Do any sects still use this dire film? I know it was popular at the time, as the myth of the 'rapture' was at its height just after the introduction of bar codes and books like 'The Late Great Planet Earth', but what about now?
Myth of the Rapture?
Wow....how scary for you to not believe that this will happen just as the Bible predicts it will.
Granted, back in 1972 there were still prophetic things that needed to happen, but now with the Israeli and Lebanese war...the other mess in the middle east...mens hearts growing so very cold toward God...
Someone will come in just at the right time to help all those countries make nice with eachother, someone who will be accepted by the Gentiles, Muslims and the Jews and that will be the Antichrist.
The Rapture is more real to me today then when I first got saved back in 1974. Sometimes I think that folks who laugh at these movies are actually terrified in their hearts that it COULD and WILL happen and that they will be caught unawares.
Now that IS scary.
Call on Him while HE can still be found, because once God raptures/calls His children home, the power to get and stay saved during the tribulation will be near to impossible.
How many days 'till Christmas?
The rapture is a myth. It was invented by a sect in the UK around the turn of the 20th century. The Bible mentions it nowhere (and yes, I have read the entire Bible).
Don't try that 'with the Israeli and Lebanese war' rubbish either. At every point in the last 2000 years there has been something going on in the world that can be crowbarred into eschatological myths. If you take the time to stand back from the commentary you have lived by since your conversion and see how little of it is in fact in the Bible itself, there is just a chance you might notice that.
Most people who laugh at these films are not so easily lead as to be frightened into what is just a momentary blip in the history of one part of one religion. That's why most theology degree courses incorporate the study of church history into the syllabus.
So does your sect use this risible waste of tape space that could be put to better use recording the home shopping channel?
My, my....you sound worried....else why would you react to what I wrote with such anger?
I'll be praying for you because seeing as how you said..."And yes, I have read the Bible."...you will stand before Almighty God to receive the harshest judgement. You read His word and did not care...you turned to the Home Shopping Channel for your hope, peace, love and forgiveness instead.
Well...most folks who ridicule the Bible and Christ's sacafice on the cross do so because if they admit it is true, then from that point on they are accountable for their sin, and they would rather live a life of debauchery.
How very sad.
"Thief In The Night" may not be perfect but it still delivered the message that needed to be heard and that is...Those that are saved and have accepted Christ's sacrafice will in the not too distant future be caught away to be with Him forever. Those left behind WILL have to make a difficult and deadly decision regarding the Antichrist and his mark....receive his mark 666 and live for the moment but spend an eternity in hell...or refuse the mark, accept Christ and live forever with Him in Glory.
Keeping to the topic of this thread, does your sect actually use this 'film'?
I didn't see any anger in my post. Sarcasm, yes. Believe it or not, contrary to the portrayal in the film (e.g. a church calling itself 'The first church of the open Bible'), there is no special version of Christianity that falls out when you hold a Bible by the spine and shake it. There are, however, versions you get when you mix isolated Bible verses with recent trends in history and masses and masses of commentary.
You can see examples of this in the film. A series of, then recent, events are displayed on posters as part of a Bible study. The idea is that they 'explain' the book of Revelation. The fact that these ideas cannot be found just by reading the Bible alone is lost on most of the original pew fodder who watched it in the seventies. Then again, the people who have read the Bible in its entirety are usually not the same people who believe in 'the rapture'. In fact, I can't help notice how many people have read the whole thing and, like me, are atheists, and I'm not including those who, like me, did their degree in theology. It's just that the number of people who read it and do not find any overall message jumps off the page at them is quite high. On the other hand, the number who say it contains a message but who have never got all the way through it is much higher. Now I wonder why that is?
By the way, the number 666 can be found all over the place. It is just a three-figure number. For example, here in Dolny Slask there will be more than a thousand births this month, and next, and next. That means there is a 'birth number 666' every month, and the same in Gorny Slask, Malopolskie, etc, etc. In the context of the book of Revelation, it is just a reference to Emperor Nero. Nothing else. Once a text is explained satisfactorily in it original context, it no longer has any further internal meaning. Any additional meaning is something the readers themselves bring to it.
