Deliver us from evil
Pulling down the fences of moral boundaries

A movie was released in 1998 which, according to the ads, appeared to be a cute, imaginative nostalgic tale suitable for families and teens.

Many people will indeed enjoy this movie for its entertainment value alone, completely unaware of the dangerous underlying message. The movie is called Pleasantville, and tells the story of a teen and his sister who suddenly find themselves inside the 1950's setting of an old "Leave it to Beaver"-style television series. Unfortunately, the story is decidedly unpleasant. In fact, it represents one of the more blatant examples of Hollywood's social engineering agenda. Consider some of these issues:

>> The young lead in the story yearns for the innocent, morally upright times portrayed in the television series. But when he arrives there his driving passion is to free Pleasantville's society from the "oppressive" views of moral boundaries!

>> His sister, portrayed as a sexually liberated teen, introduces the girls of Pleasantville to sexual freedom. As soon as these teenage girls lose their virginity, their world changes from dull black and white to rich color, suggesting that casual sex is a positive attribute for society. Soon every girl in town is giving up her innocence, and the few who don't are singled out as being dull gray in appearance rather than living color.

>> The June Cleaver-like mother has an affair for no apparent reason. As soon as she satisfies her newfound sexual freedom, her world changes from black and white to full color. The implication is clear that extramarital and premarital affairs must be healthy, and that their suppression keeps society from experiencing the full richness of life.

>> The mayor and other men in the community form a mean-spirited conspiracy to denounce change, inciting townspeople to violently attack the others. Naturally, those opposed to "progress" are viewed as hateful bigots driven by fear.

>> When the mother poses nude for her lover's paintings, which are displayed in public view on the window of the soda shop, she is persecuted by the conspirators. They go on a wild rampage, destroying the paintings and the soda shop, as if these moral, "anti-progress" types have no respect for personal property.

>> The conspirators then introduce a list of "community standards" a thinly veiled representation of the Ten Commandments. It imposes "oppressive" rules and standards of behavior. The final item in the list calls for all elementary and high school students be taught a curriculum that teaches history as a story of continuity rather than alteration. Think about this! Teaching that history represents continuity (a biblical viewpoint) is portrayed as an evil, oppressive tactic imposed by doddering old fools!

>> During a court case presided by the mayor, his effort to maintain cultural standards are weak and meaningless. When he flies into a rage, he changes into a full-color person. The implication is obvious--that our feelings are everything, and when we give in to them we become whole.

>> In the end, the boy and his sister have turned the town into a carbon copy of the 1990's from which they came. But there are no visible consequences for the changes brought to this society. Nobody gets sexually-transmitted diseases, nobody dies from AIDS, and none of the young girls get pregnant.

A Future Culture

Around the year 550BC, the prophet Daniel was given a unique look at more than one future culture in a single vision.

He saw the rise of Alexander the Great, the Romans, and other societies. But Daniel was also shown the vision of a future king who would desecrate the Jewish temple. In a sense, this was a double prophecy. Jesus made it clear that this prophecy would be fulfilled in the end times, but a ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 175BC created a scenario that was eerily similar to the one Jesus talked about.

The end time ruler will allow a troubled peace in Israel for 3-1/2 years, then he will desecrate the temple, taking it over, calling himself divine, and forbidding traditional Jewish worship for the second 3-1/2 years of his rule.

Epiphanes means "the Illustrious One," but the Jews called him Antiochus Epimanes which means "the Madman." Like the end times ruler, Epiphanes ruled for seven years. The first 3-1/2 years appeared to be peaceful, but evil lurked underneath. On one occasion he sent 22,000 soldiers into Jerusalem on a peace mission, but they were ordered to make a brutal attack on the Sabbath day. After 3-1/2 years of rule, he defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and splattered its blood throughout the temple. He forbade the sacrifice, the reading of Scripture, observance of the Sabbath, and circumcision. He made it illegal to read the Scriptures. He brought prostitutes into the temple and killed anyone who objected to his ordnances.

He was overthrown by a group under the leadership of Judas Maccabaeus, an event now celebrated by the Jewish Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah).