THE CHURCH MILITANT
Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse.
Bethel Church posted Olive Heiligenthal’s image all over social media as they prayed for her resurrection.
A Charismatic megachurch caused national headlines after they announced a campaign to pray and raise money for a resurrection after the unexpected death of a 2-year old toddler in their congregation. The pastor, Bill Johnson has attempted to use the Biblical example of Jesus performing resurrections as his basis to plead with God for a miraculous intervention. While this may all seem noble and godly on the exterior, upon closer examination, this prayer plan came from a church that is filled heretical, unbiblical and even occult practices. And it is sad commentary on the lack of discernment of many well-meaning Christians today who are looking for churches based on sound Biblical doctrine.
#WAKEUPOLIVE – BETHEL CHURCH’S PRAYER CAMPAIGN FOR A RESURRECTION
According to reports:
“Music echoed throughout the cavernous space as hundreds of congregants of a church in Redding, Calif., jumped up and down with their hands in the air. At the front of the room, a worship leader danced around a stage lined with lit Christmas trees as giant screens played the song’s lyrics.
“Come alive/ Come alive/ Come alive, dry bones/ Awake, arise/ Inhale the light”
The group was praying for 2-year-old Olive Heiligenthal, who Bethel Church says unexpectedly stopped breathing on Saturday. But the worshipers were not praying for her soul to find rest or for her family to be healed. They were asking God to raise her from the dead.
Kalley Heiligenthal, a worship leader at the church, and her husband, Andrew Heiligenthal, called 911 when they realized their daughter was not breathing, Bethel’s leadership said in a statement. First responders tried to revive Olive at her home and at the hospital, but the church said she was pronounced dead the same day. Her body was transferred to the Shasta County Coroner’s Office.
The church said its congregants believe in the miracle of resurrection, “which is modeled by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible.” This is Bethel’s first public gathering of prayer for someone to return to life, according to a statement from the church’s leadership.” (source).
Bethel Church is a non-denominational charismatic church in Redding, CA. They have built a massive, global following through their mega-popular Christian contemporary music that is sung in thousands of churches all over the country every Sunday. They preach that the Holy Spirit has empowered them to prophesy and perform supernatural miracles, “signs and wonders” on a regular basis. However, there is a great deal of wildly unbiblical practices in this church.
BILL JOHNSON’S MANY HERESIES
Here is a video that breaks down some of the incorrect, unbiblical teachings of Bethel Church pastor Bill Johnson:
In stunning fashion, Johnson states that the Apostle Paul was preaching “another Gospel” because he stated that God permitted him to be ill with a “thorn in the flesh.” Let’s examine this passage in context:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Note that Paul gave the specific reason for why he suffered the “thorn” – to keep him humble. Jesus personally appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, leading to his conversion to the Christian faith. Paul communed with God in Sinai. 13 of the books of the New Testament were written by him. He was given the power via the Holy Spirit to perform miracles. All these things could have led Paul to be full of himself – puffed up with pride that he was the special Apostle of Christ. But the thorn was a reminder to remain humble.
Also note that Paul said he prayed 3 times to be healed and God did not heal him. Why? God told him “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness .” God forgiving Paul for all of the sins in his life was enough consolation and furthermore, The Lord wanted Paul to lean on God in the moments he felt physically, emotionally or spiritually weak. This is when God demonstrates His strength: when we humbly cry out in affliction and paid for help from Him.
The fact that Christians will suffer in this life is taught all throughout Scripture. Jesus Christ said: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).
Yet Bill Johnson stated in the above video that the notion that God would allow any Christian to suffer bad health was “another Gospel” – essentially labeling that passage from 2 Corinthians as heresy! This should give any Christian pause – a pastor is directly telling his Church that certain parts of Paul’s teachings are false. And that any teaching that agrees with it is false. In a ‘Signs and Wonders’ ministry believers are to command and demand their miracles and believe they are entitled to every healing, blessing and prosperous situation ever mentioned in the Bible. This is not sound teaching.
