Tuesday 15 April 2014

God's Not Dead -- A Close Examination

God's Not Dead -- A Close Examination

The movie 'God’s Not Dead' was recently released in theatres. It shares its title with the hit song by the Christian rock band the Newsboys. I have not seen the movie, so I will leave its review to others. The subject of this expose is the lyrics and official music video of the title song by the boy-band.

You can see the music video later on in this post. 

As with all things that proclaim to be Christian, we must test the spirits to see if it lines up with the Bible, the Word of God. 1 John 4:1 tells us: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Let us first look to the Word to see what it has to say about trying the spirits and the fruit. The Word is our standard for living—for every thing and every aspect of life.

Deut 16:20a says: “That which is altogether just shalt thou follow”. We know that God’s inspired holy Word is true and just and without error. 2 Tim 3:16-17: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” So we see that if something lines up with scripture, it is of God. If it does not line up—whether wholly or just in part—we are to avoid such. We are only to follow that which is “altogether just.”

Paul tells us in Romans 16:17-18 to “Mark them which cause divisions and offences [stumbling blocks] contrary to the doctrine [the Word] which ye have learned; and avoid them [ not listen to the good and discard the bad. Why?—] For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” These are the same people Jesus warned us about: “Beware of false prophets [which also means ‘one who teaches or explains’ ie: anyone who preaches or shares the gospel], which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.” Matt 7:15-16a. They are the hirelings Jesus tells us about in John 10:11-14 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

We must realize that the wolves in sheep’s clothing and hirelings will act, talk, and look like true believers. They may wear the facade of God’s ‘sheep’, but beneath the costume they are actually false prophets who have infiltrated the flock in attempt to draw away the elect. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Cor 11:13-15. Wolves--whether in sheep's clothing or not--will do what wolves do: devour! The ones who wear the Christian façade are far more dangerous because it's with them that we let our guard down. We shrug it off by saying, "Oh, it's Christian, so it must be ok." or  "Even if it's not 100%, it's still better than the secular." Is it?! When we let our guard down, we open ourselves up to whatever we are feeding on--whether it's background music or not. We are to be diligent, vigilant, and always on guard.

1 Thess 5:21 admonishes us to Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

In the last days, which we are presently living in, God will send a strong delusion (2 Thess 2:11). A few verses earlier in verse 3, God tells us that there will be a ‘falling away’.  He also warns “Let no man deceive you by any means.” Why? Verse 9-10 tells us it’s the workings (the M.O.) of Satan “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received no the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

Jesus warned us ‘Be not deceived’ etc many times. “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.” Matt 24:24. We must not be fooled by their pious façade or the seemingly miraculous signs they perform. Remember, Pharaoh’s magicians did the same signs that Moses and Aaron did. But we know full well that they were not doing so by God’s power. (Ex 7:22.) Warnings of deception are all through the New Testament:
Matt 24:4-5, 11, 23-24, 26; Mark 13:5-6, 21-22; Col 2:8, 18; 2 Thess 2:3; 1 John 4:1; etc.

Eph 5:6-11: “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”  We are to be on the lookout for deception and have no fellowship with those spreading it (vs 7, 11). We are told to Prove what is acceptable unto the Lord.”—this means differentiating between that which is acceptable and what is unacceptable. This means we are to judge. Judging is absolutely biblical! If we are commanded to not be deceived, we therefore must judge to see if it lines up with scripture or not. 

Jesus tells us to “judge righteous judgement” (John 7:24). How do we do this? We need to be fruit inspectors. We also have the guidebook—the Bible. If it doesn’t wholly line up with scripture, it’s false and not of God.

1 Cor 2:15 informs us that “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things”.

Paul called out people by name—he did this several times in scripture. One example is 2 Tim 4:14: “Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works.”

The only time we are NOT to judge is told in Matt 7:1-4: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” In other words, we have no business pointing out sin in someone else’s life when we have not yet cleaned up our own. These are the verses most people in charismatic circles, etc, love to quote and drill into the flock so no one will judge their fruit and wake up to their false teachings. But if you continue reading, you will notice in vs 5 there is more to the story. Jesus goes on to say: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Once the beam is removed from our eye, then we can deal with the mote in our brother’s. The Bible must be read in context. Remember: a text read out of context becomes a pretext.

Paul tells us in 2 Cor 2:11 that we should not be ignorant of Satan’s devices, lest he should get an advantage of us.

Let us also bear in mind what Proverbs 18:13 says: “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Please do not be offended by something stated and click off the page before hearing me out. It is only when we approach things with an open mind, compare everything to the truth of scripture, and prayerfully consider our next move that we can be led by the Spirit in the right direction.

