Gina Detwiler's Blog

I once subscribed to the notion that Christmas traditions were steeped in paganism and the only reason the Church started celebrating Christ’s birth was because all the pagan religions had birthday parties for their gods. Everyone said so, at least on the internet. I even wondered if it was OK with God to celebrate Christmas—could it actually be a sin?

Turns out this argument has been going on for centuries. The early Puritans actually banned Christmas celebrations altogether, not only because of their pagan associations but also because of the excessive partying that accompanied them. It wasn’t reinstated as a holiday in Puritan-controlled Massachusetts until the mid-19th century. Even today, several Christian and pseudo-Christian sects, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, forbid the celebration of Christmas due to its “unbiblical” origins.

The story goes that early Christian missionaries wanted to make Christianity more palatable to their pagan converts, so they took pagan holidays and simply renamed them. Therefore, Sol Invictus, a Roman winter solstice festival honoring the birth of Apollo, became Christmas. ‘Sol Invictus’ literally means “the Birth of the Unconquered Sun.”

This sounded plausible to me. December 25 occurs around the time of the winter solstice, though it’s not an exact match. And “sun” could easily be transliterated to “Son,” right? Assuming the early missionaries spoke English, which they didn’t. 

But the more I dug into this topic, the more skeptical I became. Sol Invictus, for instance, wasn’t instituted in Rome until 200 years after Jesus to quell the rising popularity of Christianity.

It’s certainly true that many pagan cultures held winter festivals around the solstice, including the Romans, Greeks, Germans, and Norsemen. But did that mean Christmas must have originated with paganism? I mean, those cultures probably ate breakfast, too—so is breakfast pagan as well?

The real reason for December 25

It turns out that the date December 25 has nothing to do with pagan festivals. It stemmed from an early Christian belief that prophets died on the same date they were conceived. Jesus’ death was believed to have occurred on March 25 (coinciding with the date of Passover that year), which would also be the date of his conception, according to this theory. Fast forward nine months, and you land on December 25.

The earliest recorded date for December 25 as the celebration of the birth of Christ is 336 AD in Rome. We really have no idea what people believed before that, or when or even if Christ’s birth was celebrated. Still, there is no direct link between the institution of Christmas and pagan solstice festivals.

That is not to say I believe the date of December 25 is the actual birthday of Jesus. There are many reasons to doubt this. I wrote a detailed post about that, which you can read here.

Still, many people think most of our Christmas traditions have pagan roots. But do they really?

The myth: Christmas trees originated with the pagan Celts

Pagan peoples, according to this story, brought evergreen trees into their homes in the winter to symbolize new life, a practice made popular during the Roman festival of Saturnalia, honoring the god Saturn. When they became Christianized, they continued the practice.

There’s nothing to substantiate this claim. A more likely origin for the Christmas tree is Bishop Boniface, an English missionary to the Germans in the 8th century (and also a character in my novel, The Hammer of God.) Boniface was famous for felling the great sacred oak of Thor and for pointing to the evergreen tree as a symbol of Christ, for its leaves never died, and its tip pointed to heaven while its branches reached out to the world. Newly minted Germanic Christians brought trees into their homes to celebrate Christ’s birth, and eventually brought this tradition to the rest of Europe and America.

Some will point to Jeremiah 10 as a warning to those who harbor Christmas trees in their homes:

' for the customs of the peoples are vanity.
A tree from the forest is cut down and worked
with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. '

' They decorate it with silver and gold;
 they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. 

But Jeremiah was talking about fashioning trees into idols for worship. Nothing to do with Christmas trees.

The myth: Santa was inspired by the god Odin

The Norse god Odin rode a flying horse, had a white beard, and filled children’s shoes with treats during his “wild hunt” every winter. That sounds a little like Santa, right? Flying around at night, giving gifts to children?

Again, conflation doesn’t lead to correlation.

The first depiction of a white-bearded, red-suited Santa appeared in Harper’s Weekly in 1863, about forty years after the publication of the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by C. Clement Moore. While the poem depicts Santa as an “elf,” he was “jolly,” smoked a pipe, and had magic powers. His sleigh and reindeer were “tiny.” Coke co-opted Harper’s image for its advertisements in 1931, and the image stuck. None of this sounds very Norse godlike.

In fact, the origins of Santa Claus are entirely Christian. St. Nicholas was a 4th century Christian from Turkey, possibly a bishop, famous for giving gifts to poor children by tossing them through windows and filling stockings drying by a fire. The tradition of gift-giving on his feast day, December 6, took root in Europe, where the Dutch refer to him as “Sinterklaas” –the name literally means “Saint Nicholas.” This tradition travelled to America with Dutch settlers, and the name eventually evolved into “Santa Claus.”

Incidentally, “Kris Kringle,” another name commonly used for Santa Claus, really has nothing to do with Santa at all. It originated as the German Christkindlein meaning “Christ Child.” It’s hard to say how that name became entwined with Santa, but it definitely didn’t come from paganism.

Myth: Kissing under the mistletoe was a pagan ritual

While ancient peoples used mistletoe for its medicinal benefits, and mistletoe does figure prominently in some Norse legends, there is no pagan tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. That tradition originated in the 18th century, inspired by a popular song. 

What all the men, Jem, John, and Joe, / Cry, ‘What good-luck has sent ye?’ / And kiss beneath the mistletoe. / The girl not turn’d of twenty.”

It has nothing to do with Christmas, other than being used as a decoration in European houses around Christmastime because, like Christmas trees, it was an evergreen with attractive berries. 

Myth: Hanging stockings originated with the Norse god Odin

As mentioned earlier, the Norse god Odin went hunting during the winter on a flying horse. Children would leave their shoes out with treats for the horse (flying is hard work), and Odin would thank them by replacing the treats with gifts for the kids. But there is no mention of stockings in this story.

Our tradition of hanging stockings originated, again, with Saint Nicholas. To provide dowries for the daughters of a poor man, Nick put gold coins in their stockings while they were hanging by the fire to dry. No mention of shoes or flying horses.

The common practice of hanging stockings did not become widespread until the publication of “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” in 1823.

Myth: Flying reindeer are pagan

Many pagan myths indeed include flying animals. But then, there are flying animals in the Bible, too. Wasn’t Elijah taken to heaven on a chariot of fire?

Besides, reindeer did not become associated with Santa Claus until 1821 in an anonymously written booklet published by William Gilley. It’s possible the author got the idea from Scandinavian tales of reindeer, but we don’t know for sure, since the author was never identified. Two years later, A Visit from Saint Nicholas was published, naming the reindeer for posterity.

Myth: Yule, a pagan festival, became Christmas

“Yule” was a Norse festival that took place during the winter solstice, entirely separate from Christmas. As Norse and Germanic people became Christianized, they referred to Christmastime as Yuletide, because the festivals fell around the same time. But that didn’t happen until the 9th century, long after Christmas was firmly established as a Christian holiday.

But Christmas isn’t in the Bible…

Still, many people will say we should not celebrate Christmas because the Bible does not command it. Jesus specified one way to commemorate him: the Last Supper. What we now call Holy Communion. 

The Old Testament recognizes seven festivals: Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Weeks (Pentecost), Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and Tabernacles (Sukkot). 

Note that Hanukkah is not on this list—the Festival of Lights was celebrated to commemorate the Maccabees' victory over the Seleucid invaders during the intertestamental period. Also, Purim, the holiday commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from genocide in the Book of Esther, is not among these seven ordained festivals either. Yet both festivals are part of the Jewish calendar.

So, is celebrating Christmas acceptable to God? 

Paul says, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.” (Romans 14:5–6).

I think what Paul is saying is that any way of glorifying and proclaiming the name of Jesus is acceptable to the Lord.

Many people who don’t attend church the rest of the year go to church at Christmastime. What an awesome opportunity to proclaim Jesus Christ to those who have not encountered Him. I have written many Christmas plays and musicals for my church through the years because I believe people are more receptive to the message of Christ at Christmastime. People want more from Christmas than sales and marketing. They want to understand the meaning of Christmas: that Christ came to earth to save us. That God so loved the world, He sent His Son to die for us. (John 3:16)

So whether or not you celebrate Christmas, you can always celebrate Christ and use every opportunity to tell people about Him. That is, after all, what He told us to do.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Matt 28:19-20

ISLAM COMES TO THE WEST – A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING

Gina Detwiler

Thirty-five years ago, I began writing my first novel, The Hammer of God, which tells the story of Charles Martel, the man who stopped a massive Islamic invasion of Gaul in the early 8th century.

Not really a normal subject for a 28-year-old (at the time) woman to write about. I had been searching for a medieval event as a theme for a novel when I discovered Charles and his remarkable victory—his story led me down a rabbit hole into the origins and spread of Islam throughout history. 

The Battle of Tours took place in 732 AD, one hundred years after the death of Muhammad. I believed this date was significant—that the Islamic invaders chose that year to sweep through all of Europe. They had already conquered the Holy Land, Asia Minor, North Africa, and Spain in pursuit of Muhammad’s vision to bring the entire world under the submission of Islam, a word that itself means “submission.”

But Charles stopped that onslaught. And while Islam continued to conquer, eventually taking over the eastern Christian capital Constantinople, it could not penetrate the Christian West – Europe and America.

Until now.

As Western nations have entered the post-Christian era, Islam has made significant progress in achieving Muhammad’s dream of world domination. Not with guns and swords. But with much more subtle weapons: immigration and politics.

