Choosing a Side: The Hollywood Bible or the Holy Bible

I know what some of you were thinking when you saw The Bible mini-series on the History Channel: “Our God…and His Holy Word are being presented to an eager audience (of millions).  What an amazing opportunity to spread the gospel. Surely, eyes will see, ears will hear, and hearts will turn!”   And yet, I see no cause to rejoice.  This series is not the great revival we are all praying for.  It is a ravenous wolf cloaked in wool. 

As millions of eager viewers keep up with the weekly episodes, eyes will see a god void of his holy character, just nature, and majesty… being depicted as arbitrary, absent, and apathetic toward his people.  Ears will hear of a god that has been reduced to a secondary character in a man-centered plot.  And hearts will be turned to men who have been named heroes, stories that have been twisted to neglect reverence and truth, and so far away from Our God…and His Holy Word. This should grieve the heart of Christ’s church.  This should cause us to stand up for the truth of God.  It should lead us to rebuke those who bear false witness against our Lord with cunningly devised fables and CGI graven images, who take up the Lord’s name (and the title “The Bible”) in vain! This shameless heresy should spark the great revival we are all praying for.

But instead, I have read the promotions from AIG, ChristianPost, and Christianitytoday. I have read the blogs, articles, posts, and comments by “fellow Christians” who have acknowledged the series’ tendency toward “minor discrepancies”, “subtle script variations”, and the “omission of truth” within their curiously glowing reviews. I guess they figure all scripture is given by inspiration of God…except when special effects and colorful add-ins make it better. I guess we shouldn’t expect anything more from Hollywood. I guess it mostly sticks to the story, so it’s okay.  I guess the salt has lost it’s savor. So, let’s just pop some popcorn and enjoy the show. What can it hurt?

I can’t help but wonder:

Who will the Lord hold accountable for the lost souls who will never seek the true unadulterated Word of God after being presented with the fictional one?  Who will the Lord hold accountable for the confusion brought upon children and new believers who watched those “minor discrepancies” with eager eyes?  

Is it those - who claimed they were “called” to write, script, and produce the film?  Who acted out fictitious scenes and spoke the words contrary to scripture, without even a fundamental understanding of the character they portrayed? Who were in charge of sound, lighting, and special effects? Who openly promote the series in their church or business?

Or is it you and I- who know better and say nothing? Who have been redeemed by the mercy of God, but are unwilling to get a splinter by going against the grain?  Who have turned a blind eye to the slander of God?  Who just want to watch the live-action bible in HD with the rest of the world…while the devil applauds our cowardice?

We must remember the breadth of this deception. Satan twisted scripture to temp Christ in the desert, and he has used the same tactic to suit the itching ears of this modern age. Be not ignorant of the devil’s devices.  If we don’t stand against him, we stand with him in this evil work.

The bible is not a fictional tale, open to interpretation. It is not an entertaining novel open to creative license. It is the infallible living word of our Almighty Father.  It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. It reveals to us God’s character, God’s power, God’s mercy, and God’s plan for us.  It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We are to desire it as food, hide it in our hearts, use it as a weapon in warfare, and delight in it. We will, in the end, be judged by it.  Nothing is to be added to or taken from it.  This warning has been blatantly ignored by the creators of The Bible mini-series.  Let us not be so foolish.

The bible was never meant to be entertainment….especially at the expense of truth.

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” – 2 Peter 1:16-21

If you have watched any or all of the mini-series, think carefully on what your eyes have seen and your ears have heard.

Search the scriptures.

Compare notes.

Choose a side.

 

 

Be Not Ignorant, The Bible Mini-series Review

Episode 1: Beginings An Honest Review

 

Letting Go of Easter

We know the world loves holidays.  We also know we, as Christ's followers, are NOT to love what the world loves….so what about Easter?

Well, despite common beliefs, the term Easter does NOT mean “Jesus is risen”, “Resurrection”, or “He lives” (I know, I was surprised too).  Easter is actually a name. .  . of a fertility goddess.  