An interesting consequence to this is that, given that the concept of Messiah was post-exile, the 'Old Testament' doesn't teach the existence of a Messiah either. That bores something of a hole in part of the plot for the next two films.
Forget about all the movies, t.v. programs and every other media that does play acting to portray Biblical events...history proves that that events in the Bible are factual. Yeah, there are some folks who have probably...embellished...their findings, but the fact is...GOD IS.
I apologize for saying you sounded angry or worried.
It just makes me wonder how people go on with life when all they have IS this life...no hope in anything or anyone but this crummy old world and what it has to offer...which ain't much in the grand scheme of things.
To have no hope in anything but what you have in the here and now, to not have faith in God and the love of His son Jesus...man...that breaks my heart.
God created man for fellowship first and foremost. Later on, the great hope of the Old Testament was the Messiah, a Saviour...Isaiah chapter 53 speaks of him.
To have hope and faith in only this short lifetime and not look forward to an eternity with God would be an awfully empty and incomplete life.
My husband and I will be praying for you David.
How many days 'till Christmas?
Leaving your textbook example of a recent trend in one part of a particular denomination of one religion (and its effect on reasoning skills) to one side, does your little holy-huddle still use this film?
Incidentally, the phrase 'I'll pray for you' and its offshoots sounds just as trite and self-righteous now as it did ten years ago when I was last in any noticeable Christian company. It reminds me of something a certain rabbi from Nazareth is recorded as saying about the way people prayed in public.
How odd that you would be so offended by the simple phrase, "I'll pray for you"...
Oh well....I'll still be praying for you David because you seem to be so bothered by this whole thing. And by the way...I'm praying for you in the privacy of my heart, or in the "privacy of my closet in secret" just as Jesus, that certain Rabbi form Nazareth, taught his disciples to pray.
And to answer your question....No...the church I attend hasn't used any movies to to reach the lost for Christ. The simplicity of the Gospel message of..."For God so loved the world That he gave his only begotten Son, and that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life"...says it all.
Yep...it doesn't get any better than that.
No denominations, no dogma or canons from the so-called ONLY church, no man-made decisions of "you better follow our rules or you're not saved"....just the Bible, pure and simple.
You say that you have read the Bible and even have a theological degree (sorry if I got it wrong...I'm on my e-mail and can't access our other letters here), but it must have all been head knowledge without any kind of faith or belief in what you were studying.
True...the word 'Rapture' is not in the written word, it is what is used to describe this scripture verse---------
..."Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord"....1 Thessalonians 4:17....probably as close to describing what folks like myself call the Rapture as you can get.
May I ask you...what do you believe, truly in your heart, happens after that final heartbeat and last breath?
So...David...is that you in the picture with Sergei and Daisy?
How many days 'till Christmas?
Hello,
I appreciate your sensitive replies to David, and I echo your
desire for his eyes to be opened to the truth. I'm about to
go to for lunch break and I will be praying for him.
Regarding the film....I still have the video, a little grainy
after quite a few runs through the video player. It is *very*
amateur, and *very* cheaply produced, however the message seems
to me to be loud and clear --- whether the "rapture" happens
sooner, in the scheme of things, or later. I haven't landed yet
on a "pre-trib" or "post-trib", just the final hope to be with
Jesus for eternity.
I actually came onto imdb to see if this video ever made it
to DVD. Probably not, but thought I'd investigate just the same.
Blessings to you,
Tom
Tom,
I thank you for your kind words.
David never did reply to the message I sent him, asking him what he believes happens after death, and I am sorry that he didn't.
Whether the Rapture happens in the next 10 minutes or 10 years is not the most important belief. I agree with you whole heartedly...our hope is eternity with Jesus. Many, many folks who hoped to see the Rapture in their lifetime, actually went home to be with Jesus before that could happen.
