Does God Love You?

Hmm...good question, right?
This was the title of a pamphlet I picked up today during my walk to the Post Office and bank.
I passed by this guy on my way to the bank in Chinatown today. He was standing right outside just as you get off the metro escalators. He didn't look to thrilled about what he was doing and had absolutely no enthusiasm. I kinda wondered if he even believed the things in his pamphlet that he was handing out. He wasn't a Jehovah Witness because he wasn't in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. And from what I could see, he didn't have a name tag on. As I passed by him the first time, I thought that here was another Crazy standing on the street protesting about something irrational. (Earlier, I was passing a woman who was yelling at the top of her lungs, but from what I could tell, she wasn't yelling at any specific person. I kept looking back behind me to see who she was yelling at and every time I looked back she would be facing in another direction. It was quite annoying, especially as she was hurling out the "F" bomb every other word.) I tried to ignore this dude who was handing out the pamphlet, but as I passed by him, the word "God" caught my eye. I wondered what he could be trying to tell us.

After I finished at the bank, I decided to walk by him and take one of the pamphlets. It was interesting to see who would take one as I slowly walked up. Some looked at it and then ignored it and others took it. Who knows if they will actually read it or not. I finally got my own and started to read while walking down the street (I know. I can multitask. Read and walk at the same time without running into people. It's a talent so few of us have.)

First, I turned it over to see who it was by and if it actually was a mormon church...just so I could brace myself. Then I began with the title, "Does God Love You?" and made my way through it all hoping to maybe find a glimmer of right theology. The writer made his way through the fact that we are all sinners in need of a Savior and that our good works won't do us any good. The pamphlet was laid in in a question and answer form. Like, Q: "How do you know God loves you?" A: John 3:16...
I got down to question 3 which says, "If I am a wicked person in God's sight, what will God do to me?" The following answer is something I did not expect:
A: The Bible teaches that at the end of the world all the wicked will come under God's final punishment in a place called Hell on this earth and this time is very near. There is much Biblical evidence that the rapture of the believers will occur on May 21, 2011 and this world will cease to exist on October 21, 2011.
The rest of it goes on to tell the reader to contact the Family Radio...the people who have published this pamphelt.

Really? May 21, 2011? Dang. That was going to be my wedding date too. I burst out laughing when I read this and I had my ipod on which probably made my laugh even louder. He said that "there is much Biblical evidence to support this". Well, he definitely didn't put any of the evidence in the pamphlet. Doesn't God tell us that noone knows the time or day of the return of Christ except the Father? Hmm...

The pamphlet continues in question and answer dialogue about the destruction of the world and how we can escape such a destruction by believing on Jesus for salvation.

The next question deals with how a person gets saved. "Q: Now I am desperate. I do not want to be destroyed. What can I do to become saved? A: ...Thus, if a person truly desires to become saved, he should spend much time carefully reading or listening to the Bible."
The writer didn't mention anything about recognizing our sin and that it seperates us from God and repenting and turning from them and turning to faith in the work of Christ on our behalf on the Cross. He completely missed all of that. According to this writer, simply reading the Bible will get you saved.

The last question is where I wanted to turn around to go talk to this guy. Here it is: "Q: Should I attend a church?" A: Definitely NOT!! (seriously, the not is all caps) The Bible tells us that for almost 2000 years after Jesus died on the cross, those who believe in Jesus, if possible, were to be members of a church. But now we learn from the Bible that God is no longer saving people through the ministry of the churches. The church age has come to an end. Fact is God commands in His Law book, the Bible, that the true believers are to leave their church. This is because God's righteous Judgment is upon all local congregations as God is preparing the world for Judgment Day. 'When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand, Then let them which be in Judea [the local church]* flee into the mountains: [to Christ]- Matthew 24:15, 16'"

Wow. I mean, wow. What Bible is this guy talking about? This is the complete opposite of what God calls us to do. He completely took this passage waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of context.
I felt sorry for those people who wrote this and for that guy who was handing it out. I prayed for them and I prayed for those who read this. Being in the church is how we are spiritually fed, besides of course, your own personal time in the Word.

Please have a note to self: Don't follow this dude! He's a nut!

♥