MESSAGES FROM HEAVEN
Eternal Productions, 87 minute video, $19.95

The supernatural is in vogue both within the Church and outside in the secular realm. The paranormal definitely draws crowds and is a lucrative enterprise. From UFOs and extraterrestrials, to angels and spirit guides, to the mother of Jesus, Hollywood, Madison Avenue and the Church have all cashed in on selling celestial phenomena. Messages from Heaven points up that 72% of the American population believe in extraterrestrials and 69% believe in angels.

However, for the Church, an even more serious threat appears to be looming: The millions who flock to apparition sites around the world hoping to encounter the Virgin Mary. According to the video, an estimated 15 20 million people per year make a pilgrimage to Guadalupe, Mexico, to the spot where Mary is said to have first appeared in 1581. Combine the Guadalupe figures to the tens of millions who make pilgrimages to other locations where Mary is also believed to appear, including Medjugorje, Lourdes, Poland, Fatima, and Conners, Ga., and the annual total becomes astronomical.

The video presentation is superior quality, with good photography and excellent visual and sound effects. It also draws from the expertise of some of the well known apologetic and prophetic authors including Dave Hunt, Chuck Smith, Roger Oakland, and Chuck Missler. As well, footage of the various apparition sites and interviews with Marian devotees both lay and clergy are featured.

In contrast to the message and visions of the current wave of paranormal, the presentation argues for the sole and final authority of Scripture and delivers a powerful examination of fulfilled messianic biblical prophecy and the validity of the resurrection of Jesus.

While the New Age message of extraterrestrials and the universalism message of angels clearly contradict the message of Scripture, many of the messages from the Marian apparitions appear not so unbiblical. Mary's statements include calls to prayer, to Bible reading, and to being united in Jesus. However, the danger of other messages being heralded by Mary is the cancer to her other benign proclamations. The video examines the real message for her followers, which includes "the new dogma will be the dogma of the co redemptrix." In other declarations, Mary claims for herself additional attributes of deity, including sinlessness. The video's producers use only citations that have received Roman Catholic Church approval, the imprimatur of the church's bishops, or from the Medjugorje visitations.

The video also demonstrates just how ecumenical the movement has become. While the current pope strongly advocates devotion to the Virgin Mary, this adoration is no longer just confined within Catholicism. The alluring power of these visions is displayed. Interviews with two devotees reveal conversions from Protestantism one a former Assemblies of God member who became a Catholic priest, the other a United Methodist minister who converted to Catholicism, both as a result of the visions.

Messages from Heaven presents solid evidence as to how "shamelessly unbiblical" are the Marian apparitions. The video suggests that the apparitions fulfill biblical prophecy in Revelation 18. The presentation concludes with a solid evangelical message for faith alone in Jesus Christ.

With the widespread prominence of Marian visions and Charismatic icons like Benny Hinn sanctioning Lourdes and Fatima this informative and well made video is a great resource.

--MKG

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