Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 15 (Noble Bereans, Part 10: Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Doctrinal Error of the Sunday Sabbath)

By admin On January 24th, 2016

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“Complete List of Daily Devotionals”

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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 15

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Noble Bereans, Part 10: “Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Doctrinal Error of the Sunday Sabbath”

To read part 1, click here…“September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”

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“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.” 1st Corinthians 13:8, 9

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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

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A FAILED PREDICTION?

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A few years ago, a certain radio Bible teacher made the seemingly failed prediction that May 21st, 2011 would be the last day of earth’s existence, because of the long-promised return of Christ in the clouds of glory.

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And of course, when that day came and went, the world began throwing verbal stones at Harold Camping.

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But in reality, nothing failed!

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No, nothing in Camping’s prediction failed! But God purposely allowed this tarrying-time to awaken His unprepared sleeping saints, to prepare them to shine forth in the soon-coming, Day of the Lord!

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Harold Camping – cropped image – Wikipedia – copyrighted, not for free use

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OUR SECOND WAKE-UP CALL

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Well okay, maybe you could say that Camping’s May 21st, 2011 prediction was an error, since he didn’t realize that there was to be a tarrying time, so that God can complete His victory over Satan’s kingdom of darkness here on earth.

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But the Lord intentionally allowed this error, so as to give the world its second, “wake-up call”. Yes, God purposely wanted this call to be made that, “the end has come!” (The first “wake-up call” was perhaps, the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City.)

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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

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CAMPING A VERY FALLIBLE HUMAN

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But Harold Camping, when alive, was always ready to admit that he was very capable of error.

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After all, on each one of his 90-minute nightly telephone call-in programs, he probably cautioned his listeners at least 6 to 10 times per night, “Don’t trust me! I have feet of clay! Trust only the Bible! The Bible, the Bible, the Bible! The Bible is the only infallible Word of truth!”

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Every nightly call-in program was replete with this same warning: “Read the Bible, instead of trusting me (Harold Camping), or any other Bible teacher!”

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Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted, not for free use

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SEVERAL ERRORS

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Now regarding another glaring error in Camping’s teachings was his inability to see the unbiblical doctrine of the Sunday Sabbath.

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Over almost 90 years as a church-goer, even from childhood, he became so thoroughly indoctrinated into the so-called “orthodox” teachings of the mainstream churches, that it was only the mercy of God that opened his eyes to the heretical church-doctrine named by theologians, “Eternal Torment”.

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And he then renounced that false doctrine and began teaching the wages of sin is death, not “Eternal Torment”!

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SUNDAY SABBATH ERROR

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But the Sunday Sabbath was another unbiblical church-tradition that Camping clung to until the day of his death.

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(Now let it be stated that this website is not necessarily advocating the return to a Saturday Sabbath. This website primarily promotes the spiritual Sabbath Rest that we have in Christ.)

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Hambleton Sunday School Commemorative Stone – geograph.org.uk – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

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“FIRST OF THE SABBATHS”

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Now there are a number of Bible passages which Camping used to substantiate the Sunday Sabbath. Matthew 28:1 was the premier passage he used to promote the idea of the so-called, “1st-Day Sabbath”. And while he was very correct that the Greek language says, “At the end of the sabbaths, as it began to dawn toward the 1st of the sabbaths”, his interpretation of that verse is without biblical substantiation.

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In other words, there is absolutely nothing in the Bible that speaks of a new 24-hour Sabbath Day on the 1st day of the week, which begins and ends at midnight. It is only by twisting Scripture, that one can arrive at that conclusion. The Bible never ever speaks of the 1st day of the week as, “The Lord’s Day”. The Lord’s Day, spoken of in Revelation, Chapter 1 never assigns itself to only one day of the week.

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This whole idea is purely a presumption on the part of the theologians and Bible teachers through the centuries, back to the Romans Catholic Church, and to the secular Romans, and even way back to ancient Babylon!

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CHURCH TRADITION

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**Oh yes, the Bible does begin to make reference to the, “1st day of the week”, a number of times after the resurrection of Christ.**

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But nowhere does it establish a new 24-hour weekly Sabbath on that day.

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It is merely church-tradition that exalts a new weekly Sabbath day on Sunday.

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And merely church-tradition which follows this antichrist world’s reckoning that days begin and end at midnight!

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Date stone on the (former) Jubilee Sunday School, Limestone Brae – geograph.org.uk – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

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MISINTERPRETING ISAIAH 58

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Now, Harold Camping also tied other similar passages to the so-called Sunday Sabbath. One of those is found in Isaiah 58…“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:” Isaiah 58:13

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But nowhere does this passage speak of the 1st day of the week, and certainly not of Sunday. This is totally fabricated by human logic. As a matter of fact, Isaiah 58 is most likely referring to the Christian life in general, a 24/7/365 Sabbath “rest unto your souls”! (see Matthew 11:28-30)

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In other words, we are to honor God every day of the week! And we are not to find our own pleasure any day of the week! Nor are we to speak our own words any day of the week. Every word we speak should be as the “oracles of God”, as it says in Peter’s 1st Epistle 4:11.

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Book of Isaiah – Wikimedia – C.C. Share-alike License

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USING HUMAN REASONING

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Now Harold Camping used his own human reasoning to validate the Sunday Sabbath. “After all”, Camping often said, “people have to work very hard, six days of the week, trying to provide for their family. And that leaves no time for much spiritual refreshment. That’s why God instituted a new Sabbath Day on Sunday. So on that 24-hour period, we are commanded to devote that entire day to spiritual activities.”

