We, as believers in Jesus Christ, do not rejoice that Harold Camping has been proven wrong, once again.
As many have rejoiced over this fact, this may seem a strange statement indeed, but let me explain:
Every day, there are programs on TBN and other alleged Christian stations that put forth another gospel; we do not rejoice at the fact that there are millions, perhaps even more, who follow these false gospels and are of those who heap up to themselves teachers who give them what they want to hear1, which is damnation offered as salvation.
The name of our God and Lord is ridiculed by the myriads of false teachers and others who provide fodder for the already foolish humanistic materialists to spit on the sacred name of our Lord, and this is not cause to rejoice, except in the fact that He prophesied such would be the case, as did the prophets and apostles. That our time here comes nearer to the end with each proponent of a different gospel, with all proponents of such growing exponentially, is a cause to have joy, for our being with our Lord in glory is that much closer; that there are those who profane that blessed name and hope by which we are saved never is, and never should be.
It is the message of the cross that we hold up to the numberless multitudes that should be either folly or salvation to them2, as it has always been, not the message of the false gospels, and certainly not the agreement that because these are foolish to the world at large, Christianity (for so the world consider all such under one umbrella) is foolishness.
Agreement with the world in this manner is to deny the glorious truth of God, and shoot this truth in the foot, advertising, by such agreement, a position we share with the world, for while we have one focus on the only truth, this is not the focus of such agreement with the world, though the messages themselves be false. Though proving that it is the last hour, of which we acknowledge the terminus is only in the Father’s knowledge and authority, we cannot agree with the world in it’s mass derision and hateful spite against even these false representations of Christianity, but as occasion allows, use such to point out the truth of God regarding men, Himself, and His Son as the only way of salvation, to those He graciously gives to hear with ears that are enabled of Him to do so3.
To point at what is false and agree with the world that such is crazy is doing just what the Lord would not have us to do; that is, agree with the world on any point of what passes as even false Christianity being subject to the ridicule of those who are under judgment already by He who is the only righteous Judge; in essence, this is giving those who do not believe license to call all among Christianity, and our Lord Jesus Christ, false4. This gives credence to the accusation that there is no unity within the church, and the holiness of God we should be living, by faith, is put aside by those who look for disharmony, in-fighting, and the lack of all things pertaining to God which exist in not only these false churches, but among the local congregations which show forth that which is true of the body of Christ; in other words, the world sees us as being like itself. Where such accusations are false, this is a glory and an honor; where they are true, we hold up a mirror that shows the world “they are no different that we are.”
Rather, such false teachings are to be met head on with a proclamation of the true gospel, which already is the smell of death unto death to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, the smell of life unto life, and it is only God who is sufficient for these things5 – the triune God of the Christian Scriptures, properly understood by His Spirit in union with the nature He caused to be regenerate in each of those who are truly His.
To judge those things that are false in the same vein as the world judges them is to join the world in ridiculing our Lord by their standards6, instead of subjecting them to the standard that only He provides as a proper means of judgment, which is His gospel.
Let us meet the false gospels head on, and refute them, with humility towards those who speak such, and those who accept such, and fear that we may fail to faithfully represent our God as His children and servants7, instead of joining in with that world we are not to be a part of in poking fun (or worse) at these false teachers, prophets, and those who follow them.
To we who have received grace undeserved, let us extend the gospel, that those who are intended of our Lord may hear it, and come out from among those false systems wrongly represented as Christianity. This is not a call to an ecumenical unity which is false, but the continued invitation to “come out from among them, and be holy, and touch not the unclean thing,” whereby our true adoption and inheritance in Christ is shown by His glory through the gracious faith which saved us8.
Anything else is using the world’s standards to judge the false teachers and their messages of death, and we are not to do such.
To God's glory alone - Bill Hier
1. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 2. 1 Corinthians 1:18 3. Matthew 24:36; John 14:6; Acts 1:7; 1 John 2:15-19
4. Romans 2:17-24 5. 2 Corinthians 2:15-17 6. James 4:4 7. 1 Peter 3:15 8. 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
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