Another Oxymoron – “Christian Death Metal”

By Ray Gano

To all the “Christian” Death Metal band members, supporters and listeners, who have risen to the cause in support of your questionable lifestyle. I greet you.

My name is Ray Gano and I am the executive director of Prophezine.

I do not understand your reason to defend the un-defendable as you have done so with such verbosity as on our website.

What you defend, you defend out of pure ignorance of God’s Word.

You quote the rule of grace, but do not understand that rule.

You quote some watered down philosophy of what you deem as “Christianity” and do not even understand what Christianity is.

You throw out all these “don’t judge me, I live under grace, and even one of you proposed a “Buddhist approach” to our questioning this death style.

I find it also very ignorant that not one of you even quotes scripture in your defense. Oh wait, in Justin’s tirade (which we have not posted), he mottles through Psalms 100:1 and still does not get it right. Again a serious sign of sheer ignorance of what Christ did for you and Christianity as a whole.

Here is your logic boiled down… in one of your own supporter’s words.

CharlieD - God wants you to be your own person, thats why he gave us all free will. He gave us free will to express ourselves through our own individuality and imagination, so personally i dont think God really cares how people dress, or how they sing…

So based upon CharlieD’s logic and his form of Christianity, then basically I can go out and do anything I want to do. Cool…I can drink Christian Booze, smoke Christian pot, take Christian drugs, have sex with Christian women, Christian men, Christian animals, rape and murder all in God’s name because God gave me free will to express myself through my own individuality and imagination. And if God really does not care how I dress and sing then God really does not care about all the other things that I have mentioned either. It is all free will, do as I like because you know what…. IM A CHRISTIAN AND GOD LOVES ME FOR WHO I AM.

Romans 1:28 - 32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

First you mock the sacrifice Jesus Christ paid. For your information, God also states how you should dress and how you should sing. You claim the title but are ignorant of God’s Word from where you try to state you’re so called rules. Your statement is that of a fool.

Many of you point to the lyrics of many of these great God loving, God appeasing bands…

Nick [jams booking augusta, ga.] I'm sure if you would've taken some time to read they're lyrics in the songs, you would've seen that this blog thing you've written

Here is one of my favorite song titles from the research I conducted – “I kiss my girlfriend with my fist.” I wish I could have found the lyrics, but on many of your sites, there are no lyrics to be found. This song title is such a loving and Godly example of Christianity at its best... yea right.

Scottland posted words by Atreyu –

“And we were given this life to live,
not exist under standards, set by some nonsense rule book.
What prayers of yours, were ever answered, by degrading others
Spare me your biblical back peddling nonsense.”

I love these lyrics that basically degrade and dishonor God’s Holy Word and just boiling the Bible down to a simple “rule book.” These words are so heavenly and Christ like.

All you bible-thumping hypocrites need to shut up and leave us alone. – Scottland

FYI being a “Bible Thumper” is a badge of honor because it means that I know what the Word of God says. People who throw the term about are weak regarding what God’s Word states and of His statutes. Because they are weak, they are ignorant, because they are ignorant they choose to put what ever stamp of “Jesus” and or “Christian” on anything they desire because it just looks and feels good.

CharlieD - what part of it glorifies satan?
lyrics are fine, some are from bible
music, metal and hardcore, not all neccessarily christian, but it helps people understand the point and feeling behind the song
the people- christians, who wear different clothes- God doesnt care how u look.
so which part glorifies satan?

This statement pretty much encompasses your worldly logic and is the most ignorant statement I have seen someone claiming to be a Christian make.

As CharlieD points out, even some lyrics are from the bible too!

Well bless my heart and drop kick my fanny through the goal posts of heaven!!

Basically all of you have stated what CharlieD has stated in one way or another. This shows exactly who you serve, be it intentionally or out of ignorance and this is the crux of the entire blog post.

Here it is…

You look like the world, dress like the world, speak and use profanity like the world. Your music sound like the world, and in fact the lyrics that many of you are so proud of expound the enemy more than Christ even though you may mention a bible verse, or say the name Jesus or God.