Easter (also known as Eostre, Ishtar, Astarte, Venus, Aphrodite, or Ashtoreth) was a self-declared sun goddess (in the times of Nimrod- a few generations from Noah) who created an entire pagan religion focused on the ritual worship of fertility. She married her own son, dreamed up a colorful story about being born of the moon by a giant egg dropped in to the Euphrates river, dubbed herself the “Queen of Heaven”, ordained her children to be demi-gods, and started a great majority of the Babylonian religions and pagan holidays (including Christmas) that are still celebrated today.  In honor of the “Queen of Heaven” the spring season was dedicated to the celebration of new life and fertility. This time was marked by ritual practices using symbols such as eggs, birds, and bunnies (now known as Easter) and a time of fasting and mourning for her son Tammuz (now known as Lent).  

The Babylonians, Canaanites, Greeks, and Romans each knew her by a different name and tagged on their own creative additions to her story to suit the politics of their day.  When God’s own chosen people worshipped this pagan deity, they evoked the righteous wrath of their Creator: “ The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger.” –Jeremiah 7:18

When the Roman church hi-jacked the spring season and carefully tied it to Passover, titling Jesus’ resurrection as Easter Sunday, they officially declared Easter a holiday (or holy-day). Through the years (and Hallmark’s clever marketing strategies) the line has been blurred. History has been rewritten. The wrath of God has been forgotten.

But, be not ignorant, brethren:  If a hot cross bun for the queen provoked God to anger then (and He is unchanging and eternal) I think we know how He feels about Ishtar egg hunts on church lawns or pagan baskets full of trinkets from Lifeway stores.

The title “Easter” is irrelevant to Christ’s victorious resurrection. In fact it is outright blasphemy to tie the two together at all.  Easter belongs to the the devil. It always has.

Put the chocolate bunnies away.

Let's celebrate Christ’s victory! (and we don’t have to wait until spring).

 "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." - 2 Corinthians 6:2

For more info on the origin of Easter:

Should Christians Celebrate Easter?

The Truth of Easter

For more info on Christ’s victory:

The Gospel according to John

 

Letting Go of Birthdays

 

 

 

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

 

When the Lord first led us to the truth behind the pagan traditions known as “Christmas”, we abandoned them without hesitation (Letting Go of Christmas).  Shocked that we would forgo participation in this “Christian season”, friends and family honored our stance last year, mostly believing we would “come to our senses” by this year and light up the old Christmas spirit! When that didn’t happen, we were encouraged to honor the season with a birthday party for Jesus by friends and church peers.

Well, we had already half-heartedly abandoned most of the traditions associated with birthdays anyway.  We rejected the idea of the “all about me” day, with “all about me” plates, napkins, and party favors.  We rejected gift giving and the expectations it fostered.  We rejected the world’s ideas of celebration, but we fell somewhere in the midst of a compromise.   We concluded that the best alternative to all the hoopla would be “a nice letter to the birthday person…praising their accomplishments for the year, showing affection and appreciation for your relationship with them, and wishing them well”…..yah, basically a Hallmark card.

This year, after the push to host or attend “birthday parties for Jesus”, we were drawn back to dig deeper on the subject.

Not surprisingly, the honoring of birthdays has its roots in pagan practice.   Birthdays were kept and celebrated surrounding astrology, mythology, and folklores.  So much has already been written about the history of these customs, it wouldn’t be prudent for me to try to rewrite it all.  Instead, I will use the information I have found to answer a few basic questions.  I encourage you to follow the links at the end of each quote to learn more for yourself.  These are some of the questions my husband and I asked in search of truth.

Does the Bible talk about birthdays?

“We find that there are birthday celebrations mentioned in the Bible. The first account is Genesis 40:1-23. Here we read of the Pharaoh’s birthday which resulted in the baker’s death. Another time a birthday is mentioned is Herod’s birthday (Matthew 14:3-11) which resulted in the death of John the Baptist.– Should Christians Celebrate Birthdays?  

 Why/When did man begin to keep birthdays?

The introduction of the Egyptian calendar became linked to astrology and fortune-telling. The keeping of birthdays, then, was important in ancient times, essentially due to the fact that the date of one's birth was directly related to the casting of a person's horoscope (Linton, Ralph and Adelin, The Lore of Birthdays, p. 12).”  – History of the Birthday Celebration  

Why Wasn’t Anyone’s (Even Jesus’) ACTUAL Day of Birth Recorded in the Bible?

