radio as a cult. So what went wrong? How did a ministry that for so long was a champion of the Gospel come to the point that it is now recognized as a cult?

Before we look to answer that question let’s look at the issue whether Camping’s teaching constitute a cult. This we can do by considering what makes something a cult and not simply unorthodox teaching still within the realms of true Christian faith. But first we must consider that the core of
true Christian faith is the Gospel which is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ                   (I Corinthians 15:1-5). The core teaching of the Gospel is that  all men are sinners and that Jesus, Who is God the Son, died for our sins and that believing this and accepting this by faith, we can be saved. What marks groups as cults is that they usually teach another Jesus, Another way to God,
and another revelation other than the Bible.

Another Jesus. Camping’s Jesus is not the Jesus that is taught about in the Bible, where He is presented to be God, the Son. Camping sated in a debate that Jesus is a mode of God. In addition, Camping states that Jesus is, in fact, the archangel Michael (The End Of The Church Age…And After, p.56). A mode of God cannot save. An archangel cannot save. Only God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity could pour out His Blood for us. Only the Jesus of the Bible can save.

Another way to God. While Camping proclaims, it is only through faith in Jesus that one can be saved, note that he also proclaims that only those that God chooses to give the gift of faith to believe
are truly saved. If a person wants salvation, all he can do is to repent, pray and hope that if he repents long enough and shows God his sincerity that perhaps God will choose to give him the faith that enables him to believes with “all his heart, soul and mind.” With this teaching, Camping cuts out the heart of the Gospel that teaches “whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved” (Romans 10:13) and replaces it with a hope so/ works religion.

Another revelation. Camping supports his interpretation of the Bible with his belief that this has been given to him by the Holy Spirit and that those who do not agree with his interpretations do not
agree do not have the Holy Spirit and therefore are not truly saved. In other words one must not just believe the Bible, but Camping’s interpretation of the  Bible. That these interpretations are an entirely new revelation is clear. Only those who withdraw from organized churches and follow his teachings are saved. This is clearly apostate teaching.

It is clear then that Harold Camping’s Family Radio is a cult, but how did it get to be so? Back to the question, “What went wrong?”

There is much that cannot be known as I sit here at this computer. However, we can deduce from known facts certain things about the man and his organization. Camping was a wealthy businessman before getting involved in the Christian Radio ministry that has become family Radio. Camping did not start the ministry, but gained virtually absolute control over it. In the beginning, he had the support of many Godly preachers and ministries. The fact that this ministry has been so solid in the past, but now is so corrupt of the Gospel is mindboggling. It also explains why so many believers that have been  blessed by Family Radio over the years, have been reluctant to draw away, despite
Camping’s heretical teachings. By hosting solid Gospel programs and associating with solid Gospel teachers, Camping somehow became identified as one of them.

But how did things get so? One writer has pointed out that it is dangerous to put too much power over a Christian ministry in the hands of one man. The point made is that there needs to be accountability. In Christian ministry we must always be testing of the spirits. When someone comes with money and a plan we must consider what they are all about. By the time they reveal themselves to be false prophets, the ministry could be so dependent on them that it is nearly impossible to back out from under their control.

But how did Camping get to where he is in his beliefs? The answer to this we probably never know. What has been reported is that he was a member of a Dutch Reformed Church that removed him from membership when he began expounding his heretical views. Clearly, Camping does not respect
spiritual authority of those God has placed as leaders over us. When his church denounced him, he then, since has denounced his church (and all organized churches).

I have not meant this blog to simply a denouncement of Camping and Family Radio. But time itself has a way of doing that. May 21 will come and go and Camping will face the same questions he faced in 1994 after the first date he had set for the end of the world did not come to pass. If history repeats itself, he will probably set a new date without admitting he was wrong. So how do we as
true believers in Christ seek from going so wrong that the true Gospel of Christ is unrecognizable in the Gospel we teach?

First, we must adhere to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Camping insists the Holy Spirit has revealed his teachings to him. But we must test the spirits. Any spirit that denies that Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity is not of God and ought not to be listened to. Any spirit that denies
the simple Gospel is not of God must be avoided.