One member of the Muslim Brotherhood put it bluntly: “700 years of our trial to conquer Europe by force failed… This is the soft Islamic conquest of the West. What we couldn’t do in the last 20 years, the West is doing for us for free, and they are paying for it.”

For the last several decades, Muslims have settled in Western countries, produced lots of babies, and, for the most part, lived off the largess of the State, which provides them with financial aid, housing, medical care, and even jobs. Their population has grown exponentially as the native Western populations continue to decline. 

Yet these Muslim communities have no interest in assimilating into American culture. Instead, they now demand that American culture assimilate to them.

The Minneapolis City Council has four Muslim members, yet the council voted unanimously to change the noise ordinance to allow the Muslim call to prayer at 5 AM. The Quran has been used for swearing-in ceremonies.

At a recent town hall meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, the first majority Muslim city in the country, a citizen questioned why a street was renamed after a terrorist sympathizer. The Muslim mayor told him he was not welcome in the city, and the day he moved, the mayor would have a parade to celebrate. Dearborn also changed its noise ordinance laws to allow the Muslim call to prayer at 5 AM.

Ilhan Omar, a Somali immigrant and congresswoman from Minnesota, has stated that her first loyalty is to Somalia, not to the United States. “I am here to protect the interests of Somalia,” she said. This is a woman who has benefited greatly from the American system and yet disparages it at every turn. She endorsed the “Somalia-first” communist candidate for mayor of Minneapolis, Omar Fateh. 

In the UK, ten major cities, including London, have had Muslim mayors. There are about 30-100 Sharia courts and nearly 3,000 mosques in the UK. 78% of Muslim women and 35% of Muslim men don’t work and are on government assistance. 

The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have dozens of front groups that infiltrate government at all levels, lobbying for Muslim-friendly concessions and financing radical student organizations in support of Hamas and other terrorist organizations. They finance the education of radical Muslim college students in order to infiltrate law firms and influential political groups.

Former President Joe Biden included CAIR in his administration’s efforts to combat anti-Semitism, which is a bit like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.

80% of convicted criminals in prison who convert to a religion choose Islam.

Instead of praying in their mosques, Muslims organize large street prayers in places like Times Square and Trump Tower to interfere with the daily lives of Americans. 

The European Union is considering making polygamy legal to accommodate Muslims. 

Muslim grooming gangs terrorize many European cities, raping thousands of young women while the government does nothing to stop them. The residents establish “No-Go” zones where police rarely venture, and Sharia is the only law enforced. 

Massive immigration from Muslim countries has led to a huge spike in violent crime in London. Yet, the police are more interested in arresting people who post anti-Muslim rhetoric on social media.

This is not peaceful coexistence. It’s a hostile takeover. There is no way that Islam can exist within the confines of America, because Islam is incompatible with Western, Judeo-Christian values of freedom and individual rights. Islam can only exist in an authoritarian state. It is not just a religion—it is a system of power and control. 

Islam is not a religion of peace

Islam is not a religion of peace, as many people like to say. It is a religion of violent revolution.

Quran 2: 191 “Kill them wherever you come upon them and drive them out of the places from which they have driven you out.

Quran 5:33 – The recompense of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and do mischief in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified or their hands and feet be cut off on the opposite sides, or be exiled from the land.

Quran 8:12 - ˹Remember, O  Prophet,˺ when your Lord revealed to the angels, “I am with you. So make the believers stand firm. I will cast horror into the hearts of the disbelievers. So strike their necks and strike their fingertips.”

Quran 8:60 - Prepare against them what you ˹believers˺ can of ˹military˺ power and cavalry to deter Allah’s enemies and your enemies as well as other enemies unknown to you but known to Allah. Whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be paid to you in full and you will not be wronged.

Quran 8:65 - O Prophet! Motivate the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will overcome two hundred. And if there are one hundred of you, they will overcome one thousand of the disbelievers, for they are a people who do not comprehend.

Quran 9:123 - “O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who are the righteous.” 

Sharia in the US

Many Muslims are very open about wanting to bring the West under Sharia. 

In a recent poll, more than half of U.S. Muslims believe they should have the option of being judged under Sharia. Only 39% said that Muslims should be judged in American courts. A quarter believe that violence is appropriate to punish anyone who insults Islam.

Imagine if a quarter of Christians said such a thing.

Let’s not forget that Sharia punishments include lashing, beheading, and stoning (particularly of women). Gay people could be put to death just for being gay. Women can be stoned to death for even an accusation of adultery. In Sharia, a woman’s testimony is worth half of a man’s. 

Twenty percent of Muslims believe that violence is justified to make Sharia the law of the land in the United States.  

If you think that twenty percent is a low number, remember that only ten percent of Germans were Nazis during World War Two, while only thirty percent supported Nazism.

For more information on the institution of Sharia Law in America, read this article .

Terror continues

Of course, the terrorists haven’t stopped either, with 2024 seeing a sharp rise in reports of Islamic plots and attacks against American civilians, according to the ADL.

Globally, there were over 50,000 terrorist attacks in the past ten years. Christians in Nigeria continue to suffer brutal ethnic cleansing by the Islamist Boko Haram regime, with the government doing nothing to stop it. Here in the U.S., a radical jihadist plowed through a crowd of revelers on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, killing fourteen people and injuring fifty-seven.

And let’s not forget 9/11.

Wait, it seems we’ve already forgotten.

Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, seemed to come out of nowhere with his wide smile, clean-cut suits, and snappy one-liners. He has no experience in public service and has never held a real job, unless you count his brief stint as a rapper. He lived off his wealthy parents until recently. 

Mamdani hides his jihadist, anti-Semitic agenda behind a chirpy, socialist “everything for free” message, which always resonates in a political campaign. 

But what is the truth behind that friendly smile?

Here are just a few facts about him.

He is a citizen of Uganda, and only obtained US citizenship a few years ago in order to run for public office

He calls himself a “democratic socialist” (a contradiction in terms) and believes in “seizing the means of production,” straight out of the Marxist playbook.

His own mother says he is not an American

He is funded by billionaires like George Soros and Roy Singham, known for funding communist candidates

His own assistant says electing him is part of jihad

One of his rap songs praises the Holy Land Five, a group that supported terrorism and funneled millions of dollars to Hamas. 

He favors Muslims over other Americans and wants to remake New York City in the image of “his people”

He seems to think Muslims were the real victims of 9/11

He’s been elevated to prominence by radical Jihadists like Linda Sarsour and Imam Siraj Wahaj, a known funder of terrorist activities.

He established a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter in college

He refuses to condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” which calls for the destruction of Israel and the West.

In his acceptance speech, he lauded many ethnic groups but never talked about Americans, and claimed it was immigrants who built the city and immigrants who will now be in charge.

Islam and Communism

Mamdani, like most Muslim political leaders in the West, calls himself a “democratic socialist” — a euphemism for communism. Islam and communism seem like strange bedfellows: communism is inherently atheistic, while Islam is the most extreme repressive religion on the planet. 

It’s a mistake to think communism is not a religion. It is a religion, with government as god. It demands strict adherence to its precepts, and those who disobey are violently punished. It does not allow for freedom of expression and preaches hatred toward all outsiders.

Sounds just like Islam.

Both are about power, first and foremost. Complete and total domination of every aspect of life.

Mamdani said in his acceptance speech, “There is no problem too large for the government to solve.” He comes from Uganda, after all, an essentially one-party Marxist country that operates under the guise of a republic.

What Would Jesus do?

Christian churches all over the world have been duped into believing that Islam has roots in the Bible and that Abraham’s illegitimate son Ishmael was the “father” of Islam. There is no evidence for this claim, other than Muhammad’s own proclamations.

The Catholic Catechism (paragraph 841) claims that Muslims are “foremost” in God’s plan for salvation because they “hold the truth of Abraham” and worship the same God.

But Islam is not an Abrahamic faith. It did not stem from Judaism or Christianity, but from paganism. Mohammed adopted the common pagan customs of his time and fashioned them into a new religion, tying them to the Abrahamic faiths to legitimize his claim. 

For a more detailed discussion on the pagan roots of Islam, check out this article. 

Still, most Christian churches preach acceptance of all people with open arms, regardless of their belief system, because Jesus told us to love our neighbors. Didn’t he tell a story about a Samaritan coming to the aid of a Jewish man who had been robbed and left for dead?

First of all, the Samaritans were a race, not a religion. They were considered “half-breeds” by the Jews of the time, due to cross-breeding with Assyrians. But they did share the same fundamental beliefs about God and the Torah. Jesus’ teaching reminds us that people of all races are our neighbors. He also made the Samaritan, the outcast, the hero of the story as a lesson to the Pharisees who were listening.

It’s certainly true that Jesus preached love and compassion to all people, no matter their race or religious practice. He often went into non-Jewish areas to heal people and preach the gospel. He even revealed his true identity to a Samaritan woman who was an outcast in her own community. 

But personal behavior is not the same thing as public policy. Did Jesus tell Gentiles to come to Judea and continue to practice their paganistic practices? Did he encourage people to disobey Jewish law? 

Would Jesus call us to embrace radical Muslims who want to destroy Christianity itself?

