Can You Trust God's Word? Series

20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 1:20 - 2:3)

Should I Read the Da Vinci Code?

In a couple of weeks the movie The Da Vinci Code will come to a theatre near you. The book has had a huge impact the on America. The numbers are staggering, perhaps as many as a third of the population has read the book. Since the book portrays Jesus not as God but as a good man and married, Christians must be ready offer a testimony of truth. Christians must know what they believe and be ready to help others discover truth about Jesus Christ and God’s Word. Wherever you cut into the God’s Word it bleeds Jesus.

Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code, purposely blurs the lines between history and fiction. On the back of the book it is classified as fiction. But just a few lines down on the back of the book you find this statement, “an astonishing truth concealed for centuries…unveiled at last.”

The veil between fact and faction in The Da Vinci Code is razor thin. The result is that many are wondering what the real truth is about Jesus, the Bible, and the Church. The book is far more than a literary blockbuster and a number one worldwide bestseller - don’t be fooled! You will be called upon to decide if the book challenges the veracity of God’s Word. In our text today Peter said these things would happen in the last days.

20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (2 Peter 1:20 - 2:3)

One of the great benefits of Brown’s book is, it will force the church to become more apologetic in defending their faith and more alert to the issues concerning a historical basis for early Christianity. A win for the church!

The Da Vinci Code has sold over 40 million copies and has been translated into over 22 languages. With a soon to be released Hollywood movie by Director Ron Howard of Happy Days, and actor Tom Hanks, the sales of the book will continue to climb. So where does The Da Vinci Code stand in all-time sales?

Bible - 6 billion

Chairman Mao Tse-Tung (Little Red Book) - 900 Million

Noah Webster Spelling Book - 100 million

Benjamin Spock (Parenting) - 50 Million

The Da Vinci Code - 40 Million (If you don’t include Webster’s Dictionary and McGuffey Reader.)

Almost everyone knows someone who is reading or has read the book. What is Dan Brown’s mission in writing this manuscript? Financial? Maybe. Literary joy? To produce a mystery? Americans love a mystery and a challenge to the status quo.

The book calls into question, as author Erwin Lutzer says, “…the authority of the Bible and the truth of what Christians believe about Jesus. Millions of readers are being duped into believing the book is based on a true conspiracy on the part of the church and those in power to manipulate Christianity to serve their own purposes.”1

We have a mandate as Christians living in the last days to clarify the truth about Jesus and God’s Word if the literary work misleads the masses about false doctrines. So why should I read The Da Vinci Code? Let me suggest a couple of reasons:

1. We must help those who are accepting the book as truth about Jesus, God’s Word, and the Church, suggesting to them they look at other sources of truth.