Part 4 of 'The Da Vinci Deception': Eagles and Bees?

Chuck Missler

[Português]

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 Timothy 4:3,4

In our series of articles reviewing some of the background behind Dan Brown's book, The Da Vinci Code, we have explored his deceitful presentation of the so-called "Facts" precedent to the novel itself, the blasphemous heresies regarding Mary Magdalene and the related Merovingian legends, as well as the false representations from the spurious "Gnostic Gospels."
What makes all this disinformation even more disturbing is that there are powerful leaders behind the emergence of the "New Europe" who take these myths seriously.

In this final article, we will explore some of the "codes" that Dan Brown hasn't resorted to (at least not yet!).

One of the curious facets of the Merovingian legends was their apparent obsession with the Tribe of Dan. While this aspect didn't emerge in Dan Brown's novel, it has a high likelihood of coming up in some of the related fanciful speculations that will emerge in the days ahead.

The Tribe of Dan

Although we do not take the myths of the "Ten Lost Tribes" of Israel seriously,1 it is interesting to examine the strange maneuvers of the Tribe of Dan. Their disappointing performance seems to have been anticipated, enigmatically, by Jacob on his deathbed as he prophesied over each of his sons:

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
Genesis 49:17

This identification with a serpent was changed by Ahiezer, the leader of the Tribe of Dan during the Exodus, to an eagle with a serpent in its mouth as their tribal ensign.2
When the conquest of Canaan was completed and the tribes received their land allocations, the Tribe of Dan was given the land west of Benjamin, placing them between Jerusalem and the Philistines. (Even though Dan was one of the largest tribes, it received one of the smallest - and most troublesome - allocations.)
The primary hero of this tribe is, of course, Samson. Although the subject of several colorful episodes, he actually accomplishes little of practical value. His riddle involving bees resulted in an additional identity idiom for his tribe.3

After Samson's death, the tribe was unable to adequately deal with their Philistine adversaries 4 and sought an alternative location, which was ultimately found in the North.5

It is interesting that in the "Song of Deborah," commemorating the victory over Sisera, Dan is chided for his distancing himself from the perils of the emerging nation:

Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
Judges 5:17

Dan's descendants apparently became skilled sailors and migrated north and westward to seek their own futures. It is remarkable that Moses had previously anticipated this in his prophetic summary:

And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.
Deuteronomy 33:22

How could he "leap from Bashan" (the Golan Heights) if he had been officially allocated the area west of Jerusalem? This prophecy by Moses anticipated his relocating to the North!

Editorial Derision?

The Tribe of Dan was the first to fall into idolatry.6 Dan's disconnection from the commonwealth seems to be anticipated by the Holy Spirit in His dealing with the tribe throughout Scripture: the names of his sons are omitted in genealogies;7 Dan is either mentioned last,8 or his name is blotted out altogether!9

His omission from the list of tribes in Revelation 7 is a well-known mystery. Irenaeus explains this omission by suggesting that the Antichrist is to come from the tribe of Dan - a belief which he bases on Jeremiah 8:16 from the Septuagint version ("from Dan shall we hear the noise of his swift horses").10

The Bee Identity

When the tomb of one of the earliest Merovingian kings was unearthed, a treasure including 300 tiny gold bees was discovered. These bees are regarded as a symbol of the Tribe of Dan, linked with Samson's riddle.11

When Napoleon was crowned, he insisted that his coronation cloak included the 300 bees embroidered into it, apparently evidencing his desiring an identity with the Merovingians and the Tribe of Dan. When he married Marie Louise Habsburg, he insisted that these same bees be embroidered into her wedding gown.

The Merovingian legends - and the Magdalene heresy - are taken seriously by many of the royal families in Europe and among some of the powerful activists behind the European Union today.

(It is also interesting that the Mormon Church accepts the Magdalene heresy and that the state symbol of Utah is the bee.)

The Eagle Identity

It is also worth noting that the ensign of Israel's enemies always seems to be that of an eagle: Herod, the Romans, the Germans, the Czars, et al. (It is interesting that even Sparta and Troy may have links with the Tribe of Dan!12)

It disturbs some to note that the symbol of the United States is also, of course, the eagle. The apparent Masonic symbolism on the Great Seal of the United States also disturbs many (look at your dollar bill and consult these images: 1,2,3,4):

The 32 feathers of the right wing are said to represent the 32 degrees of the Freemasonry. The 33 feathers on the left wing include the honorary 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite. The nine tail feathers are said to highlight the Council of Nine when the Illuminati merged with the Freemasons on May 1, 1776.

The ostensible occultic significance seems even more pronounced on the reverse side: the All Seeing Eye (the "Open Eye" of Egypt and the "Mind's Eye" of the Gnostics) and the Latin phrases "Annuit Coeptis" (announcing the birth of) "Novus Ordo Seclorum" (New World Order).
The occult agenda behind world politics should surprise no serious student of Daniel Chapter 10. Satan seems to love symbols.

More Surprises Coming?