When Job, whom God called the most faitfhul man on Earth in his day, lost his home, wealth and children in a day. Let us examine his reaction:
“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” – Job 1:13-22
This passage alone absolutely shatters the notion that we Christians should have an expectation of health, wealth, good looks and prosperity. Maybe we will have all those things, maybe not. As we live in this Earth, which is still under the curse of sin and death, nothing is promised to the Christian. Notice Job, whom God called the most faitful man on Earth, did not immediately demand a resurrection. He did not break into song to “manifest the Spirit” for supernatural power. He simply dropped to his knees and worshiped.
Job did not know why God allowed these things to happen but he trusted God had a great and mighty purpose in it. That is faith. It is trusting God when you do not know what is going to happen.
CAN WE PRAY FOR MIRACLES?
Christian can always ask God to do the impossible.
There is no sin or shame in praying for God to perform a miraculous, supernatural act in your life. Even in praying for the dead to come to life, we see Biblical examples of Jesus doing this. However, there is great danger in following teachings from a pastor or church who do not follow or teach the Bible accurately. What Bethel Church has done is precisely what Johnson discusses in the video above: preaching “another Gospel.” His false teaching incorrectly states that if the healing does no happen – the fault is on the person praying, because they should have the power of signs and wonders. This not only can lead to massive disappointment and confusion for the congregation, it leads to great spiritual error.
CHANNELING DEMONIC SPIRITS – BETHEL’S “DRUNKEN” CHURCH SERVICES
Bethel Church practices getting “drunk” and “high” in the Spirit.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1
One of the principal teachings of Bethel Church is that they can make the Holy Spirit manifest at their church services and take control of the congregation. This is demonstrated through acting “drunk”- a term the church uses for when you start laughing uncontrollably and enter into wild, chaotic behavior and spasms. There is absolutely no Biblical example of this whatsoever in Scripture. You will never find any instance of a believer in God acting irrationally or intoxicated as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But that has not stopped the false teachers at Bethel Church from encouraging their thousands of followers from engaging in just this very thing. In the extremely disturbing video below, Heidi Baker and her husband Rolland, leaders in Bethel, summon what appear to be demonic forces all throughout the congregation:
The young man in the video (who Baker “laid hands on”) is writhing on the ground and screaming in sheer agony a mere 2-3 feet from Baker and she does not even pay him any mind. Clearly, this is what she wanted to happen. Beloved, this behavior is not of the Holy Spirit. At no point in the Bible does any person who is indwelled with the Holy Spirit of God, ever roll on the floor, enter into gyrations, scream wildly or exhibit any form of erratic behavior. This is critical to understand because there are many churches today who false teach that “drunken” behavior or falling out onto the ground, are signs of being “filled with the Holy Ghost.”
What we see in the video is much more in line with demonic possession:
“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.” – Mark 5:1-5
Notice in the passage above, the man, possessed with numerous demons, was uncontrollable. He had to be chained and restrained because he was so violent and irrational in his actions and no man could “tame him.” All the while he was cutting himself and screaming. This is the result of demon possession in Scripture.
Once Jesus healed this man, the evidence of this miracle was from his very calm, normal behavior:
“Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.” – Luke 8:35-36
This man had experienced the healing power of God Almighty. He had a direct encounter with the Divine and what was the reaction? Was he acting irrational and insane? No, he was now calm and “in his right mind.” The fact that his demeanor was so normal frightened onlookers who were used to his animalistic behavior when he was possessed by demonic spirits. Keeping this in mind, what spirit was indwelling the young man in the video above? The Holy Spirit? God forbid. Do not be deceived.
Here is a clip of Bethel teaching congregants to enter a “Tunnel Of Fire” in which their fans are allegedly catching “Holy Spirit Fire”:
Again, notice there is no preaching taking place. There is no place for the Bible to be taught. It is merely emotion, wild spirituality and experience. This is not how a church service should be run. There is no example of this in Scripture whatsoever. The Bible says:
“Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” – 1 Corinthians 14:29-33
The Lord is not “the author of confusion.” This is a difficult challenge – when a church appears to have the best intentions and motivations but are not following the Bible, they are no different than any secular, New Age or pagan belief system. Jesus Christ said: “… the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63). If a Church is not basing their beliefs or practices on what is sound, Biblical doctrine, then they do not have the Spirit – no matter what “manifestations” or spectacular behavior takes place.