Like Patty in the movie, a lot of people think they have plenty of time to accept Christ as their Savior, and put it off...forever...because their last breath was taken in that car accident, drive-by shooting, (I live in Southern California, can you tell?) drowning or any number of sudden deaths.
Pre or Post-trib, the need for Christ in a persons heart will always be the most important decision a soul will ever make. (Although, I really, really hope it's pre-trib!) I do like "Thief In The Night" even though it is, exactly like you said, amateur and filmed on a very tight purse string, hahaha...
That's ok, though. I wonder how many folks standing in Heaven will say, "If it wasn't for that old movie that our Pastor showed at a Youth Rally, I never would have known about Jesus or the Rapture!"
In His Love,
Kristen
You guys really shouldn't push this on people. I am a christian, yes I believe Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior but let me just point out to you that you're wrong because nowhere in the Bible is the Rapture predicted. Yes, the Bible talks about the imminent apocalypse (also known as the tribulation(I've read and translated Revelation through and through thousands of times from hundreds of sources)).
"Rapture" as a word is not in the Bible, and nowhere does it say that a mass ascention of all christians will happen before the tribulation...however, this does not mean that it WON'T happen. I believe in the rapture, and do believe it's coming, but there are three possibilities.
The Bible does not gives hints to these three possibilities clear and crisp in the judgements that play out during the tribulation. 1: The cliched rapture in which it occurs before the 7-year peace treaty which starts the tribulation. 2: Mid-trib in which the rapture takes place before things get really bad for the christians and they are taken up 3 1/2 years after the tribulation begins. Evidence is supported in the seals judgments. The very last seal says there will be a silence for 30 minutes when destruction takes place. 3: Post-trib. In the Bible it says "Since you have kept my commandments and kept the word close to your heart, I will keep you from that hour of judgment". The hour of judgment is at the end of the Tribulation which implies that the rapture will come after, but that God will protect all christians during the trib.
I'm not holding my breath for the rapture because if they believed it would come back in 1972, what makes you think it will happen now? That's why you should have Jesus in your heart anyway. He is your salvation, not the rapture.
The answer to the ultimate question; of life, the universe, and everything is.........42
"YOU have translated Revelations through and through, THOUSANDS of times, from HUNDREDS of sources????"
I think that someone thinks more highly of themselves than they ought....
You also stated..."The hour of judgment is at the end of the Tribulation which implies that the rapture will come after, but that God will protect all christians during the trib."
Are you kidding? And which chapter and verse is this thought based from? I do believe that people will get saved during the Tribulation, but there will be a horrible price to pay. If we think Hilter's torturous atrocities against the Jews were pure evil....imagine what the Antichrist will think up to do to people who will NOT accept the Mark. With Satan as his advisor, there will be NO easy death (like a quick death from the Guillitine (sic)) I'm sure, for those people who finally stand fast and choose Christ.
Jesus himself said...Matt.24:21--"For then shall be great tribulation, SUCH AS WAS NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall ever be." YIKES!!
Can you imagine? Hitler, Saddam, Osama, Adolf Eichman....those murderers have got nothing on the Antichrist.
And in Verse's 40 and 41 He talks about two working together and one will be taken, etc....V.42 says "You know not what hour your Lord does come".
True...the word Rapture is not in the Bible...but who cares? The point is that the act itself, from God Almighty, will happen and folks need to be ready.
Matt. 24:36 says, "But of that day and hour knoweth NO man, NO, not the Angels of heaven, but my Father only."
Hey...I feel like "Patty" does in the movie when she tells her worthless Pastor who also was left behind..."I'd rather be scared and in heaven, then left here"...(Sorry...I'm sure I missed the exact words as it has been 20 years since I've seen the movie)...but that one phrase..."I'd rather be scared and in heaven" IS correct. She asks him why HE never told his congregation about the Rapture and about the Tribulation, and pretty much...WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT JESUS???
By the way....just who is...."they believed it would come back in 1972"???
I don't know of any true Bible believing, Spirit filled Christian church that has ever tried to pin point an exact year.