Did you know that there appears to be a 151 ft. statue of Mary Magdalene, dressed in a Roman toga, holding the "Holy Grail" as a torch, in one of the most prominent international harbors today? Designed by Auguste Bartholdi, it was privately funded by the French Freemasons and presently adorns New York Harbor.

Are there other occultic surprises around the corner? Will the rise of paganism and apostasy in America bring about a final evil twist as we plunge into the End Times? Will America ultimately join the world in challenging the Abrahamic Covenant by also turning against Israel?
We must not take our Christian heritage for granted. It came at a very high price, paid by those who invested in their posterity. We must take our responsibilities seriously, or we will be disenfranchising our children and grandchildren. (See David Barton's article here.)

* * *

See here for details on our latest briefing, The Da Vinci Deception, available now on video, DVD, audio tape cassette, audio CD and MP3 download.

This article was originally published in the
October 2004 Personal Update NewsJournal.
For a FREE 1-Year Subscription, click here.
________________________________________
**NOTES**
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1. This unbiblical myth arises from confusing the original geographical allocations with the subsequent individual commingling resulting from the disruptions from the separation of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms after Solomon's death. Those who wanted to remain faithful to the Temple worship migrated to the South. Those who favored idol worship migrated to the North (2 Chronicles 11:13-17). For a complete discussion of the myth of the "Ten Lost Tribes," see our Expositional Commentary on the Twelve Tribes, appended to our Commentary on Joshua. This is also summarized in our Expositional Commentary on James.
2. Numbers 1:12 2:25 10:25;1 Chronicles 12:3. Merrill F. Unger, Unger's Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, pp.235-236.
3. Judges 14:14.
4. Judges 16 - 21.
5. Judges 19:47.
6. Judges 18:30; Golden Calves: 1 Kings 12:28,29; 2 Kings 10:29.
7. Genesis 46:23; Numbers 26:42; Hushim?, Shuham? = "pit digger."
8. Numbers 10:25; Joshua 19:47-49; 1 Chronicles 27:16-22.
9. 1 Chronicles 1-10; Revelation 7.
10. Adv. Haer. 5. 30. 2
11. Judges 14:14.
12. 1 Maccabees 12:5-23; 14:20-23; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews Bk 12:4; 13:5.

Part 3 of 'The Da Vinci Deception': Another Gospel

Chuck Missler

[Português]

As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:9

As we've said in our previous two issues, the popular but shamefully blasphemous novel by Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code, has raised many troubling questions, particularly among the less informed, and with a major motion picture in the works, this subject will be a popular topic of conversation for months to come.

In his novel, Dan Brown attempts to support his outrageous notions by using allusions from the Gnostic Gospels and twisted distortions of the early church councils, all of which raise serious questions: What makes us so confident that our Bible is what it purports to be? How do we know? What about these "missing" books of the Bible?

Brown's distortion of history is rampant throughout his novel. He assumes that Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire-rather, he simply granted freedom of worship in his Edict of Milan in A.D. 313. It was a subsequent successor, Theodosius (379-395), who made Christianity the state religion in 381. Brown's Constantine "upgraded a mortal Christ to deity," and "secured male dominance and suppression of women"... "converting the world from matriarchal paganism to patriarchal Christianity." He insists that Constantine canonized selected favorable Gospels from "more than 80 available." His deliberate distortions are, of course, contradicted by clear historical records.

Council of Nicaea

The Council of Nicaea was convened in A.D. 325 with 318 bishops to settle disputes about Christology, not to dispute or modify the "canon." ("Canon," meaning standard, refers to those Scriptures that were accepted by the early churches as God-breathed, or inspired.) The principal precipitating issue was between Arius and Athanasius. Arius argued that Jesus was simply a created being. He was a great communicator and was causing deep disputes throughout the Empire. Athanasius argued for the full deity of Christ and was clearly vindicated by the proceedings of the Council (as exemplified by the famous Nicene Creed).

Brown's Version

"It was at the Council of Nicaea in 325 that Church leaders decided by vote to make Jesus divine...Until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet."
And, according to Brown, it was a "close vote"! According to him, the presently accepted Gospels were selected from "more than 80" available. All of this is deliberate misrepresentation to support his attack on Jesus Christ and His church.

Twenty rulings were issued at the Council of Nicaea and the contents of all of them are still in existence: not one of them involved issues regarding the canon.

As for the vote that was finally taken, only 5 out of 318 dissented; only two of those refused to sign the resulting resolutions, which reaffirmed the deity of Christ, not issues regarding the canonical Gospels.

If Christ was not fully God, then God was not the Redeemer of mankind.
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:16 (Also, see Jn 1:1; Rom 9:5; Heb 1:1-8; etc.)
During the 1st century-two centuries before the Council of Nicaea - even before the end of His earthly ministry, Christ's divinity was already being acknowledged, as evidenced by Thomas: "My Lord and my God!"1

During the 2nd century - still a hundred years before the Council of Nicaea - we have ample quotes from the early church fathers:

Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (A.D. 110): "There is One God who manifests himself through Jesus Christ his son"; "Son of Mary and Son of God…Jesus Christ our Lord…God Incarnate…Christ God," etc.

