Pop QuizTubal-Cain fires surface to air missiles; most

characters wear jeans and hoodies; the patriarch has tea with Anthony Hopkins in a cave; “Watchers” (inarticulate rock transformers with arthritis) defend against antagonists; pregnancy test aboard vessel; anesthetized animals sleep well; leader wants to kill grand-daughters … but the popcorn was good. What have I just returned from?

Warren Berkley

NOAHThe Motion Picture

Things to Remember• Hollywood (and the man who brought this movie to

theaters) considers the Bible to be merely literature. (As such, just like other books, there is no problem in their eyes with making changes to make the movie more compelling).

• The agenda of a movie maker seldom agrees with the agenda of God! (In this case, environmentalism, tolerance).

• Conscience dictates whether you pay to go see it or not. Personally, I have no interest, despite the special effects.

• The danger, as always, is that such a powerful message will be considered accurate by the ignorant.

• Use it as an opportunity to talk about your faith!

“I don’t think it’s a very religious story...I think it’s a great fable that’s part of so many different religions and spiritual practices.”

–Darren Aronofsky, Variety 2012 (Director)

The Man NoahIn the film, Noah is slandered. Notice the

characterizations of some who saw the film:• “leader [Noah] wants to kill granddaughters”• “Noah is depicted as a demented fellow who can't

figure out what God wants from him. He looks like (and his family considers him) to be a madman.”

• “It treats a prophet of God like a lunatic. There’s no redeeming value in Noah, none. He hates people.” (Glen Beck)

• “Did you know that Noah was really a callous, dark person? Did you know that Noah was a drunken, axe-wielding murderer?”

Genesis 6:5-8Then the LORD [Jehovah] saw

that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

2 Peter 2:5,9[For if the Lord] (5) … did not

spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly …

(9) … then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.

Ezekiel 14:12-14 The word of the LORD came

again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD.

The Reason for God’s Judgment of the World

In the film, the Creator’s anger at mankind stems from their abuse of the creation• Noah chastises his son for wanting to pick a flower,

because it is pretty.• Men kill animals & eat flesh (Noah is a vegetarian).• The main bad guy proves how evil he is by biting off

the head of a living lizard, and talking about the glory of being a meat eater.

• Tubal-Cain and others are strip miners.

“It’s about environmental apocalypse which is the biggest theme, for me, right now for what’s going on this planet. So I think it’s got these big, big themes that connect with us. Noah was the first environmentalist.”

(Aronofsky interview, slashfilm.com, (9/12/2008)

Genesis 6:5-8Then the LORD saw that the

wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

Genesis 6:11-12The earth also was corrupt

before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Genesis 8:20-21 Then Noah built an altar to the

LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a soothing aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

2 Peter 2:5[God] …did not spare the

ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.

Other Examples of “Artistic Liscense”

• Theistic evolution is presented at the beginning of the film.

• Methuselah was a “witch doctor” who saw visions and drank hallucinogenic tea.

• Only Shem had a wife on the ark.• Fallen angels, cursed by God and turned into

large (transformer like) rock creatures keep men from getting on the ark.

• Noah threatens to kill all on the ark (including his unborn granddaughters), thus wiping out all of mankind.

A good summary of the filmYou can hate this film without watching it, for the

same reason that you can assume Citizen Kane is slightly superior to Need For Speed, without having seen either of them.

Just use context clues. Use your judgment. Use your money on something else.

Noah is a major Hollywood blockbuster, made by an atheist director best known for his previous flick where a mentally disturbed lesbian ballerina goes insane and bleeds to death on stage. Already, a critical person might be slightly concerned about his handling of the Bible, considering what he just did to the ballet.

Matt Walsh

Conclusion

The Bible account of Noah and the flood (Genesis 6-9) was written by the Holy Spirit. Hollywood (and the world in general) will never respect that.

As such, we can’t expect what is produced by worldly people to accurately represent God’s Word.

What we can expect is to be able to use the movie (when conversations about it inevitably arise) as an opportunity to share the message of God’s word with a lost and dying world!

1 Peter 3:15-16But sanctify the Lord God in

your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.