CHILDREN TAUGHT TO “RELEASE SPIRITS”
Again, we see Bethel Church engaging in unbiblical practices. Here there are teenagers teaching other children on how they can “release spirits”:
PROMOTING THE LOVE OF MONEY
Kris Valotton, a leader in the church, has promoted the heretical “Prosperity Gospel” – the false teaching that if a person gives a great deal of money the pastors of a church God will give greater blessings. There is no Biblical basis for this teaching whatsoever and it is manipulative in that it pressures the congregation to give more money to the pastor as “evidence of their faith.” Here is a perfect example of how deceptive this teaching can be:
There are numerous errors in this very short clip. First off, the Valotton is describing the events of John 12:
“Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.” – John 12:1-8
Valotton says that Mary poured a “years’ worth of wages on Jesus” and as a result of this she received the revelation that “Jesus is the Christ and was raised from the dead.” As seen in the passage above, the Bible never states that because of her generous “giving” Mary received a “special revelation” or “extra revelation” from God. It’s just in the text at all. The reason Jesus points to for Mary’s act of worship was that it was a foreshadow of His death on the cross that would take place just days later. The oil Mary used was normally reserved for the dead as a part of the funeral and burial process.
Additionally, the Mary in this passage was the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus resurrected from the dead. This was not Mary Magdalene – the disciple of Jesus who was the first to see The Lord after His resurrection:
“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him…
Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” – John 20:1-2; 10-18
Notice it was Mary Magdalene, not Mary of Bethany who was the first to receive the revelation that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. Valloton is not even teaching the Bible accurately. But he can get away with this subtle deception because he is not actually reading the text – he is merely paraphrasing Biblical events in his own words.
Similarly, he says that Judas did not receive revelation because he was a thief and stingy. There is also nowhere in the Bible that states this. Yet Valotton creates this “principle” and concludes by stating “God gives back to you spiritual things when you sow natural things.” This may sound Biblical but it’s not in the Bible.
Micah 3 states:
“Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.” – Micah 3:9-12
This type of worldly, material-focused preaching is heresy. It is an example of “teaching for hire” the very thing that Micah rebuked the priests in ancient Israel for doing. Bethel’s School of “Supernatural Ministry” which Vallotton states: “We’re equipping a company of revivalists to transform the world” charges $5000 for admission. The church made $60M in income in 2018, of which over $20M was “tithes and offerings.”
Bethel drew controversy in early 2019 for using “destiny cards”, a set of cards with imagery and symbols used to “divine” someone’s future and give them a “reading.” Christalignment, the company that makes the cards, states this about their spiritual services:
“All Christalignment team members operate only out of the third heaven realm. That means we are all hearing from Christ spirit. This ensures safety for you and a way higher level of accuracy. … We have developed 7 sets in total of destiny cards which are so accurate, that even if your life circumstances change dramatically, on your return to do them again years later, you will find the results identical, such is their accuracy. They are able to give profound insight into relationships, careers and your spiritual life.”
Here is a clip of the Christalignment team giving readings at the Rainbow Serpent festival in Australia:
Notice the young girl admits to taking “2 hits of acid” before her reading. All the while the videographer from Christalignment tries to coax her into stating that she had Christian conversion. Does any of this seem like a young woman who heard the Gospel – that she is a sinner, guilty before God and sentenced to damnation and can only find forgiveness of her sins through faith in the shed blood of Christ Jesus on the cross? Does this seem like a person “in their right mind?”
The Bible strictly forbids any type of occult or New Age practices:
“There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Bethel Church Pastor Theresa Dedmon sells prophetic “Destiny Pants” that can prophesy and summon angels.
