Arrest in Malawi and Stroke for Harold Camping


Photo in New Orleans by Bart Everson (from Wikipedia)

COGwriter

All regular readers of this page realize that I denounced Harold Camping and his followers as wrong for a long time and with detailed biblical-based rationale.

There was someone arrested in Malawi for promoting his false date:

Malawian pleads guilty over failed Rapture
AFP – June 12, 2011

A Malawian man has pleaded guilty to circulating false documents, after distributing leaflets predicting the end of the world would happen last month, a court official said Sunday.Saduki Mwambene, a 39-year-old bicycle repairman, was arrested on April 21 for circulating leaflets published by American televangelist Harold Camping, who had predicted the so-called “Rapture” would occur on May 21.

“Police opened a case for him for circulating false documents that threatened the peace and security of citizens,” said an official with the magistrate’s court in Chitipa district, on the border with Tanzania…

Mwambene was said to be repentant over his action and told police that he would never again be influenced by “false prophets,” the official said, apparently referring to 89-year-old Camping, the US preacher who has since rescheduled Doomsday to October 21.  http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hT7FP-LrAkmFKE7n5isi2jH55ZKw?docId=CNG.33f73aac61534e7a7f117cf94214bf7a.321 .

Saduki Mwambene was given six month suspended sentence as he was a “first time offender”.  My concern is that I hope that officials in other governments will not try to arrest those of us in the Living Church of God when we start to indicate a probable start for the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) and the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).  Yet, something like this is likely to happen, though, as we in LCG have long been concerned that a round of persecution directed towards us will occur prior to the start of the Great Tribulation (see also Who is the King of the North? and Persecutions by Church and State).

As I have mentioned here before, the one thing that the Bible guaranteed about May 21, 2011 is that it was not going to be the date of the return of Christ, but that Harold Camping and his followers would be judged to be wrong.  Of course, instead of actually admitting that he was wrong, Harold Camping claimed that instead of a rapture, which he had taught would happen then, that the judgment did come, but that it was spiritual.  As for Harold Camping’s third false date of October 21, 2011, I know of at least one of his followers who has switched to that date, even though as I reported here before (see Harold Camping Now to be Wrong About His Third Date: October 21, 2011), that date will also be wrong.

Of course, a kind of physical judgment occurred to Harold Camping himself as he was somewhat struck down health-wise shortly after his May 21, 2011 date was shown to be false:

Harold Camping’s Stroke Punishment From God? A Biblical Response

Christian Post – Katherine T. Phan, Christian Post – ‎Jun 14, 2011‎

Harold Camping, 89, suffered a mild stroke last week that affected his speech. Could this incident be a sign or punishment from God for his false rapture predictions?…The stroke has reportedly only affected his speech, which has become slurred as a result.For many observers, the stroke – while tragic – seemed like a divine act to punish the radio preacher for his false predictions or at the very least warn him not to do it again.

It reminded me of a scripture that I had frequently quoted related to him and Ronald Weinland:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Hopefully, those who followed Harold Camping will not turn away from the Bible, just from him and his false predictions–hopefully, instead they will study it enough to realize why the Bible still is true and why Harold Camping could not have been right.

Those who follow Ronald Weinland of CGPFK may wish to ask themselves how they will feel on May 28, 2012 when Jesus does not return the day before as well (Ronald Weinland, like Harold Camping, also seems to excessively allegorize away prophetic scriptures and has already said that many events of the Great Tribulation are “spiritual”).

False prophets result in an increase in scoffers, yet despite them, Jesus will return (2 Peter 3:1-14), but not in 2011 or 2012.  Please do not allow false prophets to turn you aside from the prophetic and other truths in the Bible.  But sadly, because of people like Harold Camping and Ronald Weinland, the way of truth has been (and probably still will be) blasphemed.

Those who are interested in the truth about Harold Camping, Ronald Weinland (who also claims to be one of the two witnesses), Mayan prophecies, and when the Bible shows that Jesus can return, may wish to study the following articles:

Harold Camping’s Teachings About the End of the World Do Not Agree with the Bible Harold Camping teaches that the rapture will be on May 21, 2011 and the world will end on October 21, 2011. What does the Bible show?
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?

Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008 (first April 17th, then June 2008, now December 14, 2008). Why does the Bible show that Ron Weinland is a false prophet? He also has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the Church of God.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might the next pope be involved in 2012?
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?
Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected? What does the Bible really teach? Does the Church flee or is it taken up just prior to the great tribulation? Who really is left behind?



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