Let’s see what Jesus and other biblical authors had to say about false religions:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8  

Mohammed thought an angel of light was speaking to him in a cave and revealed to him a “new path” to God. This is the fulfillment of Paul’s warning. He said that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14)

Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.  They worship   Me   in vain;   they teach as doctrine the precepts of men . You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”… Mark 7: 6-7

Paganism in all its forms, including Islam, is a man-made religion, born of man’s rules, not God’s. Mohammed was not a true prophet—he never did miracles or really prophesied anything. He was a caravan robber, a political leader, a pedophile, and a violent revolutionary. 

For more information about who Muhammad really was, read Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Kareshi.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ... Matthew 7:15-20  

The fruit of Islam is fourteen hundred years of violence and bloodshed, of jihad, war against non-Muslims, sanctioned and encouraged by the Quran. 

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works. 2 John 1:9-11  

John says those opposed to the teaching of Christ are not to be welcomed. We must not give ground to those whose faith allows them to kill you.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 1 Timothy 4:1  

Yes, Islam is a demonic religion. Even Muhammad thought so. For an interesting discussion on this subject, check out this article.

 Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. John 16:2

This is exactly what Islam has historically taught its followers to do. 

What Should Christians Do?

So what do we, as Christians, do about this situation? 

First, we must be “as shrewd as serpents, and as innocent as doves.” (Matt 10:16). That means we have to be educated on the schemes of the enemy, including the motives of radical Islamists in our midst. We have to know what is going on and how we have been deceived. But we must not take violent action ourselves. We must remain innocent. We must not retaliate directly or take matters into our own hands.

Know what the Bible really says. Islam is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Imams continually preach that the Bible prophesied about Muhammad, and Christians who don’t know their own Bible believe it. But Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Period. (John 14:6)

We must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matt 5:44). Pray for their salvation or their defeat, according to God’s will. In fact, Paul tells us that kindness is a more effective weapon than hatred. 

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

Romans 12: 19-21

We must stand strong for our faith. Islam rises when Christianity falls. Muslims take their religion very seriously; Christians don’t. The recession of Christianity is the main reason Islam has grown so fast. Lack of Bible knowledge, the decline in church attendance, the dissolution of the nuclear family, the primacy of career over children, the rise of homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion that have decimated Western populations all contribute to this downfall. The moral framework of our culture is now so fractured that any strong ideology with a rabid following will gain a foothold. 

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph 6:13

Finally, we must remember what David said when he went out to fight Goliath:

…all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear.
  For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand." 1 Sam 17:47

The battle belongs to the Lord.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination has shown us the answer.

BY GINA DETWILER

By now, we’ve had some time to process the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Many of us, me included, have asked God why He allowed this to happen. We won’t know the answer on this side of eternity.

What we do know is that Charlie was a martyr, murdered for his Christian faith, which deeply influenced his political beliefs.

Like Paul the Apostle, Charlie went into the public square to engage in open and frank debate. He didn’t force his beliefs on anyone. He didn’t threaten or demean—he wanted only to persuade. 

Paul was quite successful with this tactic, founding churches in Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. He was also whipped, stoned, run out of town, thrown in jail, and eventually killed for speaking the truth according to God. 

Sound familiar?

Since that terrible day, we have seen many people on social media gleefully celebrating Charlie’s death, calling him a fascist and a racist, and mocking him and his family. Even TV news reporters said that Charlie was “asking for it.” There were people at the “No Kings” protest dressed like the shooter and miming being shot in the neck. Memes have spread all over the internet with gruesome images of Charlie. The phrase “watch your neck” has become a regular chant on college campuses. People are now wearing Halloween costumes with Charlie’s “Freedom” shirt covered in blood.

If this isn’t a sign that demons are real, I don’t know what is. Nothing makes Satan and his demons angrier than a man turning hearts toward Christ.

Who killed Charlie?

The man who murdered Charlie was raised in a stable, conservative Mormon household, though his later political views stand in sharp contrast to his religious upbringing. It’s safe to assume he had rejected the religion of his parents in favor of a far-left ideology that promotes a culture of violence and death. 

He was not a member of any political party. He had good grades in school and even received a four-year college scholarship, but he dropped out after one semester. He was in a romantic relationship with a man who pretended to be a woman and dressed up in “furry” costumes. He spent the majority of his time online, on platforms like Reddit and Discord, a breeding ground for extremist rhetoric. He was an avid video gamer, which can blur fantasy and reality. If you can shoot people in a video game with impunity, why not do it in real life?

He was a lost young soul, confused about his identity, exposed to an extremist ideology, and rejecting his parents’ moral authority.

Satan’s favorite sort of target.

Why kill Charlie?

What did Charlie Kirk say that was so triggering that many people wished him dead?

He said that homosexuality is a sin, that transgenderism is incompatible with God’s design of humanity, that abortion is infanticide, and that marriage is between a man and a woman. He advocated for traditional values, for the virtues of motherhood, and for men to take up the mantle of leader and protector of the family. Biblical teachings that demons hate. He spoke boldly for the faith, proclaiming God’s truth as the only objective truth.

But demons don’t want to debate. They want those who believe God’s truth to die.

You might think I’m being hyperbolic. Demons don’t really exist, you say. They are constructs of the human psyche. Even professing Christians are uncomfortable with the notion that demonic spiritual beings actually exist.

The Bible says otherwise. In Jesus’ time, demons were increasingly active, perhaps because the Son of God had come to earth in the flesh to proclaim the Good News. 

So let’s examine what the Bible has to say about Satan and demons.

Satan and his minions pretend to be the good guys. 

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15  

 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Isaiah 14:12-15

Satan lies to sow confusion and division

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44  

“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.  And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Matthew 12:25-28

There was again a division among the Jews because of these 
words. Many of them said,  “He(Jesus)  has a demon, 
and  is  insane; why listen to him?” 
Others said, “These are not the words of one who is oppressed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes 
of the blind?” John 10: 19-21

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:23

Satan, not God, tempts people to sin

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1: 13

Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:5

For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. 1 Thessalonians 3:5

And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’
1 Kings 22:20-22

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10

Satan twists scripture in order to deceive

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:9-13

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,  3  but God said,  ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5

Demons are tormented by Jesus

When [the demon] saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” Luke 8:28

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! James 2:19

And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” Mark 3:11

“Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Luke 4:34

The main purpose of Satan and the demons is to prevent people from knowing God. 

The god of this world [Satan]  has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4   

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons… 1 Timothy 4:1  

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 10:21

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8  

Demons target children

They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Psalm 106:37-38  

But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,  it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matt 18:6

Demons can inhabit people’s minds and influence their thoughts. 

 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat… Luke 22:31

God may perhaps grant them [opponents] repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2: 25-26

But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11

Demons can cause sickness and aberrant and violent behavior

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. ... Mark 5:1-20

And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. Luke 13:11

While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke… Matthew 9:32-33

“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water…Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Matthew 17:15,18

For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. Acts 8:7

The only way to fight this spiritual war is with the armor of God.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:11-12

Jesus came to save us from demonic forces. 

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil . I John 3:8

Satan and his demons hate God.

We’ve seen these demonic forces at work in other heinous crimes. I talked about some of these in my previous blog on the subject of spiritual warfare. Lately, though, they seem more often to involve members of the transgender community.

The transgender person who opened fire on a Minneapolis Christian school hated God and was obsessed with killing children. He wrote “Where is your God,” “For the Children,” and “Israel must fall” on his bullets. He used a picture of the crucified Jesus for target practice. He also had a drawing in his notebook of him looking in a mirror with a demon looking back. Written on the page where the words “Help me,” and “I don’t want to.” The demon replies, “Kill yourself.”

The Covenant School shooter was also transgender, her manifesto riddled with contempt for Christianity and children. She wrote, “Pray to your God that your children will live, ’cause I will try to kill all your kids,” and “Throw the Bible in his face, tell him his religion sucks. Then shoot ’em.”

Transgender individuals are also responsible for school shootings in Denver, Colorado Springs, Iowa, and Aberdeen.

Interestingly, demons in the Bible are not male or female—they are non-binary. 

Are we living in the Last Days?

Even political rhetoric has gone off the deep end, with candidates fantasizing about killing their opponent’s children and one telling her supporters, “Let your rage fuel you.” At the latest protest, children beat an effigy of the president with a stick. Politicians and celebrities muse aloud about his sudden death.

A few months ago, an insurance executive was assassinated by another lost, angry young man. The assassin became a national hero to many prominent voices in the media, the same people who rail about gun laws every time a high-profile murder occurs.

Is this a sign of things to come?

Patrick Basham, a researcher for the Democracy Institute, reflected on the current trend toward hatred and violence in a recent poll he conducted.

“It’s a sort of quite terrifying, or at least unnerving, result. Just across the board, such a large minority admit to a pollster that they have hatred in their heart for those who hold opposing political views. But that said, we get to the nub of the issue, which is that a majority of Democrats admit that they hate at least some people who hold opposing views.”

 “We use the word ‘hatred,’ ‘hate,’ because we didn’t want to say ‘dislike’ or ‘strongly disagree.’ That’s just too tame today. This poll was taken in the days after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. We wanted to identify how intense the sentiments were. And we were not shocked that a majority of Democrats would acknowledge quite openly that that is how they felt about political opponents.”

“This is where we go from clearly unnerving data to really quite terrifying data. One in three Democratic voters can sign off on political violence and is open to telling a pollster that that is the case. In the modern era of American history, this is uncharted territory, and in a very, very bad way.”

Jesus said that in the End Times,

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And 
because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will 
grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matt 24:10-14

The more the gospel is proclaimed in our world, the more Satan and his demons will step up their game. Psalm 14 applies just as much today as it did thousands of years ago:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

 Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD.

