I am assuming three things in this response to Camping.
First, the Bible predicts the yet future bodily return of Christ (Acts 1:9; 3:19, 20).
Acts 1:9-11 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Acts 3:19-21 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Second, this return of Christ will not be secret, but public, glorious, visible, and universal (Matt. 24:24-27; 1 Thess. 5:1-4; 2 Thess. 1:6-10).
Matthew 24:24-27 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
My rejection of setting dates for Christ’s second coming in no way means that I do not believe that Christ is coming. To put this in other words, rejecting the notion of setting dates for Christ’s coming does not mean rejecting Christ’s coming itself.
Third, I am not denying that there are certain signs that Christ’s coming is drawing near. My rejection of setting dates for Christ’s second coming in no way means that there are no signs of His coming. What I am assuming and saying is that there are no time signs of His coming. For instance, Jesus gives this sign of His coming:
Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
This is in a sense a sign of His coming. But this sign of Christ’s coming is in no way a time sign of His coming. That is, it enables no one to make a prediction like that Mr. Camping made of the date of Christ’s coming.
The fact that dirt is being moved on one side of our property is a sign that a new building is coming, but it is not a time sign. We do not know when our church’s first service in the new worship center will take place.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
