| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ( D ) VALIDATION OF OTHER PEOPLE � PT. 2 & MIXTURE OF SOURCE MATERIALS In the scriptures of the Bible are various instances of persons who by direct intervention with God had obtained His Word, His personal divine message and teaching of truth. A divine message which was then given to all persons who would listen to that message and receive it by faith. Such Biblical examples of Godly messengers are Moses and the Old Testament prophets. A few of whom are Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jonah. There were also other persons such as Samuel and Daniel along with such New Testament apostles Peter, James and Paul and so on. Then of course is the greatest messenger of Gods� truth, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Mr. Gibson went about seeking the endorsement and acceptance of evangelical Christian leaders in order to determine if the gospel message he was presenting in his film was acceptable as far as their estimation was concerned. However, what is absent from the scriptural evidence concerning Gods� messengers is that they did not go about seeking personal approval and endorsement regarding their God given messages. This is an important distinction between those messengers, their Holy Spirit given messages and Mr. Gibsons� claims of direct Holy Spirit involvement through him during the making of his film. The Godly messengers of holy scripture did not seek endorsement from their listening audiences which included the religious leaders of their day. There is absent from the scriptures, a testing of the waters by the Godly messenger to see if the messages which they directly received of God would be acceptable to their listening audiences. I write the phrase, � testing of the waters � , because an example of this kind of activity by Mr. Gibson is reported in Entertainment Weekly ( EW ), issue February 20, 2004 on page 22. In the article is an issue of discussion concerning what is called the � blood libel � verse of scripture found in Matthew 27:25 which reads; 25. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. - Matthew 27:25 The portion of the EW article states an incident of confusion that occurred surrounding the said verse in which Mr. Gibson had deleted that English subtitle line from the film for one of the screenings. However, in later screenings, the � blood libel � English subtitle verse had been added back into the film. The word had got out about the verse being in the film and naturally controversy ensued and the press, according to the EW article, pounced. All of this commotion resulted in a later screening of the film by The New York Times and in that screening the � blood libel � scripture verse was absent. This deletion of the controversial verse had again caused headlines to be made ( Entertainment Weekly Feb. 20, 2004 p.22 ). Other reports of this blood libel issue and thus Mr. Gibsons' " softening " of his film are found at : http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/964099/posts / http://www.beliefnet.com/story/131/story_13109_1.html / http://www.canadiangrassroots.ca/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=4870 / http://www.holford.org.uk/mt/archives/000214.html . In these four reports it is stated that Mr. Gibson had come and had concern of coming under critical attack from Jewish groups and thus made changes in his film to placate those critics. The reports go on to write that during regional screenings of the film, Mr. Gibson stayed to listen to advice from his audiences. However, the holy scriptures write differently of the manner of conduct of Gods' messengers. Let me at this point share that I have no contention with the fact that Mr. Gibson was concerned with the blood libel issue in regard to the events surrounding Christs' crucifixion. His concern is valid, it is a hot button issue. Nevertheless, as will be seen shortly from scriptural documentation, the Word of God and its' truth which Godly messegers gave to people was often a message and truth which simply was not well received by the audiences who heard those holy words. In spite of this, Gods' messengers were not permitted to alter or change those Holy Spirit inspired messages. They were not persons who sought the advice and opinion of the audiences to whom they spoke. I raise this particular issue of a, � testing of the waters � , to further reveal the undermining of Mr. Gibsons� claim that the Holy Ghost was working through him in this film and the claim that the Holy Ghost was even dictating what went into the film, ( http://www.wilmott.com/messageview.cfm?catid=15&threadid=8895 ). Simply because such back and forth activity on Mr. Gibsons� part which occured due to reactionary pressures of the public is not the characteristic action of Godly messengers in the scriptures who presented to their audiences the divinely inspired messages of God. In fact, Jesus Himself goes so far to testify that the Godly messengers paid with their very lives; 29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. - Matthew 23:29-39 ( see also Luke 11:46-50; 13:34 ) In addition to this testimony by Christ is another example of a Godly messenger who also paid with his life due to the Godly message which he presented as found in the scriptural example of the Christian martyr known as Stephen ( Acts chapter 7 ). These Godly messengers were not moved by the contentious reactions of their audiences even when such contention took their very lives. The holy scriptures reveal that the messengers of God had the Spirit of God working through them and thus gave them their Godly messeges; 20. