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THE
BLASPHEMY AND DECEPTION OF THE DA VINCI CODE
by Jeffrey Khoo and Suan-Yew Quek
Caveat
Satan is a liar and a deceiver (John 8:44, Rev 12:9). Dan Brown’s
bestselling novel—The Da Vinci Code (Bantam Press, 2003; 593
pages)—is the latest Satanic attack against our Lord Jesus Christ and His
inerrant Word. Brown seductively weaves a highly imaginative story in a
vain attempt to prove that the Jesus believed by Christians today is not
the same Jesus who lived in the first century. According to The Da Vinci
Code, the true historical Jesus was only an ordinary man and not God at
all.
The book is a most seductive and deceptive novel replete with hidden codes,
murder, sex and intrigue. It seeks to debunk the common notion that the
Holy Grail is the Cup of the Last Supper of Christ. The author asserts that
the painting by Leonardo Da Vinci of the Last Supper reveals that the Holy
Grail refers actually to Mary Magdalene who he says is the wife of Jesus
Christ. Mary Magdalene is said to be pregnant when she was with Christ at
His resurrection. Not only that, this lineage of Christ and Mary Magdalene
continues to this very day. This is blasphemy in the highest degree.
Brown’s attacks on Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures are not new. His
blasphemous and deceptive views have been propounded for decades within the
four walls of modernistic universities and liberal seminaries. Brown
distills the academic jargon and weaves the views of liberalism into a
mystery novel for the general audience, and for the money no less.
The Blasphemy of The Da Vinci Code
In his book, Brown attacks the inspiration, preservation, and canonicity of
the Scriptures. The Bible he says, “is a product of man, … Not of
God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a
historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless
translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive
version of the book. … [T]housands of documents already existed chronicling
His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, … Constantine
commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that
spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that
made him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and
burned.”
As far as Brown is concerned, the historical and factual gospels have been
destroyed in the 4th century. What remains today are the
spurious and fictitious Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that
promote a mythical, godlike Jesus. So, all this while, Christians have been
reading the wrong Gospels and believing in a false Jesus!
Truth of God’s Perfection
Does Brown’s unbelief make the faith of God without effect? “God forbid;
yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom 3:4).
How do we know that the Bible today is truly the Word of God, perfect and
without mistakes? Simply because God says so! The declaration, “Thus saith
the LORD,” or “Hear the Word of the LORD,” or “The LORD spake … saying,”
appears over 3,000 times in the Bible. Be not deceived, the Bible is
altogether God’s Word, not man’s word. “All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God (theopneustos, literally, “God-breathed”) and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works” (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Bible was written over a span of 1,500
years by more than 40 different writers, and despite all its diversity, its
miraculous unity is obvious. It goes without saying that though the Bible
has many writers, it has but one Author—God Himself. That every one of the
OT prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming has been fulfilled precisely
proves the Bible’s authenticity (eg, Isa 7:14 cf Matt 1:22-23).
How do we know that the Scriptures that we have today are the true ones,
and not those that have been lost for over a thousand years? We know this
because God promised to preserve His words perfectly and perpetually. Psalm
12:6-7 says, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou
shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Jesus Himself promised,
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
title shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt
5:18). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away”
(Matt 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33). “The Scripture cannot be broken”
(John 10:35).
The true Bible can be easily identified. It is the one that has an unbroken
lineage, fully and continuously preserved by God down through the ages, and
always in the possession of His people. Thus, the perfect and true
Scriptures are not in the lately found Alexandrian manuscripts underlying
the modern corrupt versions (which incidentally present a less than divine
Jesus preferred by Brown), nor are they in the newly discovered Dead Sea
Scrolls and Nag Hammadi codices (Gnostic manuscripts from Egypt) as
mentioned by Brown, but in the long-existing, time-tested and Christ-honouring
Hebrew and Greek Scriptures underlying the good old Authorised Version.
Certainty of Christian Conviction
How can we be absolutely sure that the Scriptures we hold in our hands
today are truly the infallible and inerrant Word of God? Faith is the
answer! “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6). The logic of faith is the key to
certainty. God says it, that settles it, we believe it! We do not see to
believe; we believe in order to see.
The Apostle Peter told the Church to trust in “a more sure word of
prophecy”—the Holy Scriptures—as written by eyewitnesses: “Knowing this
first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man (and certainly not
by the will of Constantine): but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet 1:20-21).
If we are truly born again and the Spirit of God dwells within us, we
cannot but know and believe the Truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is
“the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him
not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you” (John 14:17). “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth … He shall glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13-14). “But the
anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all
things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye
shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27).