This is the danger of mixing Christianity with witchcraft. In a published statement, Bethel Church was adamant that they do not endorse using tarot cards. However, using cards to determine one’s future, whether you call them tarot or “Christalignment” is practicing divination – which is a sin. Furthermore, the way the Christalignment creators discuss Jesus themselves, is in a New Age fashion – not a Biblical one. By referring to the “Christ Spirit” they are “aligning” with the notion of a “Christ Consciousness” – the New Age notion that Jesus is a spiritual force that you can tap into, rather than the Son of God who died on the cross for your sins. Do not be deceived.
FOLLOWING JESUS IN THE AGE OF THE CELEBRITY CHRISTIAN
Bethel’s wildly popular music brings in many unsuspecting followers.
In this era of social media, more and more Christian pastors, churches, bloggers and “influencers” are drawing massive followings who cling more to personality than sound doctrine. Thus, when confronted with an article like this that exposes the clear and often brazen heresy and sin within a particular ministry and react with anger because their “favorites” are being “attacked.” Beloved, if this is you, take time and pray to God for patience and understanding.
The Lord gave us His Holy Bible for a reason – it is the standard for all believers. And if a Church or pastor or Christian is leading people away from it, that is sinful rebellion. In the book of Romans, we read:
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” – Romans 16:17-18
Bethel Church has caused numerous offense contrary to the Bible and must be avoided. Pray for those who are under their sway to receive loving, Biblical correction and leave. And for those involved in the leadership of that church, pray they repent. Many souls are at stake and the only thing that can save them is the Biblical Gospel – trust and faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ who died so He could take the punishment we all deserve for our sins. Lord willing, more of those deceived by Bethel will come to know this and truly follow the Savior of Scripture and not another Jesus.
[B&E: Here are videos from a longtime Bethel member exposing the sinful and occult practices of Bethel Church and their School of Supernatural Ministry.]
Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith interviews "fired" Bethel member for exposing apostasy, etc:
Holly Pivec, NAR/Bethel Researcher, interviewed by Doreen Virtue, ex-new-ager:
Thousands of Christians have been murdered in Nigeria for their faith.
As the persecution of Christians across the globe reaches some of its peak levels, one country that is often forgotten in media coverage is Nigeria. At the end of December 2019, ISIS terrorists posted a video of 10 Christians being beheaded for their faith. The mainstream media has been shockingly silent about this story – continuing a trend of ignoring many of the atrocities that have taken place in Nigeria the past year – all against those who profess faith in Jesus Christ.
GENOCIDE – BEHEADING CHRISTIANS JUST THE LATEST ATTACK
One of the many churches Boko Haram has destroyed in Damask, Nigeria.
According to reports:
“Islamic State released a video purporting to show its militants beheading 10 Christian men in Nigeria, saying it was part of a campaign to avenge the deaths of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and its spokesman.
The militant group posted the footage on its online Telegram news channel on Thursday, the day after Christmas, with Arabic captions but no audio.
The video showed men in beige uniforms and black masks lining up behind blindfolded captives then beheading 10 of them and shooting an 11th man.
An earlier video seen by Reuters said the captives had been taken from Maiduguri and Damaturu in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, where militants have been fighting for years to set up a separate Islamist state.
In that video, the captives pleaded for the Christian Association of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari to save them.” (source).
As horrific as these murders were, they are just one example of the numerous attacks on Christians in Nigeria in the past decade. Terrorism experts estimate that in 2018 alone, over 2,400 Nigerian Christians were murdered for their faith. Many at the hands of Boko Haram, the Muslim extremist group in Nigeria and the Fulani herdsmen, rural Muslims who are loosely aligned with Boko Haram.
Mourners carry coffins of victims after a 2019 Muslim terrorist attack.
A Wall Street Journal reporter traveled to the heart of Fulani territory to gather first-hand accounts of the rampant and unconsciable persecution of Christians taking place:
“I travel to Godogodo, in the center of the country, where I meet a beautiful woman named Jumai Victor, 28. On July 15, she says, Fulani extremists stormed into her village on long-saddle motorcycles, three to a bike, shouting “Allahu Akbar!” They torched houses and killed her four children before her eyes.