 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.

In all this, God is in control. But there is something we must do. Jesus instructs us:

“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” ( Matthew 5:43-44 )

Jesus said as he was dying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

Erika Kirk forgave the assassin who took the life of her husband, the father of her children. 

We are called to do the hard thing. Love those who hate us. Pray for those who mock us and kill us. Repay evil with good.

They want us dead. We want them saved. 

And we know Who will prevail in the end.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Gina Detwiler is the author of Forever, the last novel in the Forlorn series about spiritual warfare and the End Times, available at all online retailers.

These days, “lawfare” has become a catchword—the idea that one can use the legal system to intimidate, delegitimize, or damage a political opponent. Donald Trump and his supporters claimed that the Democrats used lawfare to keep him from running for President, creating “trumped-up” (pun intended) charges with little legal basis. 

Lawfare is not a new thing. In fact, it was used to convict Jesus Christ in the first century.

Jesus was the enemy of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two main religious sects of Judaism at the time. Jesus threatened their authority and exposed their hypocrisy. They had to find a way to kill him. Yet Jesus was sinless; He committed no crime. Therefore, they had to invent charges against him in order to get rid of him. And everything they did was completely and totally illegal, according to their own laws.

Here are a few of the ways they did it.

Jesus was arrested without a warrant or charge

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Matt 26:47

Jesus was arrested at night, in secret, with no charge or warrant presented. That was illegal. Also, his accusers, the chief priests and elders, were present at the arrest, which was also illegal. No formal complaint or warrant was given at the arrest. Jesus was taken into custody for absolutely no reason at all.

Judas took a bribe to betray Jesus, which made him guilty of a crime and therefore illegible to give testimony or to accuse Jesus, according to Rabbinic law. 

The trial was illegally conducted

Jesus’ trial(s) took place all in one day, even though Jewish law stated that trials with a possible death sentence could not be completed in one day.

Jesus’ trial was held at night. The law stated that trials could only be held after the morning sacrifice. A night trial would have been illegal.

Annas, who presided over the first trial, was not high priest at the time. Therefore, he was not legally qualified to indict Jesus. 

No evidence was given at this first so-called trial. That alone should have led to a dismissal. Instead, Annas sent Jesus to the official high priest, Caiaphas, his son-in-law. Caiaphas had previously stated that he wanted Jesus to die, therefore, he was not impartial and should have recused himself.

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:49-50

The trial was held before Passover

According to Jewish law, a trial that might result in a death sentence could not be held the day before a holiday. Such trials were required to be at least two days long, and they could not be interrupted by a holiday. Jesus’ trial was not only held on the day before Passover, but it was concluded in one day.

The trial was held in private

Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas took place in his house, not in a court of law. This was done because the court building would not have been open until after the morning sacrifices. A sentence of death could only be passed in a legal court, not in a person’s house, according to the Talmud.

The chief priests recruited  false witnesses

Knowingly false witnesses, who had been recruited by the chief priests, testified against Jesus. 

For many bore false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” Yet even about this their testimony did not agree. Mark 14: 56-59

The false witnesses misquoted Jesus. What He had actually said was, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) John adds, “But he was talking about his body.” He never said he was going to destroy the temple itself.

The charge was changed 

The court did not charge Jesus with threatening to destroy the temple, however. They changed the charge to blasphemy.

And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt 26: 63b-64)

Jesus, therefore, was charged with a crime that had nothing to do with the witness testimony. The only “evidence” the court had for condemning Jesus for blasphemy were his own words. No witnesses attested to this crime. No other evidence was given.

Note that Jesus did not answer the high priest’s question directly. He referred to the Son of Man in the third person. But even if He had said “Yes, I am the Christ,” it would not have been blasphemy, which referred to cursing or defying God. Jesus never did those things. Everything he did and said pointed to God as Father and Sovereign Lord.

Therefore, the charge of blasphemy was completely false.

Jesus was given no defense

According to Jewish law, one member of the council should have acted as Jesus’ defense counsel. This did not happen. Two members of the council who would have defended Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, were apparently not present at the trial.

The High Priest tore his clothes

“The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes.” Lev 21:10

It would have been grounds for dismissal for the high priest to tear his clothes in court. Imagine a judge in a modern-day trial jumping up, tearing off his robes, and screaming that the defendant is guilty in front of the jury and all the witnesses. He would have been disqualified and maybe even disbarred.

The Sanhedrin excluded Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea

The Sanhedrin, the 70-member “supreme court” of Judea, condemned Jesus by unanimous vote. But Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both members of the council, did not consent. Were their votes not counted? Or were they excluded from voting? Illegal.

The charges were changed again

In order to present Jesus before the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, the Jewish leaders had to change the charge to treason. Luke tells us they claimed Jesus was “misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar and saying he himself is Christ, a king.” (Luke 23:2) This was a blatant lie—Jesus never told anyone to not pay their taxes. He told them the opposite. 

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Mark 12:17

The Jewish leaders claimed they couldn’t kill Jesus

John tell us that the Jewish leaders sent Jesus to Pilate because they could not legally carry out a death sentence.  “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” (John 18:31) But this wasn’t true. They could have taken Jesus out and stoned him. Stoning was common and quite legal for certain crimes, including blasphemy, according to Jewish law. There are many instances of stoning in the Bible, such as Stephen and the woman caught in adultery. Paul was stoned a couple of times. 

The truth is that the Jewish leaders didn’t need Pilate to kill Jesus. They simply didn’t want to be held responsible for his death. Despite the mob that had been whipped up in Jerusalem, Jesus was still quite popular throughout Judea. They needed a scapegoat. They chose Pilate.

The Roman trial had no witnesses

No witnesses or evidence were provided in the trial before Pontius Pilate. It wasn’t really a trial at all. Pilate questioned Jesus and found His answers perplexing but not incriminating. He tried to pawn Jesus off on Herod, but Herod just sent him back. Pilate tried to weasel out of condemning Jesus, but the mob would have none of it. They actually started threatening Pilate himself. Eventually, he gave up and literally washed his hands of the whole business. “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” 

Jesus was executed without a verdict of guilt

Pilate had Jesus whipped and then delivered him to be crucified without ever giving a verdict. In fact, he said over and over again that Jesus was innocent. Therefore, Jesus was executed without even being pronounced guilty of a crime.

Why did Jesus die?

So it was that the only sinless man ever to live died the horrific death of a common criminal on a Roman cross. 

Which was His plan all along. 

Those two things together don’t seem to make any sense at all. Why did it have to be this way? Why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God have forgiven humanity without the death of His Son?

The truth is that all forgiveness involves sacrifice. Someone has to pay. God knew we couldn’t overcome death without His intervention. 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Ernest Hemingway once said, “Every true story ends in death.” Maybe that’s so, except for one. This story. This true story ends in Jesus’ glorious resurrection, allowing those who love Him and follow Him to escape death and live forever with Him. Jesus has overturned the rules of storytelling in order to give us a happily ever after.

Jesus endured unspeakable evil to set us free. How could you not love him?

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:5-11)

The End has Come - Finally

The End of the Forlorn series, that is.

By Gina Detwiler

Six months late, but it’s finally happening. Forever, the final installment of the Forlorn series, officially releases today. 

This is not an April Fool’s joke.

The ebook is only 99 cents right now! You can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and Apple Books. Help me get to #1 on the charts! 

Now seems like a good time for me to look back on a book series that started over thirteen years ago and reflect on how I got here.

If I’d known it would take thirteen years, I might never have started.

I thought it would be a trilogy. Suddenly, three books became seven. According to Google, that’s a Heptalogy. I just learned a new word.

And how did this story end up in Armageddon?

In the beginning, I had an idea (I was in the shower at the time) to write a kids’ series about a girl and a guardian angel. Sort of a Touched by an Angel for the middle-school set. As a mother of three daughters, I knew just how important guardian angels are. 

That was the plan anyway.

God had other plans.

The Devil Made Him Do It

First, Sandy Hook happened. That awful, awful day. Twenty-plus children massacred by a troubled teenager with a gun. When I saw pictures of Adam Lanza’s face, I felt a creeping dread inside my soul—that boy had a demon in him. You could practically see it. I did some research and learned that Lanza had an online devil-worshipping page. Similar to the Columbine killers, who wrote extensively about their hatred for God and love of Satan. I wrote about all this in my post, “Are We In a Spiritual War?”

From there, I went down a long rabbit hole of investigating angels and demons (the ones in the Bible, not on TV) and how they interact with the human world. I read all about the biblical descriptions of angels, about the Armor of God, and spiritual warfare. I read about exorcisms, the real and the fake, and discovered Michael Heiser, who dedicated his work to the supernatural world of the Bible. 

Then I discovered Genesis 6 and the Nephilim—and Forlorn was born.

No one seemed interested in publishing the book. I began to despair. Then my agent landed me a dream job: writing a book series for Priscilla Shirer, The Prince Warriors. What was it about? Spiritual warfare and the Armor of God—exactly what I had been studying and writing about for three years.

That’s how God works. In the long spaces of waiting. 

Letting Go

It’s hard saying goodbye to Jared, Grace, and the others. They’ve spent so many years prowling around in my brain. They are my children. My creations. Makes me feel a little god-like. I could kill them with a stroke of a pen. But then again, I couldn’t. Because, more often than not, what happens in this story results from their choices, not mine. 

