It seems everyone in the world was either poking fun at, mocking or simply enraged by Harold Camping’s prediction of the return of Christ and the “rapture” this last week. He told everyone, and even convinced many, that Jesus would be back at 6 p.m. on Saturday the 21st of May.
Well, that time came and went. No Jesus, no judgment, no end of the world. Not even the slightest earthquake or natural catastrophe. Calls to Mr. Camping’s home the next day were not answered.
I was actually surprised at the amount of attention it got. There have been many, many people that have tried to predict the end of the world in human history, to no avail.
I do think the reactions of us all are fascinating though. Often times when a cup is shaken it reveals what’s inside. How we reacted towards this fiasco revealed some interesting things on the inside of us all. It brought out some very strong feelings in people all over the world. Most people that were believers were very upset that one person would assume to speak for them and so misrepresent their faith. Especially when in the Bible, Jesus himself tells us that no man, or woman for that matter, knows the day or hour of his return. Why would anyone ever make the claim that they knew? OUTRAGEOUS. Yet, deep down inside there was still fear of not being right with God, or perhaps being unworthy to go with Christ if he did happen to show up. Of course the younger we are the more we want to really experience life before we go to be with God, so that played in as well. What if it would have really happened?
One thing it revealed is how many of us were excited to meet Jesus. You know, I believe it will happen someday, and I’m not a nut or crazy person. I have a deep belief in God, not religion mind you. At the risk of getting preachy, and please forgive me if I come off that way, please stick with me here. The whole concept of Christ returning isn’t based on some crazy person’s predictions. It is, fact, in the Bible. Oh it may not be like those cheesy old apocalyptic films of the 70s where people’s clothes will be bunched up on the ground as they have mystically disappeared, but it will be something none of us have ever experienced before. Someday he will return and will find out how many of us human beings actually believe in him and his sacrifice on the cross. It may sound like a fairy tale to many, but Jesus did live, and the things he said and did were written down. History has been changed by this man whether we like it or not. Now what we do with this information is up to each of us individually.
I saw a lot of bitterness and hate, mockery and stereotyping come out of people that are uncomfortable with Christians. Most of it was deserving, since for some reason the people that do believe in God get represented by the self righteous extremists who scream and yell, judge others and spread hate all over. A vast majority of people that believe in God are not that way, but the squeaky wheel gets the oil, and the attention. Honestly I am disappointed by a lot of the people that claim to be Christians. Some are really nasty and unloving people. It seems like the mob rewards prejudice and bigotry in the name of Christ. Of course that’s not right, but we’ve seen it all. No wonder people who don’t run in those circles feel that way about Christians since the way they have been treated is not only un-Christian but not even called for. On the flip side there are some very wonderful loving people that believe in God and live in a way that is contagious, loving and inspiring. I’m convinced if Jesus came back today most of the church wouldn’t like him too much. He wouldn’t be religious enough for them.
There was almost a hatred and mean spirit that came from some. As if to say- “you Christians are nuts! I’m going to live my life however I want, Jesus isn’t coming back ever, so screw you!”
Let me say that if you have ever been upset with the way that you have been stereotyped and painted with the same brush, you know that it is a horrible feeling. Yet, the very same folks that stand for tolerance and not judging others, actually were intolerant and judgmental themselves. Interesting, when the shoe is on the other foot how many of us resort to the very same behavior we abhor. Just sayin’. Perhaps we all need to step back a bit and check our attitudes.
I heard comments from just about every camp, some saying they couldn’t wait till the do gooders were out of the way so that they could loot their homes, to others laying odds on how long they could live however they wanted before finally giving their heart to God and get into heaven by the skin of their teeth. I heard a desperate cry from the true genuine believers in God feeling like their faith was grossly misrepresented. The comments were all over the board.
I am in no way saying that Harold Camping’s prediction was the right thing to do, only that it revealed something about our hearts. Some went to bed Saturday night disappointed that nothing happened, some went to bed sad that their belief in eternity was mocked. Others went to bed smug and smirking because they don’t believe in a judgment anyway. One way or another we fit in some category about it all.
Can I emphasize one more time that getting into Heaven and surviving judgment it’s not about how religious we are? There will be many that make it into Heaven that never set foot in an organized church. And many people will be in hell that went to church every Sunday. Why? Because it’s not about us and our works. It’s about believing in Jesus and in the hope and message that He gives and represents. It’s about second chances and being made right with our creator and loving God. We can never be perfect enough to win entrance into Heaven, it isn’t possible. Jesus died on the cross for our inability to get right with God. He went through the torture and horrid experience and then rose again from the dead to purchase the tickets for us to get in for free. AND GET THIS– We don’t get carded at the pearly gates and asked how many sermons we heard, how much money we gave to a church or how many good deeds we did. We aren’t asked if we are gay or straight, black or white, haters or lovers, bad or good, republican or democrat, nope not any of those things. We are simply asked “Do you know Jesus Christ and believe in him?” Of course God knows the answer to that question before we answer. But you get the point. It’s not about us, it’s about HIM and the faith we have in him. We don’t deserve it, but He offers us acceptance, love and salvation anyway.
You see this puts us all on the same playing field. None of us get in because of our good looks or works. We ALL have the opportunity to believe. Setting aside all the religious rituals and actions, where are we? When it all comes down to us personally standing before God, what do we really think? How do we really live? It’s all about personal choice, something which I think, is extremely important when it comes to living life and stretching into eternity.
Since we are all still here…Have an awesome week making a difference.
Email me with your thoughts. rick@takehimwithyou.com
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