At a time when a wave of revival seems to be sweeping across America, a new film sheds light on how the Gospels were codified.
CBN Films’ “Oracles of God: The Story of the New Bible,” which hits theaters Nov. 2, 3 and 5 through Fathom Entertainment, has been in the works for the past five years.rs.
Director Erin Zimmerman told CBN News that planning for the film began in 2017 while living in Israel. However, after starting preparations for filming in 2019, the coronavirus pandemic hit and everything was shut down. After that, production continued to rise and fall.
“We came back in 2023 and did pre-production in Israel over the summer,” Zimmerman said. “Filming was scheduled to begin in October 2023.”
Again, production was delayed after Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel.
“That was the moment where I really said, ‘Okay, God, what are you doing? Because you’ve had me here all summer. You’ve taken us all the way to filming. So why not?'” Zimmerman said.
During these difficult times, the director was able to stay in Israel with his cast and crew. Although the timing and delays didn’t make sense to him at first, Zimmerman said he soon came to understand the power of God’s timing. now, “divine oracle” comes at a time when the culture is ripe for a resurgence.
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“Last year, the Wall Street Journal said we are in a golden age of Bible publishing,” Zimmerman said. “Who would have thought that? You know, Bible sales were up last year. . . . This was before Charlie Kirk and all the things that are happening now to stir up this situation.”
She continued, “Last year, Bible sales were up 22% year over year. This year already…we’ve sold a million more Bibles than at this time last year.”
Looking back on her plans, Zimmerman now realizes that while her project faced multiple delays, God knew what she was doing all along.
“His timing is better than ours,” she said.
Zimmerman said audiences who go to the theater to see “Oracles of God: A New Testament Story” will encounter a Bible story that takes place after Christ’s death and will see the outcome.correction. And this movie will answer many questions about the composition of the New Testament.
“How were those stories written down?” he said. “How did we get them? I mean, how did we go from the apostles…all the way through the ministry of Jesus? Jesus was saying to them, ‘Oh, I’m telling you, you don’t understand yet. What’s going on? They didn’t understand yet. So how did we go from there saying, ‘But this is my life’s mission. Now I have to write this down and write it down.’
Zimmerman said the film explores how the Bible transitioned from oral tradition to the codified New Testament.
“Suddenly the apostles were exterminated and the persecution began,” the filmmaker said. “King Herod was driving Jews and Christians out of Judea (and they said), ‘Oh, we have to write this down because we don’t have first-hand testimony anymore.'”
therefore, “The Oracle of God: Stories from the New Testament”” tackles the journey from oral stories to the written canon.
“We have an incredible talent for knowing about this era,” Zimmerman said. “We have an amazing gift called the Fathers of the Church. They are Christian leaders who are a generation or two removed from the apostles. Some of them were even direct students of the apostle John.”
She said the ability to dig deep into the logic behind the creation of the New Testament is faith-building. Zimmerman, a Christian, said that when he first started working on the project, he was “at ground zero on this subject.” It was out of her typical topical wheelhouse.
“Some projects…it’s your idea and what you want to do,” she said. “This was nothing like that. This is what God told me. I mean, I didn’t get the tablets from Mount Sinai, but you know when God tells you to do something.”
Ultimately, Zimmerman believes that “The Oracle of God: Stories from the New Testament” Build believers’ faith by helping them understand the authenticity of the Bible and the stories it tells.
“I want people to have a real love and confidence in this writing,” she said. “Many people don’t believe in the Bible because they have personal problems or no connection to Christianity.”
Mr. Zimmerman continued. “But there are a lot of people out there who don’t do that just because, ‘Hey, you know what? I think the writing is broken.’ Well, I guess so, but that’s not what they did. It’s not what was written at this point.”
But the film paints a different, more accurate picture of why the New Testament is truly reliable, she said. If you want to know the real history behind the Bible, come to the theater on November 2nd, 3rd, or 5th. “The Oracle of God: Stories from the New Testament””
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