The only groups I know of that have tried to prophesy the exact year and miserably failed were the Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormon's, Jim Jones and a few other CULT's.
So, tell me...who is "They"??
THOSE cults/people are the ones who are "pushing" their beliefs on unsuspecting, uninformed (Biblically that is) people.
How very sad that to you, it is more important to debate the word Rapture and skewer an old movie that has brought millions to a belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior, than it is to hope people will see this movie and read the Word of God for themselves, and see that without Christ, they have NO hope and will spend an eternity in hell.
Also...I have never heard any Preacher say that the Rapture is anyones salvation. Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father....and without HIM there is NO salvation.
So whether a blood-bought, saved person dies in a car accident (in which case that person will go in the Rapture first) or actually gets to be "Caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" from 1 Thess. 4:16 & 17, the most vital and important decision a soul can make is exactly what YOU said..."That's why you should have Jesus in your heart anyway."
I agree wholeheartedly with you.
How many days 'till Christmas?
"Hey...I feel like "Patty" does in the movie when she tells her worthless Pastor who also was left behind..."I'd rather be scared and in heaven, then left here"...(Sorry...I'm sure I missed the exact words as it has been 20 years since I've seen the movie)...but that one phrase..."I'd rather be scared and in heaven" IS correct. She asks him why HE never told his congregation about the Rapture and about the Tribulation, and pretty much...WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US ABOUT JESUS???"
I seriously doubt God wants people to be scared into loving him. Yes, the rapture will happen someday, but that's someday. Right now it is God's love we need to show to people not the rapture. Patty was right in telling Reverend Turner that, but the thing is is that he never taught them the correct path of God in the first place. If you lead your sheep astray, how can you expect them to understand the correct path, let alone the rapture which should be at the end of the line because it is really the least important thing in a Christian's life. God's love first, his complications later.
And call me obsessed, I've seen all the end times films (not including documentaries) ever made (I also own most of them), I've seen a million televangelists talk about it on TBN and I've also heard it preached a hundred times. I was sort of speaking in a literal sense. Ironically, they differentiated with each other most of the time. Hmmmm.
No offense or anything but I find you guys a little too critical. You jump all over everything.
The answer to the ultimate question; of life, the universe, and everything is.........42
"No offense or anything but I find you guys a little too critical. You jump all over everything."
Now, isn't that "the pot calling the kettle black?" At 15 years old, have you ever heard that saying?
Seems like you have a major hang up with the Rapture. Are you afraid of it?
Believe it or not, God does use different approaches to getting peoples attention in order to show then that He means business regarding the salvation of their soul, and sometimes fear or shock is one of them.
If it causes them to see that they have ignored and rejected God their entire lives, with absolutely no thought to their eternal souls....do you think that later on when they have become mature Christians, that they are going care HOW that realization of their unsaved condition came to be???
They will be thankful that a little 'ol, schmaltsy, poorly acted Christian film got their attention and lead them to Christ.
In the movie, Patty's husband Jim accepted Christ and got saved after hearing the Preacher's teaching on the Rapture. A few days later, her little sister walked into her Mom's kitchen and saw a saucepan on the stove boiling away with no one around stirring it with the spoon. She called out to her Mom and when Mom didn't answer right away, she feared the Rapture had happened and because she rejected the call to salvation....she was left behind. She realized that the coming of the Lord was very real and prayed the sinner's prayer with her Mom.
See, the point is that, yeah...although Patty's little sister got terrified that she had missed the Rapture...she saw the reality of how quickly it is all going happen...in the twinkling of an eye.
I've been a Christian for 33 years. I got saved at Youth Camp when I was 15. But you know what? Every time I see any movie that shows the Rapture and people being left behind, it causes me to examine my walk with Christ, NOT because I'm afraid I'll miss the Rapture, but because I want to make sure that I am ready to stand face to face with Almighty God should I stop breathing in the middle of the night.
I may not live to see Christ's return to gather all of His children to take home to forever be with Him. Some of us will die before that happens.
