Dear Reader:
The book The End Of The Church Age And After was written in 2002 by Mr. Harold Camping, a very faithful and diligent student of the Bible for over 50 years. Having spent virtually his entire life in the Reformed church, Mr. Camping at the age of 80 began to teach that the church age, which began in A.D. 33 at Pentecost, had ended in 1988 on the day before Pentecost of that year, which happened to be May 21, 1988. In the book, The End Of The Church Age And After, the time patterns of the Bible reaching back to the date of Creation in 11,013 B.C. were projected forward to show that the great tribulation would be 8400 days or 23 years in length, culminating on May 21, 2011 with the visible appearance of Christ and the bodily resurrection of all the believers.
We know, of course, Christ did not appear on that date, notwithstanding the claims of those who teach without Biblical authority that Christ appeared in spirit and is no longer saving. The believers, who were not caught up into heaven, were left to wonder, what is God’s plan for the end? Is the timeline of the Bible still trustworthy? Is God still saving outside the churches using only individual believers?
Thankfully, the answer to these questions is a resounding YES! The timeline leading up to the end of the church age and the start of the great tribulation in May 1988 A.D., and the start of the Latter Rain 2300 days later in September 1994 A.D., is still accurate. All the evidence of the Bible and the apostasy in the churches points to that fact, as well as the fact that God is continuing to save outside the churches using individual believers.
But what about the apparent failure of the Bible with respect to the evidence that Christ would return on May 21, 2011? Why would God place time paths in the Bible pointing to that date and open the understanding of faithful Bible students to understand them, only to delay his coming?
We are helped greatly when we study the book of Jonah. The prophet Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh to proclaim that God would overthrow that great wicked city in 40 days. And yet, amazingly, when Jonah made this proclamation, the people believed God, and from the king on down, sat in sackcloth and ashes and cried mightily to God for mercy. And God did have mercy.
We maintain that the salvation of Nineveh, a city with no outward, external witness of the God of the Bible, was in fact a prelude, a prefigurement, of the salvation that God is performing today outside the churches during this great tribulation period. There are many parallels. Clearly God had not given Jonah the full picture, even as God did not provide the believers the full picture as we declared to the world that Christ would return on May 21, 2011. God was not playing games with the Ninevites, nor is God playing games with us today. What we should take away from Jonah is that today is still the day of salvation, and we are that much closer today to Christ’s return, which we believe is imminent.
ZionInTravail.com has published an in-depth Bible study with proofs that God is still saving outside the churches right up to the last day when Christ appears. See link below:
Is God Still Saving? an in-depth study
We also have a highly condensed version of that study formatted for printing on two sides of legal size (8-1/2in x 14in) paper and folded twice widthwise into an 8-page folded pamphlet suitable for distribution.
In addition to the references to an 8400-day (23-year) great tribulation ending on May 21, 2011, there are other aspects of the original text of The End Of The Church Age And After that we have taken the liberty to update. One of them is the frequent references to “hell,” which although at the time of the book being published was correctly understood as the grave, as the evidence of death, ultimately pointing to everlasting destruction, nevertheless needed to be stated more concisely to avoid misunderstanding (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jude 1:7). A related aspect is the treatment of Revelation 9:1-3, which in the book is presented as referring to the loosing of Satan at the beginning of the great tribulation, when in fact, verses 1-11 are speaking about the final Day of Judgment immediately following the Rapture of the true believers, as Mr. Camping himself subsequent to the publishing of the book taught in the audio Jeremiah study #643 and the couple of studies preceding and following that study. Click on the following link audio Jeremiah studies to listen to these studies.
Finally, with great sadness of heart, we have deleted all references to Family Radio, which since the passing of Mr. Camping has disavowed his end-time teachings and aligned itself altogether with the corporate, external churches that have come under the judgment of God.
Accordingly, we have updated and condensed several chapters of the original text The End Of The Church Age And After to bring it in-line with what we presently can know, based on the principle of progressive revelation, that is, the fact that God at the time of the end is opening our understanding of a great many truths not previously understood. We emphasize that this condensed version leaves out significant information contained in the original text. The original text is available at the following link:
The End Of The Church Age And After (original text)
Please email any questions or concerns to info@ZionInTravail.com. We are a listener-supported ministry. Please make your free will donations by visiting our Donate Page.
Following is the Updated Introduction to the book. This and several Updated Chapters of The End of the Church Age and After (edited) may be viewed and downloaded by clicking the link.
Introduction
The Bible is the Final Authority
This book is entitled The End of the Church Age and After, however, the essential issue that is being presented is not the subject of the end of the church age. The essential issue is the authority of the Bible. Is the Bible the ultimate and final authority to which every true believer is subject?
