The 'Son of God, Catholics, Protestants, and the New Age

With the new movie that was just released, 'The Son of God,' I have noticed a few things that make me concerned.  Now I have not seen the movie itself, and would like to.   It's not that I don't think we shouldn't have a movie depicting the life of Messiah... and I know Roma Downey and Mark Burnett's vision and desire to create this epic.  I say praise God for their desire to get this move, as far as it's a re-creation of the Biblical true-story account of Yeshua.

When I was serving in missions in Africa, the missionaries I was visiting had a time when the showed 'The Jesus Film' to the people group they were working with.  Of course the missionaries had been there for over a year, and others before them, teaching them the word of God and stories of the bible, using the method of Biblical 'storytelling,' where the stories are memorized and taught to the pre-literate tribes.  But on this occasion, The Jesus Film was shown to the people, and after the people saw it, many decided to ask Yeshua into their heart and began a new life in Yeshua (2 Cor. 5:17; Jn. 3:3).  

One danger that I see with the movie, not having seen it, is that they are usually made through Gentile eyes, with less emphasis and detail on the Jewish Feasts that are so integral to Jewish Life (framed by the Creator Himself) and the coming of Messiah.  We Gentiles miss the significance and much of the miraculous aspects of the feasts, an their fulfillment.

Another thing that concerns me concerning the film, is the ecumenical support that was given to it.  At my work their is a TV in the corner, and I saw a commercial about the upcoming movie, and it featured many Catholic Fathers and some Protestant Celebrities such as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren... and I can't recall now if who else it featured.  But this alone was alarming.  The Catholic Church pronounced Anathemas against all wjho believed that we are saved by grace through faith, apart from any meritorious works of our own (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).  The Catholic church' s position is that that teaching, of salvation by grace through faith, apart from self-works of righteousness, is Anathema!  The Mormons teach a very similar belief, and that is what sets Biblical Christianity apart from all other religions, the Bible teaches that one is saved by faith in the crucified and resurrected Jewish Messiah when one turns from their sin and to Yeshua in faith for salvation and everlasting life (Rom. 10:9-10).

How then can Protestant Pastors and Catholics come together on this?  And these particular Pastors mentioned are false teachers... and they should be recognized as that.  Joel Osteen is much like the Pope... "who am I to judge someone's sin?"  Well, you're a pastor aren't you?  At the very least, you should guide the people into finding out what the Bible teaches about sinful lifestyles and behaviors (lust, fornication, adultery, murder, homosexuality, magic, witch craft, Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 6:9-10), and leading them to repent and place their faith in Messiah Yeshua.

Rick Warren uses business growth models to grow his churches... and many undiscerning pastors who translate big numbers as "success" and blessing from God have adopted his methodologies... resulting in the leading astray of many in the church, the focus of the Church on Man-centered methodologies, instead of believeing that by simply focusing on relationship with God, and serving one another, living a Spirit-filled life, that God adds to the numbers (Acts 2:46-47).

Examining these crucial differences in belief on salvation, it is apparent that Catholics and true Protestant Pastors CAN NOT come together in a theological work/teaching for the populace.  And this is part of what makes me nervous.  The Pope has reached out to Pentecostals, and to Kenneth Copeland to "come togther."  Never mind any renouncing of anathemas!  This concerns me because their is a push for merging the world religions, of bringing unity... that is, with all but one group, the Protestant Evangelicals, or as they might otherwise be called, Truth Activists, or the Anti-Hypocrisists, or the Anti-Sin party, if the liberal media were to introduce a new term to demonize us, or "spin" the truth... but actually, it will probably be something like the Anti-humanists, or the Anti-Peace or Anti-Unity or Anti-Globalists.

Christians are taught in God's word to love those who hate them, and to pray for those who persecute them (Mt. 5:44).  But all those who are of the god of this world (2 Cor.4:4) will seek to demonize, to accuse those whom they hate.  This is very much the tactic of the Satan, as Yeshua explains:

John 8:44

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from thebeginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The time of the New Age is on us, and truly, it is not a NEW AGE, but an old one, that existed before the days of the Global flood, through which only Noah and Seven others were saved (2 Peter 2:5), to which Hitler pursued to bring back, as did Nimrod/Gilgamesh when he built the Tower of Babel (Gen. 10:8-12, 11:1-9).

Ultimately, we will see how this movie portrays the Son of God, as revealed in the Bible, God's inspired, revealed truth (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  Will it be the same, to the praise and glory of God, a sweet offering offered up, or will it be a tool used in the hands of the evil one (1 Jn. 5:19), to accomplish his ends?  Let us not be naiive!

And so, with the closing words of John, from his first epistle:

18 We know that no one who is [o]born of God sins; but He who was [p]born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and weare in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.