Be(A)ware of Christian Heretical Films, TV, and Streaming Series

The Adoration of the Dragon of the Apocalypse, Folio 23, New Testament, Glossed, Salisbury, c. 1250. 

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PLEASE TEST EACH BLOG I POST WITH STUDY, RESEARCH, AND PRAYER. JUDGE MY WORDS AGAINST THE WORD OF GOD AND THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND THEORIES I USE TO SUPPORT MY STUDY TO ENSURE MY THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH BOTH THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE.

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Mark Of The Beast (1997) cinematic poster. Film directed by André van Heerden. (Fair Use: Section 107 of the Copyright Act) 

Several weeks ago, I was thinking about watching a 1997 documentary by André van Heerden titled Mark of theBeast. However, after watching the trailer, I decided not to watch the movie because there were blatant misinterpretations of scripture regarding what the Bible affirms about the Mark of the Beast as documented in Revelation 13:16-18. It occurred to me, after watching the trailer, that I had watched other Christian films dealing with prophecy and eschatology that misinterpreted scripture by adding their own misconstrued twist or editing out essential portions of scripture, I presume, for entertainment purposes. 

Still, when I watched the other movies, I was not a serious student of scripture; I took for granted everyone involved in making the various films kept the narratives aligned with scripture, not realizing the spiritual harm. Nonetheless, because these movies misinterpret, add, or delete verses, Christians and non-Christians alike who watch these films are being deceived and misled from the truth of the Bible.

A part of my responsibility as a theologian is to research and interpret scripture to the best of my ability with the help of the Holy Spirit; it involves biblical theology – “is an attempt to articulate the theology that the Bible contains as its writers addressed their particular settings”[1]  –  the interpretation of scripture called hermeneutics – “the study and establishment of the principles by which it is to be interpreted”[2] – and exegesis – “the actual interpretation of the sacred book, the bringing out of its meaning.”[3]

Ever since I watched the Mark of the Beast trailer, I thought I would show you an example of hermeneutics and how exegesis works so you will understand how biblical theologians and scholars research and interpret scripture. I will focus on the verses from Revelation13:15-18 using parallelism–" the phenomenon whereby two or more successive poetic lines dynamically strengthen, reinforce, and develop each other’s thoughts.”[4]

Mark of the Beast Movie 

The film's description on Amazon Prime Video: “It is one of the clearest prophecies of the Bible. It simply says that in the last days, no man or woman will be able to buy or sell anything unless they are willing to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead.”[5] The description is spot-on on what Revelation 13:16-17 says about the actual Mark of the Beast.

"The Mark of The Beast" Jack Van Impe & Terry L. Cook

Post by YouTube channel SpiritWindTruth

Below is a transcription of the lines of three characters in the trailer. You can watch the whole movie above and listen to the dialogue below on YouTube at 38 min. 47 sec.

SCENE

Prisoner 1 – (opening scene - pacing in a jail cell): “I have taken the mark of the beast. Without even knowing it. What’s going to happen to me? Am I going to hell?

Prisoner 2 – (sitting on the floor inside the jail cell): Of course, not. Relax. The technology itself isn’t evil—any more than credit cards or that water bottle of yours. The decision to follow Satan and take his mark are spiritual decisions. You cannot be tricked into it. It’s like I said before; it’s a matter of allegiance. And those people who decided to take the mark of the beast will do so because they want to. Consciously and deliberately turn their backs on God.

Prisoner 2 – (stands up and speaks to a correctional officer standing outside the cell): Choose you this day, who you will serve. And the decision to follow God will save you from all this. It’s a decision every person has to make for themselves. All you have to do is just decide if you believe that Jesus died for your sins.

Correctional officer (talking to prisoner 2: Please tell me what to do!

Prisoner 2 (talking to correctional officer): You've already done it, my friend. Welcome to the kingdom of God!

END SCENE

You may be asking yourself, what is wrong with the trailer? It sounds "doctrinally sound.". Didn’t Prisoner 2 help save Prisoner 1 and the correctional officer? Unfortunately, nowhere in the Bible does it say if you take the mark, you can change your mind later. It is a one-time deal. What’s done is done.

Regarding Prisoner 1, who said he took the mark by accident, regrettably, no one can accidentally take the mark. Prison 2 is correct when he said, “You cannot be tricked into it,” but what is not entirely true is when he stated, “The decision to follow Satan and take his mark are spiritual decisions.” Yes, it is a spiritual decision, but it is also a personal choice. An individual choice you make, understanding the consequence of taking or not taking the mark as stated in Revelation 13:11-15.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Furthermore, it can be safely presumed that the correctional officer has the mark because he works at a government penal institution that imprisons Christians and people who do not have the mark. Since the correctional officer must have taken the mark, sadly, his eternal fate is sealed. Again, once a person accepts the mark, there’s no changing your mind. 

Satan (the dragon; on the left) gives to the beast of the sea (on the right) power represented by a sceptre in a detail of panel III.40 of the medieval French Apocalypse Tapestry, produced between 1377 and 1382.