Therefore, having laid this groundwork, let us examine the lyrics of the hit song God’s Not Dead to see what they might reveal under the magnifying glass of the Word of God—the standard. Does this video’s message wholly line up with scripture? Does it deviate even slightly? We must carefully examine what we allow our minds to feed on. So with this in mind, let us take a closer look:

God’s Not Dead –  by the Newsboys
Let love explode and bring the dead to life
A love so bold to see a revolution somehow

Revolution—this word is not in the Bible. Anytime a revolt (which is the root word) is mentioned, it is never in a favourable light. It’s revolting against God and His commands. The Biblical definition: to revolt is to turn aside or transgress. So what is this doing in a Christian song?

Let love explode and bring the dead to life
A love so bold to bring a revolution somehow

Now I'm lost in Your freedom

No where in scripture does God tell us to be ‘lost’ in anything—good or bad. In fact, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. You may argue ‘Well, that’s just phrasing. It doesn’t mean lost, as in, without God.’ My reply is simply this: if it’s truly a Christian song, it should line up with scripture—phrasing included.

In this world I'll overcome

1 John 5:4 tells us that faith in Jesus Christ the Lord, the Son of God, is what overcomes the world. But it must be an active, living, obedient faith. We shall look closer at this when we discover what faith this song speaks of in a moment.

[2x]
My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
(I will tackle the chorus at the end)

Roaring, He's roaring, roaring like a lion

Let hope arise and make the darkness hide


Light makes the darkness flee, not hope. John 12:46: “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” John 1:4-5: “In him [Jesus] was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

My faith is dead I need resurrection somehow

So here we see their faith is dead. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 20, 26) God repeats it 3 times in 10 verses! He didn’t just put it there to fill up more space. When God repeats something it means it’s very important and we need to take note.

Faith is more than just believing. James 2:19 tells us the devils believe that there is one God—and they tremble. But they certainly are not going to heaven. Faith and believing = obedience to God’s Word. We must live it. This is why works (living it out) prove our faith in God. If we are truly saved, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit. Those with dead faith are those who Jesus spoke of in Matt 7:20-23: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

The latter part of the lyric says “I need resurrection…somehow.” Don’t they know how? And yet, we’re supposed to take the rest of their advice from this song as doctrinally pure?

Now I'm lost in Your freedom
In this world I'll overcome

[2x]
My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Roaring, He's roaring, roaring like a lion
He's roaring, He's roaring

[3x]
Let heaven roar
When does heaven ever roar? I can't find it in my Bible…

And fire fall
Come shake the ground


Both of these are signs of judgment in the Bible—never revival.

Fire is a form of judgment:

God is a consuming fire. (Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29)
1 Cor 3:12-15
“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”


Or punishment:

Daniel 3:13-30 tells of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace as punishment for not bowing to another god.

Fire is also a way of purging and testing:

Mal 3:2-3
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Matt 3:11-12
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matt 7:19
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” Matt 13:40, 42 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. … And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
1 Peter 1:7
“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”


Another use of fire that is an abomination to God is that of heathen worship to the pagan god Molech. Deut 18:9-10a “When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire,…”

Earthquakes in the scriptures also denote judgment:

In the last days and tribulation Matt 24:7; Rev 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19.

Dathan and Abiram rebel against Moses and God in the wilderness. (Num 16). Deut 11:6 sums it up for us in one verse:
“And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel.”

With the sound
Of revival

[4x]
My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He's roaring, He's roaring, He's roaring like a lion [2x]

Who does the Bible say roars like a lion? In every instance of a roaring lion in the Bible, it is NEVER God.  The most well-known verse sums it up: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Pet 5:8.  If you want to look up the other verses pertaining to roaring lions, here they are: Job 4:10; Ps 22:13; Prov 19:12; 20:2; 28:15; Is 5:29; 31:4; Ez 22:25; Zeph 3:3; Zech 11:3.
Some might argue that this lyric is about Jesus as the lion of the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah but the Bible never says He roars like a lion. It’s always the enemy shown roaring.

So this song says that their God, who is alive and lives inside of them, roars like a lion—according to the Bible, we know who this song's god really is!

Just because someone speaks of God does not mean they are referring to the true, holy God of the Bible. There are many gods in this world. Deut 20:18 “That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.”
2 Cor 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Although there is more that could be said regarding these lyrics, I think it best to stop here. Sometimes delving into the minute details causes the main focus to be lost and I do not want that to happen. 

Let us then move on to the official music video to see if it has anything to say to us.

For 2:22 minutes of the 4:30 minute video we are bombarded with words proclaiming to us that God is a myth, etc.