To expand upon my point … If I were to walk up to some unbeliever on the street, present your music, your looks, your attitude, ETC., they could not tell the difference either. If I would point blank ask them if you represent Christ or the world, odds are they too would say the world. Even to the world you appear as the world.

You see when it is all boiled down, it does not matter what I think, you think. What matters is what does the final authority state. That final authority is God’s Word. If you do not like what God’s Word says, then you are in rebellion.

Here is what God’s Word states; which is the ultimate truth, like it or not…

Matthew 6:24 -- "NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve god and mammon."

Romans 12:2 -- "And BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

2 Corinthians 6:3 -- "Giving NO offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed."

Ephesians 5:11 -- "And have NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

1 Thessalonians 5:22 -- "ABSTAIN FROM ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIl."

Titus 2:11-14 -- "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, DENYING UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY LUSTS, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from ALL INIQUITY, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

James 1:27 -- "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and TO KEEP HIMSELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD."

James 4:4 -- "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

James 4:8 -- "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. CLEANSE YOUR HANDS, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

1 Peter 1:15 -- "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in ALL MANNER OF CONVERSATION."

1 John 2:15-17 -- "LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

1 John 5:19 -- "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."

Your choice of music, your actions, even your very lifestyle that you present, represents a life of rebellion. This is a fact like it or not. If I were wrong you would conform yourselves to a life of Christ. His sacrifice for you would be what is really important to you. But it is not. I know this because you did not come to the defense of Christ; you come to the defense of Christian Death Metal.

The Bible, from cover to cover, and over and over, condemns rebellion. The Lord God considered rebellion so serious that He compares rebellion to witchcraft. Do you know what God’s Word states about witchcraft? Witchcraft was punishable by death, one He loathes, and a sin that condemns one to a life of burning in Hell!

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, . . . "
1 Samuel 15:23

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Exodus 22:18

All of your posts show that you are willing to battle for the god you serve. You serve the enemy and you do not even know it. You see, Satan was created a beautiful musical creature: "...every precious stone was thy covering,...the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created" (Ezek 28:13). Since music was built into his very nature, are you foolish enough to assume that he will not use it to deceive and enslave?

In all of your posts I see people enslaved by a DEATH STYLE not a life style that Christ offers. Here is a simple question, why is it called Christian “DEATH” Metal? This name in and of itself is an oxymoron.

Oh there will be some of you who will say… “ Hey man, I did not call it Christian Death Metal, I call it Christian Speed Metal man. What’s wrong with you? Just because it sounds and looks like Death Metal does not mean it is Death Metal. We are CHRISTIANS so it is all ok man. Get over it and stop judging us,”

So did I get that about right? Here is what God’s Word says.

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).

The Lord Jesus warns in Matt 7:21-23

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity".

It can be seen by this verse that there is more to being a Christian than just speaking the name of Jesus. The Lord Jesus said to those who worked iniquity to depart because He didn't know them.

You profess to be of the Lord, but your works deny God, Christ and the Bible itself.

Now here is a bigger issue for many of you who are actually in the bands. In the position you are taking you are by default making yourselves “masters” or “teachers.”

Here is what God’s Words states…

James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

If you are on the stage, you are setting yourself up to represent Christ. It does not matter if you are the lead singer or bass player or what ever. You have set yourselves up as “master” in the eyes of others. The impact you have is great and the lifestyle of rebellion is the life you share and evangelize to all who listen to you.

Let me repeat what God’s Word says…

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, . . . "
1 Samuel 15:23

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Exodus 22:18

Now you can call me judgmental, fundamentalist, crotchety old snot, what ever you want. I have presented what God’s Word states. You can go to any Bible commentary, go to any serious KJV bible teaching pastor, etc. They will all agree with me and stand on God’s Word also.

Bob Dylan had a pretty famous song about this very topic, even made it to the top ten in the music charts.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

So who do you serve? Do you serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul and might or do you serve the enemy and the prince of this world? But the bigger question is who does the World say you serve? Are you hated for Christ’s sake or loved for the World’s sake.