Parallelism of Revelation 13:15-18 

Verse 15

A         He was granted power to give breath to     the image of the beast,                               (statement)

B   that                                                                     the image of the beast     should both speak  (reason)

C  and cause as many as would not worship         the image of the beast                 to be killed.           (example)

The “he” in this verse is the False Prophet. After the Holy Spirit no longer restrains the mystery of lawlessness, the son of perdition, the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:7), Satan, is granted permission to cause havoc on earth. And according to 2 Thessalonians2:9-12 (NKJV):

“9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Verse 16

A                      He causes all,                                                                           

B          both                                          small and great,                        

C                                                           rich and poor,

D                                                           free and slave,

E                          to receive a mark

F          on            their right hand or on their foreheads,

Again, the “he” is the False Prophet. In different translations of the Bible, it is stated he causes, requires, and makes people receive the mark of the beast. This is not to say there will not be people, as stated in the Mark of the Beast film description, who willingly take the mark without fuss. Also, the False Prophet and the Antichrist do not care what your station in life is. They are equal opportunist. But if you are a Christian or decide to become a Christian during the Great Tribulation and you do not renounce Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you will have punched your ticket on a one-way trip to the executioner’s block or firing squad.

Verse 17

A         and       that no one may buy or sell

B                                                                      except               one who has the mark

C          or                                                                                 the name of the beast,

D         or                                                                                 the number of his name.

You must take the mark to buy food and the basic necessities or sell anything during the Great Tribulation. Without the mark, you can do nothing besides do your best to survive, which will be a monumental effort.   Moreover, as stated and implied above, you will have a one-way ticket to physical death, and the entire world will hate you. Fortunately, spiritually, you will have life with God in heaven and the New Earth. I know a lot of people believe hell is going to be one big party and reunion with their friends, but what if hell is Hell? Remember, like the mark of the beast, once you take the mark, that’s it, and once you are in hell, there is no turning back.

Verse 18

A                                 Here is wisdom.

B                 Let him who has understanding

C                                             calculate                                               the number of the beast,

D         for it is                                                                                      the number of a man:

E                                                                                                          His number is 666.

There are a myriad of hypotheses and theories about the Mark of the Beast and what it is, but honestly, nobody will know what it truly is until its ordained time. But we can speculate with all the advances made in science and technology. I can say with clarity that everything we are witnessing with microchips, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism are eschaton transitional discoveries and events leading us to the End of Days.

"US tech company offers to implant microchips in employees"

Good Morning America: “Around 50 employees at Wisconsin-based Three Square Market are preparing to have microchips implanted between their forefingers and thumbs that are designed to allow them to more easily make purchases and enter the office.”

Why human microchipping is so popular in Sweden | ITV News

ITV News: “Carrying credit cards, oyster cards - even your house keys or ID - will soon become a thing of the past if bio-hackers get their way. Around 4,000 people in Sweden have already been 'chipped,', and some organizations say implants could be on their way to the UK. ITV On Assignment's Rebecca Barry attends an implant party where the biohacking curious gather, and the committed are then chipped with the latest flashing implant. Is this the beginning of a bright future, where chips will one day be able to diagnose and foresee health problems? Or is it a way to keep an ever-closer eye on human movements?”  

ID, Wallet, Keys All In Your Hand: Sweden Moves Into The Future With Microchipping | Nightly News

NBC News: Imagine carrying just about everything you need beneath the surface of your hand - your wallet, keys, and ID, all in a microchip. That’s a reality in Sweden, as some early adopters implant the tiny devices beneath their skin.

Conclusion

I know this all sounds fantastical, but the precursor of the Mark of the Beast exists today! Think about this, the Judeo-Christian Bible was written thousands of years ago by approximately 40 authors. How is it that people who were alive during antiquity were able to foresee technology they could not have imagined without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? 

Also, consider what happens when you die. Hebrews 9:27 speaks directly to this issue: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”    

Lastly, when watching a movie or TV show about the Bible, no matter if it is Christian or secular, but specifically Christian, take the time to take out your Bible to make sure what you watched is biblical sound and not false doctrine.

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FOOTNOTES

[1] Yarbrough, Robert W. 1996. “Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Biblical Theology.” https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/biblical-theology.

[2] Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed December 20, 2023. “The critical study of biblical literature: exegesis and hermeneutics: Nature and significance.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/Literary-criticism.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. “General Rules of Hermeneutics: Biblical Poetry,” Introduction To Biblical Interpretation, 3^rd ed. (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2017), p. 374.

[5] Amazon Prime Videos. 1997. “Description of the movie.” Mark of the Beast.

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Here is the sinner’s prayer if you are moved to give your life to Christ, and please send me an email if you would like me to say a prayer for you –

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins, rose from the dead, and are now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. I turn from my sins and invite You into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen.”

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Leni D. Anderson, MLIS, MA.AC, BA ArtH, AA