Historical and scientific evidences that prove the Scriptures may be
helpful, but ultimately, the only basis of our faith and practice must be
the Scriptures and the Scriptures alone. The Perfect Bible (and we have it
today and know where it is) is our supreme final authority. Sola
Scriptura!
In The Da Vinci Code, it is Satan’s voice one hears. True Christians
will not follow. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they shall follow me: and I give unto them eternal life” (John 10:27-28).
We have experienced the good news and resurrection power of Christ in our
life, and we cannot deny that our Lord and Saviour is indeed 100% God and
100% Man, and that His Word is 100% inspired and 100% preserved.
It goes without saying that The Da Vinci Code is truly Fiction. The
Bible, on the other hand, is purely Fact. We have a Perfect Canon and a
Perfect Text. May we never add to it, nor subtract from it (Rev 22:18-19),
but love it and obey it (1 John 2:3-6)! “If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3).1
The Deception of The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a Satanic masterpiece. It is utterly deceptive,
and particularly so in Chapter 55. In this chapter, one finds the two
talking snakes, Teabing and Langdon, seducing Sophie with their sophistry.
Alas, the helpless lass is mesmerised, and the serpentine duo go for the
jugular with their venom of lies.
Deception #1: Da Vinci’s Fresco Tells the Truth, Not the Bible
The Da Vinci Code assumes that Leonardo was telling the truth
concerning who Jesus was and what happened in His life. Teabing
pontificates, “In fact, Da Vinci painted the true Grail.” At the end of the
chapter, Teabing again presses the point that Da Vinci’s fresco is truthful
and not the Bible, “You will be shocked to learn what anomalies Da Vinci
included here that most scholars either do not see or simply choose to
ignore. This fresco [of the Last Supper], in fact, is the entire key to the
Holy Grail mystery.”
Refutation #1
It must be said that Da Vinci, born in 1452 and died in 1519, was not an
eyewitness to the Last Supper. How can his painting then be regarded as an
authoritative depiction of that event? We should rather trust in eyewitness
accounts. Matthew and John who were there recorded what happened during the
Last Supper in their respective Gospels. The truth is not in the painting
of Da Vinci, but in the testimonies of Matthew and John, and of Peter and
Paul as found in Mark and Luke, who wrote under divine inspiration (2 Tim
3:16, 2 Pet 1:20-21).
One proof that Da Vinci’s fresco is historically unreliable is that he
painted Jesus and His disciples dining at a long and high table with some
sitting down and others standing up. The people in those days did not have
their meals in such a way. In those days, they had their meals in a
reclining posture. This fact is accurately reported in the Four Gospels
where we find Jesus and His disciples reclining on mattresses around a low
table during the Last Supper (cf John 13:23, 25).
Deception #2: If You Believe in the Bible, You Must be Stupid
In order to cause Sophie to doubt, Teabing made her read a couple of Da
Vinci’s sayings that demean believers of the supernatural and miraculous.
Quotation of Da Vinci #1 reads, “Many have made a trade of delusions and
false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude.” In other words, Sophie is
made to think that anyone who believes that the Bible is a supernatural
God-given Book, and that the miracles recorded therein are true, must be
simple-minded and stupid.
Refutation #2
People ought to realise that Da Vinci is but a creature, and not the
Creator. Da Vinci is dead, but Jesus is alive (1 Cor 15:1-20). As such, it
is not what Da Vinci says in his paintings that we should worry about, but
what Jesus the risen Lord says in His Word.
Who are the fools in God’s eyes? They are those who deny His existence and
His miracles. Twice in the Psalms, God says, “The fool hath said in his
heart, There is no God” (Pss 14:1, 53:1). The judgement of such fools as
spoken of in Romans 1:18-22 applies to Teabing, Langdon, and not forgetting
the author Brown himself, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in
them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as
God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and
their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools.” The truly blind are they who deny the miracle of creation,
even the Creator God—the Lord Jesus Christ—Himself (John 1:3, Col 1:16).
Deception #3: If You Believe in the Bible, You Must be Blind
Quotation of Da Vinci #2 states, “Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O!
Wretched mortals, open your eyes!” Teabing could be quoting Da Vinci out of
context. Whatever the case may be, Teabing is trying to tell Sophie, “Don’t
be blind! Don’t be misled! Stop believing in the Bible! Stop following
Christ!”
Refutation #3
Da Vinci says “Blinding ignorance does mislead us,” and so it does. Jesus
speaks against “blinding ignorance” as well, and calls on all to seek and
know the truth. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon
him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:6-9).
From where do we seek the Lord? “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and
read: no one of these shall fail” (Isa 34:16). Why the book of the Lord?