I’m a “pantster,” which in WriterSpeak means I write by the seat of my pants. I don’t make outlines or plan anything in advance. I sit down at my computer, start typing, and see what happens. Often, I am taken completely by surprise at the turn of events. When I wrote that first scene in Forlorn, the school shooting scene, I really had no idea where the book was going, let alone the other books. 

So, if I didn’t plan it, who did?

Guess who.

From a school shooting to the Apocalypse

Forlorn starts with humans grappling with demons and ends in Armageddon. Kind of a leap, I know. Yet with each book, the world expanded into culture, science, politics, and eventually, world government. It was a natural progression. There are personal demons that oppress individuals, but there are also institutional demons that attack organizations. Schools. Churches. Governments. Once you become aware of the supernatural world of the Bible, you see everything differently.

At first, I wasn’t sure how the fallen angels interact with the Big Guy, Satan, whom I call Helel in the novel. Were they working together? Did they have the same goals? There isn’t a lot of overlap between them in the Bible. In Forever, Helel and Azazel actually meet and work together—at least for a while. I won’t spoil anything by telling you how that turns out, but based on their natures, I’m sure you can guess. 

The Long Middle

Writing a novel is like climbing Mount Everest (not that I’ve done that; I’m just speculating here). Starting out is exciting, filled with anticipation and adventure. Finishing is thrilling and satisfying. But then there’s the whole long slog of the middle: the way becomes obscure, confidence evaporates, characters paint themselves into corners, plot holes open into crevasses, doubts take over. I thought about quitting every day of that long, long middle. I’ve learned from others that, like on Everest, if you can blot out the negative self-talk and focus on taking one more step, you’ll get there. It’s kind of a miracle. 

I apologize in advance for anything I got wrong. I believe God directed this series, but the mistakes are mine alone. I pray over every novel I write: “Lord, bless it or blow it up.” That way, I know whose opinion I can trust. That’s a quote from one of my favorite books: I Told the Mountain To Move by Patricia Raybon. You should read it, after you finish Forever.

How do you measure success?

Of course, it’s sometimes hard to know whether or not God has blessed your work. What is the measure of success?

Sales? Probably not. After all, lots of bad books are bestsellers. (Ever hear of Fifty Shades of Grey?) Besides, nearly four million books are published every year. That’s a lot of competition. I’m convinced there are more people writing books than reading them. According to Pew Research, about 77% of Americans have read one book in a year. Maybe people just wait for the Netflix series.

Reviews? Helpful but unreliable. People love or hate books for all sorts of reasons. It’s so subjective.

Book prizes? I’ve won a few of those, which is gratifying.  But book prizes are subjective and often influenced by politics. In 1930, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway lost the Pulitzer Prize to a now obscure, second-rate novel called Laughing Boy. 

There’s only one way I can know if I was successful. Did I honor God with my work? I believe that’s all He’s asking me to do. 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

And whatever you do, in word or deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
  Colossians 3:17

Honor the Lord with your wealth and
with the first fruits of all your produce.
  Proverbs 3:9

I would be FOREVER grateful if you would…

Buy the book! It’s 99 cents for a limited time on Amazon. Help me get it to #1 in my categories. 

Write a review. Even critical reviews are helpful. They don’t have to be long; even one word is enough! I would suggest words like “Captivating,” “Engrossing,” “Thrilling,” “Un-put-downable,” — you get the idea.

Tell your friends. Post it on social media. Recommend it to your book club. I’ll even come to your meeting! Assuming you are somewhere I can get to. I’m also great at Zoom.

Let me know! I love getting emails and letters from readers, even those who want to correct me on my faulty theology or typos. It means you care. 

Join my email list. Subscribe at www.ginadetwiler.com 

Subscribe to my blog and listen to me ramble some more.

I hope you read Forever. I hope you love it. I thank God for you. May He bless you in a hundred ways, as I know He has blessed me. 

Signs of the End Times Pt 6

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matt 24:14

Here is one sign of the End Times we can actually look forward to: the gospel will be preached to the whole world.

Jesus places this prophecy just before “the end.” This means that it occurs after and even as a consequence of the tribulations He describes in the previous verses: wars, trials, persecutions, false prophets, famines, earthquakes, hatred, and betrayals.

It’s funny how suffering and persecution often lead to more people following Jesus. This may be why Christianity is growing the fastest in Africa and Asia, where Christians suffer persecution the most.

Just a couple of weeks ago, ISIS terrorists in the Congo rounded up seventy Christians, took them to a church, and beheaded them. The media and even the Church have been largely silent about this atrocity. I believe it is a sign of things to come.

Who still hasn’t heard the gospel?

According to the Joshua Project, there are 7,000 people groups who have not heard the gospel. That’s about 40% of the world’s people groups. There are still many places in the world where it is either illegal or too dangerous for missionaries to go.

Yet God is not limited to one mode of spreading the gospel. In fact, the Bible tells us that in the last days, the gospel will be spread in three distinct ways: the 144,000 witnesses, the two prophetic witnesses that resemble Moses and Elijah, and the angels.

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” Rev 14:6

As a fan of angels, I’m thrilled to know that they will be a primary means of spreading the gospel. How will that happen, exactly? One way could be with dreams and visions. Just as an angel appeared to Joseph in dreams, many people today first come to know Jesus through dreams.

Joel prophesied that in the last days:

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
 Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days. Joel 2:28-29

The Man in White

About 25% of Muslims who come to faith in Jesus Christ do so because of dreams and visions. A missionary from Lebanon told me once that Muslims would crowd into her church weekly claiming to have dreamt of the “Man in White” who claims to be Jesus. That makes sense to me, for Islam is a religion all about dreams and visions. God speaks to people in the language they understand, drawing them to Himself.

“The reports of these supernatural occurrences often come from “closed countries” where there is no preaching of the good news and where converting to Christianity can invoke the death sentence. But these are more than just dreams. Setting them apart is the intense reality of the experience and the surrender of one’s heart and mind to Christ in the wake of the dream. A common denominator appears to be that the dreams come to those who are seeking—as best they can—to know and please God.” (Lausanne World Pulse Archives, 2007)

There are many testimonies online of hardened terrorists encountering Jesus in visions. Here is one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcXGQX-LPPM

In his book “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus,” Nabeel Qureshi recounts his personal journey of faith from Islam to Christianity. He asked God for three specific dreams to confirm his decision, since he knew that to declare himself a Christian would alienate him from his family perhaps forever. God delivered those dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PbsL5r2NzJQ

The Gospel is for Everyone

Jesus told his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” This was a radical command that resonates today, because it wasn’t to be accomplished through conquest or coercion, but through love and service.

Contrary to popular belief, Christianity is the most diverse of the world religions, because it is not based on any one national or ethnic identity. Islam is centered among the Arab peoples, Judaism among the Jews, Hindu among Indians, etc. Organic growth outside those ethnic boundaries is not very common.

Christianity started in the Middle East, but it didn’t stay there. It moved into Europe, the Americas, and now flourishes in Africa and Asia, where it is growing faster than the population. People of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds embrace Christianity. The PEW Research Center reports that 31% of the entire world’s population is Christian, more than any other religion.

Jesus’ commission is still an ongoing process, though PEW now reports a slight uptick in the number of professing Christians worldwide after years of decline. While we have yet to complete the mission, we see God using remarkable methods and people to spread the Good News. 

Bible sales were up 22% in 2024, and that percentage is increasing, mostly with first-time buyers. Gen Z is the first generation to be less likely to identify as atheist as their parents. The Bible is also the most shoplifted book ever.

Last year, Asbury University held a worship and prayer service that lasted for 16 days, garnering national attention. Since then, many other colleges and universities have experienced unprecedented revivals and spontaneous baptisms, with thousands of students giving their lives to Jesus.

Secular podcasters like Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan now regularly talk about Christianity. Rogan’s interview with Bible scholar Wes Huff garnered 3 million views on YouTube alone.  

According to The Spectator, even Britain is experiencing a Christian revival, saying, “All that our post-Christian society has delivered so far is confusion, a mental health crisis in the young and the culture wars. It’s not surprising then that a movement of New Theists has sprung up.”

Richard Dawkins, one of the “Four Horsemen of the New Atheists” who hoped for the demise of organized religion, now claims to be a “cultural Christian”: “I’m not a believer, but there’s a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a cultural Christian. … I love hymns and Christmas carols, and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos. … We [in the U.K.] are a ‘Christian country’ in that sense.”

Remember when NFL star Tim Tebow was ridiculed for his devout Christian faith? Nowadays it seems like every pro football player gives glory to Christ in their post-game interviews. That’s a big shift from the BLM-inspired kneeling trend that took place only a few years ago. 

More and more A-list celebrities speak about their faith in Christ, including Mark Wahlberg, Russell Brand, Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Carrie Underwood, to name a few. 

One of the most popular comedians in the country is Nate Bargatze, a professed Christian who doesn’t swear in his act.

A new Hollywood-based production company, Wonder Project, with backers like Lionsgate and United Talent Agency, will produce faith-based films for a mainstream audience, such as “House of David.” Even the New York Times has reported on the “streaming rush to turn scripture into scripts.”

Politicians would often pay lip-service to God while espousing anti-Christian rhetoric. Remember when Barack Obama called Bible-belt Christians “bitter clingers?” And supposedly Catholic Joe Biden affirmed abortion? In contrast, President Donald Trump, whom I would not call a devout Christian by any stretch, gave God the credit for saving his life from an attempted assassination. Vice-President JD Vance has been unapologetic about his faith. 