Like you said...it is more important to show people God's overwhelming, unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness and grace through His son, Jesus.
If someone asks me how I feel about the Rapture, whether I believe it to be a true teaching...you can bet I am going to tell them that I do believe it is true. But I will also tell them that I am leaving all of that to God because He is more concerned that I have accepted His son's sacrifice on the cross for my sins, that I am a new creation and live my life according to what His word says.
Yeah....those folks that got saved after being frightened at the idea of missing the Rapture that have gone on to be with the Lord because of cancer, heart attack, murder or just old age....I'm pretty sure that they are grateful to those folks that made "A Thief in the Night" for making them realize that they needed to accept Jesus as their personal Savior....NOW, while they still had time.
And I'm positive that when they took their final breath and were instantly in the presence of their Lord and Savior, that they didn't wag their fingers at God and say..."Now that was just plain mean to use that film to open my eyes and scare me into accepting Christ and falling in love with you!"
Nah....it won't matter to them how they got there, they will just be praising God and loving Him and thanking Him for His awesome gift.
POORLY ACTED?! How can you say that about A Thief in the Night? The acting in the movie rocks, especially by Patty. She was the best actress in the whole series. I'm so mad that they took her out in The Image of the Beast. It's not fair! You do know I've seen this movie like a million times, right?
p.s. I'm actually 16.
The answer to the ultimate question; of life, the universe, and everything is.........42
Oops....sorry....I just read your Bio the other day and it said 15.
At 16 I don't think I had the time to do anything a million times except daydream. Kids today are so much more advanced than in 1974! ;-)
Poorly acted was a.....uuuuhhhhh....poor (well, that word fit so well here) choice of words on my part.
She really was the best actor in the movie. The fear on her face when she realizes that the Rapture has taken place and she has been left behind...it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Being a lady, maybe I should say my arms.....no....that makes me sound like a gorilla.
Suffice to say that all throughout the movie, the fear, dispair, worry, and sheer terror when she saw the guillotine (sic) that would be her future if she refused the Mark....well, she did a great job in portraying all those emotions. Scared the water out of me!
Her Pastor did a good job also when they were in the jail cell talking. I actually felt mercy for the guy.
How many days 'till Christmas?
lol I LOVE how patronizing you are...it's cute.
shareRegardless of whether it is pre-trib, post-trib or whatever, I know where my heart has to be and I hope the same for everyone else. But, it does mention in John 16:33:
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
I have been reading many of the posts and it breaks my heart to see how people can so bluntly attack each other for what they believe in.
First of all, this is a good and entertaining movie that has a positive message of hope. At least that's what I got out of it. However, people can disagree and I absolutely have no problem with that.
It really saddens me to see how some people are reacting, though. I am a Christian, but I firmly believe in "live and let live".
To those who call themselves Christians and use these postings to attack non-christians I say this: our faith was not meant for that. We are called to share our faith and show the path of salvation to all who want to hear. However, we are not called to force our beliefs on anyone, to call them names, or hating anyone because they disagree with us and practice something that we percieve as wrong or sinful. Many of us forget that only God can judge, and that we must not. It is very sad that people have such a bad perception of Christians as fundamentalists, holy rollers, hypocrites, and so on. Sadly, that is a reputation that many of us have brought upon ourselves by our self-righteous attitudes. Many of us have forgotten that we are sinners just like everyone else. Yes, we have been forgiven, but that does not license us to become the judges of the world. Many of us have forgotten what it means to be a true Christian (which is to have a personal relationship with Christ) and turned it into a religion full of rules and dogmas made by men, not God. Like I said before, we must share our faith and show people the way, but when a person does not want to listen and chooses his/her own path, we must let go and let God work. We will never make a difference by forcing ourselves and our faith on people. On the contrary, all we will earn is more hatred and all the results we'll make is to turn people away from God instead of towards Him. When you are ready to judge someone and call him/her names, ask yourself this: is this a Christ-like attitude? Did I forget that I was and am a sinner that needed to be saved as well? Remember, we can disagree with those that believe differently and act their minds, but cannot force anyone to change their ways. We cannot change their heart or mind. Only God can do that. If someone does not agree with you, just move on and let them live their life in peace as they see fit. If we are right, then God will judge them accordingly in due time. If we were wrong, then they had nothing to lose. But don't make the mistake of thinking you are better than everyone else, because you're not.