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. - Nehemiah 9:20 30. Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. - Nehemiah 9:30 8. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 9. Then the Lord put forth his hand, And touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. - Jeremiah 1:8-9 The scriptures provide a correlation of the Holy Ghost speaking and David who was a writer of Gods� Word; 7. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. 11. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) - Hebrews 3:7-11 7. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8. Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11. Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest. - Psalms 95:7-11 36. For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. - Mark 12:36 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. - Psalms 110:1 Then, the apostle Peter had these words to write regarding the connection between the words of the prophets and the Holy Ghost; 20. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. - 2 Peter 1:20-21 The characteristic nature of holy men who presented their Holy Spirit messages helps to demonstrate a clear distinction and opposition between those Godly messengers and their Holy Ghost inspired messages and Mr. Gibsons� claims of the Holy Ghost working through him while he produced his Passion film. Mr. Gibson sought audience approval and acceptance for the message of his film. If his cinematic message of the Passion of Christ was truly provided by the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God then there simply is no justified reason for Mr. Gibson to seek and obtain audience approval and acceptance for his film and message. Thus, his Holy Ghost claim is unfounded and disingenuous which also therefore makes any claims of conversions to Christianity due to the Passion film unfounded and false. If all Mr. Gibson wanted was the assurance and approval that he correctly depicted the gospel message about Christs� crucifixion, then all he really needed to consult were the holy scriptures themselves and simply trust that the work of the Holy Ghost did in fact maintain scriptural integrity of the film. Nothing more and nothing less. But then, in reality, how could Mr. Gibson in all integrity and honesty, possibly and simply rely on the scriptural accounts only and the so called work of the Holy Ghost when his script does not even truthfully and literally fit the scriptural account of Christs� crucifixion due to a report that his film script had included the visionary writings of a 17th century nun, ( http://www.wilmott.com/messageview.cfm?catid=15&threadid=8895 ) ? The reality is that he can�t. Moreover, a Newsweek magazine report stated that Mr. Gibsons� inspiration for the film was apparently attributed to the visions of two nuns ( Newsweek Feburary 16, 2004 p. 47 ). It is dishonest to claim that both the Holy Spirit was personally at work directly the Passion film and that inspiration for the film came from visionaries. As I commented in section C, holy scripture is a sufficient spiritual record, in and of itself, which faithfully speaks the truth regarding Christs' sacrifice for the sins of sinful mankind. And, the Holy Spirit, needless to say, will not deviate from the words of that holy book. Mr. Gibson cannot in all integrity make the claim that the Holy Ghost was guiding and dictating what went into his Passion film ( http://www.wilmott.com/messageview.cfm?catid=15&threadid=8895 ) when there are claims that the film, in addition to the gospels, was inspired and comprised with visionary, mystical writings of a 18th century nun ( http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=54439 / http://www.cathnews.com/news/405/163.php ). Mr. Gibson cannot justly claim Holy Ghost involvement and guidance for his film when he has stated to have gained from the late mystics' writings the stuff which he himself would not have thought of ( http://www.wwrn.org/sparse.php?idd=9828&c=98 / http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1144873/posts ). The film is either a work whose sole authority and inspiration has its� basis in the direct involvement and guidance of the Holy Ghost and Gods� Word via the gospel accounts. Or else the opposite is true, which is to say that the films� sole authority and inspiration rests upon other visionary writings not contained in Gods� Word. It can�t be both. ----------------------------------------------------- |
| E - Mixture of source material - Pt. 2 F - Godly, Holy Ghost messengers G - Scripture & other writings |