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"The RISEN Redeemer! -Reality and Relevance" -- With the Evangelical and Catholic world simply agog over the bloody movie, "The Passion", this book is a much needed breath of fresh air! The Biblical emphasis is upon the Resurrection, not the "Passion" of Jesus Christ! This Biblical fact has been the heart and soul of Baptist and Protestant doctrine for the past 500 years! "The Passion" movie is likely to strongly move people into the wrong direction again, toward the Roman Catholic emphasis on Jesus' agonizing death. This book is a must read for many people who do not understand this mighty Biblical Resurrection doctrine. NO historic event can begin to compare to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It was a momentous event that transformed not only the world but also countless precious souls. The Resurrection is one of the fundamentals of the faith - at the center of Biblical Christianity there is an empty tomb! Jesus' Resurrection has been called "the most attested fact in history". This work will be instrumental in dispelling any doubt about the historical veracity of the resurrection. This author examines the Biblical evidence for resurrection and the implications for the believer. You will be drawn closer to the Savior Who died to rise again, to redeem I. "The Passion" movie -- Another Gospel, Another Jesus -- In a nutshell, this is the core blasphemy contained within this movie. The key distinctive between Biblical truth and Roman Catholicism is simple, but so very important that over 70 million Protestants who held to this Biblical doctrine were martyred by Rome's Inquisition chambers: The Bible states that Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross was a substitutionary act that was sufficient to save the sins of all mankind forever. Roman Catholicism teaches that Jesus' sacrifice was not complete, was "lacking"! To make up for that supposed "lack", the Virgin Mary stepped into the scene, becoming the Co-Redeemer, Co-Sufferer with Jesus during His trial, torture and crucifixion. Listen to Pope John Paul II declare this to be Catholic doctrine: "She (Mary) completes in her flesh as already in her heart what is lacking in the suffering of Christ." [Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Salvifici Doloris, n. 25) In the movie, the only time a substitutionary sacrifice is even mentioned is in the Garden of Gethsemane! A female Satan whose voice sounds distinctly male, taunts Jesus saying: "... do you really believe that one man can really bear all the burden of sin forever? No one man can bear that burden; it is too heavy, too costly." Satan sneers terribly at the idea that one man's sacrifice could possibly pay the entire sin burden of the whole world. Surprisingly, Jesus did not rise to a defense in this movie when challenged by this female Satan! He said not one word in defense of this sneering accusation! He merely said, "If possible, let this chalice pass from me..." One of the major facts we learned as we studied the Six Step Attitudinal Change Plan is that the original proposal must come from a proper authority figure! Listen to the way in which the Illuminati chose to word this all-important concept. Step #1 of this Six-Step plan reads as follows: "Some practice so offensive that it can scarcely be discussed in public is advocated by a RESPECTED expert in a RESPECTED forum." [Emphasis was in the original] Thus, in this movie, it is very important that a proper authority figure never did positively state the substitutionary sacrifice doctrine! Only a sneering Satan stated this concept, without Jesus strongly defending it! Please take a few moments to really meditate on this very, very important concept. A person who knows their Bible well will look at Satan's statement and relax, thinking that the movie has made this key point of a substitutionary sacrifice. However, an unchurched person who knows nothing about the Bible and has never had the Gospel presented to him is not likely to make this connection strongly enough to be moved to be saved! Such an unchurched person is likely to see a sneering Satan impugn the idea that one man's sacrifice could possibly atone for the sins of the entire world and believe that Satan was right! The chance that an unsaved, biblically illiterate person is likely to come to the conclusion that Satan was right is immeasurably increased by the fact that Jesus did not strongly rise to defend the substitutionary principle! This principle is so key you must understand it fully. An unchurched person is likely to see a tortured, brutally crucified Jesus, and say in his heart, 'what does that mean for me?' Most people will never make the connection between Jesus' sacrifice and what that means for their eternal soul. For this reason, we believe this movie has little to no real significance in an evangelistic outreach. So many apostate churches like Rick Warren's Purpose-Driven churches are attempting to bring people who have seen this movie into their churches, where they will never hear the proper Gospel. We believe that little genuine spiritual seed is likely to come from