The world hasn’t ended. Now what?

Yesterday, the world did not end, despite the warnings and prophecies of Harold Camping.

It would be easy to say, “fool…” (he is), and disassociate ourselves from him.

But is that the best response for the believer?  A couple of thoughts on our response:

• Jesus will return, and He will return in judgment — “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matt. 25:13; cf. also 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Pt. 3:3-4, 9).  In dismissing Camping’s rantings, it’s easy to also forget this essential truth.  Christ is coming back, and it will be an infinitely wondrous day for believers, and the greatest possible catastrophe for unbelievers (and that is not a hyperbolic statement).
• Anytime someone makes these kinds of speculations, you can be sure he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, since Jesus Himself said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Mk. 13:31-32).  There’s no need to become disconcerted or distraught when such predictions are made.  Just know that if even the angels or Christ in His humanity don’t know the date of his return then no one else does either.
• We should be grieved at false prophecies like this because it hardens the unbelieving (2 Peter 3:3-4).  And their only hope is to believe in Christ, against whom they are being hardened by the foolishness of predictions like Harold Camping’s.  Consider also the reality of the coming judgment from other passages:

Acts 17:30-31 — “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Heb. 4:13 — And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

• We should be grieved at false prophecies because it has the potential to confuse believers.  Will Camping’s followers, some of whom are undoubtedly believers, become disillusioned with Christ and leave Him?  Perhaps.  We do well to pray for Camping’s confused followers.

• We study prophecy not so we can set dates, but so that we purify ourselves and preach the gospel (2 Peter 3:14-15).  This event should make us more passionate about clarifying the gospel.  The only hope for the unbelieving is to believe in Christ, and we have been given the message that they can believe in Christ (2 Cor. 5:20f).