 "Our (Roman) calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12 month year, 365 day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, Sosigenes, suggested this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. As adopted it indicated its pagan orgin by the names of the months-called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named but numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. It was not until 321 A.D that the seven-day-week feature was added, when the Emperor Constantine (supposedly) adopted Christianity. Oddly enough for his weekdays he chose pagan names which are still used (Sunday, Moonday, Tiwsday, Wodensday, Thorsday, Friggasday, Saturnsday.)" (From "Journal of Calendar Reform," Sept. 1953, footnote p. 128. Italics ours.)

God's sacred Calendar committed to the Jews for preservation to our time has three months that vary in length from 29 to 30 days after a rather complicated pattern.  God 's people certainly knew the date of their birth, but they kept track of their age by calendar years, not birth dates.” – Attached to This World 

What Traditions are Associated with Birthday Celebrations?

“Long ago, people believed that on a birthday a person could be helped by good spirits, or hurt by evil spirits. So, when a person had a birthday, friends and relatives gathered to protect him or her. And that's how birthday parties began.

The idea of putting candles on birthday cakes goes back to ancient Greece. Artemis was the goddess of the moon. The Greeks celebrated her birthday once each month by bringing special cakes to her temple. The cakes were round like a full moon. And, because the moon glows with light, the cakes were decorated with lighted candles.

The reason for birthday spanks is to spank away any evil spirits and send them scurrying far into the distance. Punches, thumps, and pinches, the harder the better, are supposed to do the very same thing.

Party snappers, horns, bursting balloons, firecrackers, and other noisemakers are just one more way of trying to scare off any bad-luck spirits that may be hovering about.” -The Surprising Origin of Birthday Celebrations 

 

Does it Matter to God if we Observe Cultural Traditions?

Here is what God commands: “Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed by them. For the customs of the people are vain” (Jer. 10:2, 3).

After God freed Israel from slavery, He clearly instructed them, “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, shall you not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, shall you not do: neither shall you walk in their ordinances” (Lev. 18:3). God commanded that they not defile themselves with the practices and customs of the surrounding nations (vs. 24-29). “Therefore shall you keep My ordinance, that you commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God” (vs. 30).

This is an emphatic command from God. He does not want His servants dabbling in the customs of this world.”  -Are Birthday Celebrations “Christian”? 

 

How Can Birthday Parties Help or Hurt our Spritual Growth?

 “If our purpose is to build godly and holy offspring and loving, giving, godly children, then we should want to do NOTHING that would hinder this godly purpose – put no temptations in their pathway – do nothing to encourage them to think too highly of themselves in pride and arrogance. Rather, we should teach them to give, to serve, to be humble, to revere God and His Word, and to love others and seek to help, serve, and honor them. “ -The Surprising Origin ofBirthday Celebrations 

IN CONCLUSION:

What About Jesus’ Birthday?

The Bible does not document the day of Jesus’ birth, nor does the Lord command that it be remembered and celebrated annually.  When the angels wondrously announced the Lord’s birth, it was in celebration of his arrival, prophetic fulfillment, and the hope He brought in to the world.  Making cupcakes with little nativity scenes and singing “Happy Birthday to Jesus” hardly evokes the reverence and understanding necessary to fully appreciate His miraculous birth.   The devil (originally assisted by the Catholic church and now by ignorant Christians) wants to keep Jesus as a baby…helpless…wrapped in swaddling cloth…and laying in a manger.  The world puts him there every year and calls it Christmas. They pull Him out of glory, back from victory, and lay him back in the manger – before the blood was shed- helpless and new. And if the nativity scene on a church lawn wasn’t already patronizing to an infinite and awesome God, the world wants us to don party hats and sing to a “baby” in a manger, while our true Lord and Savior watches from His throne.

What About Our Birthday?

Surely, if a day set apart to honor one’s birth was not commanded by scripture for the Lord himself, how could we partake in such self-worship.  The social expectations of gifts and praise, and the participation of left-over pagan customs seem to condemn the practice anyway.  Although, we must track our age and acknowledge the annual passing of time,  a day to “celebrate yourself” for a people called to “deny [yourself] and take up [your] cross daily” seems contradictory and smells suspiciously like the world.  As for our family, our consciences can only be cleared by walking away from birthdays all together.