If you do not have Christ in your heart 100%, you will burn in hell. Plain fact! Are you willing to gamble that on a life of rebellion and noise you call music?

Some Dead Guy Came Back To Life!

By Ray Gano

I was having a conversation with a brother in the Lord and we were talking about the last days.

We started talking about the Antichrist and he mentions something about him getting shot in the head, then Satan would resurrect him and the world would follow him thinking he was the messiah.

Now I have heard this before, even seen it in some of the popular "tribulation" films and even heard bible prophecy experts teach this as fact.

"Well Ray, in Revelation it tells us that the antichrist will suffer a deadly wound to the head and the whole world will see him raise from the dead."

Really?

There is only one giver of life and that is God. And in fact Christ also holds the keys to death and hell as well.

Am I to understand that during the tribulation Satan will be given the power to breathe life into a dead body?

Folks, when did we allow critical thinking to go out the window?

Does scripture really say that Satan has the power of life over death and will raise the antichrist from the dead?

Beasts, Beasts and more Beasts

Many people point to the 7 headed beast in Revelation 13 and call him the AC. If it is the AC, the entire beast should have died, not just one head "dying." I mean if we are calling out for some guy to die via a mortal head wound, then the whole beast should die right?

What has happened through the years is that a wild idea of some guy suffering a mortal head wound rose and now today it is being taught as doctrine.

People are not reading what is in scripture. In fact what many are doing is regurgitating what they have been taught in popular books and movies instead of really being good Bereans and see if that is what is taking place in scripture.

In fact, I have run across people that when they look at the scripture in Rev 13, they filter God's Word via these errors they have acquired, thus making some dead guy coming to life as some form of "truth."

Where do people get this?

The error comes in misunderstanding the differences between all the "beasts" mentioned in scripture. People have really bent the rules of interpretation basically overlaying what they have been told / their ideas, over what scripture says.

But where do they get this idea of some guy coming back to life by the power of Satan?

Nine times out of ten, people point to Revelation 13:1-3.

Lets really see what scripture says...

Revelation 13:1-3 (KJV) And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

What we need to understand first and foremost is that John was writing in an allegory form. He was "painting a picture" with his words. He was also pulling from God's Word, that being Daniel.

Another point that we must always remember is that scripture always interprets scripture.

So we see this "beast" coming out of the sea. The popular interpretation has always been that this represents the man Antichrist.

But that is not the case. Again scripture interprets scripture.

First we see that this beast has these different body parts. A lion, a bear and a leopard. Those of you who are seasoned students of bible prophecy should recognize these beasts that John is naming. These are the same previous beasts mentioned in Daniel 7. We see he has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion.

What do we know about these beasts?

Well we know from Daniel and from history the following…

The Lion = Babylonian
The Bear = Medo-Persia
The Leopard = Greece / Macedonia

What John is showing us is that this beast coming out of the sea is not a man, but it does represents the empire of the antichrist.

We know this because scripture interprets scripture. The beast is made up of past empires spoken of by Daniel, those being Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece / Macedonia. We also know that John is speaking of an empire because the beast has seven heads and ten horns. These are also symbols of empires / kingdoms as well.

We know that the ten horns represent ten rulers that will rise up and join the beast empire. Daniel also tells us this.

Daniel also tells us about the number of horns and about each empire because the angel made it very clear in Daniel 7, and just as Daniel was a roadmap for the ancients to recognize Antiochus Epiphanes, the first AC spoken of in Dan 11. Revelation is a roadmap for us to recognize the future Antichrist, which is also referenced in the second AC spoken of Dan 11.

Now what about the seven heads?

The seven heads represent authority or government. We know that the seven heads spoken here by John are the seven beast empires that persecuted the nation of Israel,. How do we know this? again Daniel tells us of this.

So the next question is if the wounded head is not the AC, then who or what are the seven heads?

The Egyptian Empire

The Assyrian Empire

The Babylonian Empire

The Medo-Persian Empire

The Macedonian Greek Empire

The Roman Empire

And finally... The Ottoman Empire

WHAT? The Ottoman Empire? Yes, it is the wounded head, which we see rising again today. This is also the empire everyone seems to forget about which died only recently due to WW I and WWII.