Polycarp of Bishop of Smyrna (A.D. 112-118), in his letter to the church at Philippi, assumes the divinity of Jesus, His glorification, etc.

Justin Martyr (~A.D. 150): "being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God"2; "...both God and Lord of hosts."3

Irenaeus (~A.D. 185): "our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King."4

Clement of Alexandria (~A.D. 200): "truly most manifest Deity, He that is made equal to the Lord of the universe; because he was His Son."5

Another of the often-overlooked rebuttals to those who deny Christ's claim to deity were the persecutions in Rome, and the voluntary martyrdom of the early Christians for their refusal to worship the emperor. Their martyrdom was a result of their exclusive commitment to Christ as God.

How We Got the New Testament

The New Testament was canonized in the 1st century while the apostles were alive and all facts could be checked out (Lk 1:2; Acts 1:21,22; 1 Jn 2:3). It was endorsed by Christ in advance (Jn 14:25-26) and was considered a "more sure word of prophecy" (2 Pet 1:16-19).

The Process

Letters were received and then circulated by the early church, and a growing group of them became recognized as authoritative (Apostolic) and in harmony with accepted doctrine. All 27 books were accepted by the end of the 1st century and every New Testament book was cited as authoritative by a church father within one generation.

The Gnostic Gospels

The term "gnostic" refers to gnosis, or knowledge. However, here it refers to the concept of hidden, secret, or special knowledge. The Gnostics were a growing problem in the early church and many of the New Testament epistles, as well as the numerous quotes from the early church fathers, were in rebuttal to the several heresies promoted by the Gnostics.

(In fact, Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians was a response to a forgery being circulated as if from him.6)

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 Timothy 4:3

A large number of spurious documents emerged during the centuries following the ministries of the Apostles and were universally rejected by the early church. Copies of a group of these were found at Nag Hammadi (in Egypt) dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries, and these are uncritically accepted by Brown as accurate. These include The Gospel of Thomas, The Gospel of Philip, The Gospel of Mary, The Gospel of Truth, and about four dozen others
They are not "Gospels" at all, but rather speculative opinions, totally devoid of any verifiable facts. Furthermore, they were written under false pseudonyms in an attempt to gain legitimacy. The early church rejected any documents under pseudonyms as being inconsistent with the concept of God-breathed inspiration.7

Lastly, they were all written centuries after the Gospel period - in contrast to the contemporaneous eyewitness accounts in the New Testament - and make no pretense of being actual records of events - in fact, they are anti-historical rather than simply non -historical!
In particular, Brown leans on The Gospel of Philip and its out-of-context fragmentary reference to a kiss - in which Jesus ostensibly kissed his other students as well - but this still suggests nothing about marriage or any sexual innuendo. Brown leans on a word in the "Aramaic" (although The Gospel of Philip came to us in Coptic!) that he maintains means "spouse." The word actually happens to be a loan word from the Greek: koinonia , which can mean companion, as in fellowship, etc.

The Gospel of Philip makes no reference that supports any of Brown's contentions. But even if it did, it would be irrelevant since it was written more than two centuries after the Gospel period, under a pseudonym posing as someone he wasn't. No serious scholar can take it seriously as having any historical merit.

(Many would seem to accept Napoleon's cynical perspective: "What is history, but a fable agreed upon?")
The popular novel is, indeed, malicious, deliberate fiction - posing subtly as factual - and is clearly, itself, a fulfillment of prophecy:

Even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
2 Peter 2:1-3

But it can also be a blessing by causing serious Christians to "do their homework" and find out just how the Bible came into being and the process by which the New Testament achieved codification during their early years.8

For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
1 Corinthians 11:19

Codes Brown Didn't Include

We will continue this series with a review of some surprising aspects involving the Tribe of Dan, the associated Merovingian Myths, and some of the contemporary implications of the Magdalene Heresy and their possible role in the unification of the New Europe today. We will also highlight some bizarre speculations regarding a 150 ft. statue of "Mary Magdalene," wearing a toga and holding the "Holy Graal," that graces an international port to this day. Stay tuned.

This article was originally published in the
September 2004 Personal Update NewsJournal.
For a FREE 1-Year Subscription, click here.
________________________________________
**NOTES**
________________________________________

1. John 20:28. See also John 1:1; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-10; 1 Peter 1:1, et al.
2. First Apology , ch. 63.
3. Dialogue with Trypho , ch 36.
4. Against Heresies , bk1, ch 10.
5. Exhortation to the Heathen, ch 10, Vol 2. All of these references can be found in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, The Ante-Nicene Fathers : Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, 10 Vols.
6. 2 Thessalonians 2:2.
7. The Epistle to the Hebrews is the notable exception. It appears to be the 3rd of a trilogy on Habakkuk 2:4, along with Romans and Galatians.
8. These topics are covered in our Learn the Bible in 24 Hours publication , and also in our briefing package, How We Got Our Bible.