The big question each one must face is: Do I have such a fear of God that I tremble before Him if I suspect a doctrine I hold may be contrary to the Word of God? Or is it possible that I feel secure with God because I faithfully obey each and every doctrine that my church teaches. Do I realize that some of the doctrines held by my church may not be faithful to the Bible? In turn, do I trust that everything my church teaches is altogether true to the Bible?
| If I discover that a doctrine my church teaches is not faithful to God’s Word, do I tremble in fear? |
To say it another way, if I discover that a doctrine my church teaches is not faithful to God’s Word, do I tremble in fear? We must remember that any doctrine we hold that is not faithful to the Bible is a lie. It is something developed by men. Therefore, to believe that this doctrine is true, when in actuality, it is not true to the Bible, is to place our trust in men rather than in God. Actually, it is a sin equivalent to that committed by ancient Israel when they worshipped God in Jerusalem but also worshipped other gods at their high places. This was such a serious sin that God finally destroyed Israel in 709 B.C. and Judah in 587 B.C.
As we will discover in this book, it is such a serious sin of our day that God’s judgment is upon today’s churches.
The same principle must be applied to this study. Has every effort been made to be sure that everything presented in this book is altogether faithful to the Bible? The teachings and conclusions must have nothing to do with visions or voices or dreams. The teachings and conclusions are to be unrelated to human speculation. They must be carefully founded on the Bible alone. It must be admitted that at times, it is very difficult to obey the Bible. That is, sometimes, as we carefully read the Bible, we find that God is giving us a command to take some kind of action. And sometimes, we don’t like that command. We don’t like it at all. Then comes the big question that each of us must personally ask: In my fear of God, am I ready to be obedient to the command even though I don’t like it? The answer has to be, “If I am a true child of God, I want to be obedient to each and every command. My delight is to do the will of God.” If I keep hesitating to obey, I must ask myself the fair question, “Am I truly a child of God?”
The Saved Person is a New Creature
The reason why obedience is the spiritual mentality of the true believer is because at the moment he became saved, he became born again. He received from heaven above a new resurrected soul in which he never wants to sin again. In I John 3:9, God assures us of this as He declares:
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
The seed that remaineth in him is Christ (Galatians 3:16). Therefore, the true believer has become a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). At death, which could come moments after salvation or years after salvation, in his soul existence, he goes immediately, without any change, into heaven to live and reign with Christ. Because he was given his new resurrected soul, God can say of him in I John 2:3-4:
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
The true believer can understand Romans 7:22:
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
He is in accordance with the testimony of Romans 7:24 where we read, “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” He deplores the fact that he must live in a sin-cursed body that will not be redeemed until Christ comes on the last day.
| Ordination or acclaim that I am a faithful Bible teacher or elder or pastor give no guarantee that I have become saved. |
Frankly stated, if a highly successful pastor or any pastor or a Biblical theologian or I do not find an intense desire in my life to be obedient to all that the Bible commands, so that I tremble before God lest I teach something contrary to the will of God, I may have evidence that I am not saved. Ordination or acclaim that I am a faithful Bible teacher or elder or pastor give no guarantee that I have become saved. Unfortunately, those who are not saved may not be able to understand these truths. They may conclude that these statements concerning a new resurrected soul are merely the opinion of the writer of this study. In fact, that judgment can extend to this whole study so that the reader may conclude that this study is merely the opinion of the writer. The best this writer can hope for is that each one who reads this book will carefully and diligently check the Bible for the validity of each conclusion that is taught in this study.
Progressive Revelation
The Bible is the complete revelation of God’s Word to the human race. We are not to add to it. We are not to take away from it. It alone and in its entirety is the Word of God. However, when we consider how we receive truth from the Bible, we have another matter altogether. God insists that there is a timetable known only to God by which He reveals the truths of the Bible to mankind. For example, Jesus clearly told His disciples that the time would come when He would be killed and after three days, He would rise again. Mark 8:31 declares:
And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Even though this is a plain, clear statement, it was not understood at all by the disciples. It was only after His resurrection, as the disciples were reminded by the two men in shining garments, who stood outside the empty sepulchre, that they understood. Luke 24:6-8 informs us:
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,
God had given them the revelation that Christ was to be killed and rise again, but it was not a revelation that became a part of their understanding until Christ had risen. Likewise, we read in Ephesians 3:3-5:
How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
God is indicating that a mystery was made known to the Apostle Paul, “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (verse 6). However, this truth was repeatedly written about in the Bible, for example, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham because he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5-7). Many years earlier, Jesus had told the disciples in Matthew 28:19:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
The truth that those whom God would save would include people from all nations of the world is taught in many places in the Bible. But while this truth was included in God’s revelation to mankind, only when Saul of Tarsus had become saved was it truly revealed to the minds of the apostles. The principle of progressive revelation is especially emphasized in Daniel 12, verses 8 and 9:
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
| God has a timetable for giving understanding of these truths. |
In God’s revelation, which is the Bible, God has a great many things to say about the end of the world and about details of things that lead up to the end of the world. But God has a timetable for giving understanding of these truths. The true meaning of these end-time statements was not to be revealed to the minds of men until the time of the end. This is why many devout, God-fearing theologians of the past have endeavored to explain the meaning of Biblical end time passages, but they did not even come close to the truth. This was not a failure on their part. It was simply not time for God to reveal the meaning of these end-time passages.
