This question is based on a current Bible program on the radio in which the speaker has predicted that Judgment Day would take place on May 21, 2011 and the end of the world would happen on October 21, 2011.
This man, Harold Camping, co-founder of Family Stations, Inc., (Family Radio) refers to an abundance of scriptures, plus some very complicated math formulas on which he makes his predictions. He forecasts these tumultuous events in a time when the world seems to be in utter chaos: earthquakes, tsunamis, release of deadly radioactive contaminants, destruction of significant amounts of food and water supply, protests, demonstrations and riot in countries that have been peaceful for many years (France, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and England) thus adding to the plausibility of the prophecy.
Added to this scenario, there is what we know as the Mayan Calendar, a pre-Columbian civilization calendar, which supposedly predicts that the end of the world will occur in 2012. “Apocalypse 2012”, a Hollywood movie, will premier April 7. You can read all of this on www.December122012.com.
You may ask if I believe this is going to happen. My answer: I do not know. When God gets ready to move, it may or may not correspond with someone’s prediction. He may pour out his wrath at a different time; he may pour it out precisely at the time predicted.
I do know this: Harold Camping predicted that Jesus would come September 6, 1994. This, amazingly, was after he had chosen the date of May 21, 1988 for the return of Christ, which should have proved him as a false prophet in the eyes of the world.
I will guarantee you this: Jesus will not come because in order to help this man save face. He will come when he is ready to come. Yet, predictions like these have the power to stir emotions and make people think. Rather than simply point out the errors in Harold Camping’s scheme, I want to take this opportunity to reinforce some scriptural teaching. There are some definite teachings that ought to make us take a thorough inventory of ourselves.
Specifically, I want to answer these questions:
- Does the Bible predict a judgment day?
- Does the Bible predict that the world will come to an end?
- How does judgment day affect us?
- What is the most important judgment day?
First, does the Bible predict a judgment day?
The Bible prophets foretold many events that took place in one day or began on a single, designated day. In some cases, it is very specific about the date.
The seven days of creation (Genesis 1)
Noah’s Flood
Genesis 7:11-12 (KJV)
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 19:24-28 (KJV)
24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Fall of Jericho
Joshua 6:20 (KJV)
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Fall of Babylon
Daniel 5:28-31 (KJV)
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Jesus spoke of a day when judgment would come for the city of Jerusalem.
Matthew 24:1-2 (KJV)
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Luke 13:34-35 (KJV)
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Does the Bible predict a day when the world will come to an end?
The Book of Revelation
Revelation 8:7-13 (KJV)
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The destruction of Mystery Babylon, the Great
Revelation 18:9-10 (KJV)
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
How does this judgment day affect us?
So, the real question is, how should all of this Bible knowledge affect us?
If I set myself up as a critic of false prophets, is that the point of all of this?
If I proclaim myself as some sort of expert in Bible prophecy, is that the point?
If we all leave here scared out of our wits, is God’s purpose being fulfilled?
There are two great reasons why we need to consider the impact that judgment day will have on us and on the world.
First, there will be a personal judgment of all persons who have been born in this world.
Hebrews 9:27 (KJV)
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There is a sense of justice that God will not violate.
There have been far too many unsolved crimes, unpunished offenders, unjust decisions in this world to escape the notice of God.
We should never think that God is “too busy” to notice what’s going on in your life. Do you think the God who made us is incapable of watching over us?
- Our heart beats around 100,00 times every day.
- Our blood is on a 60,000-mile journey.
- Our eyes can distinguish up to one million colour surfaces and take in more information than the largest telescope known to man.
- Our lungs inhale over two million litres of air every day, without even thinking.
- We give birth to 100 billion red cells every day.
- When we touch something, we send a message to our brain at 124 mph.
- We exercise at least 30 muscles when we smile.
- We are about 70 percent water.
- We make one litre of saliva a day.
This body contains from 50 to 75 trillion cells, and God knows each of them. The population of the world is under 7 billion. Yes, God knows every heart, mind, soul and spirit.
But God has not left us without recourse to confront the problems of sin and guilt. He has provided the means for us to apply his sense of justice to our own hearts before we are ever judged by him. And, the best thing you can do in this life is to judge yourself by the Word of God!
When you believe in Jesus, you activate judgment against the deceptions and illusions of this world.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
When you repent of your sins, you are performing a judgment against the personal sins of your life. You cannot bear your own sins. If you bear your own sins, you will have to answer for them before a God who will not—cannot—tolerate sin.
When you are baptized in Jesus’ Name, you are judging your sins though obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Acts 22:16 (KJV)
16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
John 3:5 (KJV)
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
The birth of water is a clear reference to baptism, and a new birth signifies the rejection of the old birth, the sinful birth contaminated with the sin of Adam.
When you receive the Holy Ghost, you are judging your sins by yielding yourself to the control of the Spirit of God and rejecting the influence of Satan over your life.
Ephesians 2:2-6 (KJV)
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
When you listen to the Word of God preached, when you look into the Word of God as a mirror, when you ingest the Word of God into your life and live by it, you are judging yourself. You are judging yourself of impurity, sinfulness and evil desires.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
This is what the Judgment Day means to every saint of God. If you come under the judgment of God in this life, you do so in the age of Grace when you still have access to salvation. The writer to the Hebrews goes on to say:
Hebrews 4:15-16 (KJV)
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
What is the most important judgment day?
Many people look forward in time toward a coming day of judgment. Many do so with fear and trepidation. Many with ignorance and confusion. Many with unbelief and disdain.
I do not look forward to that day with fear, ignorance or unbelief. Do you know why? Because I look backward in time to the greatest judgment day of all.
John 19:1-30 (KJV)
1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
At the Cross
Alas! and did my Savior bleed And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine, His soul in anguish stood.
Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
- o At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
The Cross is my judgment day! If I go there, I don’t have to fear some future judgment. People who are afraid of pain and suffering, shame and embarrassment, loss and dishonor need to kneel at the Cross.
1 John 4:17-18 (KJV)
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
The cross is beckoning you today.