2 Timothy 3:13
"But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (NASB)
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim 4:3-4 (NASB)
February 25, 2007 - If you thought Dan Brown's heretical work of mindless blasphemy did the trick in deceiving the masses of Christendom, my friends, as we like to say in the South, "You ain't seen nothin' yet." Enter one James Cameron, the 3-time, Academy Award-winning director of Titanic--which went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
Cameron's latest invasion into the realm of Hollywood's elite--a documentary scheduled to screen around the globe beginning this week, finds him treading in dangerous waters. In his relentless pursuit of fame and fortune, Cameron has now seen fit to attack a fundamental--correction--THE fundamental tenet in all of Christianity--the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his documentary, Cameron, along with Canadian filmaker, Simcha Jacobovici, reignite the outlandish claim first made in 1980 that a burial cave uncovered in Talpiot, Jerusalem is the authentic site of the tomb of Jesus and his entire family.
The claim--first made nearly 30 years ago, examined the discovery of 10 stone ossuaries in a Jerusalem suburb, 6 of which bore the following names: "Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Matthew, Jofa and Judah, son of Jesua." Yes, you read that right. Get ready for yet another smear campaign attempting to separate Christ from His divinity by purporting that He had a son with Mary Magdalene.
Set to hold a press conference in New York on Monday, 2/26/07, Cameron and Jacobovici will unveil what they maintain are details surrounding 10 stone ossuaries found in the cave, along with DNA and archaeological evidence supposedly "proving" the caskets belonged to Jesus, son of Joseph, and His family.
Refuting the claims as "impossible" and "nonsense" is the internationally renowned archaeologist and professor, Amos Kloner. Kloner--the original overseer of the 1980 project, had this to say regarding the Cameron/Jacobovici assertion, "'Jesus son of Joseph' inscriptions had been found on several other ossuaries over the years. The names found on the ossuaries were common, and the fact that such apparently resonant names had been found together was of no significance. There is no likelihood that Jesus and his relatives had a family tomb, They were a Galilee family with no ties in Jerusalem. The Talpiot tomb belonged to a middle-class family from the 1st century CE."
Even so, the Cameron/Jacobovici venture will likely cause confusion in many people, as did Brown's literary blasphemies. We can only pray for "damage control" as yet another deception is unleashed, and hope that those who were on the road to Christ, or on the verge of discovering it, remain on the Path to life. Remain watchful and alert in this day and age--ever mindful in the knowledge that He is truly Risen.