Because “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony
of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are
right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes” (Ps 19:7-8).
How should we seek the Lord? We should seek Him by faith, “But without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him” (Heb 11:6). We do not see in order to believe, we believe in order to
see. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John
8:32). We should seek Him with great reverence, “The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). “The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Prov
9:10).
Deception #4: The Bible is a Product of Man, Not of God
Teabing tells Sophie, “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God.
The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a
historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless
translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive
version of the book. … More than eighty gospels were considered for
the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for
inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.” Teabing lies to
Sophie, “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman
emperor Constantine the Great. … Constantine commissioned and financed a
new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human
traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier
gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.”
Refutation #4
It is not true that the Four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were 4th
century inventions of Constantine and the Nicaean Council. The Four Gospels
were written in AD 40-50 shortly after Christ rose from the dead and
ascended to heaven. The Early Church Fathers—Papias (in AD 110) and
Irenaeus (in AD 180)—mentioned them by name and affirmed their Apostolic
origins. It is thus not the over 80 gospels that Teabing mentioned that
were the early and authentic Gospels but the Four that we have in the
Canonical Scriptures today, totally inspired and entirely preserved to this
day.
It must be pointed out that the over 80 gospels that Teabing regards as
authentic do not paint Jesus as a mere mortal at all, but super-divine in a
fairy-tale manner that can only come from the corrupt imaginations of
unregenerate men. As a matter of fact, these false gospels deify Mary more
than they do Jesus which eventually led to the Mary-worship that we see in
the Roman Catholic Church today. It is no wonder that God’s people have
always rejected those 80 gospels as spurious. A born-again, Spirit-indwelt
Christian (John 14:16-17, 1 John 2:27) when reading about the boyhood of
Jesus in these false gospels can easily tell that they are myths and not
truth (read The Lost Books of the Bible, especially 1 Infancy 14-15,
about Jesus being bitten by a mad and demonised Judas, and Jesus being a
proud and boastful show-off).
Teabing’s claims that Constantine (1) was “a lifelong pagan who was
baptized on his deathbed,” and that he (2) financed a new Bible in AD 327
to consolidate his power as emperor, are lies. The truth is: (1)
Constantine lived from AD 285-337, and became a Christian in AD 312—i.e. 25
years before his death! (2) The NT Canon as we know it today existed since
the first century. By God’s special providence, it was the Council of
Carthage of AD 397 and not the Council of Nicaea AD 327 that settled the NT
Canon; this happened 60 years after Constantine’s death!
Brown says that the New Testament Canon is a human fabrication and thus
should be dismissed or replaced. This attack must be refuted. It is vital
that Biblical Christianity holds fast to the ancient Biblical Canon without
change. The word “canon” refers to a measuring rod by which things are kept
straight. It is used metaphorically in 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 to designate
God’s rule over our lives. The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:12-18
wrote, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves
with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by
themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. But we
will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure
of the rule (canon) which God hath distributed to us, a measure to
reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as
though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in
preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure,
that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is
increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule
abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to
boast in another man’s line (canon) of things made ready to our
hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that
commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.” The
canonicity of the Bible is thus “the quality or character of the Scriptures
by which they are our rule of faith and life, as the infallible Word of
God. As such, the Biblical Canon constitutes the divine authority of the
Holy Scriptures.
The Church did not make the words of man to become the words of God as
Brown asserts. The Word of God stands on its own, and declares itself to be
the Word of God. The Bible is its own infallible authority. There is no
higher authority than the Word of God itself. This is an acceptable
tautological argument. In defense of this truth, J O Buswell correctly
observed that “all factual existential statements may be regarded as
circular. Why is a fact a fact, and why is it regarded as a fact? The only
answer is, because it is a fact.”2 The Westminster Confession of
Faith likewise states, “The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it
ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any
man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author
thereof; and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of
God.”3
The Word of God was canonised the moment it was written. The canonicity of
Scripture finds its basis in the inspiration of Scripture. 2 Timothy
3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto
all good works.” The Church at that time received the canonical words of
the Apostles as the very words of God and not the words of man. 1
Thessalonians 2:13 states, “For this cause also thank we God without
ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye
received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God,
which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” When heresies like
Marcionism and Montanism arose, the pastors of the early church realised
the need to identify the Canon so that their parishioners may know for sure
the names and the number of the divinely inspired books. The Council of
Laodicea (AD 363) listed the present number of 27 New Testament books.