To those who are not Christian and those who are against us I say this:
I am so sorry that so many of us have contributed to get you to think so badly of us. I know that we are not behaving the way that we are supposed to as Christians and have made you uncomfortable with us. And that's no one's fault except ours. Like I said before, even if I disagree with you I can't force you to change your mind and I respect your right to disagree and and to live differently. I just ask you not to put all Christians in the same categories mentioned above. Those who have contributed to your negative feelings about us were probably not even true Christians at all (only God can know that, of course). But don't hate all of us for the bad actions of a few. If you don't belive in God or the Bible, then that's your right, but don't call us names because we do. Our belief is something that gives us hope for our future and for eternity. I personally believe that it is better to belive in something that gives you hope than have no belief at all. However, if in the end it turns out we were wrong and you were right, than neither you or us has anything to lose. But what if we were right? What happens then? As I said, please do not generalize about us for the actions of a few.
And to everyone, please, just please, learn to live, let live, and respect everyone wether they agree with you or not. If we all learn that, maybe this world can turn out to not be such a bad place after all.
Hey Angeldude -
You are so right. Scripture is not a weapon to beat others over the head with. Jesus said to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself and you will keep all the law.
I encourage my fellow believers to respond in love and not judgment. Remember that the mercy you show will be the mercy you receive. You will draw more people to Christ by living out the supernatural love the Holy Spirit provides then trying to "score points" off of those who don't share your views.
("I think if we were given the Scriptures, it was not so that we could prove that we were right about everything. If we were given the Scriptures, it was to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing." Rich Mullins)
[deleted]
Way way late post, but these movies did come out on DVD a couple of years ago. I think you have to order them directly through the distributor, but you may be able to find them on Ebay or Half.
shareTo me, this seems like an awful evangelical tool. For one, I think it helped to drive me away from the church as a teen (happily for me, I came back!). I've heard others tell me that it just scared them to death. Also, I think there are serious scriptural problems with the idea of a rapture, although it makes us (Christians) feel "protected" from the Tribulation.
Seeing this film again after a few decades, and as a believer, I can appreciate it more. For amateurs, it's not a bad suspense flick, especially in Patty's "post rapture" experiences. I haven't seen the rest of the series, though.
Kelly L. Norman
I pray to God that you will see the Light (HE is the way, the truth and the Life). Have you ever wondered, why would you go for a theology degree if you are an atheist. You must believe (Deep Down Inside) or you would never even contemplate spending the time, energy or money to study something that doesnt exist. I would also have to wonder, where did you find a secular school that would send out a graduate who doesn't believe? I will not Judge you for that is not my place. But, Please, remember that you will be judged. By the great I Am. Remember,
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:33
Just something to think about; "If there is no God, how did we get here? What will happen to us in death? Do you believe that we will just be no more?" I dont, He is coming, and we can never imagine when it will be. But, I can assure everyone, I will hear the trumpet, I will go before the Lord, and I will hit my knees with disbelief that I could be so lucky, so wanted and so loved. I pray the same for you. Please watch this video. Of course it is just something that someone made, but It DOES depict the truth. It may be the one thing that changes your life.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1092384921&n=2
