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I sat down to watch and listen to every facet of the three-hour long Killing Jesus program, which was based on Bill O’Reilly’s best-selling book. I had a notebook in my hand, and I was accompanied by two other people who are well-versed in scripture and history. After reading a number of things that O’Reilly had written, including “Killing Jesus,” which I thought to be less than inspirational, I wanted to be, in the words of O’Reilly and his cronies, “fair and balanced.” What I realized was that any synopsis or summary of the film would not fit under the rubric of fair and balanced. Not only is Mr. O’Reilly not slack when it comes to providing comprehensive evaluations and personal summaries, but he is also used to providing analysis and commentary on complicated issues in little portions lasting five minutes. In the event that the reader is unable to comprehend what went wrong with Killing Jesus after seeing a five-minute piece, I will provide my synopsis here rather than at the conclusion of the review, as I have done with previous films. After going over each and every word and dramatic interlude that KJ had to offer, I was able to compile a list of twenty-three severe errors and extrapolations that were presented under the flag of dramatic license. As the list continued to grow, it became abundantly evident that KJ had trampled the Bible record of a great number of things, and the history that O’Reilly and Martin Dugard had depended upon to such a great extent also comes into disrepute. As part of this post, I will only identify the eight most serious mistakes and offenses that have occurred. It is important to stress that I am not the one who is experiencing offense; rather, it is the Bible, the story, the gospel, and maybe even Christ himself who is experiencing offense. On the very last day, I shall have no choice but to leave the ultimate issue up to God. In my typical rating system, which spans from one to ten, I was going to give the television movie a two or three point rating as the list continued to grow. When I reached the final item #23 (number 8 in this post), I came to the realization that O’Reilly’s KJ could only be awarded a flat, off the charts, in complete reverse – zero. This realization came about when I reached the eighth thing. Beyond the narrow scope that O’Reilly used in either the book or the movie, the criteria that will be used to evaluate KJ are more comprehensive. The fact that O’Reilly and his co-author Dugard based KJ solely on history and not the Bible is something that O’Reilly has stated a great number of times. Due to the fact that they have chosen to disregard the undeniable and flawless historical accuracy of the Bible, they have begun this production with a fault that will continue to plague it till the end of time. The fact is that the history that is portrayed in the Bible has always been able to withstand the examination of all historians, and in the majority of cases, it is more accurate than many of the finest offerings, such as Josephus, Herodotus, Tacitus, and Roman History. After praying for the whole of the night, Jesus, on the direction of his Father, went out and selected twelve men to live with him and be witnesses to every word and deed that he did for the next three years. This truth goes well beyond the basic historical accuracy of the Bible. When compared to the retroactive analysis of any historian, being an eyewitness is a significant step above. It is the same as allowing man to become the last arbitrator of the will and revealed purpose of the Almighty God if one were to dismiss the apostolic narratives for the purpose of second-guessing any historian. This is a behavior that can only be regarded as pretentious. There is a comparison made between O’Reilly’s perspective on history and the truthfulness and reliability of the apostle’s tale in both the book and the film version of the book. It is impossible to conceive of anything more presumptuous than this. “Bill O’Reilly — Apostles Mistaken, Mixed Up, or simply Plain Liars?” was the headline of an article that was written in October of 2013, and it was published at that time. – I would want to bring to your attention the fact that the names of these twelve selected men will be engraved all throughout eternity across the foundations of the ‘New Jerusalem,’ which is the last resting place of the redeemed. (Revelation 21:14) Replacing or disputing the record of the apostles with other narratives of the same events is a fool’s errand in every sense of the word. For all of eternity, God has validated the lives of the apostles and the descriptions of the gospel that they provided. The larger issue that we pose is one that incorporates history but is not constrained by it. KJ is a wonderful theater piece, but it is not a good theological one. The issue of whether or not the King James Version (KJV) is true in its theology, Christology, and understanding of divinity is an absolute one, and the straightforward response is that it is not. As far as this author is concerned, there is one more issue that will remain unanswered: is it possible for KJ to bring someone to Christ or to strengthen a fresh believer by providing them with a deeper comprehension of Jesus Christ? In a similar vein, my response to the question is likewise a resounding “no.” The aspects of Christ’s life that point directly to his divinity and his role as the Savior of mankind are the very things that are found missing in KJ, and my sense of responsibility prevents me from betraying those matters in order to give this film anything other than a rating of “dismal failure.” Many people have lived and died in order to convey these aspects of Christ’s life. The purpose of this review