this movie. The greatest recipient of this movie will be the Roman Catholic Church. This movie is so strongly Catholic that it will reinforce Catholic doctrines in the minds of her devout and lukewarm alike. Family members of Catholics who have spurned the Church are likely to be drawn back because of this most emotionally draining movie. In fact, Catholics could very well look at the weak, indecisive Jesus and realize that Roman Catholic doctrine is correct -- "She (Mary) completes in her flesh as already in her heart what is lacking in the suffering of Christ." [Ibid] Satan will be seen as being entirely correct: Jesus' sacrifice was not enough to save the sin of the whole world! His sacrifice had to be augmented by Mary's suffering! Jesus was, and is, "lacking"! Mary's suffering provides what Jesus lacked, thus making His sacrifice complete and perfect! Mary must suffer for the sins of the world, or no salvation is possible! And, Mary did, indeed, suffer with Jesus throughout this whole movie. Gibson portrays her as being spiritually connected with Jesus. When He felt pain, she felt pain. Furthermore, this movie exaggerates the point that Jesus could never have made it through His 12 hours of suffering had Mary not been there for Him, giving Him strength to go on. Time and again, Jesus is beaten to the point He simply collapses, seemingly unable to go on, seemingly in danger of dying right there on the spot. However, His eyes meet Mary's eyes and suddenly, He is infused with new physical strength and inner determination. At the very end of the crucifixion, Mary calls out, "Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone, I want to die with you". This movie depicts exactly what Pope John Paul II said, above. "She (Mary) completes in her flesh as already in her heart what is lacking in the suffering of Christ." [Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, Salvifici Doloris, n. 25] This disgusting Catholic belief is clearly and boldly stated in this movie. Do you think Protestants ought to go see it? Do you think this movie is a proper evangelisation tool? Remember the Biblical doctrine that God will not allow a holy result to come from an unholy source. He cares just as much about methods as He does about results. Listen to the Scripture: "And if anyone enters competitive games, he is not crowned
unless he competes lawfully, fairly, according to the rules laid
down." [2 Timothy 2:5; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified
Bible Commentary] In fact, you have to remember how genuine salvation occurs. Jesus stated: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." [John 6:44] Did this Scripture say that a person is brought to the point where he/she desires to receive Jesus as Savior because they are emotionally whipped and sawed by a movie brutally depicting the torture and crucifixion of Jesus? No, it says that only when the Father calls a person can that person come to Jesus! Therefore, is God going to use an unholy movie -- created by unholy Catholic officials -- as a means by which to bring people to His Son? Of course, not. But, that old deceiver Satan, loves to fool people into thinking this fundamentally Catholic movie is going to be a great Evangelistic tool. Be careful of the supposed conversions, for Satan is expert in creating the false tare plant rather than the genuine wheat! Remember that a tare plant looks exactly like a wheat until the very end of the growth cycle, when the wheat grows a full head of seed while the tare grows a very tiny head of inedible seed. From the beginning all the way to the setting of the head of seed, the tare plant looks exactly like a wheat plant! [Read the parable of the Tare: Matthew 13:24-30] At the End of the Age, Jesus foretold in this parable, Satan would plant many false tares in the fields of the world. This movie is likely to produce "tare conversions". Satan also loves to jerk people emotionally so they will make a shallow decision for Jesus that will die out just as quickly as the shallow plants of which Jesus warned in His parable of the Sower and the Seed [Luke 8:5-18]
Bold Roman Catholic doctrines are taught in this movie; in fact, I believe this movie may be the single strongest statement of Roman Catholic heresy in world history! We list these Romish doctrines very clearly in our article, and invite you to carefully and prayerfully read it [on our website]. The Bible states that the End of the Age would be characterized by the most appalling Christian Church apostasy imaginable. Listen the prophetic words of the Apostle Paul: "But relative to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and our gathering together to meet Him, we beg you brethren let
no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that day will not
come except the apostasy comes first (unless the predicted great
falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has
come) and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the
son of doom (of perdition)." [2 Thessalonians
2:1-3; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary] ".... when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?" [Luke 18:8; Ibid.]