Now, I already know the argument: “They are telling a story! There’s a progression and they end with the fact that God’s not dead.” I more than realize their attempt at storytelling. But this is nothing less than subliminal messaging. Wait! Before you click off this page in disgust, please hear me out. This is exactly how subliminals work. If they flash the real message they want to get across at our subconsciences long enough it will begin to bend our mind in that direction. Whether you believe this is the case or not, it’s fact. Do some research for yourself on subliminals. It's a very interesting subject. Search Al Neal’s lectures on subliminals and mind control—they are excellent and readily available on YouTube.

The fact that this video spends over half its time proclaiming God is a myth ought to tell you something. The majority of their real message is opposite of what the title conveys.

At the 3:11 minute mark we find another subliminal. I found the blatancy of this one absolutely shocking. It tells us plainly of which path this song sings.  “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and BROAD is the WAY, that leadeth to desctruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt 7:13-14. Why else would they focus in on the street sign ‘Broadway’?! Coincidence? I think not. They are telling you something, whether you are aware of it or not, and whether you believe it or not.

Another thing in the video that openly goes against scriptures is at the 2:41 minute mark where an image of ‘Jesus’ is shown. The Bible forbids such. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” Ex 20:4. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.” Acts 17:29. Any such image is not of the true Jesus of the Bible. There are many who will be portrayed as Christ—and deceive many. (Matt 24:5, 23-24). This image is of the New Age ‘Jesus’ who is also known as Sananda. It is not the King of kings and Lord of lords of scripture. And it should have no place in a true Christian music video.

By the end of the video we are engaged in a full fledged rock concert. Their red, white, and black striped armbands intrigue me.  While I admittedly do not know their 'official' reason for wearing these, one thing is clear: they are obviously wearing them for a reason.  What intrigues me is their choice of colours. The last time I saw an armband flaunting these three colours it was the infamous emblem of WWII. After some research online I have found that red, black, and white are the colours of the occult. You will see this on many music album covers, magazines pictures, etc. They are used to convey a message. See for yourself--simply Google: "red black and white occult colours" and see what comes up.

One final aspect that should be pointed out briefly is the fact that the genre is ‘Christian rock’. That term is an oxymoron at best. True biblical Christianity cannot be attached to the genre of rock. It is impossible for them to coexist. You can find a plethora of information on this subject. Just do a simple search on YouTube. I strongly encourage you to watch this 10-part seminar to really get a grasp on music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNomdEoen2NU3QS5OCJFhSclfNDTv4d6x I need to insert this disclaimer regarding it--the presenter is a Seventh Day Adventist, which is a cult. However, the information he presents is fact and absolutely invaluable. Please watch the entire seminar, you will not be sorry. Also, Peter Accardi has a few lectures on the subject that are excellent. You can listen to his playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAAF7ECA7A678B6B4  I recommend videos 1 through 8. The rest are mainly repetitive.

Remember, we must “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess 5:21). It is only “That which is altogether just shalt thou follow.” (Deut 16:20a).

You have seen the video and heard the message.
You have been shown by scripture to test the spirits.
You have seen by the Word that the lyrics and subliminals do not line up with God’s truth.
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” Deut 30:19. “…Choose you this day whom ye will serve; …but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Josh 24:15.


~ One last thing I need to mention: I am not suggesting that God cannot use the movie God's Not Dead to reach out to someone and show them the truth. Nor do I dispute the fact that He can reach out and draw someone through the Newsboys' 'ministry'. I personally was born again under a ministry that God has since opened my eyes and exposed to be false. God can most certainly use anything to reach out to people. However, once we are saved we should avoid anything that is not doctrinally sound, even just the 'appearance'--"Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thess 5:22)

3 comments:

  1. I think you're looking far too much into it. Its not a hymn, a direct quote or an allegory. Its positive pop music that promotes God. Its a good alternative for the youth feom secular music. Its not a bible study

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  2. Excellent Article. Thank you for the many references. Very informative. I had a 'bad' discernment about the group, so wanted to follow up.
    God does look to the hearts, but now when truth is revealed, what do we do with the truth?
    Follow Jesus. The Way, theTruth, and the Life

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  3. If you had ever been to any of their performances you would realize that they are incredibly outspoken about their faith. There are so many problems with this analysis that I wouldn't know where to start, but the Newsboys have changed countless lives including my own through their music so don't judge what you clearly can't understand. Focus your effort on things that won't pull the body of Christ apart... and no, that wasn't talking about His literally body, but I figured I better make that clear since you didn't understand any of the similes or allusions in the song.

    ReplyDelete