Once again the History Channel attempts to do something with the bible without actually reading or trying to understand the bible. The last time they attempted to deal with the bible with The Bible Rules they fell far short of producing something that resembles God's word. This time the History Channel avoids Jewish law and tackles eschatology with "Revelation, The End of Days". Of course if you tried a tackle like this in the NFL you'd cost your team 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The production sources revealed by the History Channel are the Bible, Revelations: Visions, Prophecy and Politics in the Book of Revelation – Elaine Pagels, The End Times in Chronological Order – Ron Rhodes, Are We Living in the End Times? – Tim LaHaye, The End – Mark Hitchcock, Could the Rapture Happen Today? – Mark Hitchcock. I take Dr. Pagel's and Mr. LaHaye's writings with a huge grain of salt, as she's a salesperson for gnosticism and Mr. LaHaye's writings are based on the heretical teachings of John Darby. Still, the History Channel's source material doesn't include a who's who of atheism and the emergent church (but I repeat myself) as in The Bible Rules.
To begin with, the show is done in a shaky cam style to make it look like it was filmed by ordinary people who have no idea how to hold a camera ala Cloverfield. About 30 minutes into the show there's a scene of a news crew holding a tripod and I wanted to scream at the TV "Don't just take pictures of a tripod, USE IT!!!" Shaky cam is good for a few scattered scenes but for an entire production it's just exhausting.
In all fairness the History Channel admits this is a fictional accounting of the prophesies revealed in the Bible, and they do admit that they went with the pretrib rapture because that teaching is popular. I'm not going to get into a debate between pretrib/premillenialist teachings, I'll just say that even if I did find something that would cause me to believe in a pretribulational rapture (like a bible verse that says the rapture will happen before the tribulation) the History Channel's version falls far short. The History Channel uses bible verses in a weird and unique way.
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; (Revelation 4:5)
Only the first 14 words of this verse appear on the screen, the rest is not included. This is to justify a thunderstorm on the east coast of the United States. The result of the thunderstorm is that hundreds of thousands of children disappear. This is apparently a global catastrophe (that only effects the east coast) .
The History Channel butchered Revelation 13:1 even worse. This is not what appeared on the screen:
And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. (Revelation 13:1)What appeared on the screen was this:
And I saw a beast rise up... having seven heads... and upon his heads the name of blasphemy
This bizarre twisting of a bible verse was used to introduce a pandemic caused by a bio-engineered bacteria that for some reason has seven heads. Of course the bio-engineered bacteria escaped and people start dying and the scientist that built the seven headed bug now tries to stop its spread.
Meanwhile in Israel terrorists blew up the Wailing Wall and Israel strikes Iran in retaliation. An American TV news crew is stuck in Jerusalem while Iran, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Ethiopia attack Israel. In response the TV news crew does nearly nothing, including filming the invasion. What they did do was find a "bible expert" who is clearly unfamiliar with Bible prophesy.
To be brutally honest, it's hard to watch. Not because the theology is so bad (and it is), but because it's so incoherent. The darkened screen, the shaky camera work, the spastic editing, the lack of a clear story line make it a painful experience to watch. I found myself looking forward to the Spanish M&M commercials because they were easier to follow, and I don't speak Spanish. What is completely incomprehensible to me is that in the entire production maybe a handful of people know what's going on.
The second part skips right over the tribulation, seven years have passed, 40% of the US population are gone, and the incoherent confusion continues. Somehow a red bald eagle has become a religious symbol and people believe it's the Mark of The Beast. The History Channel did get the persecution of Christians correct, we're labeled as extremists and rounded up by the military for sins like carrying a bible or having a "Jesus Saves" bumper sticker. (Note to self - I need an Icthsis for the new car).
A news crew is now journeying through the remains of America, witnessing the afore mentioned persecution, then they stumble across a warehouse full of body bags, each containing the corpse of an elderly person and realize that the government is killing old people because it's cheaper to kill seniors than to care for them.
The entire show is USA centric, it concentrates on the eastern seaboard and the trials of Americans, where the book of Revelations is written about Israel and the Jews. Somehow the US becomes Babylon. At the start of the second part it was hinted that Christians were forming militias, which could easily be a government lie, but by the midway point the producers of the show decided that Christians are now freedom fighters, slaughtering soldiers at will. They then mark their targets with spray painted red eagle and make a catholic sign of the cross at the eagle.
In the end Jesus does return, but according to the History Channel the sure way to avoid the wrath of God is to stay inside. People that went outside to see Jesus second coming died, people that stayed inside survived except for the antichrist who turned out to be the president of the United States. After Jesus came, he left immediately and the weather cleared up. The End.
So all in all it's a waste of time for the believer and the unbeliever alike, it's a waste of drive space on my DVR and I feel lesser for having seen it. Mostly I pity those that partook in this waste, the actors, the producers, and the unskilled camera men. And IF there was an editor involved I feel sorry for him too.
18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. 20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (Revelation 22:18-21)
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