Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 10 (Noble Bereans, Part 9: Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Life)
By admin On December 10th, 2023.
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Daily Devotional, Year 2 – DECEMBER 10
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Noble Bereans,
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Part 9:
“Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Life”
To read part 1, click here…”September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”
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“I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12
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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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So, in this little series, the subject of those noble Bereans has been introduced. And today, it is still worthy of a little more exploration, concerning another area of concern.
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Let’s look at the key Bible passage… “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming there, went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:10, 11
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St Paul Preaching in Athens (Raphael, 1515) Wikipedia US public domain
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AN OPEN-MINDED SPIRIT IN BEREA
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OK, so these in Berea were more noble, because they:
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1. “Received the Word with all readiness of mind.”
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2. “And searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
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And so, these Bereans were ready to receive new teachings, which no doubt, conflicted with the supposed, “orthodox” teachings of that day.
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So there was an open-mindedness which permeated their hearts, and a willingness to search the Scriptures daily, in hopes that these seemingly new teachings were indeed true!
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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 sleeping saints, to prepare them to shine forth in the Day of the Lord!
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Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted, not for free use
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MANY FALSE ACCUSATIONS
see Matthew 5:11
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Yes, Harold Camping was accused of being a false teacher, all for the sake of enriching himself.
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But those who knew him, understood very well, that this dedicated Bible teacher was a very spiritual servant of God: a man who cared nothing for the riches of this world!
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But rather, he loved the heavenly riches found only in the study of God’s Word, the Bible!
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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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LOWLY HEADQUARTERS
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In the present-day era of mega-churches and television evangelists, glorifying themselves with costly church-buildings and personal extravagance only afforded to royalty in ages past, stood a humble little group of buildings in Alameda California, somewhat in need of updating. These were the main studios and headquarters of Family Stations Incorporated. (The new directors of Family Radio have since moved into new buildings.)
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But this group of outdated buildings became the epi-center for a radio ministry that reached around the world in several dozen languages and broadcast via AM, FM, and shortwave radio.
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Yes, this humble, yet powerful organization grew over a 50 year span, from one Bay Area FM radio station, into a worldwide ministry.
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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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HAROLD CAMPING
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The president of that station was a thin little wisp of a man, yet with a big and powerful voice, Harold Camping.
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And with the blessing of the Lord, this man loved the Bible more than life itself, always cautioning his listeners, “Don’t trust my teachings! Trust only in God’s infallible Word, the Bible!”
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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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CAMPING’S UNIMPRESSIVE LIFESTYLE
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Now, because of Harold Camping’s dedication to sending out the gospel around the world, this faithful servant denied himself the luxuries which many other radio and TV evangelists take for granted. Oh yes, Camping built his very large family (of 10) a comfortable home back in the late 1940’s.
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But if you would have driven by his house, you might have noticed a 35 year old Cadillac, and a 35 year old pickup truck in the driveway. And if you would have watched one of Camping’s televised Bible studies, you would have noticed that his several suits served him well for decades.
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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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A ONE-VACATION GUY!
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Yes, in a day in which many TV evangelists own their own personal jets, Harold would buy a ticket on a commercial airline, if he had to negotiate a new radio station in a foreign country.
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And just a few years prior to his death, his family finally persuaded him to join them for a family camp-out about 50 miles from home.
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That was pretty much Camping’s one and only vacation in all of his 50 year ministry!
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Harold-Camping – courtesy Family Radio
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NOT ONE ACCUSATION
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On his nightly call-in show, Camping frequently was asked about his finances. And he was not hesitant to declare that he had been an unpaid volunteer from the very start of Family Radio, “Never even taking one nickel in wages!” Yes, because of wise investments during his early years as a civil engineer, Camping and his family lived very frugally on those investments throughout his years with Family Radio.
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And during the many years of his nightly, live, unedited call-in radio talk-show, never once did some disgruntled employee or accountant ever accuse Camping of personal misconduct or misappropriating funds. And since it was a live, un-delayed call-in talk-show, it would have been very easy to do so! There was absolutely no editing!
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Oh yes, he had his detractors and critics concerning his teachings! But never was his personal integrity ever called into question.
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Judgment Bus New Orleans 2011 – Wikipedia – Share-alike License
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IN A DAY OF OPULENCE AND EXTRAVAGANCE
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The point to this little description is to put to rest the many false charges: that Harold Camping was like so many other well-known television and radio evangelists, using a portion of their received donations to live in opulence, splendor, and extravagance!
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Camping was just the opposite! If anything, his frugality and self-denial and self-sacrifice was his biggest fault!
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Rolls Royce 5316 – Wikipedia – 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 stop letting others dictate to him what he must believe and must not believe…
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Listen…“O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” Isaiah 3:12
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Yes, as it reveals in the above verse, it is the leaders who mislead God’s people!
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But just because the world cannot understand that there has been a tarrying time in the Bible’s end-of-the-world prophecy concerning the “Last Day”, that doesn’t necessitate that we too must remain in ignorance of these things!
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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.
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And at the bottom of each day’s devotional is another 20-25 minute audio Bible study in the Book of Jeremiah, or a similar audio study. Thus, the Reader can pick up on Camping’s ongoing studies at whatever day’s devotional, today happens to offer!
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Harold-Camping – courtesy Family Radio
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TO READ PART 10, CLICK HERE…
DECEMBER 15 (Noble Bereans, Part 10: Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding His Doctrinal Error of the Sunday Sabbath)
Harold-Camping – courtesy Family Radio
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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…
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ” FEBRUARY 10 (The Deserted Island Theologian!)”, or you can also read…JUNE 13 (Why The World Didn’t End on May 21, 2011)
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS
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“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
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THIS STAR-CHART:
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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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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation”
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TOMORROW:
November 1 (Apocalypse Now! Part 9: Has Judgment Day Begun? Part 1)
.Judgment Day – by sweet media – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
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EXCERPTS FROM THE OPEN FORUM 
QUESTION/ANSWER RADIO TALK-SHOW…
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ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) are invited to listen to this Open Forum #28 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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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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Click on image credit links below each photo, for licensing names, details, and tags, etc.. Most Images cropped & reduced in size.