NO, NO It Has To Be Rome

How do we know it is not Rome? John has told us it isn't Rome.

Please read the following scriptures that John wrote.

Revelation 17:8 (KJV) The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 17:11 (KJV) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Right here in black and white John is clearly saying that the Revived Empire of the last days is NOT Rome.

Not only does John say it once, but he stresses the point three times.

Let's look at these scriptures more closely....

1. The beast that thou sawest was, (It existed prior to the time of John's writing Revelation) and is not; (DID NOT EXIST during the time of John writing Revelation) and shall ascend (shall return in the future) out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:

2. when they behold the beast that was, (It existed prior to the time of John's writing Revelation) and is not, (DID NOT EXIST during the time of John writing Revelation) and yet is. (shall return in the future)

3. And the beast that was, (It existed prior to the time of John's writing Revelation) and is not, (DID NOT EXIST during the time of John writing Revelation) even he is the eighth (shall return in the future

So in Johns own words we see that he is clearly stating that the revived empire is NOT Rome. Yet the traditions of men say it is Rome.

I have to ask, who is correct, the teachings of man or God's Word?

Let's look at history.

The Egyptian Empire begat the Assyrian Empire, which begat the Babylonian Empire, which begat the Medo-Persian Empire, which begat the Macedonian Greek Empire, which begat the Roman Empire.

But these are just six, what about the seventh?

Where was the final seat of Rome? It wasn’t Rome Italy. The final seat of Rome was Constantinople. Today we know it as Istanbul Turkey, which also happens to be the primary seat of the Ottoman Empire.

So out of Rome it begat the Ottoman Empire.

So we can see that the beast in Rev 13:1-3 is not the AC as is taught. In fact it is the beast empire that the "Dragon" Satan gives power too. In this we see prior empires who were Israel's enemies join together as one confederate empire to do one thing, that is to destroy Israel.

What we need to give credence to is that we are in fact witnessing the once Ottoman empire which was once wounded by a "fatal wound" coming back to life today.

NOW… please note that John is not pointing to the EU, the US, in fact he is not pointing to anywhere in the west at all.

Again scripture names who's who and history confirms what scripture states. Daniel also confirms what Revelation shows.

The wounded empire is in fact the Ottoman Empire.

In fact it is Islam which is the weak glue that binds it. This is why Daniel mentions the iron and clay. They are bound together, but it is a weak confederation ready to break at any moment. Just as the clay and iron mixed do not hold soundly, neither will this confederacy of Islamic nations.

The rising empire is held together by one thing, their mutual hatred for Israel, Jews and Christians and their "Struggle" (Jihad) to bring about a global Muslim empire.

So it isn't Rome, but it is Rome that begat the Ottoman, just like Greece begat Rome, Persia begat Greece and Babylon begat Persia.

Daniel's Statue and The Seven Headed Beast

Does scripture interpret scripture? In fact this is what Daniel's statue also shows us.

Daniel's statue is another form of the Beast empire.

We have been taught to just look at heads, chests, arms and legs. But what we fail to recognize is the statue as a whole.

Remember it is the rock which is Christ spoken of in Daniel that destroys the WHOLE statue. Note not just the arms, legs or chest. When we look at the whole statue, we realize it is the beast empire and we see the prior empires that make up the statue just like they make up the beast in Rev 13.

So to bring it full circle, the beast coming out of the sea is not the AC who will come to life again after some head wound and who comes from Europe like many have been taught, it is the beast empire made of Israel's enemies as told to us in Daniel and Revelation, which are the very same nations spoken of in Psalms and Isaiah.

What many of us Christians often forget is that the Bible is a book about the Middle East with Jerusalem at its center. It is not about the EU, USA, or even some Illuminati freemason plot. It is about the oldest blood feud in history. That of Abraham and Lot, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. These are the end time players.

J.Vernon McGee, one of my favorite pastors and bible prophecy teachers of all times said…

"To understand the end, we need to go to the beginning, it all started with Genesis."