When her turn came and they noticed she was pregnant, a discussion ensued. Some didn’t want to see her belly slit, so they compromised by cutting up and amputating her left arm with a machete. She speaks quickly and emotionlessly, staring into space as if she lost her face along with her arm. The village chief, translating for her, chokes up. Tears stream down his cheeks when she finishes her account.
I venture north to Adnan, where Lyndia David, 34, tells her story of survival. On the morning of March 15, rumors reached her village that Fulani raiders were nearby. She was dressing for church as her husband prepared to join a group of men who’d stand watch. He urged her to take refuge at her sister’s home in another village.
Her first night there, sentinels woke her with a whistle. She left the house to find flames spreading around her. Fulani surrounded her. Then she heard a voice: “Come this way, you can get through!” She did, and her putative savior leapt out of the underbrush, cut three fingers off her right hand, carved the nape of her neck with his machete, shot her, doused her body with gasoline, and lit it. She somehow survived. A few weeks later she returned to her village and learned that the raiders had leveled it the same night. Her husband was among the 72 they murdered.” (source).
On Christmas Eve 2019, Boko Haram militants raided the town of Kwarangulum. Driving in on motorcycles and armed with assault rifles, the Muslim terrorists murdered 7 Christians, burnt homes and stores to the ground and abducted a teenage girl. Kwarangulum is just 10 miles from Chibok, where in 2014 Boko Haram militants stormed an all-girls school and kidnapped 276 girls (112 of them still remain in captivity today). (source).
In June of 2019, Boko Haram gunned down 65 Christians who were attending a funeral. The Muslim group’s goal is to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria. (source).
Victims attempt to find survivors after a 2016 bombing by Boko Haram
In September 2019 Boko Haram posted a video showing Lawrence Duna Dacighir and Godfrey Ali Shikagham, who were members of the Church Of Christ in Nations. Both young men were delivering aid to impoverished people in rural areas of Nigeria. In the video they were on their knees while three heavily armed terrorists stand behind them. They were then shot and executed. (source).
In February 2018, 100 girls were kidnapped from school in Dapchi, Nigeria by Boko Haram terrorists. Five of these girls died in captivity and many were eventually released. However some, still remain unaccounted for. Many of these girls are forced to become “brides” to Boko Haram members or sold as sex slaves. (source).
REMEMBER NIGERIA – PRAY FOR PEACE
Though they are risking their lives, Christians in Nigeria still gather to worship Jesus Christ.
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10
Somehow, despite the dozens upon dozens of murders, kidnappings and assaults, the media has largely ignored the crisis in Nigeria. But we must not. Continue in prayer for the nation of Nigeria. Pray for the many tens of thousands of Christians who are living under daily fear of violence, displacement and death. Pray that God will protect them and strengthen them for the tribulation they face. Also pray for the Holy Spirit to bring peace to the region and for the light of the Gospel – the good news that God came on the cross and died so that all people, including Fulani herdsmen, ISIS and Boko Haram – can be forgiven for all of their sins when they put their faith and trust in Jesus. And pray that we do not forget the suffering of brothers and sisters in the faith – even if the major media stands idly.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” – Galatians 6:7
In the latest brazen act of broadcast blasphemy against the Christian faith, a new Netflix movie streaming movie in Brazil portrays The Lord Jesus Christ as a homosexual and his earthly mother Mary as an adulteress. Pop Culture entertainment knows no bounds when it comes to offending Christianity and mocking Jesus Christ and this new Christmas-themed film is just the latest offering. [B&E: UPDATE: A Judge in Brazil has now ruled that the show will be temporarily banned. See below for more details.]
According to reports:
“Netflix has released a blasphemous “Christmas special” movie that depicts Jesus as a homosexual and the Virgin Mary as an adulterer, prompting more than one million people to sign a petition to have the film removed from the popular streaming service.
On social media, Netflix proclaimed: “Jesus, who’s hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family. A Christmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos.” Translated, Porta dos Fundos means “back door.” (source).
This was not even the first time that Netflix or this production company have disrespected the Christian faith. In 2018 the company produced another film in which The Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples wake up from a night of drunken partying.