Second, we must adhere to sound biblical study. Camping bases much of his ideas on an allegorical interpretation rather than a literal interpretation of Scripture. In addition he takes the unbiblical tradition of Numerology to support his positions. In this, he can make the Bible say whatever he wants it to say while supporting this with the belief that the Holy Spirit is directing him. The Bible is clear in what it says. We don’t need to resort to unsound methods of study to get new meanings.

Third, we must respect spiritual authority. Who has God used to teach us in the past? What do they say? It’s not that they cannot be wrong but we must seriously consider what they say. We must not ever get to the point that we are unteachable—for that is spiritual pride.

Justice Or Vengeance?

I guess it’s about time I weigh in on what everybody is talking about. The recent demise of a well-known terrorist leader has brought dancing in the streets in some quarters while others are questioning whether we should be rejoicing at the taking of human lives.

What I am referring to is the recent raid on a terrorist stronghold in Pakistan resulting in the death of the terrorist leader hunted by our government since 2001. Here a man who was responsible for the death of thousands was finally located and justice was done according to most sources. I’m not questioning the facts as they have been given to us, I’ll leave that to the news commentators. What concerns me are the divisions beginning to arise in the Body of Christ as we react to this news. Some of us rejoice that this wicked person has been sent to Hell. Some of us are not sure that the taking of human life is ever justified. Then there are those of us who are simply happy that a person who has continuously plotted against U.S. citizens has been stopped.

The question that is brought to my mind is, whether this was an act of justice or vengeance. Indeed is there a separation between the two or is justice just another way of expressing vengeance? The answer to this is found in the idea of law. Man has agreed for the most part to be governed by law. Law is established that sets just punishments for the violation of each point of the law. Without this, societal living breaks down into chaos. If we are to function as a society, we must have law. While terrorists do not respect the laws of our country, they do subject themselves to them to it when they attack our citizens. Without this assumption, our nation cannot effectively operate alongside
other nations in the world.

However, there are those Christians who point out that this is the age of Grace, not Law, and as such we should not seek vengeance, especially not death, for those who do us harm. The problem of this point of view is that it does not take an accurate consideration of what Grace is. Grace is when God gives us forgiveness for our wrongdoings on the basis of the blood shed on the Cross by Jesus to satisfy God’s demands of a holy and just God. We who have accepted this Grace are then forgiven by Grace and have been given the power to live by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-10). Law has none effect for the believer in this: we will not enter the condemnation of the Law because we will not come in conflict with the law Galatians 5: 22 ff), because when we live by Grace we will obey the law. However, it is when we do not live by Grace, but rather by our old flesh that we violate the laws of God and man and are subject to the consequences.

Civil law has been given to govern the lives of men. While God forgives the penitent sinner, there is still the law of man to reckon with. Without such law man cannot be governed. Is it just to require a killer to pay for that crime with his own life? The Bible says so. In fact, the death penalty was to be given in more cases than murder alone. Why should we expect the rules to have changed since
Old Testament times? Consider the thief on the cross next to Jesus who repented and was promised Paradise. This man was forgiven by God but still had to pay the penalty exacted by the laws of men.

We must not confuse Grace with leniency. Our sins are forgiven but at a great great cost—the death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God, since He is a just God, cannot excuse sin. Those who are saved are so because we are identified with Christ Who died on our behalf. To excuse the sins of men is to cheapen our estimation of what Jesus did for us.

 And so we are asked, “Are men today under Law or Grace? But before you answer that one, consider this: No one is under Grace unless he chooses grace by accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Without Grace we are subject to the Law. Unbelievers refuse Grace, therefore are not living by grace. Believers who violate the laws of man are not living by grace either. As a result, those
violating man’s law, believers and non-believers alike are are subject to that law.

What about the taking of human life? In this, let’s appeal to the rules of fairness. Is it fair to expect that a man who takes a human life should forfeit his own? Is it fair to expect that a person who is defending himself, his family or his country cannot use deadly force. How can we as Christians oppose laws based on the ideas of fairness that have been implanted in every man?

So in conclusion, concerning the issue at hand, I cannot rejoice that another sinner has entered Hell, in fact that grieves me. I however, can rejoice if justice of the law has been done, for it is this justice that enables us to have order in this world.