THE PASSION OF THE
CHRIST - THE MOVIE
By Bro. Nic Kizziah
An
article published in the The Believers Newsletter - March 2004
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST - THE MOVIE
How does this movie stack up when compared to the HOLY BIBLE? First of all let me say that there are a lot of things in this movie that are not in the Bible. Therefore it is just another per-version of the word of God. However to the unbeliever, the non-Christian, and those not grounded in the word of God, this movie could possibly have some benefits. It would be better for these people to be exposed to something that has some truth in it than nothing at all. At least they are getting part of the story.
However it is not a movie for children. It carries an R rating for a very good reason. It’s a bloody movie and could have disturbing nightmarish effects upon some children. A more accurate title for this film would have been “The Torture of Christ.” Yes our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did suffer in the flesh. He was captured, scourged, slapped, spit upon, mocked, and nailed to the cross. And this movie embellishes these acts, and many more that are not recorded in the Bible, to the extreme.
The truth of the matter is this is a film based on the Catholic bible, Catholic tradition, and a vivid imagination. I have no problem with people watching the movie. I myself have seen it twice. I went the first time because of all the media-hype. I went the second time to take notes so I could write this article.
The thing that amazes me the most is that these idiot boxes in our homes are able to program us into believing a lie. Great religious leaders are speaking to us through these boxes and telling us that this movie is true to the gospels. They say it’s the greatest evangelistic tool of our time. What a bunch of hot gas.
It portrays a false Christ and a false record of the events that pertain to him. However after watching the movie it should encourage some people to open the Bible and see what it actually says about the subject under discussion (see MATTHEW, CHAPTERS 26 and 27, MARK, CHAPTERS 14 and 15, LUKE, CHAPTERS 22 and 23, and JOHN, CHAPTERS 18 and 19.)
And when I say the Bible I say it in the same light that our forefathers said it in. When they said the Bible they meant the King James Bible. They did not mean a new modern version nor were they referring to the Douay-Rheims Catholic version. The difference is that those that believed the King James Bible believed that it was the final authority. However those that used the Douay-Rheims version did not believe it to be the final authority. No sir re Bob, their final authority was and still is a man called the Pope. I hope you can see the difference.
Now there are some that claim that God had his hand upon this movie yet many of those same people can not see the hand of God upon the King James Bible. Now either one or two things are happening here. Number one, they are dumb as dirt, or number two, they are being deceived by the old number one deceiver. Satan is slick and subtil and he has put the world in a state of confusion. Sometimes it seems as if we are all in a nut house and the patients are running the show! It’s amazing to me how good a job the Catholics have done in mending fences with the Protestants and the Baptists, especially here in the U.S.A. They have gotten them back in line so to speak and the one world universal church movement is moving forward at a rapid pace. And so it goes. Nevertheless everything is working according to the master plan of God.
Now let’s get down to some of the particulars. One of the first things I noticed was that the words that were printed on the screen had a Catholic slant to them, not Protestant or Baptist. For example the words would read Amen, Amen, instead of Verily, Verily. Also they used the word chalice instead of cup and they would often refer to Mary as mother. This was even done by the apostle Peter, which is of course not in the King James Bible or any other so called bible that I’m aware of.
The way they portray Satan’s role throughout the movie is mostly false. For example he was in the garden talking with Jesus and he releases a snake that Jesus stomps to death. That’s not in the Bible. Satan also appears in a multiplicity of other scenes which the Bible never records. For example one time he is carrying a baby devil. The baby has ugly warts and unseemly blotches of hair all over his body. That’s not in the Bible. Satan, which by the way is played by a female, is always appearing in the background and making statements that are never recorded in the Bible.
Other scenes include Peter and John getting beat up when they came to capture Jesus in the garden. That’s not in the Bible. Mary wakes up from sleep with a premonition of the capture of Jesus. That’s not in the Bible. After the capture of Jesus, he is pushed off of a bridge and his body hangs from a wall by a chain. As he dangles unmercifully he and Judas Iscariot stare at one another. None of that is in the Bible. In one of the flashbacks Jesus is building a table and horsing around with his mother. That’s not in the Bible. Judas Iscariot is tormented by children who turn into devilish creatures and bite him. That’s not in the Bible. Mary, the mother of Jesus, puts her ear to the floor in the courtyard and Jesus is right beneath her in a cell shackled in chains during his capture. That’s not in the Bible. People are paid by the chief priests to falsely testify against Jesus. That’s not in the Bible. The rope (halter) that Judas chooses to hang himself with comes from a dead rotting horse. That’s not in the Bible. King Herod calls Jesus a fool. That’s not in the Bible.
The wife of Pilate plays a much greater role than what is written. She is often giving advice to Pilate. They talk of his relations with Caesar and she gives towels to Mary the mother of Jesus and then the two Mary’s wipe up the blood of Jesus after he was brutally beaten. None of that is in the Bible. And who is this character Abdenar, who is the right hand man of Pilate? I don’t remember reading anything about this guy in the Bible.
The movie goes on to shew that Mary Magdalene was the same woman that was caught in adultery in JOHN, CHAPTER 8. That’s not in the Bible. They are beating Jesus as he carries his cross, then he drops it and it falls on his head. In fact he falls multiple times. None of that is in the Bible. They over embellish the role of Simon the Cyrenian as he helps Jesus carry the cross. While Jesus and Simon are carrying the cross an uprising occurs and a woman brings Jesus water to drink and gives him a cloth to wipe the blood from his face. None of that is in the Bible.
When tying Jesus wrist to the cross they stretch his arm so much that it snaps. That’s not in the Bible. The Roman soldiers turn the cross over and let it fall to the ground and the body of Jesus is jarred unmerciful. That’s not in the Bible. Then the soldiers turn the cross back over again so that the face of Jesus slams to the ground with the weight of the cross upon his back. That’s not in the Bible. They cast lots upon a table instead of his clothes. That’s not in the Bible. All three of the crosses have cups (chalices) hanging from them. That’s not in the Bible. And finally a violent bird flies by and plucks out the eye of the thief on the cross that did not repent. And that’s not in the Bible.
So go ahead and watch the movie. The special effects are astounding. All the blood and graphic depictions of the torture of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will definitely get your attention. I must admit the musick is good and the movie moved me emotionally several times, however so did Braveheart. The point is just don’t kid yourself and say it is true to the gospels. After you’ve seen the movie then go to the pure preserved word of God, the King James Bible, and find out the truth. As it is written, thy word is truth.
AMOS 8:11
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
MATTHEW 24:24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
SECOND TIMOTHY 4:4
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.