Judgement Day?

Tomorrow is May 21st.  If you've seen the billboards, you'll know some are claiming that today, is judgement day.  I came home from subbing this week to find a very complicated trifold brochure, in tiny print, telling me that May 21st is "The end of the line."  Honestly it made me mad.  I also thought about the fact that I didn't think taping a brochure to a mailbox was even legal.

On the other hand, it makes me sad.  If you read beneath the hype, I think you will see someone who earnestly believes the Lord is returning on May 21st.  I think he hopes to tell as many people as he can about the Lord - but he is going about it in all the wrong way.

I find a few errors in the brochure.  The funny thing is - he uses the same scriptures to validate his point as I would use to argue against it.  The brochure is in King James, which is my first issue with it.  No, I don't have an issue with King James.  I have an issue with the thought that King James is the only "authentic" translation - because - just like NLT or ESV or whatever - it's a translation.  Unless you can read the original Greek and Hebrew, it's all translation.  Second, if your heart, your desire, is to truly tell people about our Savior - then taping complicated brochures in King James, which is hard to understand, to mailboxes and walking away without ever talking to people in person - well - come on.

He never shares HOW he came up with the date of May 21st.  He starts the brochure with the verse Ecclesiastes 9:12 which states (in king james):  "For man also knoweth not his time:  as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men spared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.".  Tami translation?  NO MAN KNOWS the time in which Jesus is coming back.

He then goes on to quote Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32, and 1 Corinthians 2:10 -16.  Basically he says these 3 verses are the only time the phrase "knoweth no man" is used in the KJV.  I don't know if that's accurate.  He then says the I Corinthians verse says that it's NOT that NO man knows - it's that the unsaved don't know - but - we - the saved WILL know the hour in which Jesus returns.

Wrong.

Here is my biggest issue with that.  If that were true - then why has God not revealed the date to me?  Or to you?  Or to anyone else who knows and loves the Lord? 

There are some things in the brochure I DO agree with.  Only God can save you.  That's about the end of my agreement.

Another thing I find interesting about the brochure.  There is no contact information.  There are some websites you can go to for more information - but nothing on the brochure identifies who these people are.  Probably a good thing for them because I would have called to talk to them yesterday :)  The fact that there is no contact info. really makes me question the intent of the heart.    If you were soooo concerned that people were going to miss out - then why? WHY would you not give them information to talk to a PERSON???

Brochures, tracks - there are nothing wrong with these things.  But I would highly encourage you to SPEAK to people.  People need to hear your heart.  People need to hear your testimony.  People need to hear what Jesus has done for YOU.  They need to experience the amazing power of Jesus Christ through the word of your testimony!!  Don't just leave a track and walk away.  Share your heart.  Share Jesus' heart.

Is May 21st Judgement Day?  Maybe. But - I believe what the word says.  No man knows.  Not me, not you, not this mystery man who leaves brochures on mailboxes and signs on billboards.  Who is he anyway??