BLASPHEMY – MORE COMMONPLACE IN THE LATTER DAYS
The Bible predicted a rise in blasphemy in the end times.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” – 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Over 2,000 years ago the holy words of the Bible predicted that this proud, unholy blasphemy against God would be much more prevalent as the end times approached. Pop Culture has gone out of its way to attack, mock and disrespect the Christian faith. Why is this so important? Because it is one of the enemy’s ways of turning the hearts and minds of the unsaved away from God. The more the Bible and Christianity can be laughed at and scorned the less people have to take it seriously.
The sad truth about all people is that we do not want to be confronted with the harsh, universal truth: we are all sinners. Jesus Christ said:
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” – John 3:17-21
The First Temptation Of Christ is just one of numerous examples of TV shows and movies which seek to make a mockery of the earthly mission of Jesus Christ, His sacrificial death on the cross for the atonement of the sins of humanity and the Bible in general.
“GCB” was an earlier show that mocked Jesus and portrayed Christians as backstabbing hypocrites.
Beginning And End has previously covered:
A Saturday Night Live Skit that pictured Jesus using an assault rifle to shoot and murder innocents. (source).
NBC’s sitcom ‘The New Normal’ which devoted an entire episode to mocking Christianity, including crude remarks about “killing Jesus twice” and having a homosexual character remarking on the “physique” of a statue of Jesus in a Catholic Church. (source).
ABC’s series “GCB” (which stands for ‘Good Christian B—–“), a show about the church lives of a group Christian women, posted their own version of the 10 Commandments which included lines like: “Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s husband…unless he’s really hot.”, “Remember the spa day and keep it holy,” It also featured a Christmas play that depicted Jesus dancing with a scantily-clad woman who portraying ‘The Holy Spirit.’ (source).
DC Comics series “Second Coming” which depicts Jesus returning to Heaven after His resurrection to be told by God The Father that He was a failure and has to “learn how to be a Messiah” from a superhero. (source).
At the same time, Hollywood refrains from any mockery of the faith of Islam. When irreverent, adult cartoon show South Park depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammed in humorous manner, the show was immediately censored before airing. In 2013, a trailer for a movie about Islam that was never even released made offensive depictions of the prophet Muhammed, sparking mass protests in the Muslim community. Former President Barak Obama condemned the trailer in a public statement calling it “disgusting” and even connected the killing of four American citizens on the offensive nature of the mockery of the Islamic religion.
PRAY FOR REPENTANCE
“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:14-17
On several occasions, the Lord Jesus Christ warned His disciples that “the world” – meaning the unbelieving population, would hate them and all who believe in Biblical Christianity. Why? Because Jesus and true Christians are not “of the world.” Being a born-again Christian means you have a new-born spirit – from God. It means that you have discernment to feel grieved, hurt and offended when someone mocks Jesus Christ – just as you would if someone mocked and attacked your mother, child or best friend.
In order to prepare the world for the much greater deceptions to come in the end times, the Devil must turn people away from saving faith in the Gospel – the good news of the Bible that Jesus Christ died on the cross to take the punishment for the sins all people have committed so that we could be forgiven when we put our full faith and trust in His atoning sacrifice. Hollywood has been a major weapon in the arsenal of Satan to deter, distract and discourage even taking Christianity seriously. The Bible says:
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 11:3
It is no coincidence that time and time again is it the Christian faith that is mocked and scorned. The Devil will use “any means” to “beguile” and trick the minds of the unsuspecting world to reject Christianity. Do not be deceived.
If you are a Christian, pray that Netflix removes this blasphemous show. A change.org petition already has over 2 million signatures. Also pray that those involved with the production of this show will repent of their sins against the Creator of humanity. The Bible is clear that all people will give an account for what the have spoken against God. Lord willing, the people involved in these blasphemous programs will repent and worship Jesus – the Messiah who took their sins, rather than having to stand before His throne still bearing their own shame and guilt. Because at that point, no one will be laughing.
UPDATE: THE SHOW IS TEMPORARILY BANNED?
