May 21

The talk on the Latter Rain Yahoo group is a microcosm of what is probably happening among all staunch defenders of the teaching that today, May 21 2011, is the day of the final judgment and the return of Christ. While this site summarizes the teaching with care not to endorse it as fact, this is not the point of this post. Here's the point of this post:

“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed [be] the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, [in] a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and [that] spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 AV)

Never let it be said that anything on this website is a personal attack against Harold Camping, especially a passage from the God-breathed Scriptures. This passage is a warning to everyone, especially those who claim the name of Christ to their salvation. It's self explanatory, so I won't attempt to expound on it except to clarify that the word arm here is an old English word meaning weapon. Other than this, I will only say that, as I stated in the previous post entitled "The Highly Esteemed", it's time for us all to examine each teaching we believe against the Word of God with no help from man. I wouldn't go so far as to say never listen to what a person has to say about what he or she believes related to the Bible, but we must be willing to reject it if the Bible doesn't appear to support it or we don’t understand it independently of the teacher’s assistance. Beware, lest the ease with which we all fall into trusting in man be forgotten.

That being said, now that much or most of the world is into May 22, 2011, the conjecture on the Latter Rain group is that Christ will not return until the end of the day, which is the last part of the earth that reaches the last moment of May 21. This is around the area of Samoa, 7 hours behind Eastern Daylight Time. Now I offer you the following passages, well known as they are:

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mark 13:32 But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

I've checked the Greek in this passage. Since this is verifiable information, I'll simply sum it up. The English phrase translated "no man" in both passages is the same. It's one Greek word that means no one. The word translated "knoweth" really does mean to know something. The words day and hour really refer to time periods, literal and/or figurative. The phrase translated my father only" really does mean "my father only." "My father alone" would also be an acceptable translation. In case anyone wonders, the Greek phrase in both the above passages translated “my father” is invariably spoken by Jesus in reference to God the Father. Again, this is all verifiable. If you have trouble verifying these Greek words and phrases or have difficulty accessing appropriate materials, please use the contact form on this site, and I will try to help you if you want it. I use the Online Bible program and the Interlinear Greek New Testament (IGNT) module, which is based on the Greek Textus Receptus. I also use the King James and Young's Literal Translation modules. May God bless His Word to your heart and make us all abandon our trust in man for any spiritual guidance.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].
Psalms 12:1 ¶ « To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. » Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.