We are clearly headed down the road toward the last days. We know what’s going to happen if we believe the Bible, but this knowledge should not scare us. It should prepare us. “See that you are not alarmed,” Jesus said, “for this must take place.” (Matt 24:6) 

“In this world you will have trouble,” He said. “But take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Notice Jesus didn’t say “I will overcome the world.” He said “have.” That’s the present perfect tense, which means it’s already happened and is still happening at the same time. Jesus has already declared victory. We just need to finish the race laid out for us. But isn’t it so much easier to run a race that has already been won?

What should we do then?

Live in victory. Spread the Good News. Take heart. Believe Jesus. 

Get ready. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

“What is Greatness?”

That’s the question posed by this year’s “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad. With Johnny Cash plaintively singing about a “Personal Jesus,” we see images of people helping each other, hugging, and doing good deeds, including a man with a John 3:16 hat hugging a gay person at a Pride event and a man cleaning the phrase “Go Back” off of a building. 

As usual, the images check off a lot of boxes for inclusivity and political correctness, but it’s clear the creators wanted to be a little less controversial than previous ads, which portrayed Jesus as a gang leader or a refugee, and seemed more interested in scolding “judgmental” Christians than preaching the gospel.

Instead, they left Jesus out altogether.

The “He” of the “He Gets Us” ads is nowhere to be found. 

The ad shows various ways we can reach out and help each other. Those are really nice sentiments. But even people who don’t follow Jesus do those things. 

So what, if anything, does Jesus have to do with it?

Where is Jesus?

The chief marketing officer for the Come Near campaign, Paul Martin, claims, “Come Near’s vision is to use a lot of different types of mediums and create disruptive and personally [compelling] stories and experiences that reveal and invite people into the conversation and life of Jesus.”

Notice the word “create.” Not “tell.”

There are probably a zillion real stories they could have used to show Jesus in action in this world. I could Google that and come up with a list. I could talk to a pastor or a missionary or a woman working at the local crisis pregnancy center and get dozens of stories of real people doing God’s work in saving lives and serving people.

Instead, Come Near “creates” stories that fit the agenda they are really interested in. Instead of photos of real people, they used staged photos of made-up scenarios taken by a fine arts photographer. 

If you don’t believe these ads have an agenda, look no further than the ad agency that creates them. Lerma Ad Agency’s main goal is multiculturalism and inclusivity. Responding to questions about its stance on the LGBTQ+ community, it said:

"So let us be clear in our opinion. Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people … No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life."

On the surface, this is perfectly true. Jesus loves all people, no matter their life choices. (I might argue there is no such thing as a “trans person,” because it is impossible to transition from one sex to another, but whatever.)

Jesus invites one and all to know Him and learn from Him. “Come and see,” He said when the first disciples wanted to know more about Him. To the crowd in Galilee, He declared, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

But. 

Jesus didn’t engage with people in order to validate their lifestyles and make them feel “included.” He engaged with them because they were sinners in need of repentance. 

He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” (Matt 4:17). 

He said, “…unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 3:3). 

He said, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32) 

He said, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)

The “Jesus” of the He Gets Us ads is not the Jesus of the Bible.

It’s a fashion among the popular Christian teachers these days to emphasize love, forgiveness, and inclusivity without ever talking about repentance.

But Jesus isn’t just some glorious love vacuum. He isn’t just a moral archetype or a good guy who only wants to be your friend and help you out of tough situations. 

He is the Lord and Savior of the world. 

The Real Jesus

Jesus was not the least bit sentimental. He was straightforward, unequivocal, and unapologetic.

He told his followers, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink.” (John 6:53-56)

Many people stopped following him after that.

He said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)

He said, “I came not to bring peace but a sword.” (Matt 10:34)

He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus isn’t a choice. He isn’t one way to experience God. He’s the way. The only way. 

Offending the Offenders

The Jesus of the Bible could also be pretty offensive. 

He called the Pharisees “blind guides,” (Matt 15:14) “brood of vipers” (Matt 12:34) “hypocrites” (Matt 22:18) “children of hell” (Matt 23:15) and “whitewashed tombs” (Matt 23:27).

He used a whip to drive the money-changers, a racket cooked up by the Sadducees, out of the temple. (John 2:15-17)

He offended people in the synagogue by pointing out that Elisha and Elijah healed non-Jews. (Luke 4:27) For that, they tried to push him off a cliff.

He offended his mother and brothers by denying his relationship to them. (Mark 3:33)

He called a whole crowd, including his own disciples, “a faithless and perverse generation.” (Matt 17:17)

He likened Jewish towns to Sodom and Sidon. (Matt 11:21-24)

He referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” (Matt 5:26)

But Jesus didn’t offend people just to be offensive. He wanted to wake them up. To shake them from their complacency and face the truth. “The truth will set you free,” He said. He wanted people to stop being slaves to sin. To live in freedom.

Most people aren’t interested in God’s truth. They prefer their own.

Phony Jesus

The ad’s creators claim they plan to spend $1 billion on the He Gets Us ad campaign. All to peddle a phony Jesus to a public more interested in inclusivity and diversity than truth. 

How many real lives could be saved with $1 billion dollars? How many unborn babies? How many children could be fed or homes built or victims rescued?

Yes, the ad creators say that millions of people Googled Jesus after seeing the ad. Perhaps some of those people ended up accepting Him as Lord and Savior. I hope that’s the case. My guess is that, once they look a little deeper, most of those people would be just as offended by the real Jesus as the first-century Pharisees.

He Gets Us ads are all grace and no truth. They send the message that Jesus loves you no matter what you do. But the real Jesus, while loving people, hated what they were doing and told them how they needed to change.

“Go and sin no more,” He told the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:11)

“Sell all your possessions and give to the poor, and then you can follow me,” He told the rich young ruler. (Matt 19:21). 

And then there’s this:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.    But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matt 7: 13-14)

The He Gets Us ads depict a gate as so wide you could drive a semi through it.

So what is greatness, according to the He Gets Us ad? Well, greatness is kindness, apparently. Greatness is inclusivity. Greatness is hugging. Being nice. Helping. Treating others as you would want them to treat you.

You don’t need Jesus for any of those things. 

You need Jesus to save your soul. 

That’s what makes Jesus the Greatest. 

The Hardest Thing About Being a Writer, According to Me

By GINA DETWILER

People sometimes ask me: what’s the toughest thing about being a writer?

It’s not the writing itself. That’s mostly fun. And when it isn’t fun, it’s at least interesting and challenging. Publishing is harder. No one likes coping with rejection on a daily basis. Publishing is like being a surfer, sitting out there on the board, treading water, hoping that next wave is going to be the ONE. It might be a long wait, but that wave, when it comes, is worth it.

No, the hardest thing, the absolutely worst thing, the thing that makes me want to quit writing and become a plumber, is…

Wait for it…

One star reviews.

I don’t mind the critical reviews. They can be quite thoughtful and helpful. But the one-stars are just plain mean. I mean, MEAN. The one-stars are the bullies on the playground. The haters. The trolls who prowl the internet searching for someone to destroy just for the fun of it.

Well, maybe I’m generalizing. And I’m being over-sensitive. Probably. But still. This is how I feel. When I see a one-star review on one of my books, my day is ruined. I’m so distraught I need to take a Xanax and go to the mall. 

I published a book a few years back called Hammer of God. I worked on that book for over twenty years. It was my heart and soul. It had some reviews, mostly positive or at least thoughtful. But there’s a couple of doozies. One of the one-star reviews consisted of a single word: “Boring.” 

All those years of work, of sweat and tears, of dreaming and hoping. Of countless hours spent in the library (before the internet) researching. Trying to get it right. 

Slayed by a single word.

Yeah. That hurts.

I go through the whole mantra every time: I’m a bad writer. I suck. I need to quit writing and be a plumber. At least then I would serve a useful purpose in the world. 

And then I want to write to those mean reviewers and say, “You’re wrong! You’re so wrong! Did you even read it?”

Being a writer goes hand in hand with insecurity. We never know if we’re any good. We’re genuinely amazed when someone likes something we’ve written and thrust into a pit of despair when they don’t.

It helps to know I’m not alone. Famous authors have gotten plenty of scathing reviews too. Here’s a few examples: 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: “Dull, dull, dull in a pretentious, florid and archly fatuous fashion” (New York Times)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: “There is not in the entire dramatis persona, a single character which is not utterly hateful or thoroughly contemptible.” (ATLAS, 1848)

Moby Dick by Herman Melville “... the book is sad stuff, dull and dreary, or ridiculous. Mr. Melville's Quakers are the wretchedest dolts and drivellers, and his Mad Captain ... is a monstrous bore.” (Charleston Southern Quarterly Review)

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman “... it is impossible to imagine how any man's fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth, unless he were possessed of the soul of a sentimental donkey that had died of disappointed love.” (The Criterion) 

O Pioneers by Willa Cather: “Miss Willa S. Cather in O Pioneers (O title!!) is neither a skilled storyteller nor the least bit of an artist.” (Vanity Fair) 

Book Riot did a piece on imagining famous authors reading their one-star reviews on Jimmy Kimmel. Sounds like good therapy for the rest of us.

So now I feel a little better. But only a little. Here’s the thing: famous and successful authors have been vindicated by massive book sales, big prizes or elevation to “classic” status. But for us unknown authors—struggling to sell a few books—the public pillorying is a bit harder. Because what if they’re right? What if we really do suck? What if the one-stars are the only ones telling the truth?