is not to portray Bill O’Reilly or Martin Dugard in a negative light, whether it in terms of their character, their motive, or their objectives. The source is something that has to be taken into consideration, and none of these authors are theologians or any kind of qualified bible teacher or authority outside that. O’Reilly is a newsman, but his interpretation of events for a secular audience is not news; it is something that has been done several times before. Although Jesus referred to his teachings as the bread of life, O’Reilly’s usage of the term allegory to characterize a significant portion of the Bible is a feeble effort to transform God’s bread into a pabulum that is devoid of any nutritional value. If you put in a lot of effort to improve this aspect, Mr. O’Reilly, maybe “Killing Allegory” will become your next book. In the past, Bill would use the term “bible thumper” on the Factor to refer to those who read the Bible throughout their lives. During one of these instances, which occurred on April 2, 2013, I wrote an article with the headline “Mr. O’Reilly, Wise Up — ‘Bible Thumper’ is a pejorative phrase.” Is he now the kind of person who gets up in the middle of the night because he is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and how about the kind of person who also spends time reading his bible every day? Not in our opinion! It has been said by O’Reilly that he feels that the “Holy Spirit” was the source of inspiration for him to compose KJ. We just have one question for Mr. O’Reilly, and that is whether or not he would have considered reading the Bible after receiving that motivational calling. There is not a single word in the Bible that can be categorized as an allegory, despite the fact that the Bible states that “all” of the scriptures were provided by God via inspiration. (2 Timothy 3:16) Finally, KJ has only served to reinforce what this writer has always strongly believed, which is that it takes more than a popular cable show, a list of books that are at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, millions of dollars given to charitable organizations, and a pompous attitude to make a bible authority out of anyone. This is a brief list of the 23 faults, theatrical nonsense, and theological traps that may be found in the book of John. Indeed, there were a great number of other issues; yet, it is precisely these facts that must not be disregarded without further investigation. 1.) The much anticipated arrival of Kelsey Grammer as King Herod in KJ is at the forefront of the action that takes place in the film. Not only does he seem, behave, and sound like Scrooge in the earliest version of Charles Dickens’ “Christmas Carol,” but he also passes away inside the first 10 minutes of the movie. He wakes up in the middle of the night because he had a dream in which the Prophet Isaiah was rebuking him for his wickedness. This dream occurs just before he ultimately passes away. Although it is very improbable that this dream ever took place, it is important to note that it begins with a perverted theology. Jesus, the kid, was “born to kill your seed,” according to Isaiah, who tells Herod about the child. There is no one in the Old Testament who does a better job of explaining the reason for the birth of Christ than Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah made it clear that the Messiah will serve a particular purpose. An example of this would be the following: “But he was pierced for our trespasses, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Every single one of us, just like sheep, has wandered off in the wrong direction; we have led everyone in the wrong direction; and the LORD has placed the sins of all of us on him. (Isaiah 53:6-7) [Cites] Jesus did not come to ruin anyone, least of all Herod, but rather to save people from the consequences of their sins. In response to Herod’s inquiry to his prophets about the means by which he may discover or identify the Christ child, he is provided with an answer that is both absurd and completely inconsistent. He is instructed to “align the stars and the infant will unveil himself,” which is a complete and utter nonsense. The question was addressed by the predictions of the Bible, which made it abundantly obvious that the Messiah would be born at Bethlehem. (2 Matthew 2:3–6) 3.) Joseph, Mary’s husband, pushes her to get ready to leave the area because he gets a “feeling” that gives him a sense of unease. This is not the case; the angel of the Lord served as a strong warning to Joseph. (Matthew 2:13) In the movie, KJ did not demonstrate any kind of heavenly intervention; maybe he found it too metaphorical for Mr. O’Reilly. 4.) It is said that John the Baptist’s mother encountered God when he was in the desert. This is something that has been heard. That incorrect assumption was made by KJ far too late in the game. Indeed, John was filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he was still in his mother’s womb to the present day. 1:15 of the Bible 5.) KJ depicts King Herod, who is still wearing his nightgown, stumbling toward the high priest when he is on his way to meet him. When it comes to Herod’s passing, historians seem to be unable to reach a consensus on anything. The cause of death has been attributed to a variety of factors, including chronic renal disease, gout, and Fournier’s gangrene, according to some theories. According to one tale, he saw a silver owl and then tragically passed away. In the case of O’Reilly and Durgard, are they the historians who contributed to their success? There is not a lot of ambiguity in the Bible. It is said that after he had delivered an oration that caused his audience to venerate him as if he were a deity, the angel of the Lord smote him on the head. According to Acts 12:21–23 Instead of anything that is similar to the well-known “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” advertisements that are shown in KJ, it was a death that was observed by a large number of people in the public. 