According to reports:
“A judge in Brazil has ruled that a film depicting Jesus as gay must be removed from the TV streaming service Netflix.
The film, The First Temptation of Christ, infuriated fervent Christians in the country.
Two million people signed a petition calling for it to be axed, and the production company was attacked with Molotov cocktails last month.
In the ruling against Netflix, the judge said: “The right to freedom of expression… is not absolute”.
However, the ban is only temporary while a final decision is made.” (source).
January 14, 2020—On the fourth day of student protests that began on Saturday, demonstrators called on Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, to resign. "Commander in chief, resign!" the students were chanting. Slogans also included the following:
- People didn't die for us to praise the murderous leader
- We will die and we will take back Iran
- Death to the rule of the mullahs
Protests began on Saturday after Iranian officials admitted, following a three-day delay, that security forces had shot down a civilian passenger plane flying from Tehran to Kiev, Ukraine.
I24 NEWS REPORTS:
Iranians Are Protesting, But They Aren't Protesting Trump and the Media Can't Stand It
President Trump tweets out support for Iranian protests
Iranian universities have erupted in protest and are calling for the resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei. President Trump is tweeting out his support for the protesters. One America's Chanel Rion has more from the White House.
TRUMP SPEAKS DIRECTLY
TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE
It's impossible to overestimate the power of the president’s words.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research
purposes:
The Iranian people are demonstrating. You can see the protests on Twitter, and read about the internal ferment online at the Free Iran Herald, which appears on Gateway Pundit.
The current round of demonstrations erupted all over the country after the destruction of the Ukrainian commercial airplane taking off from Tehran. The security forces are reacting with even greater than usual violence, shooting the protesters with live ammunition. At the same time, supporters of deceased General Qassem Soleimani within the Revolutionary Guards are being rounded up in significant numbers, suggesting that there was a power struggle underway within his Quds Force for the succession after the death of the supreme leader—Ali Khamenei—who is now eighty years old.
According to the Free Iran Herald, published in the Gateway Pundit blog,
This news is increasing the speculation that Soleimani, who was known to act on his own initiatives, and who was being seen as a possible future dictator-in-waiting for Tehran, was betrayed to American intelligence by his own colleagues within the regime, who feared that he would deprive them of their power and privileges.
Most of the passengers on the Ukrainian aircraft were Iranians, and speculation abounds that the flight was brought down in order to kill the "disloyal" ones. Although the question remains: disloyal to whom?
The Tehran regime organized big crowds to say goodbye to Soleimani, but the current demonstrations are explicitly against Khamenei and his cohorts, from calls for the resignation of the supreme leader to students on campus in Tehran refusing to walk on big painted images of the American and Israeli flags. The regime was shutting down Internet communications as rapidly as possible, attempting to divide the Iranian people from one another, a tactic that has proven effective in the past, while the leaders of the demonstrations used couriers to carry messages from city to city.
But perhaps the biggest news came from the White House, where President Trump spoke directly to the Iranian people in English and Farsi. He rehearsed the violence of the regime against the people, and said that he had supported the people from the outset, and would continue to do so. That was Saturday. Sunday he did it again. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been at it for some time, stressed the same themes: the regime is the source of the violence, and the people deserve the active support of the free nations of the world.
I don’t believe it is possible to overestimate the power of the president’s words on both the regime and the seventy-or-so million Iranians who oppose it. This is the first such event in forty years, and it comes from an American leader who has tried very hard to make a deal with the regime of the Islamic Republic.
He gave it his all, and satisfied himself that the regime was not interested in a deal with the United States. Accordingly, he rejected the advice of the likes of Rand Paul, and ordered the troops to eliminate the regime’s prime killer Soleimani and the band of Mafiosi around him, in the event mostly from Iraq. Now Trump is talking directly to the Iranian people, and the demonstrations are bigger and more widespread than any earlier ones.
I don’t think that the Khamenei regime is long for this world, now that the American president has spoken directly to the masses of Iranians who had waited for the United States to do their dirty work for them. No American president -- not Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush fils, or Obama -- had understood the key to the Middle East: bring down the Islamic Republic. That, rather than the conquest of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam, should have been our goal in 2003, but we chose the wrong target.
