Answers In Prophecy: Indiana Jones and the spiritual realm

From Indiana Jones and the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' to the 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' American culture has passed from Christian to pagan.

By JIM FLETCHER
Jim Fletcher 88 224 (photo credit: )
Jim Fletcher 88 224
(photo credit: )
An interesting signpost for where we are in history is the new Indiana Jones movie, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The film franchise brings back blockbuster actor Harrison Ford in the role of archaeologist/adventurer Henry "Indiana" Jones. A quarter-century ago, the first in the series, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," delved into the world of biblical archaeology. Jones' hunt for the Ark of the covenant is considered a film classic today, and there was much nostalgia for it with the release of the Skull. But a scary thing happened on the way to installment no. 4. American culture passed from Christian to pagan. The new film is saturated with producer George Lucas's thirst for the discovery of extra-terrestrial life. In fact, the movie is almost a ripoff of Erich von Daniken's Chariots of the gods, from the 1970s. No longer is Indy exposing millions of moviegoers to at least a semblance of biblical archaeology. Now he is on a quest to uncover what he considers the ultimate treasure: knowledge and wisdom. How sad that we have moved from the realm of King David and his son and successor, Solomon, who were entrusted with the safekeeping of the Ark of the covenant. Now we have an alternate version of history - and one on an epic scale. For the knowledge Indy and his cohorts are looking for what comes not from the God of the Bible, but from evolved super-intelligent beings from another dimension (never mind the fact that in the movie, they are dependent on primitive humans to help them get back home). You might wonder what this has to do with Israel. Well, for starters, if one believes in the spiritual realm that the apostle Paul described, then we are bound to believe that evil forces are at work in our world today. Evil is so ubiquitous, one struggles to find good anywhere. If Israel is fighting for its survival on the military, diplomatic, and public opinion fronts, is it helped when a smash movie franchise sanitizes biblical history for millions? The first Indy offering, released in 1981, prompted a flood of new interest in the quest for the fabled Ark (and I use "fabled" in the sense of inspiring awe). Not only did Bible prophecy ministries and pro Israel groups see a renewed interest in the things they were talking about, there was a sense from the public that perhaps these things were real, after all. Maybe history really could be found in the Bible. That fascination has dissipated. Now we have wholesale belief in ET life, even though the evidence for it is as strong as that of Bigfoot. That is to say, there is no evidence. How amazing! We live in a time when true history, so eternally linked with that of the Jewish people, is put on the dusty shelf. The new history is made up out of whole cloth, and is embraced by millions of people who grew up in a Christian culture. From an entertainment standpoint, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is smashing good fun. The thrill-a-minute adventure of Indiana Jones leaves moviegoers dizzy. And that's the problem. Through the powerful images of mass media, an entire culture now believes in ET life, yet finds the concept of a Creator God to be gibberish and foolishness. Truth and real knowledge can only be found in the Bible. How ironic that a brainwashed society today stands on the brink of discovering that truth. Then, their gods won't be able to help them. Jim Fletcher is a member of the executive committee of the National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel (NCLCI). He can be reached at jim1fletcher@yahoo.com Previous Entries The strategy of peace What is the deal with the Old Testament? What if the Bible is true? By the power of God Religion and academia Not enough good teaching material Our Jewish Roots - Educate, educate, educate