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The problem with Camping’s logic is that church history shows that the Church tended to rely on that one-day Sabbath, to the neglect of the other 6 days of the week. In other words, just a quick look at today’s church-world proves that attempting to keep one day per week holy inspires legalism among church-goers. And right after the so-called Sabbath, Christians, for the most part, enthusiastically pursue all the cares and pleasures of this selfish world!

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We are somewhat like a track runner, waiting for the race to start, ready to sprint back into our worldly mode, after the sun goes down at Sabbath’s end!

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Starting gun – 1904 Olympic race – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

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TENDENCY TO BECOME LEGALISTIC

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Because of our fallen human nature, most church-goers attempt to worship Jesus on the Sabbath, and immediately after church, we resume the pursuit of our “week-day gods” the other 6 days!

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And we forget that our communion with God should be happening 24/7/365!

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Unceasing prayer, day & night contemplation of His Word should be going on every moment of every day!

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Prayer – Anna Blunden – For Only One Short Hour – Wikimedia – Public Domain

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ERROR EMBRACED BY NEARLY ALL

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Well this error was not only Camping’s error, but is embraced by nearly the entire Christian world!

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But God is now calling His people out of Babylon.

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We are to cling only to the Bible. And we are to add nothing to it! And yes, we are to live the resurrected life! This is what the 1st-day symbolizes! The “1st of the Sabbaths”, as found in the Greek manuscripts is actually speaking of the Sabbath rest that can only be found in Christ!

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His glorious Rest is found in taking His light yoke upon us and learning of Him, as we sit at His feet and hear His Word! (see Matthew 11:28-30)

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Church Attendance – www.thebiblerevival.com – Public Domain

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NO HUMAN IS INFALLIBLE!

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Now just because Harold Camping had several great errors in his teachings, by no means negates all the otherwise wonderful teachings of his 50-year ministry.

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**We all, “know in part and prophesy in part”, as it says in 1st Corinthians 13. None of us are perfect in our understanding.**

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And God had purposely allowed errors in Camping’s teachings, so that nobody would begin to think of him as some sort of an infallible messenger!

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And Camping freely (and constantly) advised his hearers NOT to place their trust in him, but to trust only the Bible! “The Bible, the Bible, the Bible”, often said Camping, “that’s the only infallible Word of God!”

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Harold Camping – cropped image – Wikipedia – copyrighted, not for free use

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STUDY, CHRISTIAN, STUDY!!!

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So while we can learn really valuable information from Camping’s ministry, we are not to neglect our own personal Bible study, to check out what God’s infallible Word says on any particular subject!

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USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public-Domain

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“THEY WHICH LEAD THEE CAUSE THEE TO ERR”

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So the challenge goes out to any professing Christian to prove that he (or she) is truly a Noble Berean, and personally begin that 30-month study in Jeremiah.

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Yes, all those who are hungry for truth will delight to hear these many cryptic passages of Jeremiah, finally opened up to our understanding!

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And now that we are at the threshold of that great and awesome Day of God, this Jeremiah study will begin to make complete sense at such an hour as this, when it is truly needed!

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And all a truth-seeker has to do, is to begin the painless process of listening to a 25-minute Bible study each morning, and test and see for one’s own self!

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This above link is to the first installment of Camping’s Jeremiah study. And at the bottom of each day’s devotional is a 20-25 minute audio Bible study by Harold Camping.

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TO READ PART 11, CLICK HERE…January (Noble Bereans, Part 11: Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Ministry)

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TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to be an open-minded seeker of truth, even if it means giving up a very highly regarded Church opinion! Let me be willing to investigate any seemingly new teaching if it appears to have some biblical validity…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

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THE END

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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN

Info & pics of constellations on this site from Wikipedia & International Astronomical Union (click here)

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BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS

“With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.” Ezekiel 26:12

THIS STAR-CHART: This is a Wikipedia star-chart, in which this site’s editor has sketched in these three constellation (without the Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation). Notice how the right front hoof is trampling on the tail of the Dragon. Also notice his eye is a star.It’s best seen when in the western half of the sky. It is found in mid-sky traveling from east to west. In January, it is in the west after midnight. As winter progresses, it can be seen earlier and earlier in the evening. a dark sky with good star-visibility is best, but not absolutely necessary to see this constellation. It is found on the opposite side of the Dragon Constellation from Orion. And as already stated, this Goodly Horse Constellation can be seen best in mid-winter when it is in the western side of the sky, and you are looking at it while you are facing west. The nose and head of this horse is partly made from the Perseus Constellation. The tail and rear end is partly of the Cassiopeia Constellation. The hind-leg is made partly of stars from the Andromeda Constellation.

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THIS HOLY-GHOST-RIDER

winter Constellations in the east

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Now one thing that is noticeable and makes this constellation even more dramatic, is the fact that the Milky Way runs right through it. And the question that must be asked is, “What biblical implications does this constellation/Milky Way connection have?” Well, very simply put, if stars

represent Believers, then this rider works in the world through His True-Worshippers, to a great extent.

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WHY IS THIS CONSTELLATION SO INCOMPLETE IN APPEARANCE

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So why is this constellation merely an outline? Well it does show his back, rear end and leg…and arm. But unlike, say, Orion, this constellation is very vague, even mysterious in appearance. Almost vacant in appearance. Yes this horseman represents Christ.

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But even more than this, it represents the Holy Spirit of Christ. And as we all know, the Holy Spirit is very, very, un-intrusive, almost impossible to detect His presence. Hence, this constellation is perhaps the most faint of all the constellations of Signs Of Heaven!

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TOMORROW:

DECEMBER 16 (Almost All Is Vanity! Part 3: Our Purposes vs. God’s Purpose!)

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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…

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This Open Forum #32 is a small 30 minute sampling of the late Harold Camping’s nearly 50 year long series of 90 minute nightly talk shows…

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