Athanasius also mentioned 27 in his Easter letter of AD 367 and these were
recognised as the Canon at the Council of Hippo (AD 393) and the Third
Synod of Carthage (AD 397). Since then, the New Testament Canon of 27 books
was confirmed and fixed. The New Testament pseudepigrapha were all rejected
as spurious and not as Holy Scripture. The identification of the Canon is
the result of the special providential work of God through His
Spirit-guided Church (John 16:13-14).
But Teabing says that the Scriptures “evolved,” and there is no such thing
as a definitive version of the book. This is nonsense. The biblical
doctrine of the Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) and Verbal Plenary
Preservation (VPP) of the Scriptures tells us that we have an absolutely
perfect and definitive Bible today as found in the infallible and inerrant
Hebrew and Greek Scriptures underlying the Authorised King James Version. E
F Hills rightly said that the logic of faith is the key to such a
certainty, “You must begin with Christ and the Gospel and proceed according
to the logic of faith. This will lead you to the Traditional text, the
Textus Receptus and the King James Version.”4
Deception #5: Jesus was Only a Man, and Not God at All
Teabing says, “Jesus Christ was a historical figure … a great and powerful
man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal. … Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of
God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea. … A
relatively close vote at that. … Many scholars claim that the early Church
literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His
human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using
it to expand their own power.”
Refutation #5
The Council of Nicaea was convened to hear the case of Arius, a priest from
Alexandria, who taught that Jesus was only half God and not fully God.
Arius said that Jesus (1) was a creature and thus not the Creator, (2) had
a beginning and thus not eternal, (3) was different from and not the same
as God Himself. But God raised up a defender of the faith in Athanasius. In
the Council of Nicaea, Athanasius argued from the Scriptures that the Lord
Jesus Christ was fully God and fully Man (John 1:1, 14; Col 2:9; 1 Tim
3:16), eternally begotten of the Father, not created (John 1:3, 3:16, 18,
10:30; 1 John 4:9). Arius was declared a heretic. The vote was hardly
close—315 for Athanasius and only 3 for Arius. Arius was defrocked and
excommunicated.
Furthermore, Teabing’s claim that the deity of Christ was a New Testament
invention is not true at all! It was not the New Testament that first spoke
of the deity of Christ but the Old Testament. “We have also a more sure
word of prophecy” (2 Pet 1:19). The Old Testament prophetic Scripture had
already made mention of a coming Messiah who would be none other than God
Himself. Isaiah 7:14 was one such prophecy, “Therefore the Lord himself
shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and
shall call his name Immanuel.” Jesus Himself fulfilled this prophecy in 5
BC as announced by the angel Gabriel. Jesus was Immanuel, “God with
us” (Matt 1:22-23). It is significant to note that Isaiah’s prophecy of the
virgin-born Son of God was given 750 years before Jesus came. It goes
without saying that the lie that Jesus was never God but made God by the
Council of Nicaea in AD 325 was not Constantine’s invention, but Teabing’s.
Today, Arius’ teaching is found in a cult called the Jehovah’s Witnesses,
and in the corrupt modern versions of the Bible (like the NIV) that are
based on the Alexandrian text. It would be no surprise if Arius and his
followers had altered the inspired text to create their own text to
undermine the deity of Christ. It is indeed troubling to note that in the
NIV, 1 Timothy 3:16 should read falsely, “He appeared in a body,” which
undermines His deity and humanity. The true reading is, “God was manifest
in the flesh” (as accurately and faithfully translated from the original by
the KJV) which tells us that Christ is Theanthropos—100% God and
100% Man. Deception abounds today not only in the cults that claim to be
“Christian,” but also in the modern versions that claim to be “Holy Bible.”
Warning
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a
hot iron” (1 Tim 4:1-2). In the face of such dangers, what must Christians
do? The Apostle Paul exhorts, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the
doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself,
and them that hear thee” (1 Tim 4:16).
May the Lord protect His Church from falling into Satan’s trap of
deception.
Notes
1 For further study, read Timothy Tow and Jeffrey Khoo, A
Theology for Every Christian: Knowing God and His Word (Singapore: Far
Eastern Bible College Press, 1998), downloadable
for free.
2 J O Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian
Religion (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), 1:196.
3 Westminster Confession of Faith, I:4-5.
4 E F Hills, The King James Version Defended (Des Moines:
Christian Research Press, 1984), 220. See also Jeffrey Khoo, “A
Plea for a Perfect Bible,” The Burning Bush 9 (2003): 1-15.
Dr Jeffrey Khoo is academic dean and lecturer in New
Testament at Far Eastern Bible College, and Dr Suan-Yew Quek is pastor of
Calvary Pandan Bible-Presbyterian Church, and lecturer in Old Testament and
Contemporary Theology at Far Eastern Bible College.
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