6.) When Jesus meets up with John the Baptist in the film he pretends like he doesn’t know his destiny or precisely who he truly is, he alludes to his “strong beliefs” as if they were obtained by some theological study or new-found convictions. It is a fact that Jesus was aware of his true identity from the time he was a youngster till the present day. It was about the age of twelve that he was discovered in the Temple, where he was having a conversation with the legal experts. When he made his announcement, he stated that he was present and attending to his father’s business. Lu 2:49 (Lu) Additionally, he had a complete understanding of the reason for his being. He was aware that the only reason he had come to earth was to endure death in order to atone for the sins of all people. Bible verse: (John 18:37) 7.) In the video that is based on the King James Version, Jesus is heard declaring that his kingdom does not have any crowns or thrones. The opposite of the truth is not even remotely possible. Every single believer is given the instruction to work hard in order to earn the crowns that will one day be given to those who are loyal. Let’s name a few examples: Revelation 14:14 mentions the crown of Christ himself, while Revelation 2:10 mentions the crown of martyrs. In all, there are five crowns described. Additionally, the promise that those who are loyal would reign with him for all of eternity gives rise to the idea that thrones are being bestowed upon them. 8.) The conclusion of the KJ movie was perhaps the most disappointing part of the movie; in fact, it did not come to a conclusion. KJ does not provide any evidence of the eleven appearances of the risen Christ that are described in the Bible, including one instance in which more than five hundred individuals were there at the same time. We see his mother and his followers laughing and happy as they stand in a tomb that is empty and looking up at the ceiling. After then, we find Peter once again in his boat, and he is happy and gazing up as if the large catch is evidence that Christ has been risen. Meanwhile, hundreds of fish begin to arrive in his net at this point. On the day that followed the first screening of KJ, O’Reilly said that National Geographic had seen more people watch KJ than any other video they had ever shown. There is little question that a significant number of those spectators must have been taken aback when the most significant single event that occurred during Christ’s whole life was totally omitted from the narrative. The divine nature of Jesus was not only minimized; rather, it was completely extinguished. Leaving out the dozens of miracles that Christ performed, such as giving sight to the blind, healing deafness, leprosy, and crippled limbs, and several resurrections from the dead, was a bad enough thing to do. However, leaving out Christ’s own resurrection from the film and then offering it again to be seen on Easter Sunday is the most perfect non-sequitur that this writer has ever encountered. It is plainly evident that Mr. O’Reilly has failed to see that historical records alone do not save, redeem, pardon, or lead someone toward everlasting redemption. This is something that they have failed to see. It is only through a resurrected Savior that one may be saved. To summarize, the act of putting an end to Jesus’ life does not bring glory to God, advance his message, or strengthen his word. The Bible is trampled upon, historical events are presented in a manner that is erroneous, incorrect, and absurd, and it will be remembered as one of the most terrible films of its sort in the annals of cinematic history. Who has the boldness or the right to alter the heart of this God-given message? It is a twisted and deformed effort to re-state something that has been given to the world for its own welfare. Who has the right to do so? However, it is all too light when it comes to altering the life of Christ and the message of his gospel and presuming to show those changes to a world that is often too spiritually challenged to know the difference between its nose and its elbow. To use O’Reilly’s favorite phrase and call him a pinhead may be all too accurate, but it is all too light. We are going to rely on the dire warning that the Apostle John delivered when he was being held captive on the Isle of Patmos during the time of his testimony. Specifically, the following is what the Bible says: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18–19) [Verse] Since the year 2005, Michael Bresciani has been serving as the publisher of American Prophet.org. It is because of the articles and reports written by Reverend Bresciani, as well as the contributions of some of the most talented writers and journalists in the United States, as well as the news and reviews that the website has acquired the moniker of “The Website for Insight.” His timely reports and writings have been published in print and online journals and magazines and have been read by millions of people all over the world and nationwide. Please follow us on both Facebook and Twitter. See also: Related Articles The faulty trip into mistake that is “Killing Jesus” by Nat Geo, coupled with superb theater and poor theology 2 Timothy 3:16 Kelsey Grammer, who is wearing his nightgown, makes a tumble. Herod, Scrooge, Joseph, and This article should be sent to a friend! Subscribe to receive articles such as this one delivered directly to your inbox! Get a free subscription right now!
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