Daily Devotional, Year 4: November 5 (Noble Bereans, Part 21: “Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding Proper Bible Interpretation”)
By admin On January 5th, 2024.
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Daily Devotional, Year 3: October 16
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Noble Bereans,
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Part 21:
“Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding Proper Bible Interpretation”
To read part 1, click here…”September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”
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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 into 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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Okay, so those 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, the Bereans were ready to receive new teachings, which no doubt, conflicted with the supposed, “orthodox” teachings of that day.
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Thus 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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La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License
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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 24-hour 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 stand in the Day of the Lord!
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Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted, not for free use
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ITCHING EARS PREVAIL THESE DAYS
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We live in a day in which the following prophecy is now fulfilled… “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears 
from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 1st Timothy 4:3, 4
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Yes, we live in a day in which the Church-world can no longer tolerate the harder and deeper truths of Scripture. To a great extent, they have supplanted “smooth things…deceits” in place of “the offense of the Cross”. (see Isaiah 30:10 & Galatians 5:11)
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A love of the world has been inserted into the many sermons and lifestyles of those false shepherds which now rule over God’s professed people.
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Audience hands – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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“NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION”
2nd Peter 1:20
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And along with the many-world-loving doctrines, there has also been a great ignorance as to how to properly study the Bible.
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Many Bible passages are now taken out of the context of “all Scripture”, and wrong doctrines are the result of these erroneous methods of interpretation.
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UNBIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS
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Another really bad and unbiblical hermeneutic has been tagged as “The Literal, Grammatical Historical Hermeneutic” which demands that Scripture must be interpreted as literal as possible unless context demands an allegorical, typological interpretation.
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Of course, the Bible knows nothing of such a hermeneutic!
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THE BIBLE A SPIRITUAL BOOK
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Quite the contrary, the Bible commands us to “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” 1st Corinthians 2:13 (read the article, “Deceiving Even The Elect!” Hermeneutic of Literalism))
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The Bible is a spiritual book and must be read as such, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual”
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Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.
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JEREMIAH AUDIO BIBLE STUDY
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But God is faithful!
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And He raised up a man to counter this growing apostasy, bringing back proper methods of Bible interpretation.
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And by following the 670 audio Bible studies in Jeremiah, one can begin to learn and take hold of the proper and correct Bible hermeneutics which have mostly been lost sight of in today’s Christendom.
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And the Reader will most likely be amazed at Camping’s use of what Paul refers to as “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1st Corinthians 2:13). His daily studies are like having an incredible center-reference column at your disposal!
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Prophet Jeremiah Dictates to Baruch – Wikiart.com – US Public Domain
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HAROLD CAMPING BIBLE STUDIES
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One aspect which makes Camping’s audio Bible programs superior to other radio teachers is the manner in which he highlighted each Bible reference. Unlike many teachers, Camping usually made an effort to emphasize each verse given, repeating the chapter and verse, and allowing the listener time 
to look each verse up for themselves.
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But most other teachers do not do so well in this regard, but rather make their emphasis, instead, upon their own interpretation, and not giving listeners time to look up each given verse for their own selves.
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The bottom line is, Camping was more interested in making the Bible the focal-point of his ministry rather than his own interpretations. Thus, Camping’s presentations allow listeners time to cement those verses into their hearts, more than most other teachers normally do!
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Harold Camping – Wikipedia – copyrighted – not-for-free-use
Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic.
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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 mus
t 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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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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THE READER IS ENCOURAGED TO LISTEN TO THE 20+ MINUTE AUDIO BIBLE STUDY ON JEREMIAH AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH DAY’S PAGE. HAROLD CAMPING’S ABILITY TO SEARCH OUT COMPARABLE VERSES IS UNLIKE ANY OF TODAY’S BIBLE TEACHERS…
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ABOVE PICTURE: Nicaea icon – Wikipedia – Public Domain
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TO READ PART 22, CLICK HERE…
October 23 (Noble Bereans, Part 22: “Re-thinking Harold Camping Regarding The Spirituality of the Bible”)
Holy bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons lic.
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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…
Pray for Our Nation sign – Wikimedia – Share-alike-lic.
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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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FINALLY WALKING UPWARD INTO THE HIGHWAYS OF ETERNITY
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Day by day, you will find yourself walking, like the Disciples, spreading the precious Gospel seed wherever the Spirit leads.
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Taking the lovely name of Jesus, with every word spoken. Walking through this sin-darkened world, witnessing to those who take notice that of a truth, Jesus is present within you. Even like faithful Enoch, walking through the highways and byways of life in this world, spreading the Gospel-seed of unpretentious love.
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Day by day, you will become more and more closed in with God. Moment by moment, your heart will become intertwined with God’s heart, eventually two hearts beating as one heart.
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And just like Enoch, when the appointed time of sojourning on earth is finally done…you will walk onward…and upward…and into the highways and byways of eternity. (“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24).
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ThomasCole-Pilgrim of the Cross at the End of His Journey wikimedia US public domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Castor and Pollux & The Mystery Ship of Scripture”
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TOMORROW…
October 17 (The Devil Made Me Do It! Part 18: “Crucifying The Messenger!”)
Crucifixion of Peter – Caravaggio Martirio di San Pietro – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY
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ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS IS STUDY #287 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING …
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Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain
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