Is "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" among the most biblical films ever made?
A best-selling Christian author says the answer is a resounding yes, along with other major Hollywood productions that moviegoers would never suspect have anything to do with the Bible.
"As shocking as it sounds, God Himself is using the center of the entertainment universe, which is often thought to have abandoned the Creator long ago, to secretly broadcast messages in popular movies and TV shows that ostensibly have nothing to do with matters of faith," says Joe Kovacs, author of the highly anticipated, brand-new book, "Shocked by the Bible 2: Connecting the Dots in Scripture to Reveal the Truth They Don't Want You to Know."
"When movies are viewed with one's spiritual eyes open, it becomes more than clear that God is secretly planting His glorious message inside many of the biggest silver-screen successes of all time."
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Kovacs devotes an entire chapter of "Shocked by the Bible 2" to probing the scriptural messages that are embedded in famous motion pictures, just as Jesus voiced secret messages about the kingdom of God in the parables He told during His human ministry some 2,000 years ago.
"We all need to remember that during His earthly ministry, Jesus Himself would teach by using parables – cinema-like stories conveying secret messages," says Kovacs. "If Jesus told us to consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air to understand the kingdom of God, then why shouldn't we consider the messages aired today?
"God tells us countless times in the Bible to 'pay attention' and 'take heed.' He wants us paying attention because He is showing His entire plan of salvation through a wide variety of His creation, and that includes what is created in Hollywood."
Regarding "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," Kovacs says the beloved 1971 musical starring Gene Wilder is one of the clearest, most succinct metaphors for key messages of the Bible.
He explains that the candyman Wonka represents Jesus, the Maker of all things good and sweet, who is testing the morals of children to determine who can receive "the most fabulous prize one could wish for," as a newscaster declares at the start of the movie.
Kovacs notes: "Throughout the film, Wonka (Jesus) pays close attention to the character of each individual, to discern if the children are filled with good or evil. Those filled with bad traits, such as the obnoxious girl Veruca Salt, the closest thing to a witch with a capital B that you'll ever see on screen, end up headed for the furnace, the reward for all the wicked who don't turn away from their transgressions."
"This is exactly how Jesus operates, examining the hearts and minds of His own children and studying their actions to determine who is worthy of the astonishing reward of eternal life as members of God’s very own family," writes Kovacs in "Shocked 2."
"Unfortunately, most of the children are filled with the character traits of the wicked one, Satan the devil, and all are shown to violate the explicit instructions of the gracious boss."
"But the reward for the repentant boy Charlie, who performs 'a good deed in a weary world,' is 'the grand and glorious jackpot.' Wonka gives everything he has – his entire kingdom – to the loving child. This clearly represents the glorious gift of everlasting life as a member of God's own family, inheriting all things when we become a child of God Himself."
Kovacs says it's not just the plot that has a biblical theme. The soundtrack of the movie is also very similar to the songs and proverbs in the Bible. For instance, in one tune sung by the Oompa Loompas, there are verses such as:
Oompa Loompas: "If you are wise you’ll listen to me"
Scripture has: Listen to instruction and be wise (Proverbs 8:33 HCSB)
Oompa Loompas: "If you're not greedy, you will go far"
Scripture: A greedy person provokes conflict, but whoever trusts in the LORD will prosper. (Proverbs 28:25 HCSB)
Oompa Loompas: "You will live in happiness too"
Scripture: How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the LORD's instruction! (Psalm 119:1 HCSB)
"Willy Wonka" is far from being the only Hollywood production to include a secret biblical code. Kovacs says some of the biggest titles of all time employ the same teaching method. Among the many he analyzes in "Shocked by the Bible 2" are "The Matrix," "Star Wars," "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Big Short," "Blade Runner," "Groundhog Day," "The Truman Show," "The Island," "The Rock," "Knowing," "The Walking Dead" and others.
"At no time do these famous titles directly state, 'Get Jesus and get saved,' and if they did, they probably would not have become such smashes," Kovacs said. "But God has found a way to get inside the minds of writers and directors to embed strong biblical messages and scriptural themes to which the producers themselves are likely oblivious."
In this latest work, which is a sequel to his No. 1 Amazon best-seller "Shocked by the Bible" from 2008, Kovacs digs much deeper into the Good Book, connecting the dots from hundreds of Scriptures, many of which are rarely, if ever, discussed in public. He cracks the window into the spirit dimension by revealing not just the physical meaning of any given verse, but the spiritual meaning as well. Readers can finally get a clear glimpse into the unseen world where God dwells to understand what has previously been shrouded in mystery and confusion.
Among the issues Kovacs takes head-on in "Shocked by the Bible 2":
- The heart of the gospel has been secretly hidden in a small book that many people think should not even be in the Bible
- There are three words of Jesus that most Christians don't believe
- The intriguing meaning of shaking the dust off your feet
- •Satan's destiny is not what most people think
- •The destiny of unrepentant evildoers is completely different from what most churches teach
- •Some prayers are detestable to God
- The Bible explains who creates and allows evil (Hint: It's not the devil)
- •The possible day of Satan's destruction revealed
- •The biblical origin of the fear of the number 13 and perhaps Friday the 13th
- Worshipers of God did unspeakably evil things to their own children
- The world's most famous prostitute was never actually a hooker
- •There is a resurrection no one talks about
- •There is more than one chance for people to repent
- Judgment Day does NOT mean that everyone is thrown into a fire
- The most shocking statement of the Bible is avoided and suppressed by most pastors
- •Believers have an important job to do once Jesus returns
- •Jesus is not the only judge of the world
- •Did Jesus really nail the law of God to His cross?
- •The reason why people will want to obey God in the future
- •Deception began long before Adam and Eve were created
- •God has a serious problem with "every green tree" used to worship him
- There's an important reason why God allows evil, and many pastors don't even know what it is
- There is an unknown sin that is killing millions of Christians
- The future way Jesus is going to "fulfill" the law
- Why the Bible talks about "Another Jesus"
- •The true meaning of the phrase: "a little lower than the angels"
- The Bible says flesh-and-blood humans are meant to be changed into spirit beings
- •There is a time coming when there won't be darkness of night anymore
- •The mystery of Enoch is no longer a mystery
- •Today's society is Opposite World
- Plus many more ...
The new book is already receiving high praise.
Michael Savage, the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author and national radio talk-show host, raves: "'Shocked by the Bible 2' is a must read for every God-fearing, Bible-loving reader. If you believe there is a 'grand design' created by the One True God, this book will become another light along your path."
Within just hours of its official launch, "Shocked by the Bible 2" rocketed to the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on numerous Amazon's best-seller lists, especially in Christian Historical Theology. The top two positions reflect purchases for Kindle and hardcover editions.
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Kovacs stresses: "I really want people to read the words on the pages of their own Bibles, and believe them. It is when people don't believe the Word of God that confusion and errors are created.
"Many don't realize that the Bible is more than an ordinary book. It is actually a code. It is the code for living now in this physical world, and the code that will get us into the spirit world. It is a map, like a treasure map that has tremendous riches awaiting us at the final destination in the kingdom of God. If we don't follow the map's directions, we'll never reach the destination with the treasure, which is everlasting life."
NOTE: Media wishing to interview Joe Kovacs can contact him here.