NO historic event can begin to compare to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. It was a momentous event
that transformed not only the world but also countless precious
souls. http://cuttingedge.org/detail.cfm?ID=682 One of THE major signs that the End of the Age is truly approaching is when you see the great majority of Christian churches falling away from the Fundamentals of the Faith. A pastor or church leader that knowingly moves away from teaching the "full counsel" of God, and begins incorporating unbiblical and human elements in his services and his teaching, is literally -- and Biblically -- opening the door to Antichrist. How many well-meaning pastors have ever thought of this sober fact as they lead their churches into areas that are not Biblical? Pastors, teachers and leaders who are falsely assuring their followers that this movie is consistent with Scripture and does not teach any unique Catholic doctrine, are simply opening the door wide open to the appearance of Antichrist! Below, we shall deal with the falsehoods of Dr. Dobson, but he is not the only one who is encouraging Christians to go watch, and support, this movie. This whole world is swirling toward a complete fulfillment of all prophecies. All three segments of civilization are moving toward globalism at the very same time: Government, Economy, Religion. This movie will provide a great movement -- probably a quick movement -- toward an accommodation with the Roman Catholic Church, whose Pope has been chosen by the Illuminati to be their False Prophet . This movie is moving apostate, biblically-illiterate Christians firmly into the hands of Rome. Speaking of unbiblical scenes, how about that scene with the female Satan taking the role of a demonic Virgin Mother and holding that demonic Divine Child in her arms? Did you see the smirk from Hell when that albino-white baby turned to view Jesus being scourged? This scene can only be that of the coming Antichrist! What is that doing in a move that is supposed to be consistent with the four Gospels? We explain this scene [in an article on our website]. Roman Catholic sources are chortling over the success of "The Passion", even as they are wondering why Evangelicals are so enthusiastic! Let us now review some of these Catholic authors as they write about Gibson's movie. II. Official Vatican website crows that "The Passion" is a Mass! When you went into the theater to see this movie, did you have any inkling you were really walking into a Mass? Furthermore, did Dobson, Billy Graham and Rick Warren tell their people they were going into a Roman Catholic Mass? Listen to this revelation from an official Vatican website, "ZENIT: The World Seen From Rome"
'The Passion' … for Its Author, Is a Mass", Vittorio Messori, ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome, Date: 2004-02-18, Code: ZE04021821 "Gibson, a Catholic who loves the Tradition, is a strong champion of the doctrine confirmed by the Council of Trent: the Mass is ... 'above all' Jesus' sacrifice, the bloodless renewal of the passion ... This film, for its author, is a Mass." How can this be? Could this film really have been created specifically to be a Mass? Yes! Once you understand the Mass - yes - the film is a Mass. How can this be, you ask, for this film simply depicts Jesus' scourging, false trial, and brutal crucifixion. Right? Exactly right! But, did you not know that this is precisely what a Mass is? Let us define this most blasphemous of religious ceremonies, carried out worldwide by the innumerable thousands every day. Let us define the Mass, drawing from a Roman Catholic Catechism: "The Mass continues the Sacrifice of the Cross. Each
time the Mass is offered, the Sacrifice of Christ is repeated.