God is a God of logic. He is not one of square pegs going into round holes.

Believe it or not, this idea of a man being shot and brought back to life by Satan is only 150 years or so in the 1800. It was spawned out of a popular commentary that also helped spawn another grievous error which is known as the "Gap Theory."

Just in case you do not know what the "gap theory" is, here is a quick definition…

Many people have tried to place a gap of indeterminate time between the first two verses of Genesis chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. There are many different versions as to what supposedly happened in this “gap” of time. Most versions of the “gap” theory place millions of years of geologic time (including billions of fossil animals) in between these two first verses of Genesis. This is the “ruin-reconstruction” version of the gap theory.

However, this undermines the gospel as it allows for death, bloodshed, disease, and suffering before Adam's sin. Because most “ruin-reconstruction” theorists have accepted the millions of years dating for the fossil record, they have thus allowed the fallible theories of scientists to determine the meaning of Scripture.

Some put the fall of Satan in this supposed period. But any rebellion of Satan during this gap of time contradicts God's description of His completed creation on day six as all being “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

Source - ChristianAnswers.net - http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c003.html

In other words, "Christian Evolution." This in and of itself is an oxymoron and is still believed by some Christians today.

Now, this idea of some dead guy coming to life really took hold in the 1950's /1960s when the announcement of the European common market was announced and it was with "prophetic announcement" that gave this and other ideas "legs."

I hate to say this, but this is what is commonly known as "newspaper exegesis" or leaning upon one's own understanding. We are using our own private interpretation to say what God's Word says, instead of going to God's Word itself.

Couple the dead guy with the common teaching from Martin Luther who claimed the Roman Catholic church as the beast. It merged together, stuck, and has held even today. Many today still give Luther the credit for being the father of this interpretation.

Now, because Rome is part of Europe, people automatically jump to the EU (Rome) and then jump to the west and stop there instead of following through with what scripture really says.

Remember John telling us it was not Rome? Whatever became of that? It got washed out by the parrots who are parroting each other giving their own interpretation and we being lazy, eating it up as so called doctrine instead of us checking it out for ourselves in scripture.

Luther is the originator of much that is being taught today about Rome, the Catholic church, the pope, that is a fact. While many are aware that Luther (father of the Protestant Reformation) came to view the Rome's Catholic Papacy as the spiritual seat of the Antichrist, few are aware that Luther believed that actually the Turks / Muslims were the Kingdom of Antichrist:

“The Pope is the spirit of Antichrist, and the Turk (Muslim) is the flesh of Antichrist.” source - Martin Luther, Tischreden, Weimer Ed., 1, No. 330

In Luther's 1520 Open Letter to the Christian Nobility, Luther declares: "There is no doubt that the true Roman Empire, which the writings of the prophets foretold in Numbers 24[:24] and in Daniel [11:30f], has long since been overthrown...That was brought to pass...especially when the ‘Turkish’ [Mohammadan] Empire arose almost a thousand years ago." source - Works, Holman, Philadelphia, 1915, II, PP.149 & 154

So again we are pointed to Turkey and the Middle East, not the EU, US nor the west.

Today we see Turkey playing a major role in the whole Middle East peace process and we see Turkey also calling for a return of the Ottoman empire. This is an idea that much of the Middle East is taking under consideration and acceptance is starting to drift towards reviving the wounded head, the Ottoman Empire.

I hope that you take some time to ponder on these things and check them out for yourself. We have become lazy in these last days and have allowed others to tell us what scripture means instead of being a good Berean and seeing if it is true for ourselves.

What we need to do is basically "unlearn" what man has taught us and start looking at things through the eyes of God's Word.

Once we realize that God's Word is about the Middle East with Jerusalem as its center, end time prophecy begins to come into focus more clearly. No more round pegs into square holes and scripture fits completely within full context of scripture confirming itself.

It is my desire to critically look at other ideas that we hold to. Some of these ideas based in error have now become doctrine. People are teaching it and yet have no idea really why these ideas have come to fruition. The reality is that they are just ideas of man and not backed up by solid scripture.

Phillipians 4:8 (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.