Okay, time to get a grip.

Here’s some thoughtful advice from Scott Berkun:

So what if it’s bad? So what if no one likes it? So what if you read it and don’t like it yourself? So what so what so what so what.  SO WHAT. At least you will have done it and can decide not to do it again. 

For those who want to commiserate, there’s a wonderful site called Insecure Writers Support Group. Their mantra is “Let’s rock the neurotic world.” How perfect is that?

I asked a writer friend to give me a metaphor for a one-star reviewer.  She said, “A one star reviewer is like someone who kicks a puppy after getting hissed at by a cat.”

So it’s really all about perspective.

A one-star review is not a knife in the heart. It’s more like a punch in a gut. It really hurts at first, so bad you can’t even breathe. But by the next morning, your stomach is merely sore. And you eventually recover and keep going. But you keep your gut covered, just in case.

Gina Detwiler’s latest book, Forever, the thrilling conclusion of the Forlorn series, will be released on April 1.

When I saw that Netflix was promoting a film about Mary, I thought, Oh no. Will they do to The Bible what they did to The Witcher? 

But then I thought, that’s not fair. Give Netflix a chance. It’s Christmas. Maybe they sincerely wanted to make a movie about the mother of Jesus that wouldn’t be some 21st-century screed about female empowerment and the evil patriarchy.

Wrong.

I’m not even going to complain (too much) about all the liberties the filmmakers took with Mary’s backstory. Like how they borrowed material from a 2nd-century apocryphal gospel that even the Catholic church has rejected as false. When you’re making a two-hour film from a couple of chapters of the Bible, you’re going to make stuff up. I’m a fiction writer. I get that.

What I really object to is how the film tries to make Mary, not Jesus, the true savior of the world. This movie is about creating a new mythology around Mary (based largely on Catholic doctrine), turning her from a grace and faith-filled young woman into a sort of biblical superhero, the real reason for the season.

This is part of the Woman Hero mythos that has taken over Hollywood. Only women, apparently, can save the world these days. Men are not only useless, they are superfluous. More often than not, they are in the way. Mary, who had a baby all by herself (don’t need no man to conceive), is apparently the epitome of this mythos. 

I will give Mary credit on a few counts. It looks pretty. The music is effective. And Noa Cohen, who plays Mary, is perfect for the part. The acting is, overall, pretty good.

That’s about it. 

Here are a few of my issues with this movie. Trigger warning: there will be spoilers.

From the beginning, Mary is portrayed as a special revelation, almost as divine as Jesus. Her father is told by the angel Gabriel (who is dressed in blue—where in the Bible is an angel ever wearing blue?) that he will have a very special daughter, and she must be dedicated to temple service. This stems from the Catholic dogma that Mary, like Jesus, was conceived without sin (the Immaculate Conception) and that she remained a virgin her whole life (so where did Jesus’ brothers and sisters come from? The tooth fairy?)

Mary’s birth is portrayed as a miracle, borrowing aspects of Samuel’s and Samson’s birth stories as well as Jesus’. When she’s born, her mother says, “Be strong… Mary.” And she is! As a child, Movie Mary is faster than the boys. She’s so special that butterflies follow her wherever she goes.

Movie Mary goes to live at the temple as a young girl. There’s no evidence that anyone, let alone women, lived in the temple ever, but this gives Mary a “saintly” cast and establishes her bona fides as a sinless, perfect, perpetual virgin. 

In the temple, Movie Mary gathers bread from the lunch table and distributes it to the poor. Apparently, Movie Mary is the only one in the temple who does anything for the poor.

In a scene where Movie Herod encounters Movie Mary (how could this happen? Don’t ask), Herod is so disturbed by her presence that his bodyguard accosts her and demands to know her “power.” This is repeated a lot—hints that Movie Mary has supernatural power, even over the king. He starts having visions of her that make him go crazy. 

When Gabriel tells Movie Mary she’s going to have a baby, she doesn’t say, “How can this be, because I am a virgin?” as Bible Mary does. Instead, she says, “That’s not possible. I can’t have a child.” Why this change? Makes no sense. Movie Gabriel’s speech leaves out any mention of Jesus being the Son of God. In fact, Jesus seems to be an afterthought. The angel’s last words are, “You are blessed among women,” something Bible Gabriel never says.

Gabriel doesn’t tell Movie Mary to visit Elizabeth, her relative who is pregnant in her old age. Instead, it’s her mother who tells her to go. But Mary is in Jerusalem; isn’t her family in Nazareth? No, they’re in Jerusalem, too. For some reason. Don’t ask. 

In the Bible, as soon as Elizabeth sees Mary, she knows that Mary is pregnant with the Savior because the baby in her womb (John the Baptist) leapt at her greeting. “Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” This confirms to Bible Mary that the angel had spoken the truth. But Movie Elizabeth doesn’t realize Movie Mary is pregnant until a few minutes into their conversation. She calls Mary “the revelation” but doesn’t explain what that means. For Movie Elizabeth, it’s Mary that’s special, not her baby.

Movie Mary does not sing the Magnificat, as Bible Mary does, a sign that she feels blessed and grateful to God for the favor He has bestowed upon her. (By the way, what happened to Zechariah? His story, as well as John the Baptist’s birth, is virtually ignored.)

Before Movie Mary leaves, Movie Elizabeth tells her to “trust the strength inside you,” a very 21st-century feminist ideal that is wholly contrary to what the Bible teaches. 

Poor Movie Joseph. He’s made to seem like an utter fool. He falls for Mary (literally—he falls into a river). He’s the last to know that she’s pregnant—the whole town knows before him. Gabriel, who’s all over the place telling everyone what to do, never comes to him in a dream to tell him that Mary is carrying the Savior of the World. He’s left in the dark. Still, he stands by Mary anyway because… feelings. Never mind that this is not what a 1st-century Jewish man would do. Movie Joseph is a 21st-century man to the bone. 

The movie soon becomes an action thriller, or a “survival thriller” as the director calls it. Everyone is out to get Movie Mary. The Jews, the Romans, Herod… she’s constantly hunted, about to be murdered every time she turns around. None of this happens in the Bible.  

After one such attack, Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem, not because of the census, but because “his family is from there.” When they arrive in Bethlehem (with a horse and wagon instead of a donkey—this is a guy who is so poor he can only afford a temple offering of two doves, but he can afford a horse?) When Joseph inquires why so many people are in town, he’s told, “They are here because the Messiah is coming.” So apparently, in this movie, everyone already knows the Messiah is about to be born in Bethlehem. They all know about the star, too, even though in the Bible, only the Wise Men believe it points to a king being born.

Movie Joseph doesn’t try to contact his family in Bethlehem. After being rejected at several inns (poor Joseph can’t do anything right), Mary gives birth in a barn. At least there are some women around to help her. (Catholic tradition says Mary felt no pain in giving birth because she was sinless. I wonder why the Catholic director portrayed her this way—maybe for dramatic effect?)

When Jesus is born, Joseph asks Mary what she will name him. In the Bible, Joseph named Jesus (again, Gabriel forgot to tell him in the dream). Movie Joseph has no agency whatsoever. He’s just Mary’s little helper and not even very good at that.

When Jesus is born, Movie Mary tells him, “You chose me, and I choose you.” That’s just weird. Who would say that to a baby? Especially the Son of God?

No angels declare Jesus’ birth to shepherds. I guess the angels weren’t required because everyone already knew the Messiah was coming. But a shepherd goes to Jerusalem to report the birth directly to Herod. Yes, you heard that right. A shepherd told Herod.

As soon as Movie Herod gets word that the Messiah is born (on the same night it happens—it’s like they had TikTok or something), he gives orders to start murdering babies. Now, despite the fact that everyone knows the Messiah was born in Bethlehem, and it would be very easy to figure out which baby it was, the soldiers still can’t find baby Jesus. These are some pretty dumb soldiers.

Movie Mary and Joseph are already on the road when they have to make yet another harrowing escape from the soldiers with newborn Jesus (on a horse, of course), sacrificing an entire family in the process. Movie Mary jumps off a roof heroically. Of course, none of this actually happened. Bible Joseph was warned in a dream to take Mary to Egypt before Herod started his killing spree, which probably didn’t occur until about two years after Jesus’ birth. But again, Movie Joseph never got his dream. 

Instead of killing the newborns, soldiers round them up and bring them to Herod so he can “interrogate” them. “Are you the Messiah?” It’s so weird. I guess they needed to give Anthony Hopkins a final Mad King scene. 

After their intrepid escape, instead of going straight to Egypt (how did they know to go to Egypt, since Joseph never got the dream?), Movie Mary and Joseph decide to go to Jerusalem, where Herod lives, to dedicate the baby Jesus at the temple. Great plan. 

Mary enters the temple’s inner sanctum as if she were a queen, with all the priests watching solemnly as if they had been waiting for her to show up all day long. It’s all very dramatic but completely wrong. Mary and Joseph would not have been allowed inside the inner court, a place reserved for priests. They would have remained in the outer courts where the purification rituals took place. Moreover, there would have been many other people there as well—the temple was a very busy place. And Movie Joseph never even makes his offering of two doves. 

Miraculously, however, no one tells Herod that Mary is in town, not even that spying shepherd. 

Movie Mary’s last words are, “Love will save the world.” The director, D.J. Caruso, said this means, “Ultimately, her (Mary’s) love will be the force that saves the world.” No, sorry, Mr. Caruso. Mary’s love, however great, won’t save the world. Jesus will save the world. 