Thus, we can expect that in our day, when the signs are showing that we must be close to the end of time, the meaning of a great many Biblical passages should become revealed to the minds of careful, diligent students of the Bible. The very fact that we can find great harmony in our understanding of Biblical passages that heretofore have been very obscure greatly encourages us that God has placed us on the right track. We can expect, therefore, that many passages of the Bible, which in earlier times have been somewhat mysterious, can now be understood.
The Bible, The Supreme Law Book
It must be emphasized that the Bible is a book of law. It is the supreme law book by which God governs all mankind. Even as each political government has written laws by which the rulers govern, so, too, God, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, has a written law by which He governs. Moreover, rulers of nations are subject to the written law of their land. So, too, God is subject to the written law, the Bible, by which He governs the nations. This principle is set forth in the language of Psalm 138:2, where we read:
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
We stand amazed at the idea that the Word of God is magnified according to His name. But when we understand that the Word of God is a synonym for the law of God, we learn that God, too, is subject to all the laws He has written in this law book, the Bible. In more than 170 verses of the 176 verses of Psalm 119, for example, there is a reference to words such as “law,” “precept,” “commandment,” “word,” testimony,” “statute,” etc. Each of these words is a synonym for the word “law.” The Bible is the law book God uses to govern the nations.
The fact that the Bible is essentially a book of law is not normally apparent to the reader of the Bible. This is because God declares His laws in the context of history, in the context of examples of peoples and nations that disobeyed His laws and suffered the consequences of their sins. God’s laws are frequently hidden because God sometimes spoke utilizing metaphors and parables. But in the measure we begin to understand these obscure passages, we always find that the basic truth being brought is the law of God. An integral part of God’s law book is the declaration of His purpose and plan to publish the teachings of His law book to all the world. Moreover, the laws that govern God’s salvation plan, a plan that is required to maintain the integrity of His law, are a most important part of God’s law.
Because God is subject to the laws set forth in the Bible, He cannot have a people for Himself eternally unless all their sins (that is, all their violations of the law of God), have been paid for, and the penalty demanded by the law has been paid. Therefore, when God the Father gave those whom He had elected for salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:37), it meant that Christ first had to somehow satisfy the requirements of the law of God, as it applied to these individuals, before they could be His. That is, before these individuals could be with Christ eternally, the penalty for the sins of these elect individuals had to be paid so that they could be forgiven. Christ did all this tremendous work of payment for our sins from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3), and then demonstrated that payment at the cross.
Once we have learned this tremendously important principle, that the Bible is God’s supreme law book, we should tremble as we read it. God, in the Bible, is constantly declaring the laws by which we are to live. Violation of His law will absolutely bring the penalty of destruction. Therefore, as we read, in the Bible, God’s laws that governed the church during the church age, and that relate the end of the local church age and the final harvest, we should carefully study God’s law book, the Bible, to know God’s will. The seriousness of disobeying God’s laws as they are set forth in His divine book, the Bible, cannot be emphasized too strongly.
Because God Himself is subject to the laws of the Bible, He must bring to completion the punishment that He has decreed for any and all human beings, even church leaders and all those in local congregations who transgress His laws.
Several updated chapters of The End of the Church Age and After, as well as a Detailed Study and Tract clearly demonstrating that God continues to save His Elect right up until the Last Day, are available for viewing and download by clicking the links below:
- Study: The End of the Church Age and After
- Tract: The End of the Church Age and After
- Tract: The End of the Church Age and After (Zulu)
- Tract: The End of the Church Age and After (Sotho)
- Study: Is God Still Saving?
- Tract: Is God Still Saving?
- Study: I Hope God Will Save Me
- Tract: I Hope God Will Save Me