Daily Devotional for Monday May 8, 2006

The Problem with Books and Movies like The Da Vinci Code

(2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 2:21; Titus 1:14; 2 Timothy 4:4; Romans 1:25; John 17:17)

The problem with books and movies like "The Da Vinci Code" is that it causes the faithful to doubt and is leading people's eternal souls into everlasting damnation. The lies proffered in works of fiction like this book and movie cause those who know the Lord but are Biblically illiterate to doubt the truth of the Gospel. Sadly, those who have rejected the Lord already die in their sin having been emboldened in their rejection of God's love and the hope of Christ by the lies told in blasphemous works like these.

Back in November of 2003, before anyone in the Christian community figured out how to ride the coat tails of the success of this fictional garbage by creating anti-Da Vinci code books and tapes, I exposed ( for free) this blasphemous work of fiction and armed the Liveprayer family with all they needed to refute those who ignorantly believed the stories proffered by author Dan Brown. Below is that Devotional for you to read again and pass on to everyone you know. In the end, there is really only one thing you need to know about "The Da Vinci Code." It is fiction! It is no different than Harry Potter or Alice in Wonderland! IT IS FICTION!

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie..." (Romans 1:25)

Exchanging the truth for a lie. One of the hottest books out today is a book called, "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Due to the controversy surrounding this book, I bought it over the weekend and read it. Let me point out what is probably the most important fact of all about this book. It is not found in the pages of the book, but on the cover. In big gold letters on the cover is the name of the book, and next to it, in very small white letters are two words, A NOVEL! Before we go any further, please understand that this book is A NOVEL, it is FICTION. IT IS NOT HISTORICAL FACT!!!

The problem with this book, and the reason I am dealing with it today, is because of its controversial content regarding the truth of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. The author, Dan Brown, does not hold any theological degrees, and he was an English teacher before he began writing books. There is no information available about his personal theological beliefs, and repeated calls to his office asking that question were never returned.

In this FICTIONAL work, the author has Emperor Constantine as the one who decided on the content of the Bible for purely political reasons. In this FICTIONAL work, the author has Jesus married to Mary Magdalene and they have a child.

Now, let's deal with FACTS, NOT FICTION. The FACT is, Constantine had nothing to do with the content of the Bible. By 300 B.C. at the latest, all of the Old Testament books had been written, collected, revered, and recognized as official, canonical books. Many believe that the prophet Ezra led the first recognition counsel. During the Third Council of Carthage, held in 397 A.D. the 27 books of the New Testament were declared canonical. It must be understood that the Bible is NOT an authorized collection of books, but rather a collection of authorized books. The 27 New Testament books were not inspired because the Carthage Council proclaimed them to be, but rather the Council proclaimed them to be such because they were already inspired! There are MANY great books on the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible at your local Christian bookstore, and I suggest that ALL Christians make the time to read such books so you never doubt that the Bible is exactly what it claims of itself, GOD'S INSPIRED, INERRANT WORD!!!

Another FACT is, Jesus was NEVER MARRIED! Mary Magdalene was NOT His wife. They did NOT have a child together. The really sad thing is that I even have to expose such blasphemy. As I have shared with you, the largest percentage of two full generations in this nation do not go to church and are NOT Christians, this is NOT A CHRISTIAN NATION! That is why a book like this is so dangerous. People who read it, who are Biblically illiterate, think this work of FICTION is actually fact!

(Note: The reason Jesus was never married and never had children is simple. Jesus only had one mission in this life and that was to die. Not to get married, not to father children, but to die as the one-time perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Those who proffer he was married, had children, do so in sheer ignorance and a total lack of understanding of Christ's mission in life.)

Even worse, you have the major television networks that are taking this work of FICTION and proffering its contents as possible historical fact! This is not only journalistic malpractice, it can only be a conscious and orchestrated attack on the truth of God's Word by people that do not hold the Bible to be true. The ABC Special on this issue Monday night was not only blasphemous and an abomination to God, but a tool satan will use to take people of no faith and make them believe the lie to be the truth. No doubt all the other broadcast networks will pick up on this topic and also proffer the content of this work of FICTION as fact, and the general public will hear it enough times from enough different sources to believe the lie to be the truth.

This is the very reason I am so passionate about the television program I do 5 nights a week and why I do it on COMMERCIAL television networks. This is why I am working daily on expanding the program into new markets. THERE NEEDS TO BE A WITNESS FOR THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD ON SECULAR TELEVISION TO AT LEAST EXPOSE THE LIES OF THIS WORLD FOR WHAT THEY ARE!

I love you and care about you so much. I have told you often that for the person who rejects God, who has rejected Christ in their life, and who live in rebellion to the truth of God's Word, they MUST reject the Bible since it is the very book that condemns them. Taking a book of FICTION like "The Da Vinci Code," and proffering that fictional story as historical fact is exactly the kind of thing a non-believer will do to try and discredit God's Word and thus justify their rejection of its truth. Of course, the mainstream media is only too happy to participate in this process of taking the lie, and making people accept it as the truth.

I will pray for you today. If you do not understand yet that there is a major battle going on, WAKE UP! The Bible clearly tells us that our battle is not of flesh and blood, but a spiritual one. It is "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The people of God, who possess the only real truth there is, must become bolder to take that truth to this lost and hurting world we live in. We must speak out! We cannot, and we MUST NOT sit back and watch the enemy exchange the Truth for a lie!!!