I'm sure this message board is dead by now, but I just wanted to chime in. I've been a Christian for 25 years, and I'll never forget seeing this film two decades ago. Even in it's heyday, I couldn't help but think, "This is terrible." It may have had good intentions, but it pushed a message that isn't exactly in line with the Gospels. Never once did Jesus intend on "scaring the Hell" out of people in order to accomplish his life's work. As a matter of fact, the most popular Rapture passage of the bible (Matthew 24) is horrible misintepreted. Christ goes to lengths to prepare his apostles for the coming persecution that they will receive for being associated with him, and then he sows seeds of hope inside of them by foreshadowing his return. The whole thief in the night analogy was supposed to inspire his closest friends to weather the storm because the pay-off for their faith could come at any time. The idea of a random Rapture event completely nullifies the point of eschatology: THERE IS NO WAY TO PREDICT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST! Hal Lindsey tried, Jack Van Impe tried, and even LaHaye and Jenkins have added their two cents and they haven't given us an accurate "End Times" calendar to follow. 2000 years ago, men and women who looked Jesus Christ face to face thought that he would return in their lifetime, and that didn't happen. Why? Because making it by till Jesus comes back isn't the point of the Christian faith. We haven't devoted ourselves to Jesus so that we can wake up everyday worrying if this is "it"? Christ called his followers to be the salt and light of this world, to bring joy and hope wherever we can (Matthew 5). We won't exactly be the life of the party if we're running around everywhere screaming, "Turn or burn!" We are to model the Gospels not just with our mouths, but with the way we live our lives. Living examples of how faith can turn someone around from hopelessness and dispair, how faith can give us something to live for in an imperfect world. Never once did I see that - THE GOSPEL MEGSSAGE - in this terribly acted, horribly produced suckfest.
shareExactly. That was a thoughtful response. I too saw this movie 26 years ago as a child. A family friend took us to a church that was showing it. There were other children there and the movie scared the crap out of all of us. IMO, if you want to show it, fine, but NOT to kids.
I remember distinctly the scene where the little boy and a few others who would not take the mark of the beast were marched out, wearing white garbage bags, to the guillotine. The kid had a red balloon and the next thing you knew, the balloon flew in the air after the blade came down. What a GREAT thing for little kids to see! It can be traumatizing. Then again I guess the whole point was to scare people into salvation, which is what that film did on that night.
As soon as it was over, they asked if anyone wished to be saved. From what I read and understood of the Bible, using fear as an incentive for people to come to Christ was not the point. It was supposed to be done through free will, not fear tactics. I find that this is happening all too often today. Those who have used Christianity as a weapon and to push hate and fear sadden me because that is far from what is taught in the New Testament.
[deleted]
I am sitting here reading how people think they were brainwashed at an early age??? I was the same age as these very same people when I first saw this movie.What are you thinking??? Are you really just not believers? Sure this movie can scare you....If you are fighting conviction or ignoring Jesus knocking at your heart. I would be frightened too...We all know this is a fiction based story that was founded on the Biblical Phropesy of God...and yes....You all can argue and argue on what you believe and what you don't believe and how the original authors did not follow scripture....but you are only doing exactly what the devil wants you to do! The bottom line is that Jesus died for our sins and He is coming again!! Thank You Lord Jesus!!! I praise Your Name!!! Lets not argue and ignore!! Lets be thankful and pay attention because the very same people; will one day be wondering where all their loved ones went when that wonderful day of the rapture occurs. Instead of being ignorant to Your Word....instead of letting our tempers get the best of us....instead of wanting to prove our point with scripture....Lets just all pray for those that have not accepted Jesus in their life!!! Lets pray that they will heed to their convictions and that they will listen and yearn to be what God wants for each of us! Lets pray that every person that is down and has given up hope....those people that are hurting and those that need to be loved...will all confess that they have sinned and that they acknowledge that God sent His Son on this earth in human form to die on the cross to take on our sins and rose again the 3rd day... and confess with their mouth that they desire to have Jesus live within their heart that one day that they too will also be in heaven with Jesus.
People...People....are you really going to allow the devil to take control???? Brainwashed??? No!!! That is conviction!! The devil is the one that is brainwashing you to get on this site and actually complain about this movie and how you were so innocently brainwashed at an early age. I am so very very thankful that Jesus did not harden His heart with me!! Praise You Jesus!!! Thank You for all you have done and work through me that I may be a better servant and help lead more people to the Lord.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amen to that!
Maranatha - it won't be long