This is the main problem with Mary. It’s not about the birth of Jesus. It’s not about God coming into the world to save people from their sins. Other than a few mentions of “Messiah,” there is virtually nothing about Jesus or his mission. Anna the Prophetess, who has a more significant role in this movie than in the Bible (my guess is the filmmakers wanted to expand roles for women), says nothing about redemption. Simeon’s speech leaves out any mention of salvation. 

The film was produced by Joel Osteen, not known for his biblical prowess. The filmmakers consulted Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders in the making of the film. Muslims?  Can you imagine filmmakers consulting Christian theologians on a film about Mohammed? Social media has erupted with Pro-Palestinians complaining that Mary was being played by—gasp—an Israeli woman, even though Islam wasn’t invented until six hundred years after the birth of Christ. 

In the movie’s first few minutes, we hear Movie Mary say, “If you think you know my story, trust me, you don’t.” So, I guess the filmmakers believe their depiction of Mary is more accurate than the Bible. God help them.  

If you want to know the real story, Read Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. 

A Church Divided

SIGNS OF THE END TIMES PART 5

At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other… 

Matt 24:10

What happens when people of faith turn on each other?

In his famous Olivet discourse, Jesus tells us that before the end comes, people will turn away from the faith and hate each other. He was talking to his disciples, who would soon learn a thing or two about hatred and betrayal. All but one of them would be martyred for their faith in Jesus, the first of a long line of Christian martyrs. Paul himself was often the victim of hatred from his fellow Jews over his preaching.

Over the centuries, we have seen faiths warring against each other—Islam, Christianity, Judaism, even atheism, which is faith system in itself. Yet when Paul wasn’t being stoned or run out of town by the Jews, he was trying to put out fires between the believers themselves.

 For while there is jealousy and strife among you,
are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 1 Cor 3:3

In chapter 6 of this letter, Paul admonishes the believers for suing each other, saying they are already defeated by their own disputes.

Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,  6  but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?  7  To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?  8  But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers![ a ]

James addressed the same issue in his letter.

What causes fights and quarrels among you?
Aren’t they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you? James 4:1

Throughout history, Christians have fought each other. The Thirty Years War saw a succession of battles between Catholic and Protestant nations of the Holy Roman Empire and led to eight million deaths. England fell into a constant state of unrest for a century after Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church so that he could divorce his wife and marry someone else. Ireland was wracked by a pseudo-religious divide between Catholics and Protestants throughout much of the 20th century. The American Civil War saw Christians fighting on both sides, with both sides claiming God was with them. 

But is the problem of Christians fighting Christians getting worse?

It’s hard to say if it’s worse now, but the lines dividing Christians have changed starkly. Once upon a time, Christians fought over the biblical interpretation of spiritual truths and how they should be applied. But sin was still sin. Repentance was necessary for salvation. Everyone seemed to agree on that. The political and cultural mores of the times didn’t matter.

Even during the Civil War, when slavery divided North and South, there was no question among Christians on both sides that slavery was evil. The leaders of the Confederacy couldn’t argue that slavery was a moral good, so they changed the conversation to one of economic viability and state’s rights. Robert E. Lee, himself a slave owner, wrote, “Slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil in any Country.” Lee believed that Christianity would lead to the emancipation of the slaves rather than any political movement. Indeed, the Abolitionist movement was spearheaded by Christians John Wesley, William Wilberforce, and Charles Finney, to name a few. 

Today, however, the Church is splitting over those very moral issues that used to be unequivocal. The Bible is clear on what sin is, yet many churches want to change the teachings of the Bible to fit the culture we live in. This is especially true on hot-button issues like homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, and female pastors, where modern, progressive churches have turned away from the Bible and look to secular humanism for inspiration. 

The Southern Baptist Convention is a prime example of this split. The SBC (it no longer refers to itself as “Southern” in order to distance itself from its slave-supporting origins) was at one time considered one of the most conservative denominations, upholding the Bible as the sole source of morality and truth.

And yet, in the 70s, it began to kowtow to the culture, first passing several resolutions upholding abortion rights and then supporting the theory of evolution, stating that Genesis 1 was not a literal narrative of creation. Soon, it was actively recruiting homosexuals to its seminaries.

There was a “conservative takeover” in the eighties, and many of these policies were walked back. Even the leader of the SBC, who had adamantly supported the pro-choice platform, suddenly became pro-life. (Flip-flopping is not just for politicians)

But things changed again in the 2000’s. SBC leaders claimed that the Bible only “whispers” about homosexuality while it “shouts” about much graver sins like greed and materialism. In other words, homosexuality was not a big deal. “Like a child disobeying a parent,” according to SBC President JD Greaer. 

Russell Moore, former head of public policy at the SBC, pushed the denomination further and further into left-leaning policies, embracing the idea of “white guilt,” supporting the transgender agenda, and forming ties with Islamic groups, animal rights groups, open borders groups (including those funded by George Soros), and the climate change agenda. He claimed that Jesus was an “illegal alien” (Jesus was a Jewish man living in Israel, but oh well, who cares about facts?), and he called Western culture “demonic” (but not because of abortion and sexual immorality, because that stuff is okay now, apparently). 

But then the SBC seemed to reverse itself again, upholding its own faith statement on women pastors. Paul was clear on this subject.

  I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. 1 Tim 2:12

This doesn’t exclude women from ministry, as some have suggested. Paul had many interactions with women in ministry, like Phoebe (Romans 16) and Priscilla (Acts 18)  and greatly respected them. Women have an important role in the church. But under God’s authority, Paul taught that women should not teach or lead men. 

You’d think this was settled—the Bible is clear. And yet, there was a virtual uprising in the SBC when it broke fellowship with several churches for ordaining women, including Saddleback, the megachurch led by Rick Warren. A two-year battle ensued in which other churches broke away from the SBC in protest. In June this year, a constitutional ban on women pastors failed to pass.

Those promoting the idea of women pastors usually do so by reasoning that, in Paul’s day, women weren’t educated or qualified. Nowhere does Paul say that. His reason is quite clear.

For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner  1 Tim 2:13-14

Modern people don’t like this explanation at all. It’s chauvinistic and sexist, an example of backwards, patriarchal thinking. 

And yet it appears that the churches who have chosen to defy this command have fallen into other grave deceptions, just as Eve did. 

Scripture tells us that God formed us in the womb (Isaiah 44:2, Psalm 139:13, Ecc 11:5) and He knew us before we were formed (Jer 1:5, Isaiah 49:1) and yet many mainline denominations support abortion rights. 

Scripture tells us that sexual immorality is a sin, including homosexuality and adultery (Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Cor 6:9-10, 1 Tim 1:10), but many mainline denominations and even non-denominational megachurches condone homosexuality and ordain homosexuals as ministry leaders. 

Scripture tells us that marriage is between a man and a woman (Gen 2:24, Matt 19:4-5, 1 Cor 7:2, Mark 10:6-9), yet many churches now perform gay marriages. 

Scripture tells us that God created us male and female (Gen 1:27, Gen 5:2, Deut 22:5, Matt 19:4). Yet, many churches support transgender ideology, celebrate Pride Month, and have drag queen pastors. 

Among these mainline denominations are the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley’s Northpoint Church held a conference on homosexuality in which he emphasized inclusiveness and compassion but never once brought up the biblical teaching on homosexuality. (Stanley himself calls those teachings “clobber verses.”)

Clearly, churches are turning away from the faith in order to appear more acceptable to the culture. Often, they will use the mantra “loving your neighbor” as the catchall for tolerating and even celebrating aberrant behaviors. We are called to love all people, right? Jesus ate with sinners, after all. He was beloved by prostitutes and tax collectors.

They seem to forget that while Jesus did love people and had compassion for them, He also called them out of sin. After he saved the woman about to be stoned for adultery, he said, “Go and sin no more.” Jesus didn’t hang out with prostitutes because he agreed with their life choices. He hung out with them so they would follow Him, listen to Him, and allow Him to change their lives. They were sick—He was the cure.

It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick;
 I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

But many churches have abandoned the idea that sin is sin, focusing instead on what they believe is Jesus’ unconditional love.

Rebecca Todd Peters, a pro-choice Presbyterian pastor, professor, and activist, takes this kind of love to the next level. She said in a sermon,

If Jesus were here today, he would be a clinic escort distracting women from the hatred of the protesters or an abortion doula holding women’s hands and offering support and love as they end their pregnancies. And I expect he would have a stern word for self-righteous legislators who use abortion as a political issue rather than showing compassion for the people seeking abortions.

In the Word According to the Reverend Doctor Peters, Jesus would have saved the woman caught in adultery from being stoned to death by admonishing the crowd on their patriarchal views of sex. Then he would have sent the woman on her way with a “you’re doing fine” pat on the back and perhaps add, “If you get pregnant, let me know, and I’ll walk you to the abortion clinic.”

Satan loves this sort of thing. It’s what he does best—takes the truth of God’s word and twists it into something completely different, into the very antithesis of itself.

Jesus himself warned this would happen and made clear the consequences.

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 

Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven , but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven Matt 5:18-19

We mess with God’s Word at our own peril. The enemy uses these moral issues, even the least of these commandments, to cause rifts in the church and to make Christians despise and distrust each other. Eventually, many will turn away from the faith altogether.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. (Mark 3:25)

The stage is set for the End.