Everyone at University of South Florida has heard of the “Cooper Screamers,” a group of extremists who justify their wild claims with three to four Bible verses. They give Christians a bad name; it almost hurts to hear them.
There is a difference between fundamentalists and extremists. Fundamentalism seeks to follow something exactly, whereas extremists will use violence or rhetoric to achieve a narrow-minded and destructive goal.
About once every three to four years an extremist group sets a date for the end of the world, (such as the recent announcement of May 21, 2011 as the date of the Rapture). Many will point to world events and Bible verses to justify their claims.
Christian end time prophesies are gravely misunderstood by the extremists. The problem is that their claims would take pages of documentation to disprove. The best way to understand the Bible is to read it, however here are five quick Bible verses to challenge extremists.
Matthew 24:14
Before the end of the world, Christians must present to all cultures on Earth that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Until this has been achieved, Jesus will not let the end come.
Mathew 24:36
Before the end of the world, Jesus will take all Christians from the Earth to protect them from the anti-Christ. This is known as the Rapture, and extremists will often set dates for it to gather converts. However the Bible says that no one but God knows the date of the Rapture, and that it will come unexpectedly.
Daniel 9:27
The Antichrist is prophesied to be a world leader more genocidal than Hitler or Stalin. Many extremists will claim they know who he is, however the Bible says differently. The Antichrist will only be identified when he signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel.
Revelation 6:2
The reason Christians will always oppose the formation of a worldwide government is because of this verse. The Bible says that the Antichrist will unite the world under one highly oppressive government with a single world currency and world religion. Ask an extremist when the world united under one government, then quote this verse.
Matthew 24:2 and 15
Before the End Times the Temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt, however the construction site is currently occupied by the Dome of the Rock. Again this is unknown to extremists, so ask them when the Temple of God was rebuilt.
Prophecy plays a key role in Christianity. Unfortunately many people misunderstand, misinterpret, or misrepresent prophecy. The Bible tells us that many “false Christs and prophets” will try to deceive us about God, trying to pull us away from faith in Jesus (Matthew 24:24).
David Koresh, the crazy cultist in Miami, and the screamers on campus are all false teachers. The ultimate difference between an extremist and a Christian is love (1 Corinthians 13:1). If you love Jesus with all your heart, believe He is alive, confess your sins to Him, no matter what the screamers say, you are going to Heaven.