Now, of all the unlikely people, Donald Trump figured it out and is pursuing it. Like his predecessors, Trump does not wish to invade Iran; unlike them, he has found that the regime is ready to fall, that America can inspire and lead a revolution against the world’s leading terror country.
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research
purposes:
After the Iranian regime first denied and then finally admitted that it had shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane killing all 176 people aboard, protests broke out against the government in Tehran as well as in other Iranian cities. As many as tens of thousands of Iranian people are said to be involved. Protesters are risking their lives denouncing the government, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
“Khamenei is a murderer!” some protesters exclaimed. Others shouted slogans such as “Death to liars!”, “Death to the dictator!”, and “You have no shame!” Whatever national unity there was in the immediate aftermath of the American killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani is now gone. Indeed, protesters were seen ripping up pictures of Soleimani. Even some hardline conservatives in Iran, who generally support the regime, were critical of how the government had handled the downing of the plane.
Riot police, plainclothes security men, and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have been out in full force, trying to keep things under control. Police even arrested the British ambassador to Iran, Rob Macaire, who was attending a vigil for the victims. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described Ambassador Macaire as “an unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering” before confirming the ambassador’s identity and allowing him to be freed. The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denounced the arrest of Ambassador Macaire as “a flagrant violation of international law.”
In the past, the Iranian regime has been brutal to its own citizens who dared to protest against the government. A bloody crackdown late last year resulted in the deaths of as many as 1000 demonstrators and the wounding and imprisonment of thousands more. President Trump cautioned Iran’s leaders this time to show restraint. He tweeted:
“To the leaders of Iran - DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!”
Clearly, the Iranian regime is on the defensive. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, offered a half-apology while also blaming the Great Satan, the United States, for the tragedy. “Human error at time of crisis caused by US adventurism led to disaster,” he tweeted. But the Iranian leaders and military have nobody to blame but themselves. And the Iranian people are tired of the regime’s standard propaganda.
Many poor and lower middle class people who have supported the regime in the past turned against it last fall after the regime imposed an increase in gas prices. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ costly military ventures abroad, while Iranian citizens were suffering economic misery at home, added to the anger fueling the protests. The shooting down of the passenger plane and the cover up that followed may become the tipping point.
The Iranian regime had no explanation as to why commercial planes were allowed to take off from Iran in the first place, after the regime had launched missiles aimed at Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops and was anticipating a possible military response by the United States. Then, the regime offered a lame explanation for the crash, ascribing it to technical problems, before being forced to admit the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence that an Iranian missile had struck the Ukrainian aircraft. Even after admitting what the regime called a human error on its part, Iran’s military tried to deflect some blame onto the flight’s crew for allegedly veering off course near a sensitive military base. After Ukraine pushed back on this claim, an Iranian commander with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps walked it back. In short, the Iranian regime has bungled the whole incident from beginning to end.
"This tragedy will not be forgotten nor is it easy to overcome for the population under sanctions and pressure not just from abroad but also from the state," said Sanam Vakil, Senior Research Fellow at Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House. "This incident is a stark reminder of the gaping lack of governance."
Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that the downing of the plane “has shocked the public. Once more, the regime carelessly kills its own people. It punctures the already spurious narrative that the killing of Soleimani has united the Iranian people behind their government."
Internationally, the Iranian regime’s claim to “credibility” has also taken a major hit.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has insisted on “a full admission of guilt” by the regime. “We expect Iran to assure its readiness for a full and open investigation, to bring those responsible to justice, to return the bodies of the victims, to pay compensation, and to make official apologies through diplomatic channels,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, the home country of many who were killed in the downed plane, said he was “outraged and furious” and demanded a “full and complete investigation.” For once, Trudeau is right.
In the irony of ironies, as reported by Voice of America, "Iran has invited the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. accident investigation agency, to participate” in the Ukrainian plane crash investigation. Is German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas right in saying that Iran’s invitation is “a very important signal" of possible de-escalation? It’s doubtful, but one can hope.