A new sacrifice is not offered, but by divine power, one and
the same sacrifice is repeated. 'As often as you eat this bread
and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until
He comes (1 Cor 11:26). In the Mass, Christ continues to offer
Himself to the Father as He did on the Cross. And in the Mass,
the Father continues to accept His Son's gift as He did in the
Resurrection and the Ascension." ["The New Saint Joseph
Baltimore Catechism", Catholic Book Publishing, p. 171] "If they then deviate from the faith and turn away from their allegiance--it is impossible to bring them back to repentance, as long as they nail upon the cross the Son of God afresh ... and are holding Him up to contempt and shame and public disgrace." [Hebrews 6:6; Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary] For centuries, Roman Catholic people were frozen out of simple salvation as long as they continued to go to Mass! As long as they participated in the daily torturing and crucifixion of Jesus, they could not be saved! Once they became Born Again, the Holy Spirit would bring a conviction to their heart that they could no longer go to Mass! In the vast majority of centuries since Martin Luther, this decision could very well result in their martyrdom! When Evangelical Christians believe that there is no real difference between Catholicism and Christianity, they are impugning the entire Protestant Reformation! By their actions, they are stating that Martin Luther was wrong and that over 70 million Protestants died in vain! Yet, Evangelicals must take this view or they would not be urging their people to attend this movie, thinking it would help lead people to the genuine Jesus! People are all caught up in the current fever that this movie represents one of the greatest evangelizing tools of all time! Would you take a prospective convert to a Roman Catholic Mass in order to win them for Jesus Christ? Of course, not, you say. Then, you would not take them to this Hollywood Mass called "The Passion"! "The Stations of the Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and Catholic mystics' visions shape Mel Gibson's work. What's in "The Passion of the Christ" that's not in the Bible? Mel Gibson has said that while drawing most heavily from the Gospels, he also based his movie on extra-biblical sources, many of which fuel his Catholic faith. Scenes corresponding to the Stations of the Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, and visions of Catholic mystics appear in the film. The Stations of the Cross are a Catholic devotion meant to evoke a contemplative experience of Jesus' last hours. The faithful follow a series of 14 pictorial images representing scenes of Jesus' condemnation, his road to Calvary, and his crucifixion. The images often are shown on the walls of Catholic churches so believers can move from one "station" to another, reflecting on Christ's suffering." At this point, the author of this Catholic article lists each of the 14 Stations of the Cross, with an explanation. This author quite correctly stipulates which Station of the Cross are Biblical and which are unbiblical. Of course, numerous positions of the Stations of the Cross never occurred in the Bible, and are there only because of Roman Catholic supposed visions! This Catholic author concludes in most Catholic manner. "While Protestants and other non-Catholics may find the extra-biblical sources unfamiliar, there has not been an outcry that it is 'too Catholic'. The Stations of the Cross, the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the writings of Catholic mystics provide extra material with which Gibson created his artistic statement of faith. In effect, the film offers an insider's view of Catholic traditions to which the faithful have turned for centuries in an effort to understand Christ's sufferings." Did you catch that pertinent phrase? "the film offers an insider's view of Catholic traditions" Did you hear that, Mr. Dobson, Billy Graham, and Rick Warren? This film was NOT Biblical, not Christian, but an "insider's view of Catholic traditions"! Another article on Belief Net gives much more insight.
"Hymn to a Savage God: Mel Gibson uses a 'hidden script' based on visions of a German nun in making his film", By John Dominic Crossan, Belief Net, http://www.beliefnet.com/story/140/story_14099_1.html "Before you see Mel Gibson's film, 'The Passion of the Christ,' read the script. I don't mean the film's actual script, or even the New Testament, upon which the film is based. Rather, I mean the hidden script: "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" from the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Sister Anne Emmerich was an Augustinian nun and mystic who lived from 1774 to 1824 in Germany. Her life was one of poverty, hardship, and suffering, with its final decade spent bed-ridden in constant pain. During the last Lent of her life, she experienced visionary meditations on Jesus' passion, recorded by the poet Klemens Brentano and published in 1833. Inspired by this work of mystical visions, Gibson has created a film that is two hours of unrelenting brutality. The fleeting flashbacks to the earlier life of Jesus and Mary serve more to intensify than alleviate the savagery. They do not explain how Jesus' life led inevitably to this death or why anyone wanted him dead let alone publicly crucified. He is victim, not martyr." Bingo! This last point, above, is exactly our contention, both in [an article on our website] and at the beginning of this newsletter! This Catholic author agrees with Cutting Edge, that people who are not familiar with Scripture will have no good idea why Jesus was crucified and certainly no good idea as to how His savage crucifixion might impact them spiritually! Without this kind of connection, this film has little, if any, Evangelical outreach potential! Ponder this very, very carefully! This Catholic author continues, and he makes it quite clear he is troubled by the movie. Listen: "Thus, my main question about this film is: when does the sustained depiction of a sadistic action become itself an obscene viewing? Even or especially if it actually happened that way? The question is not whether scourging and crucifixion were savage (of course!) or whether Jesus suffered terribly (of course!) but whether this film's unrelenting sadism is pornographic?" Christians have railed against Hollywood's depiction of mindless violence, death, blood, guts, and gore. Yet, too many Christians are more than willing to subject themselves to just such a Hollywood depiction, not stopping to think that the Holy Spirit -- working 2,000 years ago in the minds of the Four Evangelists -- chose not to spell out in gruesome detail the violence, blood, guts and gore in the Gospel account of Jesus' trial, scourging and crucifixion. Why would we allow Hollywood to depict something God chose not to depict! Then, this author decries the fact that Gibson is even more brutal than either the Biblical account or Sister Emmerich! "... it is also true that Gibson relentlessly escalates the brutality of the Roman auxiliary soldiers above what is present in 'The Dolorous Passion'. Both script and film portray the scourgers as sadistic brutes. A first twosome starts with rods and a second twosome finishes with an iron cat-o'-nine-tails tipped with sharp hooked claws. But Gibson goes beyond even Emmerich with his final stroke. As Jesus' body slumps to the ground, the last blow wraps a clawed tip around his head and destroys his right eye. "During the crucifixion, Emmerich describes long, sharp nails whose 'points came through at the back of the cross'. Once again, Gibson goes beyond that by flipping the cross over so that its weight slams down on top of Jesus' pinioned body. He then has the soldiers hammer Emmerich's nail-points at right angles until they are flat to the wood, the reverberations going through it to the hands and arms of Jesus ... Gibson's insistent brutality simply films Emmerich's ghastly vision." Not only is this Catholic author absolutely correct that Gibson went far beyond even Sister Emmerich's ghastly vision, he might do well to consider the possibility that the reason Gibson went well beyond any source for his depiction of brutality and blood is that he was being secretly driven by the insidious blood-oath secret society, Opus Dei, whose members beat themselves daily and seem to develop a personal penchant for unrestrained violence and the spilling of blood. Listen to the founder of Opus Dei and measure his words against Gibson's "pornographic" bloody scenes. * "Blessed be pain. Loved be pain. Sanctified be pain.
Glorified be pain!" (The Way, p. 208)
Official Vatican website crows about how many precious resources Gibson poured into his movie. " 'The Passion' … for Its Author, Is a Mass", Vittorio Messori, ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome, Date: 2004-02-18, Code: ZE04021821 - Quoted above, in item, II. "The Gamble - Mel has said it with pride tempered by humility, with pragmatism kneaded with mysticism which becomes in him a singular mixture: "If this work was to fail, for 50 years there will be no future for religious films. We threw the best in here: as much money as we wished, prestige, time, rigor, the charism of great actors, the science of the learned, inspirations of the mystics, experience, advanced technology." Mel Gibson is the consummate, traditionalist Roman Catholic. He poured between $25-30 million into this movie and for what reason? To promote the Traditionalist Catholic viewpoint. And, to draw Protestant and Liberal Christians to the altar of Rome, where they can join the Hindus, Buddhists and other mother goddess religions of the other side of Rome's altar. The One World Church is taking shape! The Illuminati chose the Pope to be its False Prophet figure in 1991 and now it has released "The Passion" to make this plan a reality. Now, you know why the 1995 Illuminati Card Game had a crucifixion scene called "The Spear of Longinus". The real story of this movie may be the Evangelical leaders who have strongly supported "The Passion". We shall be writing an article on this subject next week. However, today we want to briefly mention the terrible falsehoods Dr. James Dobson is feeding his Focus On The Family faithful. Listen to the assurances Dobson makes. "The Greatest Story Ever Told", Dr. Dobson's Newsletter: February, 2004 "There are no specific references to unique Catholic doctrine in the film ..." As we demonstrate [in a previous newsletter], and as we shall further demonstrate in follow-up articles, "The Passion" systematically presents every Roman Catholic heretical doctrine against which brave Protestants and Baptists have been fighting since the days of Martin Luther and his predecessors, the Anabaptists. How bad is the Catholic doctrine in this movie? Former Catholics who work with Cutting Edge were very disgusted with this movie, for it strongly presented every dogma from which they fled! Early next week, we shall be issuing an article from their unique perspective -- former Catholics who are now Born Again and very Biblically literate! While Dobson and Billy Graham and Rick Warren are praising this film for its Biblical accuracy, the truth lies in exactly the opposite direction! This movie is literally crawling with unbiblical doctrines and scenes totally made up by a stigmatist, mystic nun in the early 1800's! We just cannot emphasize this point enough! This movie is rank Traditionalist Catholicism. With this last thought still in your mind, listen again to Dobson: "... the script was 'adapted from a composite account of the Passion assembled from the four biblical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ... Gibson himself has said that, in making the movie, 'I wanted to bring you there and I wanted to be true to the Gospels'." Dobson's assurance here, plus Gibson's statement, represents the standard to which the movie should be judged. It is NOT consistent with the four Gospels and it is not true to those Gospels. While some truth is mixed in, the falsehood is so strong that one could make the point that Gibson was following the "Gospel of Anne Emmerich" when producing this abominable movie. Focus On The Family has been a concern for Cutting Edge for a decade now. Dr. Cathy Burns has written a book entitled, "Focus On The Family -- Little Known Facts". When you read the dubious activities and causes Dobson has actively promoted over the years -- all them leading to Ecumenism -- you will understand why he could authorize parents to read Harry Potter to their children, why his Vice-President could publish a book entitled, "Finding God In The Lord of the Rings", and why he could now enthusiastically endorse Mel Gibson's "The Passion".
If the Roman Catholic daily emphasis is upon the sufferings of Jesus, what is the Biblical emphasis? God did not present a gruesome picture of Jesus sufferings for a very good reason: He wanted Christians to focus on the Resurrection! We will live in Heaven one day because of Jesus' Resurrection! Without the Resurrection, Jesus' crucifixion would have been absolutely worthless. What did the Apostle Paul say? "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ." [1 Cor 15:13-15] "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." [Romans 8:11] "And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." [Romans 4:22-25] Because of these Scriptures and others, Biblical Christianity has always focussed on the Resurrection! That is why our cross is empty! Roman Catholics are stuck on Jesus' sufferings and that is why their Jesus is still on His cross! The Resurrection is the only reason Jesus is not considered just another dead prophet who started just another religion. Focus on the Resurrection and His empty tomb, not on the Crucifixion! That is the Biblical truth. We hope and pray that some people will become genuinely saved from this movie; however, genuine conversions will only come when a Biblically literate, Born Again believer comes alongside a person who is being convicted by the Holy Spirit and shows that person the path to true salvation. This movie may open doors to speak to people about the true Jesus and the true way to salvation, but do not depend upon it as an 'evangelisation tool'. http://cuttingedge.org/newsletters/ |
